| It has always seemed to me that Venice has been | | | | no horses in place at the moment did much to rob the |
| omitted as a place to go to for archeological | | | | beauty of the Church, so she protested. |
| observations; more for the tourist or interested person | | | | I must admit, frankly the shock I saw in that woman's |
| on the romantic side of life's scale. We have many | | | | eyes looking at those four horses, found in |
| charming and sound accounts of Venice by writes of | | | | Constantinople in AD 1204, said to originally have |
| bygone years, within this genre. Can we not hope to | | | | adorned a Roman triumphal arch, brought her to near |
| furnish the reader with a few rational and interesting | | | | hyperventilating. |
| facts about old Venice, and perhaps give some food | | | | I remember after we had walked closer to the horses, |
| for thought, by providing an archeological treasure, in | | | | along with the lady, how heavy they seemed, in their |
| particular The Horses of Venice? I hope so. | | | | still existent portions, she wanted to touch them, leaned |
| I was twenty-seven years old, a Staff Sergeant in the | | | | over a rope fence to do so, tremendous energy of a |
| United States Army, I was stationed a hundred miles | | | | explosive type appeared to fill her face when she did, |
| from Venice, in April of 1980, and a new found friend, | | | | as if she lit up for folks to see her a considerable |
| at my army base, upon my first week there, asked | | | | distance away. |
| me one weekend if I wanted to go to Pisa, or Venice, | | | | The fact that it had been so immediate, the guard |
| for the afternoon. And I picked Venice. | | | | stood as if he was dead in his position, and I felt a little |
| I could not contemplate the excitement that was | | | | uncomfortable, as if I was to be removed from the |
| building up inside of me, on the early morning train ride | | | | square for bringing this woman to do such a thing. |
| to Venice, with my friend, Sergeant Goodman, I was | | | | "In 1797," the woman said to me and Goodman, |
| near breathless. To me, Venice was this obscure part | | | | "Bonaparte took the horses to Paris, but we got them |
| of the world, a thing that was of importance, to the | | | | back here in 1815." |
| unconquered, and those folks who had money, on | | | | The surprising thing, next to her progressive inattention |
| vacation. And back in 1980, not a lot of Americans to | | | | to all life that surrounded her at this moment, but those |
| my knowledge were heading towards renowned | | | | horses, she was no longer scattered- brained, but |
| places for the weekend; it was famous in my eyes, a | | | | rather calm. |
| place of faith, love and a journey of inspiration. | | | | "If they hadn't brought the horses down," I told her, |
| Once at the gates of Venice, we headed down the | | | | "you'd never been able to touch the horse; they would |
| Grand Canal, it was lightly raining, and it was cool. The | | | | have been up there another hundred years." |
| railing on the boat was cold from the rain. It all seemed | | | | "Shoo," she said, "that's so true." |
| a fitting enough trip on the canal, or down the Canal to | | | | After a short time, the guard moved closer to the |
| St. Mark's Square, where we'd be swamped with | | | | horses, in case the woman decided to repeat her |
| pigeons, it all looked as if the folks were accustomed | | | | offence. All consequently lay on her face, but it looked |
| to our presence, less incongruous on the boat than | | | | like she could live with it, indicative she could try again, |
| they would be later on when we walked back to the | | | | but she refrained herself. |
| gate entrance, through the city across the many | | | | Now, as I was about to leave she said in a more |
| bridges. | | | | natural way, clearing her throat, her little wound healed, |
| Regarding the four horses of Venice, it is a fact one | | | | "I suppose the air pollution damages the horses-so I've |
| can become accustomed to the sight of things that | | | | read-and I suppose inside the Basilica, will be a nice |
| have been in place for a long time. People were talking | | | | home for the horses, so let the replicas stand now for |
| about the horses of Venice, as the Sergeant | | | | 800-years, see what happens to them, they don't |
| Goodman, and I walked around St. Mark's Square. One | | | | make thinks like they used to you know." |
| woman said, | | | | And then off Sergeant Goodman and myself went |
| "It is quite shocking, I've been to Venice twenty-times, | | | | walking our way back along the Canal, across a |
| I'm so used to seeing those Four Horses of St. Mark's, | | | | dozen bridges or so, grabbing a slice of pizza, at one |
| standing over the main entrance of the church (above | | | | of the musing deli's, nearby, passing a few ill-mannered |
| the Gothic addition) the only existing specimen of an | | | | citizens. There was nothing we wanted to do in |
| ancient Roman monumental four-horse chariot." | | | | particular. But after a while we stopped and rested, |
| I looked up and sure enough there were no horses, I | | | | listened to a fiddler by another church, playing for |
| looked to the side of the church, and there they were, | | | | spare coins, I dropped a quarter into his hat; he was a |
| being nailed into wooden crates, for renovation, | | | | young hippie, so it seemed. I saw a few other |
| storage, and future display. | | | | American military men walking about. And we took the |
| "They are going to be replaced with replicas," said the | | | | late afternoon back to our military base, got home |
| middle-aged, well preserved lady who wanted to cry, | | | | about 7:00 p.m., and had a long hardy sleep. |
| thinking all this was unreal, and the fact that there were | | | | |