Ann Elizabeth Grace, Author

May marks Dan’s and my two-year wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we decided to spend a few days in Venice, Italy. Hoping (in vain) to avoid huge tourist crowds, we planned our trip for the end of April.

Stepping off the overnight train and into Venice last week, groggy after a night of constant interruptions, I was swept into a sensory feast that had no bounds. Here are some samples from the buffet:

SIGHTS: Canals jammed with boat traffic ranging from locals to police, postal carriers, ambulances, taxis, and gondolas. Churches and more churches—some modest and quaint, others grand and imposing. Chipped apartment buildings with flowers streaming from window boxes. Gondoliers wearing black-and-white striped tops. Endless shops. Pasta noodles in vibrant blues, greens, and oranges. Handmade papier-mâché masks. Small dogs. Laundry hanging to dry on lines stretched between buildings.

SOUNDS: Elderly man wandering the streets singing Italian opera. Echoes of “Buongiorno!” “Arrivederci!” and “Ciao!” Gondoliers beckoning our business. Choirs of church bells waking us each morning. Tour groups chattering in various languages. Teenagers pumping techno music from boats cruising the canals. Coffee beans grinding. Getting scolded when selecting my own fruit at a street market: “No touch! No touch!” Free evening classical concerts in Piazza San Marco. Birds chirping. Cafeteria worker yelling passionately about the importance of respect after a customer insulted her food.     My dessert-loving husband cajoling me to buy yet another gelato because “we need to experience the culture.”

TOUCH: Feet stumbling over uneven cobblestones. Toes dipping in frigid canal water. Delicate lacework on the island of Burano. Smooth handmade glass objects on the island of Murano. Dripping gelato resulting in sticky fingers. Bumping into people from every angle. Warm embraces on bridges. Gentle breezes flowing from the water. Raindrops.

TASTE: Gelato in a rainbow of flavors including grapefruit, tiramisu, and strawberry. Juicy pears and mandarin oranges. Frothy cappuccinos. Light margarita pizzas. Buttery spinach sandwich. Sugary pastries. Copious amounts of oil and vinegar.

SMELLS: Musty church interiors. Freshly ground espresso. Cigarette smoke. Fruity red wine. Open-air fish market. Body odors when standing under the sun pressed tightly against crowds of people. Pizza straight from the oven.

Travel heightens my senses and snaps me alert, which is largely why I enjoy it so much. And Venice is truly amazing. But above all, this trip reminded me that the present moment is constantly alive, constantly humming. One way it reveals itself is through a bundle of sensory impressions, wherever we are. You don’t have to go to Italy to experience this aliveness.

Now that I’ve shared a little about my latest sensory feast, take a moment to enjoy one of your own—right where you are. Breathe deeply and allow your body to soften and relax. Gaze at the colors, textures, and patterns surrounding you on all sides. What tiny details might you normally overlook? Absorb the subtlest sounds and smells connecting you to your environment. Appreciate the feeling of your body sitting, standing, moving. Just for an instant, let it all in.

What a spread, all around us, all the time. Cheers!