In urban spaces, it can be hard to get in touch with nature. People often resort to parks but, in actual fact, there are animals in the unlikeliest of spots. The urban jungle is more confusing than it appears.
As well as scavenging crows, we found swifts swooping across the canal in Paris. In the supermarket, Monoprix, there were ants and a slug on our cucumber- very French. On a windowsill, we found a moth.
It seems even harder to find wildlife in Venice. There are barely any trees in the centre (it took us visiting the green island of San Elena to realise what it was missing!)
So, despite all its water and the excited hum of people, Venice seems quite barren and dry to me. We were, however, excited to discover a tiny little fish in the Grand Canal and butterflies fluttering by San Marco. Then there were the frequent seagull attacks outside the Basilica. They would swoop upon anyone who was holding loosely onto their food and cling onto people’s hair. Then there was the macabre incident of the seagull feasting on a pigeon and many people standing around photographing it in horror and amusement.
We also found..
Snakes
The famous glass animals of Venice
Lions
(This is the symbol of Venice).
The biggest rat I’ve ever seen (coming from a Londoner). Also a t-shirt,
And a pig. Hazel adores pigs.
