GONDOLAS in VENICE

                                          A Must-do Activity

      Before I left for Europe the first time I was determined to have a gondola ride in Venice—one of those must to do things—and I didn’t care what it cost. My travel partner felt the same way about getting to the Moulin Rouge in Paris. So we made a deal: we  would  accompany each other on each other’s to do list—tit for tat, if you will!

    The  gondoliers are all native sons and often the job is passed on from father to son. However, they all have to pass several tests, among them swimming, driving and language tests. They are easy to spot in their navy and white stripped tee shirts.

    Many times of the day the  canals are crowded with gondolas—of many kinds—so one of the best times for a ride is during the dinner hour when most people are eating. To be serenaded costs extra.

     We hopped on a gondola one evening and ventured down much of the seven miles of the canals. Actually the  Great Road of Water consists of 170 canals and connect the 180 islands making up Venice. Our gondolier had a marvelous voice and serenaded us all evening. Of course the songs were in Italian, but one could understand they were love songs. They have their own repertoire and do not take requests, or at least ours didn’t.

    Our hotel was off the mainland ,on an island so our room faced  the canal. Every night after retiring I lay in my bed with the window open and listened to the boat traffic and the  wonderful serenading going on below.

     For most just the name Venice conjures up visions romance, canals, art and palaces. There are no roads, so no cars. All traffic is by boat or on foot. Although flat the many alleyways and bridges in the city make it easy to get lost.

    Besides the popular gondolas, there are canal taxis, which is how we got to our hotel, and  canal barges to transport goods, produce and luggage, Venice is a  fabulous city to visit and we had a wonderful time.

VENICE ITALY

Venician  Memories   

Gondolas of Venice are for tourists. Water taxis get one around the city, and water boats transport all goods and supplies.  There are no cars or bikes in old Venice.

 

Venice is easy to walk, but the many alleyways make it real easy to get lost.

Italian coffee is so strong a spoon will stand up in it all by itself

Venice is at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea. The city is divided into six districts. Yellow signs around the city direct you to Piazza San Marcos, the Rialto Bridge, Pizzale Roma, or the train station.

The Grand Canal is the main waterway and is shaped like an inverted ‘S’. The train station is at one end, and Piazza San Marco (St Mark) at the other. You can cross the Grand Canal at three points

  The large St. Mark’s square is bordered  on three sides by stores that all are under a covered walkway.       The Basilicade de San Marco, a Byzantine church, and Doge’s Palace are on the fourth side.

All the paintings inside the church are done in mosaics and simply gorgeous! The many columns are of different colored marble, and there are many statues.

The elevator to the top of the church tower provides a fantastic view of St Mark’s Square.

This clock near the palace is several hundred years old. It strikes on the hour and the hand on the roman

numerals move every five minutes. It’s fascinating to watch the little people strike the bell. The bell slowly rotates so it is struck in a different spot each time.

The winged lion is the symbol of both St. Mark and of Venice.

Handmade lace was gorgeous and still made in Venice.

A very rude young vendor in the square.

The Rialto Bridge is the largest bridge in Venice and the only one with shops on it.

By the evening dinner hour the vendors are gone, and musicians play for the dinner crowd at the sidewalk restaurants.

A nice visit with a medical student from Madrid who was visiting the city and with whom we struck up a conversation.

We were lucky to stay in an old hotel in old Venice to get the real flavor of the city. There was no A/C, but with the window open at night we were sent to dreamland by the singing gondoliers below!