Venice, boredom and being in love.

When I wake up in Venice and open my eyes I look up at the most beautiful ceiling I have ever seen. It is so high, that one could easily fit another door above the one we have already. I am sleeping in the living room of a flat, a few hundred years old, beautifully decorated and right in the centre. It is owned by a Venetian family but is presently being rented by Ittai who is staying in Venice for a few months to read art history for his PhD dissertation and was kind enough to let Amelia and myself stay with him during our visit here.
Venice has been interesting. Nice. Slow. I spent the first days with Amelia looking at contemporary art at the biennale and strolling around the city. The loudness off my footsteps on the stoned pavements has never felt more appropriate. The city is like a maze, lots of tiny little allies often leading you to a dead end or a canal so you have to turn around again. Everything is old and everything is beautiful; the churches, canals, the boats and little bridges. There are no cars too, which is wonderful.

I must admit though that I have a slight problem with Venice, and that is the tourism. Even now, off-season, when there are actually not so many tourists the city is still a tourist city. If you are not into expensive designer clothes, souvenirs, ‘art’ galleries/shops, delicatessens, restaurants and being taken around on gondolas I find that you quickly run out of things to do and explore. If there was a little treasure, a little church, local café or curiosity shop, it has surely been discovered by droves of people before you and is catering for the masses already.
Of course it is contradictory and even hypocritical to complain about tourists when that is exactly what I am myself. But I think you know what I mean, the feeling that whatever I choose to do, someone else will have decided what it is that I am going to experience.
In a way it feels like I have been spending the last 3 days walking around a museum, and even if it is incredibly beautiful and interesting I’m quite ready to go and get on with my life.
Yesterday Ittai took me over to another smaller island of Venice called Giadecca. It was quite refreshing. It’s the old industrial area, now more residential it seems with newer buildings and few tourists. Still very charming and beautiful but in a different way, less romantic somehow and more alive.
But on the whole, and maybe a little ironically, the best thing about my stay here has been to see and spend time with Amelia and Ittai and to look at the biennale. It’s really great to see such a wide range of contemporary art from all around the world, some of which was really excellent. So interesting, thought invoking and wonderfully inspiring. Just what I wanted before I go to Berlin and finally start making my own stuff again. Perfect!

Today I have decided to stay at home for most of the day and work. Possibly I will make soup.

Oh, and one more thing.
I realised yesterday that exactly one year ago I was in Pula in Croatia with Gagi. Most people who know me will know the story, we had met 2 months prior to that when I was in Belgrade and not seen since. When we decided to meet again in I was a bit nervous. 5 days can be a long time if it is not a good time. Luckily it was.
5 days in Pula. 5 days in Venice.
I find it interesting to compare the two experiences.
Pula is also a small city with a lot of old beautiful buildings and although it is not as touristy as Venice, there is perhaps not an awful lot to do at this time of year other than to walk around, stop for a coffee or a bite to eat and go early to bed. And although I have actually been to see a lot more while I’ve been here and had a good time my with afore mentioned companions here, I also admit that I have had to make more of an effort not to get bored in-between.
I don’t remember ever being bored in Pula. Most of the time we just walked or lay around and looked and talked and if we had nothing to interesting say or to look at we could just cuddle and kiss or gaze into one another’s eyes which can be an endlessly exciting activity when you are as infatuated aswe were.
I’m by no means suggesting that being with a lover is the only way not to get bored but it is definitely a great antibody when there is not much else to do.
And isn’t boredom the worst thing, many people’s idea of hell even; the eternal waiting room.
Is this perhaps one of the main reasons why falling in love is such desirable thing, because of the simple fact that it is guaranteed to prevent boredom in any situation?