When Reality Outshines Expectation

Photo by John Mercatante

Contributing Writer

John Mercatante

First Night Under La Tour Eiffel

I thought I had a good idea what La Tour Eiffel would be like before arriving in Paris. There were so many photos and postcards that I thought that it would feel familiar or small enough to see with one glance. But as I walked towards it on a nice warm night with my girlfriend, the illusion of La Tour Eiffel changed every time I took a step closer to it until we finally got to the base. 

We were standing with our necks craned back, quiet as ever and taking in every single part of the beautiful structure. I found La Tour Eiffel to be like some vast backdrop rather than something built; it was really fine-looking and genuine. There were a lot of people around us. The fact that they seemed frozen in time and space, as if they were all taking a breath and couldn’t release their breath until they arrived at the ending sight of the tower, was inspiring to me. 

I’ll never forget my picture of La Tour Eiffel, however, I’ll always remember how I felt when I first saw that magnificent and grand structure. Before I went to La Tour Eiffel and was able to see its magnificent illumination and grandeur, all I had to go by in my imagination were photographs of La Tour Eiffel and what I believed to be its grandness. Not knowing that it existed beyond my imagination blew me away.

Photo by John Mercatante

Getting Lost in Venice

Expectations for Venice's magic included structure - like a work of art, the gondolas, canals and the bridges are aligned in an orderly manner. What I found was chaos in a maze of beauty. 

My girlfriend and I gave up trying to figure out where we were going or how to get there by using maps! We got lost wandering off the beaten path from tourists, only to find ourselves in beautiful secluded areas that most tourists would never discover. At times I saw gondolas drifting by me, and I instantly realized that the visual beauty of Venice is outdone by the fact that for many locals the aerial views provide an experience of normalcy. 

Riding in a gondola is so soothing and calming, whereas standing and watching the gondola cruise by gave me an experience that provided me with more of a spiritual connection than I had imagined would occur by visiting Venice.

 In Venice, photography isn’t the only thing you get to experience. There’s more to it than that. Everything about Venice was better than what I had expected. There’s something about Venice that goes at its own pace despite your readiness.

Photo by John Mercatante

A Quiet Sunset in Viareggio

Initially, I thought Viareggio would offer me something beautiful and staged at the same time – a place swarming with tourists who try to shoot the perfect sunset on the seacoast. Yet the situation proved to be very different. 

After having walked along the shore with my girlfriend, I could sense the serenity and the openness of everything around us – the openness of the huge Mediterranean that lay at our feet. Slowly but surely the sun started to go down and the sky began filling with diverse colors. 

People were leaving the sea coast one by one, until we became the last two on it. All of it happened by itself, nothing artificial was put into action – there was no one who tried to organize a great scene. Nevertheless, being impressed by the scenery, I still took a shot for my photo collection. The picture left in my memory was not a photo, but its mood and emotions.

Photo by John Mercatante

Standing Before the Duomo

Though I had seen images of it and despite knowing that it was big, there was no way I could have prepared myself for the sheer size of the Duomo of Florence and the level of detail with which it was made.

Once my girlfriend and I made that turn to see the Duomo, we both stood speechless. There was just so much detail on the outside of the Duomo to be seen. I expected to be blown away by the size of the building but I was left blown away by everything that was involved in making this piece of architecture. It told a story of the world over the past several hundred years and all it took for me to understand it was the exterior of the Duomo. 

While I expected to enjoy the grandeur of the Duomo, actually experiencing the grandeur went above and beyond my expectations when you consider all of the craftsmanship, size and the immense amount of human labour that went into each generation of work. Photos may have provided a glimpse of beauty, however, they could never have conveyed the sense of one's own insignificance in comparison to the creation that would last for hundreds of years.

Photo by John Mercatante

Inside the Colosseum: Feeling History

The Colosseum is a  remnant of a lost civilization. I envisioned it being more tourist-driven today, but the colosseum is still something magnificent. The pictures we saw were of something huge but age has broken it down. Standing in line with my girlfriend at the entrance I was surprised at how heavy and historical the building felt as we entered.

While I was looking down into the middle of it, I could visualize everything that had taken place there, including all the people that were once there and how much history has been embedded into the walls. 

I was impressed by more than the Colosseum’s size. It also provided me with a sense of connection to the past while standing at the Colosseum. I took a picture of it so I could show you how big it is, but my biggest takeaway about the Colosseum was that everything within its walls is very alive and has been alive for many years. It is much bigger than any single photo could show you.