Falling for Venice

From the moment I arrived on this floating island, I was smitten – the architecture, the car-free streets, the endless tiny streets to wander. There is romance and poetry embedded in every bridge and brick of Venice. I was almost immediately swooning for this magical place.

I had not, however, expected to be literally swept off my feet.

After an exciting afternoon (waterbus riding (!!), settling into our adorable Venetian apartment, drinking wine on our private terrace, wandering a bit of Venice, dining on marvelous food), we were walking home, I was gleefully traipsing along, when I decided to traipse down the stairs that led towards the Grand Canal to get closer to the enchanting water.

Unbeknownst to me, the steps were covered with a thick layer of seaweed and sludge, and before I could do anything, I came crashing down, bashing the back of my head on the stone steps, and painfully wrenching my wrist in a futile attempt to break my fall.

The world was momentarily brilliantly bright and psychedelic, then worryingly dark. I sat for a moment on the wet, slimy steps, trying to collect myself. My concerned friends helped collect me and walk me home.

We went back the following day to survey the scene. You can see the patch of thick sea weed that I cleared away the previous evening with my fall. After a consult with Dr. Google (and a confirmatory diagnosis via a doctor pal on Snapchat) we were 99% sure I had a concussion. I stubbornly (and reasonably) refused to try to find real medical care, knowing that, unless it gets worse (in which case I was in real trouble), the doctor would likely just monitor me and advise me to avoid logical things, like heavy boozing, intense aerobic activity, and the like.

My friends iced my head, woke me up every few hours, wrapped my sprained wrist and were generally top-notch nursemaids.For the rest of the week (and some time after), Tylenol became a dear companion, and I took to doing a little bit more napping and lazing than I might usually when on a trip. However, there is something wonderfully leisurely about the Venetian lifestyle, and I feel like it was the perfect place to slow down and enjoy il bel far niente (the beauty of doing nothing).