The Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World

After Rome, I took a train to Venice. I arrived around twilight; long shadows, sun glimmering off the water, houses lit up in a warm glow...beautiful. It was the weekend and although it was October, it was crowded. With a poor map in hand, I made my way across the first canal toward one of the hostels. After about 30 minutes of walking through the streets, getting lost, listening to a wine glass and water percussion performance, I made it to the hostel. Closed.

It was getting dark so I decided to keep moving to another hostel, located in a former monastery. ..cool huh. The hostel was a bit far away, but I thought I could pull it off. Did I mention I had a bad map? Man, I got lost. I mean I really got lost, would ask for directions and get lost again. After about another hour of walking in the dark, tired, hungry and thirsty, I finally made it to the hostel. Full.

I was at my wits end and not sure where to go. The receptionist at the hostel mentioned that the other hostels in Venice were also full. Bummer. Then she said, "But you might want to check out this bookstore around the corner". "Bookstore?", I said. "Yeah, sometimes the guy "rents" out some space in his bookstore/house" and she wished me well. Without many options, I made my way over to the bookstore.

The bookstore had a huge sign over it that said "The Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World". I was quickly met by the owner who gave me a tour of the bookstore with window view of the canal and a huge gondola filled with books in the middle of the store. It was a great, great shop...a bit chaotic, but beautiful and full of fun things. I asked him if he had any room for the night. He said he did (i gave a shout for joy on the inside) and I was slowly led through the bookstore and across the alley to another room that housed a ton of books and....beds. Eight of them to be exact, crammed together in the midst of all the books.

There were five girls from California crammed on four of the beds and three Polish girls on three of the beds and me. It was crazy. I couldn't believe this place. But, it worked and was cheap. The other travellers who were staying there were in a good mood as well, probably because of the absurdity of the whole thing. I grabbed some wine from the local shop, sold in 1.5L water bottles straight from the vat, went out with the Polish girls and grabbed some dinner. All in all, a great day. Not the day that I expected, but a great day.

Sometimes my expectations are very different than the reality I experience. Maybe this is true for you as well. This can be tough, adjusting to a new reality that maybe you didn't hope for or want. But I am learning to lean, and maybe not on my own understanding. And, in all my ways I'm trying to acknowledge Him. I've found that He does make paths straight, even paths through the crazy canals of Venice to the Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World.