Venetian Dawn

On our first morning on holiday, we woke up very early (before dawn) and the children were still asleep. So what did we do? Well, the truth is that we went up to the roof-top terrace and watched Venice come alive as the sun rose. I went a little mad with the camera, and all I could see on reviewing them was a series of black rectangles, more or less. However, both my camera and Photoshop are powerful tools, and here's a selection of adjusted images



We had arrived in the dark, so had only a sketchy idea of our surroundings. Next morning we discovered that the building next door was being renovated, and the workmen started their working day very early. Another large building across the Rio San Trovasino towards the Grand Canal was also undergoing a significant overhaul, but in both cases there were apartments being inhabited within despite the construction work. Everything came and went by water - building materials, ingredients for the kitchen of the restaurant opposite. As time passed, more and more footsteps could be heard on the pavements below, probably making for the Vaporetto stop of Accademia, where we disembarked the night service boat the night before.



It was very misty and all surfaces were damp and shiny, as if there had been rain.
Gradually more was revealed as the light won over the mist to show what whad been hiding further away. It was strange to hear no sound of road traffic, just the purring of boat motors, the lapping of water against the canal sides and the brisk clip of shoes on paving stone.

Gradually the grayness of night became suffused with colour and the warmth of the terracotta roof tiles was revealed. We could see staff moving along the corridor of the hotel on our other side, and gradually more and more lights came on as the world got moving.



This last photograph below is one I find extraordinary. It was taken with a lot of zoom and brought to life with Photoshop, but no special effects have been used. I think it is quite magical, with a surprising range of colours.