22 Blog Post September 24, 2024 “Seasick”

It’s all just fine until someone gets seasick. Nope not me or Alistair, but a young woman sitting just in front of me on the ‘boat/bus’. (The only mass transportation is by boat. Ferries that carry large numbers of people are basically buses that go on the water here.) My heart went out to her because she was so miserable and none of her friends wanted to be near her.

We were on a speed tour of three nearby islands: Murano, Burano and Torcello. The only way to get there is by boat. Our boat held about 75 people and there was so much boat traffic on the water today, it reminded me of the Jetsons, but on the sea. Do you remember that opening scene with George driving his space bubble car with all the other space bubbles zooming by? That’s what it reminded me of because it still feels foreign to travel on water exclusively. I might as well have been in a space bubble.

The water was choppy and the boat was moving around quite a bit, hitting the water and sending the spray into the open windows of the boat. I was loving it! But the young woman in front of me was not. She was repeatedly sick and could not even pick her head up. Poor thing.

Her illness made me think about the fact that we can each be having very different experiences on the very same day. One of us was having a great adventure, and the other could not get off the boat fast enough.

I thought about this because our journey over here might make it sound as if the ‘real world’ doesn’t exist for us, or that we may not be aware of the suffering in our world, or that we are living in a bubble. Actually, some of that is true. I have repeatedly forgotten what day of the week it is because I’m not working on Sundays, or any other day right now, so there’s no routine to our days that will indicate what day of the week it is. But we are paying close attention to the politics of the US, to the situation in the Middle East, to the mass shooting in Alabama this past week. I am continuing to pray for friends and family members who are unwell or in difficulty. It helps that we are in some kind of church nearly every day!

While today was another great day for us, I know that it is not a great day for many people in the world, most specifically for the young woman in front of me on the boat/bus. Poor Alistair, in fact, has been repeatedly bitten by some Italian fly that entirely ignores me and he has at least a dozen bites that are swollen and painful. I must be less tasty to these flies, or else they recognize my Italian blood and refuse to poach from their own, but he is miserable while I am bite-free.

So bear with me as I relay our daily travels. I’m not ignorant of the world, but I am able to see parts of the world and the sometimes-tragic beauty of that world, even though it is far from my home in upstate New York.

The first part of the day was filled with genuine beauty as we visited the islands North of Venice in the so-called Venetian Lagoon, part of the Mediterranean Sea. Murano may be familiar to many of you as the island where colorful glassware and jewelry are created. We even had an opportunity to watch a master glass blower create a vase and then a quick statue of a horse from molten glass.

Burano is best known for colorfully stuccoed houses—lime green, pepto Bismol pink, sunshine yellow. But it is also famous for the nearly lost art of lace making. While several excellent pieces are on display, few traditional lace makers still create new pieces.

The final island was Torcello and it featured the Cathedral de Santa Maria Assunta. The church was built in the late 7th century and has stunning mosaics around the perimeter of the building on the inside. I found the floor to be most interested though because it was built with several kinds of cut stones and is the earliest example of mosaic in the region of Venice. Extensive renovations are being completed as part of the “Save Venice” project.

Why does Venice need to be saved? Because it will gradually sink below the level of the sea water, perhaps by the end of the century if changes are not made. In 2019, massive flooding caused 75% of Venice to be underwater. While those waters receded, the warning was clear. Barriers have since been installed to stave off the water, but with limited success. So with the unique beauty comes unique challenges.

Our final activity of the day was the most sobering. We visited the Jewish Ghetto in Venice which is believed to be the oldest ghetto settlement in Europe. A ghetto is simply an urban area that houses low income families. Jewish families lived in this ghetto area and led vibrant, faithful lives. But when WWII spread its lies and punishments across the world, the Jewish Ghetto of Venice was deeply affected by the forced movement of many of the Jews to German concentration camps in the mid 1940s. The Ghetto changed profoundly from that time, as many lives were lost to the gas chambers. In the midst of beauty, a story of tragedy and loss that rippled around the world.

So it was a mixed day of remembrance and discovery for us. I was aware of my own family’s connection to the Jewish community in their lives, and my heart ached to hear of yet another story of persecution for our brothers and sisters. The Jewish Ghetto was also the only place I saw a small Police station and several police officers who were there to maintain the peace. Sobering.

We ended with yet another memorable meal. My choice was a Venetian specialty--fried sardines, with marinated onions and pine nuts called Sard Soar. You can only get it here on Venice. It was a little strange, but good. Alistair got an entire sea bass, which he did not expect. Where was that tidy filet he hoped to receive? A self-taught lesson in stripping the bones from a fish was another of his unique experiences on this trip.

So there we are, realizing the challenges that exist in the same places as the triumphs in the history of Venice, and aware that we are all still immersed in a world of danger and unrest, especially in the Middle East. Today the US raised its travel warning for those us in Italy from a 1 (the lowest) to a 2 (increased caution needed.). A 4 is the most dangerous, but 2 warns us of unexpected terrorist attacks, especially on tourist areas. Of course we are not concerned AT ALL, but once again, it’s all fine until someone gets seasick, to put it mildly.

Today I am nourished by the awareness of survival. For my Jewish brothers and sisters, I bow my head in acknowledgment of your suffering and continued antisemitism in our world even as I also celebrate the renewed presence of Jewish culture that slowly continues to grow once again in Venice. I am nourished that I am able to see a city that may end up awash in its own salty environment. Future generations may not have this opportunity. I am nourished that our travels make the world a smaller place, a more connected place and a more familiar place to both of us. News stories are not simply about people ‘over there’ in Europe; they affect our own relatives, friends and fellow humans.

Be nourished by your own connections with people around the world, and stand in solidarity against ethnic, gender, economic or other prejudice. We have so much more in common than we realize, including the fact that we are ALL made in the image of our creator God.

ML+