A Night in Venice With Elton John

We took a little trip to Venice with Mike, Jose and David. It is the magic of those cheap air flights from Barcelona. I always thought Venice had a web of cannels running like streets everywhere throughout the city. In reality there is one main cannel running through the middle of the city with some waterways connecting to it. When we took the water taxi to where we were staying, I was amazed at how familiar the buildings looked along the shore. It is because virtually every movie, every documentary, every travel journal I have seen on Venice has been shot along the one Grand Cannel. The other waterways are much more narrow and more like alleys than waterfronts.

We stayed at a nice hotel right near the Rialto Bridge. This city that started simply as a large market expanded its wealth into a thriving center of commerce that used its revenue to embrace art and architecture. The merchants built ornate homes to show off their success and social standing. The church built opulent churches to show off its divinity. And the government built monumental offices to show off its power. At the center of the city is San Marcos Piazza where the most important government buildings and churches all come together in carved marble and gold leafing.

We took in the sights and sounds of the city, explored the churches and the great works of art and listened to string quartets and Venetian operas. We heard rumors that Elton John was going to give a concert at the Piazza de San Marcos. Of course we did not have tickets. But we decided to choose a nice restaurant on the plaza and have dinner. It turned out to be a wonderful evening. While we dined on seafood and pasta, at the other end of the piazza Elton John sang the songs that all the world knows and loves. The waiter brought us more courses and Elton John brought us more memories of his great music under the stars of this magical city.