Today, I tried to go without the internet for an entire day. Actually, my day began from the night before when I caught the thello sleeper train from Paris to Venice. For the whole journey and the next day, I deprived myself (hence the delay in the arrival of this blog post). I’ve got to say I relished the opportunity to be more appreciative of my surroundings. I completed this page from my mindfulness journal, including some of the things I’d noticed.
Plus, the really wild thing I did in day 4 occurred when I arrived in Venice. As I stepped off the train, I could immediately feel the oppressive humidity in the station. We successfully bought a map and then headed outside. The first sight of the Grand Canal was stunning even in the grey, morning light. We considered walking to the hostel but, as the sky darkened further, we headed for the vaporetto water bus stop. The first rumble of thunder we dismissed as the creaking of boats, but the next few were unmistakeable. Lightning forked across the sky in a way I had rarely seen in England. When the boat arrived, we had a truly wild and exciting journey to Piazza Di San Marco, through the city, past churches, brightly coloured tourists and gondoliers sheltering under bridges. It hailed and the boat rocked and Hazel looked increasingly pale. At one point, the guttering seemed to burst and we became drenched by the shower of rain that ensued.
But, despite the feeling that we might as well have swum there, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and was inspired to ride the water bus again. And I probably would not have noticed the subtle way that the light played off the buildings or the hail churned up the water if I had been engrossed in my phone. Thus, I shall make the predictable vow to be less attached to my phone from now on.
At least untill I receive another Facebook notification.
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