The Italian city of Venice is built on several small islands. The wet sand is as fluid as soft jelly. You build a house and it sinks in a little while. In order to reinforce the ground the Venetians had rammed hundreds of thousands of wooden piles into it so it would make a solid foundation for the majestic city.

As I sipped my deliciously sweet hot tea, my eyes carefully followed the steam’s journey from the white porcelain mug towards the ceiling and then disappear into thin air. Not bothered about the steam’s short lifespan, my eyes switched to concentrate on my surroundings; the rich relaxing colours my mind processed encouraged me to sit further back into my comfortable chair and deeply inhale.