All the Time in the World: A Thick Description

In one of my last blog posts, I remarked upon how the Venetians always seem to take their time. I find it quite interesting that, in a well-populated and fairly modern city, people can be so easygoing about getting to places at certain times. For a while I thought my misconception was due to being American; after all, we rush around everywhere, taking cars and driving far over the speed limit because we have to get where we are going quickly! After some reflection on my past travels, though, I realized that the Venetians’ attitude about time is far different than that of residents of any city I have ever traveled to. In London, people moved about quickly. If someone stood too long on the escalator and blocked the way, they were promptly scolded. In Paris, people walked quickly to get to their final destinations. Even in Bucharest, people seemed to move about quickly.

In Venice, though, the residents meander about at their own paces. Only the tourists rush while walking – which is one way to immediately pick out the tourists in this city. The Venetians walk slower, taking their time to get to where they are going. When traveling on a vaporetto, the Venetians may stand by the exit but definitely do not rush to get off the boat; the tourists, meanwhile, push each other to get off in time and rush away from the boat. I have only seen a Venetian run once, and that was to catch a vaporetto that was about to leave.

The vaporetto itself is a prime example of the unhurried Venetian attitude toward travel. The vaporetti only come to a stop at certain predetermined times, and they do not travel quickly between stops.

 

An example of a vaporetto timetable - from http://www.univiu.org/line-20-boat-timetable

On our first day in Venice, we were stuck on a vaporetto traveling around the entire island for an hour at a very slow, rocking speed. It put most of my jet-lagged classmates to sleep. Additionally, once we got off this first water bus we had to wait for another to take us to the island where we are staying. This took half an hour because, of course, the vaporetti run on a schedule. The boat arrived at our stop a good ten minutes before departure time, but we were not allowed to get on while the drivers took a break (for those ten minutes). Our professor told us, and I have noticed, that this frequently happens. The drivers may get to their destination ahead of time, but they will relax for a while and take a long break until they absolutely need to leave. They are completely unaffected by anyone else’s potential need to get somewhere quickly.

The front/"tourist" side of the clock tower

I thought my observations regarding travel time were strictly limited to the vaporetti, but in fact they are true for all methods of Venetian travel. When we toured the clock tower, our guide informed us that the back side of the clock only tells the hour because “that is all Venetians need to know – if we are within the hour, we are on time”. She added that the proper clock on the front side, facing Piazza San Marco, is just there for visitors to the city. Tourists and visiting officials are the only people that need to know exactly what time it is – but even then, the time is not exact! The digital clock facing Piazza San Marco is only accurate to the latest 5-minute increment. Even the most time-conscious Venetians are not certain of the exact time; even they do not rush to be exactly on time.

The back/"Venetian" side of the clock tower

The vaporetto drivers went on strike for a day during our time in Venice; this made the distinction between Venetians and tourists less pronounced than usual. The Venetians did have to walk a little faster to get anywhere, and they could not depend on water related travel. Our guide for the tour that morning lived on a far side of Venice, and we were told that he had to really rush to get across the island on time. This was not particularly surprising, since on a usual day he could take his time while traveling. The strike changed the city; travel suddenly became somewhat hectic and hurried. The next day, though, everything was back to normal. Venetians remained relaxed while traveling, and tourists rushed about.

The difference between the American race to get places and the unhurried manner of the Venetians represents a much bigger difference between the two cultures. Americans are always aiming for something larger, continuing to drive until we get what we want. Venetians, on the other hand, are more likely to take a break and enjoy the ride. While an American is constantly working toward a particular goal, a Venetian would point out that life is about the journey rather than the destination.  We Americans can learn something from this point of view; we should learn to relax a little and take our time. If we enjoy the journey, we can cherish the destination even more.