The Gondolas of Venice

We've nipped in and out of Venice a few times either whilst staying at nearby Lake Garda, or on cruises up the Adriatic Sea.

So as part of the series featuring ships, boats and any other watercraft (not enough photos of rafts yet - sorry!) this article will take a pictorial look at Venice's unique form of transport: the gondola.

They can be found at boarding stations around the main island, but the most famous one is probably this one that sits facing the lagoon just close to St Marks Square.

I'm not sure of the current cost, but the cost is normally for the gondola and gondolier, rather than per passenger. They seat six people, so going as a group works out cheaper, though less romantically perhaps, than for a couple.

From here you can take a number of routes. Although they are a slender and somewhat fragile-looking craft, they do venture out into the lagoon.

But first we'll head up the side of the Doge's Palace and sail under the famous Bridge of Sighs.

This is looking over the stern of the gondola. The gondolier stands on a platform, usually with a bit of carpet to protect the craft. There are lots of different types of wood involved in the making of a gondola and they cost a significant amount of money. This was during our first trip to Venice and our fellow travellers, Kell and his wife Denise, were from New Zealand.

Alternatively, from this same station you can head out into the swell of the Venetian lagoon.

I suspect this is reserved for relatively calm days. I'm not sure I'd like to be tossed about in one of these things, with some quite large boats, water buses, and (at that time) cruise ships whizzing up and down, creating ridges of waves from their bows.

And so, whilst this looks impressive, in reality we have turned to head for the Bridge of Sighs and what you see in the background is one of the other islands opposite St Marks Square!

And so into the canals of Venice. Narrow, crowded sometimes, with some low bridges most of which are themselves crowded with people watching your every move...

Every now and then you come across a pile of gondolas, heading to their designated boarding points to drop off one set of passengers and take on another.

Not all gondoliers can speak English - I say this only because we met up with some fellow travellers who were most indignant that their gondolier could not speak with them. Needless to say these same passengers were not feeling in the slightest bit guilty because they couldn't speak Italian...

Most gondolas have quite a bit of artwork from wooden raised fretwork on the boat's panels to miniature paintings like this one.

It follows that gondoliers are quite proud and protective of their craft. We were on this one during our second visit and a young girl put her feet up on the exquisitely embroidered seat cushion, bringing a sharp rebuke from the gondolier. I couldn't blame him - well maybe for the glare he gave me because he thought I was her father, but she was travelling with her mother alone...

A gondola about to disappear under one of the many bridges. Some of these are a bit strange - you expect a bridge to lead from a street on one side of a canal to a continuation of the street on the other side, but some just go into the entrance of a shop and you have to turn back!

As you can tell from this one, space on the canals is at a premium and not all canal users are in a craft as narrow as a gondola!

Traffic jams can be common and it is amazing how easily the gondoliers steer their long craft around and between each other with just a single long oar.

The other tool in their trade is to scoot against the wall of the canal with a spare foot. By which I mean the one they are not resting their weight on... they don't literally have a spare foot.

Whilst on the canals there are some lovely little architectural features to look out for. Iron grill work on windows, doorways and private moorings, bridges and all sorts of things.

"Duck!!!" How they manage to avoid banging their heads day in and day out is a mystery. Don't look backwards when approaching a bridge is a good maxim!

Whoops! Traffic jam! You do get them. It's not only gondolas or motor boats using the canals, all manner of goods have to be delivered this way as well so there are the occasional large barges and sometimes it can take several minutes to get around the next corner.

Coming around one corner, the canal joins a wider thoroughfare and we have reached the Grand Canal.

Ahead we can see the Rialto Bridge. This is the second most popular tourist spot after St Marks Square and the narrow streets between the two are furnished with plenty of direction signs pointing one way to Rialto and the other to San Marco.

There is another large gondola station here where you can pick up a ride in the shadow of the bridge.

In between trips the gondoliers can chat to friends and grab a coffee from one of the many cafes along the stretch of the canal.

The view from the Rialto Bridge looking further up the Grand Canal.

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