Crumbling walls and Back alley canals.

yes, i did expect Venice to be a tourist trap and yes, i was also warned about the smell of dirt ridden canals in the summer. but i didnt think Lonely Planet would call it "mysterious and hauntingly beautiful" for no reason. my trip in Italy begun as i crossed my first bridge over a bright and white full moon. Venice by night was quite eerie and nothing i had experienced. No sound of cars whirring by or 24 hour mini marts, just old and dilapitated buildings, remnants from the 15th centuy or even earlier. I was too tired to be enchanted - i had missed my flight in the morning thanks to the bloody parisien traffic jam as parisiens were all rushing out of the city to go on their summer breaks. half of us in those cars must have missed our flights even though we left hours before hand.

i arrived at the hostel which was pleasingly near the campo santa magherita, the main hub of bars and restos. i realised i was living next to the university foscari. it was not until the next day did i realise that there was indeed a healthy population of young people living on the island, all studying here.

From the start I was prepared to be lost in Venice. its true that maps have their way of ceasing function and that for me, was the exciting thing about the city. I did the usual stuff, avoiding the queues (and pigeons) as much as I could but it was the Venice Biennale that first got me lost. Every part of venice had been transformed into a contemporary museum with only signs leading you to an obscure renaissance building or court and if you saw a poster with the Bienalle sign, you've wandered right. I managed to catch almost all the exhibits, except for the Singapore Pavillion which was closed. The thing i realised about Venice is that it was thriving with art. Many of the students i met were studying art or architecture , a position well exploited by the Universities there. But surprisingly this created a fresh edge over the blatantly Medieval and Renaissance feel of the city. Huge artsy wall posters could be found on slanted brick alleys with layers of history crumbling.