Visiting Italy in the off season had its benefits. Venice wasn’t crowded on that New Years Eve. There weren’t annoying pidgins accosting anyone. And since it wasn’t hot, the lagoon water didn’t smell. But, I did find it odd that these weird tables were stacked all around the city. I wondered if it was for some New Years tradition that I wasn’t aware of.
But in the off season you have to deal with poor weather. I certainly got my money’s worth out of my new rain boots and jacket. Here you can see St. Mark’s Square! Except…the rain and lagoon water started to pool. I didn’t know it then, but St. Mark’s Square is the lowest part of Venice. And in winter it can flood!
And after having a nice lunch of pizza, we found out what those “tables” were for. They were actually walkways setup so people wouldn’t have to walk across the flooded streets. Apparently it can get so bad that the water reaches chest level. Thankfully while we were there it wasn’t that bad!
Travel Missteps is an every-other week series on how sometimes part of the journey is making mistakes and getting lost.
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