Hello, again, Blogonauts. Venice is beautiful, historic, and culture-packed city. And along with these indubitable virtues, it also happens to exist in 21st-century Italy. Italian disagreements are common and often filled with drama. (This is, after all, the country that lifted grand opera to its treacherous, tearful, tragic peak.) Along the way, the innocent are often hooked into their hostile hijinks. I had researched my arrival at Marco Polo Airport exceedingly well, except for one thing: I had neglected to visit the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.commissionegaranziasci opero.it/" rel="nofollow">website</a> where are posted the labor strikes that were scheduled for any given day ... or hour. And as it happened, when I arrived the vaporetti were on strike until the afternoon. Vaporetti are the water buses that transport Venetians and their tourist hordes around this island city. They work exceedingly well, even being largely handicapped accessible in this city where almost every bridge is filled with stair-steps. But with no vaporetti, and no other motorized transportation allowed in Venice, I was left to the transport I brought with me: my feet. And so once the bus dropped me off at the island's edge, I began my trip to Venice the way folks have for more than a thousand years: I walked to my lodging. Luckily, after ricocheting across the Atlantic a few times, I have developed a better idea of what to leave out of the luggage. For this trip I packed exceedingly light, considering that I will spend 12 days away from a Maytag. Lugging my bags a mile or two on a sunny 60-degree afternoon was not a problem. However, navigation in Venice, even on foot while holding a map and using an iPhone's GPS and compass, is far from simple. Walkways may dead end in either blind alleys or simply by dumping the hapless pedestrian into a canal. Bridges over waterways are everywhere except where you need one. And because Venice was built with medieval boat traffic in mind, there are no land-based main thoroughfares. (There are, however, a few traffic lights that operate for the boats in the canals.) So several times along my trek, I found myself back-tracking, taking an unexpected turn, and gazing repeatedly between the map and a street sign. (Yes, even though there are no streets, street signs abound.) And yet through it all, I was smiling and having the time of my life. Venice is the one city where I can say that getting lost is its own reward. Even in its dotage, Venice is among the most uniformly photogenic cities on the planet. It presents itself paradoxically as both feebly decrepit and amazingly well-preserved ... much like Maggie Smith. The architecture is unique in its layering of Roman, Greek, Byzantine, and Arabic building styles. The colors of the buildings can seem at once vivid and fading. With water everywhere, splashes of reflected light play on the walls of buildings. Boats are ubiquitous, as are steps into the canals where folks can board their own boat, a water taxi, or a gondola without soaking their toes. Jet lag prevented me from concentrating very well as the day wore on, but I could easily take in the scenery, which Venice offered up generously. So even after I checked into the hotel, I spent the day meandering and intentionally getting lost again. I ended my day with an early dinner in a cicchetti bar, the Venetian equivalent of Spanish tapas. I have posted a few of my photos from my wanderings. Check the captions for available details. More tomorrow about the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repu blic_of_Venice" rel="nofollow">Most Serene Republic of Venice</a>. Blog to you later!