Let’s go on a quick journey together. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Now open them...you have to read this, after all. Clear your mind of the distractions of your present situation - they’ll be there when you leave this and you can deal with them then.

Now, in your mind, picture a large town square surrounded by ornate buildings, that on first glance, appear to be one large building per side. The street-level façade is spanned by arch after arch - an arcade - that supports a covered walkway, protecting any pedestrian from the heat of the summer or the rains of the winter as they go about their day. 

Imagine this square has an ornate basilica on one side and next to that is a tall brick clocktower that cannot be missed, as it is at least twice the height of all of the buildings around it.

Envision this piazza at night. Just outside of the arcade, spaced at regular intervals around the entire square are wrought iron street lamps that reach toward the sky. There is one light perched on top of each one and three curving iron arms, slightly below, supporting three more lamps. These classic looking lamps bathe the surrounding piazza in a warm, golden light and illuminate every square inch of flagstone-paved street.

Listen carefully and you can hear the coo of dozens of pigeons whose homes are the surrounding buildings and who strut proudly around the piazza, gently buffeted by the thinning crowds of humans taking pictures, perusing menus, or doing some last minute shopping in the square. You can also hear the gentle buzz of the crowd, the conversations over a delicious meal, the tinkle of laughter on the air, the clink of silver on plates. If you strain, you might even be able to hear the sound of the water in the nearby canals, gently lapping at the edges of the walkways next to them or the dozens of gondolas and boats that call the canals home.

On one side of the square, opposite the basilica, there is a slightly raised platform in the middle of an area that is roped off for diners of a particular restaurant. On the platform rests a baby grand and around that, five chairs are arrayed in a sort of semi-circle. A string quintet and a pianist are passionately playing Nessun Dorma, an aria from the opera, Turandot, to a nearly empty square. You stand in the middle of the square called San Marco (or St. Mark’s in English) in Venice, Italy and take this all in. A tear rolls down your cheek and you smile because, in your wildest dreams, you couldn’t imagine this exact moment in time and space happening to you; one of your favorite arias is being played in a town on the Adriatic Sea that you have romanticized about visiting for some time now. It’s your first time to Europe and this is your first night in Venice. You just had your first TRUE Italian meal. The feeling in your soul is that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing.

This was my experience upon going to Europe for the first time. It truly was a magical moment in my life, one that I can still see and sense clearly in my mind’s eye today as sharply as if it was yesterday, despite it having been over 12 years since I first experienced it. The romance, the food, the history, and the culture of Italy all pervades your senses to result in something quite unforgettable. It was the perfect place to begin my love affair with Europe and with traveling in general.

Do you have any experiences like this one? Travel firsts? Or perhaps you are an experienced traveller who has then gone to someplace so completely different and breathtaking than what your typical travel is that it stops you in its tracks and all you can do is stand there and just take it all in? I’d love to hear about it! Give a like and/or leave a comment.