Anekke Venezia

Travelling, a word that, depending on who or when, has a totally different meaning. But it is something that we should never stop doing.

Each trip is a story and I think that it always turns into a personal challenge. Discovering new places, a new language, the customs, meeting different people…

Because it is not the place that is the most important thing, for me it is more that feeling you get when you travel. Feeling part of it, the experience. Refreshing your mind, your spirit. Getting to know yourself more (and better). Feeling freer than ever before.

And the trip is not only the time when you arrive at your destination, it begins with those moments of nerves and excitement beforehand when you imagine what the days ahead will be like, what memories you will build there. And you pack your bag, with a nervous smile on your face, whilst your eagerness to get there increases, turning you into another tiny little dot on an immense map made of dreams, where you enjoy every step you take on it.

Because despite what many people see when they look at a map, for me, this piece of paper is a hieroglyph full of excitement and adventures to enjoy. All I have to do is shake my magic key ring and with that soft tinkling sound, together with the nervous purring of Towanda, my lovely pussy cat, the adventure begins.

You choose the way, hang a bag over your shoulder to fill with experiences and set off on this voyage in a train carriage or perhaps you are rocked back and forth on a boat or on a white bicycle with a matching basket, on foot… or like on this occasion, in a gondola. Oh, beautiful Venice!

I travel on its canals completely absorbed while I hear this pretty musicality of the language in my ear. And as I try to note down every unforgettable moment in my travel notebook while I drink an espresso in a square, a ragazzo shouts at me.

He comes up to us, strokes Towanda and I can’t stop laughing because, even though I don’t understand a word of what he is saying, it is a really nice situation. Like the things that only seem to happen in films, or to me. And then, without further ado, he gives me a little hat. It never fails to surprise me how a stranger can make you smile, reminding you that the world is full of wonderful people and that every trip is a new opportunity to meet them.

I decide to cycle around its streets, feeling the air on my face, disturbing the pigeons with my laugh while I feel that I am flying, trying to decide on one of its typical carnival masks. Venice is a city full of history, its ideal for dreamers like me, for lovers of places that seem to be made for romanticism.

I realize that each trip is unique, an opportunity to live life slowly, taking in the aromas of the place, enjoying each surprise, the greeting of a stranger. Each trip makes you a happier person; it brings you a bit closer to yourself, to a feeling of incredible well-being.

That is why I know that I will never never stop travelling. It is true that travelling might be a word that, depending on who or when, has a totally different meaning. But for the dreamers, travelling is something that we must never stop doing.

Shut your eyes; leave your magic key ring on your bedside table and dream. See you in Venice… Or who knows where!