A PERSPECTIVE ON THE SLPS TRIP TO VENICE

BY ALF MUNNERLEY

I woke with a bit of a start as the alarm went off at 5.30 am. I rang a taxi and asked him to pick me up at about 6.40 to get me to Martin’s house for 7.00. It felt strange going away for a weekend break without my wife but because she couldn’t go she was happy for me to go alone. From Martin’s it was another taxi to the airport for three of us, Eric, Martin and myself. We were in the queue in good time and the rest of the party were soon assembled with us. The atmosphere was great and everyone seemed relaxed and looking forward to the weekend. We did have one scare when the check in girl told Martin that he would have to pay excess on his luggage which was weighing about 30 kilos!! It suddenly dawned on him that he was leaning on the scale….!!

The flight was nicely on time and it seemed that we had hardly taken off before we were crossing the Alps, which looked amazing with their caps covered in snow. I couldn’t help thinking that Christmas was only 7 weeks away. I noticed one or two had already started “snapping” and looking at the viewing screens of their cameras. The pictures looked great, despite being taken through the plane windows. We arrived at Treviso Airport bang on time and Martin our leader soon had us organised with bus tickets for the journey to Venice. I was delighted to have someone to lead the way because usually when I go away it is left to me to do the organising. We just seemed to be carried along without any worries and everything was working like clockwork.

We were in Venice in under an hour and after catching the boat to Piazza San Marco we then walked to our hotel which was situated just on the edge of the square. The hotel was very warm and comfortable and the staff were welcoming and very helpful. We arranged to drop our belongings in our rooms and to meet at reception where we then went for a walk to get our bearings. Again, it was great not to have the worry of finding your way as Martin’s experience saved us this problem. The afternoon was warm and sunny and again I was thinking about Christmas as I was walking around in shirt sleeves. It just didn’t seem possible that we were so near to December 25th.

Venice is truly a magical place and a photographer’s dream. It was my first visit and I immediately fell in love with it. We walked around until early evening and even now it was still warm. The hotel recommended a restaurant and again our leader took us there without a problem, except that we all wanted to see so many things and photograph so many sights that we were beginning to string out. One member of our party (who shall be nameless) was already struggling to keep up as she took photos of everything in sight. We all enjoyed our meal together and the atmosphere was really terrific with everyone seeming to get on with each other. After the meal we started to make our way back to the hotel when we found a local bar. Some of us had a drink and left as we were tired but others decided to stay, and I think that after looking at their faces the next morning, they stayed quite late! But even at this late hour we were actually standing outside the bar drinking, it was that warm.

On Saturday morning we assembled in reception ready for the day ahead and we kept together as a group even though we would get quite strung out at times as Martin tried to cram in as much sightseeing as possible. The weather today was not what it had been the day before and it was overcast but dry and quite cold. The conditions for taking pictures were not ideal but at least we had no rain. There was a mist early on but it would have been nice to have had some sun with it. It wasn’t stopping anyone from taking pictures though and it was about this time that I asked Nick how many pictures he had taken. His reply was “about 500”! Imagine in the days of film being able to take 500 pictures in less than two days!! Unfortunately, at about this time I heard that Andy had had an accident with his camera and because the back had opened, the film was lost. He was not able to use his SLR camera again over the weekend but luckily he’d come equipped with a spare compact.

We saw so much of Venice on the Saturday as we walked the length and breadth of the place just taking in the sights and the shops, which seemed to take you back years. There appears to be no rush and because there are no cars or buses, the noise is down to a very low level. We had three-day boat passes, so we were able to travel without queuing for tickets if we wanted to use the boats. By now we were getting used to the layout of Venice so we were not so worried about losing anyone as we moved around. In fact, by late afternoon we had broken into small groups agreeing to meet up for dinner later on. To me it was a memorable day and one which I won’t forget. I just feel sorry for anyone who has only paid a flying visit as part of a tour and only stayed for a few hours. We were so lucky to have the time and a guide with knowledge of the place. We tried a different restaurant that night and “strangely” we ended back at the bar which we found the night before. Again, some stayed late!!

On Sunday I was quite looking forward to a boat trip to Burano to see the brightly painted houses and the lace for which it is famous. I also wanted to see Murano for its glass and so after some sightseeing around Venice, we took the boat across. The weather was cold and overcast so was not really conducive to taking pictures but still we had no rain and we were able to get around. I am so glad that we went, although I didn’t see any glass being made as it was Sunday (that is not to say that some of the others did not see glass making as I may have gone to the wrong factory!) Again, it was a memorable experience and although I didn’t buy any lace or glass I still enjoyed it.

A very nice part of the weekend were the dinners we enjoyed together, and Sunday night was no exception. Because we are club members we only see each other once a week and so we don’t get to know each other very well. For myself I found it great to have more time to talk to people and get to know them a bit better. I hope other people enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed theirs.

And so to Monday morning. I was leaving Venice with mixed feelings and although I was looking forward to being home again I knew that I was going to miss it. I felt that I wanted to see more but really I suppose there wouldn’t be a great deal more to see. We had been everywhere. I want to go back some day and I am sure that I will but in the meantime I would like to thank my fellow travellers--Patsy, Susan, Lynn and Andy, Frank, Eric, Tony, Nick, Ian and of course Martin who made it all possible.

Thanks for a great weekend!

Please send any comments to Alf