Le gondole - (gondolas)

on the Grand Canal

gondolier's hat 

     When you think “Venice” you think “gondolas”, it's automatic, like a Pavlovian response. You can't imagine Venice without it's gondolas and gondoliers or the gondolas without Venice—they go together like salt and pepper or peas and carrots. As in French, Italian nouns are not gender neutral, everything is either masculine or feminine. You might not be surprised to learn that gondola, is a feminine noun (ending in “a”, masculine nouns end in “o” as in gigolo) the plural being gondole. No trip to Venice would be complete with photos of le gondole, so, here a few that caught my eye.

the neighborhood -
our front door at end of alley 

our canal -
Rio di San Antonin

     We are approaching the end of our short stay in Venice. Even after only three weeks you begin to feel as if you'd lived here forever, gotten to know the neighborhood and developed something of a routine not unlike that of your own home. It's ironic! You travel to break away from routines and immediately start establishing new ones as soon as you settle in even for a two or three week stay. We are creatures of habit. But, some of us are like rolling stones, the kind that don't gather moss. Accordingly, with a little sadness, we roll again on Friday for a short stay in Paris before returning to Japan to re-establish the home routines once again. Until next time . . .

[Shake of the head]

     But, meanwhile, we are still here, so, a few gondola pictures.

at Accademia Bridge

prow ornaments

I like the carpet touch

high water on the Grand Canal

Grand Central Gondola Station

Rialto Bridge

gondolier

traffic jam

another kind of boat

a lady gondolier?

     

Santa Maria de la Salute 

super gondola

where's the rest of the boat?

rare gondola off the beaten path (or canal)

towards evening