Tübingen Today

A friend of mine was in Tübingen, Germany today - it's a little ways south of Stuttgart.
There , on the waters of the Neckar River, they have some unique boats.
These are long, narrow vessels, which are piloted by solo captains who push them along with poles, with passengers relaxing.

Here are a few snaps taken of these gondola-like boats.

This photo is my favorite.
Notice the on-board grill with bratwurst cooking.
Only in Germany.

The guys who drive these boats in Tubingen do an expert job with passengers aboard, but like American gondoliers, these pole-pushing pilots also have an annual competition to look forward to each year.  It's called "Stocherkahnrennen", and you can read more about it in my post "Stocherkahnrennen 2011".

As it happens, the annual race took place last week, and there's so fun footage on YouTube now.
Here are a few for your viewing pleasure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acELIkDFTRI

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmwnnEJ1vJ8

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8F8SnnVaxw

Tucking In for Winter

As I sit here with a mug of something hot and a few things to nibble on,

I reflect on the year and am reminded of my friends who have their gondolas out of the water until spring.

 

Here are a few moments captured, of gondolas getting tucked in for winter.

 

One of John Kerschbaum's boats rests on her trailer, with the beginnings of what's become known as The "Kerschbaum Trailer-Tent" Method.

And John knows a thing or two about winter.

By now the boats of Gondola Romantica are well on their way to looking like they did in 2013 (see Fresh Blanket in Minnesota). 

 

Uwe Kunze's beautiful gondola - just prior to being rolled into her warm,

dry winter home.  In this case the mode of transport involves train-type rails.

to see Uwe's site, go to www.gondel.it

 

And then there's Providence, Rhode Island.

I got a nice collection of photos and video clips

from our friends at La Gondola.

 

Backing her up on the trailer.

With clever placement of double-doors, the folks in Providence are able to back the tail of a gondola right into the building, and then roll her in using logs and other implements.

Proper spacing of the logs helps.

Sometimes you have to throw your weight into the project.

 

Then there's the actual rolling.

And of course, you've gotta know when to say "That's it."

 

With Christmas behind us, Hanukkah in full swing,

and the new year fast approaching,

I send my warmest wishes to my gondolier friends in "wintery places".

 

Three gondolas rest for winter in Providence, with smiling faces all around.

Carlo's "RATAW"

A while back I posted a photo from Minnesota, with the guys from Gondola Romantica working on one of their boats.  They had the boat on an A-frame hoist, and were using the battery of John's truck to power the hoist motor.

 

Meanwhile, in Germany, another gondola owner named Carlo saw this photo and assumed the worst: that an American gondolier was mounting a Toyota truck engine in his gondola.

A valid concern, given our tendency to do similar things.

For the record, John Kerschbaum is not mounting Toyota engines in his boats (but if he is, I'd like the one with more horsepower during my run in the upcoming US Gondola Nationals).

 

Carlo sent me this dispatch a while back, along with some photos.

There's a humorous angle, but he does have a clever little invention to share.

 

Hello Greg,

The "John Kerschbaum Toyota-engine scandal“ inspired me in addition to my facebook posts, to write an appropriate answer to the public. We should keep calm and forget about powering up our wooden gondolas with SUV-engines.
Otherwise we will end up with atomic power engines blowing us and our beloved gondolas to the moon. But there is no water on the moon.

Breaking News!!
The Germans are on the edge to pimp Gondolas!

The very new invention is the 1.000$-fully-chromed-Copper tube, also known as RATAW-device (Rain-Air-Tube-Air-Water ). It will be soon available in the upgraded RATAG-version (Rain-Air-Tube-Air-Ground) for groundbased Gondolas, but this development is not finished yet due to the earthquake issue.

For hundreds of years in Gondola-building  the Gondoliers have been wondering about the woodfading behavior of Gondolaplanks at the end of their gondolas.

It is an endless story of pain, surprise, and immense costs.

Rainwater runs down from the aft cover - to the end of the Gondoliers platform and surely finds its way through the wood and directly to create mold inside, consuming the expensive gondola wood.

There are four main solutions to this problem – but German engineers did add a fifth mindblowing one now.

1.       seal the wood with thick layers of paint and or epoxy and dry the visible waterpitch any time and day by  day with a sponge, or cover the gondola properly with sufficient  type of fabric-tent.

2.       modification of the gondola by drilling a draining hole at the deepest point of the upper deck and the water disappears immediatly for ever! (most common)

3.       in addition to 2. make two big holes at every side of the gondola below the gondoliers platform and dry the water inside the gondola by heatgun (as seen on regatta-gondola-hole-bow) – it´s not due to aerodynamic reasons (as we are told frequently).

4.       in addition to 2. insert a short 2 inch copper tube into the hole, glue it carefully into  position and place an empty beancan beneath – a great one is better to increase the hitrate and the maintenance intervalls – a flat one is better to dry out by itself (quasi maintenancefree)

but anyhow check for corrosion of the can after 20 years of operation or earlier.

5.       the very new and mindblowing hightec solution after several hundreds years is:
drill a hole advised at 2. and then drill a second hole at the end of the lower brass protection of the lama da poppa (risso)
enlarge the tube in 4. to the length of 20 inch and bend it to fit inside the two holes

don´t forget to let the tube stick out (only at the down end) a little bit to prevent the downrunning of water at the outside of the gondola.

ready

It´s very easy to glue both ends into the gondola if she is opened at the bow for replacement of wood.

Carlo is, of course, talking about a low-lying area of deck behind the gondolier, which can become a pooling spot for rainwater.
I hardly ever have this problem because there appears to be a federal law against rain in Southern California.
In Germany, however, this is probably quite an issue.
 
Here are the photos he sent me:

Top view of the tube

 

Looking at the tube from under the deck

 

Where the tube ends (with some planking removed)

 

Wider view of the underside, with planking replaced.
The tube end is to the left.

 

Carlo went on to say:

And if you are a “Streber“ you can widen (not drilling) the mostly very little spider-home drainholes in the floor plates (very carefully not to damage the spiders and bottom planks!!) and pull a endless rope thru those holes – now you are in power to clean up the (spider-web-messy-crap sealed) drainholes in the very end of the Gondola, where the sun didn´t shine (exception: woodreplacement) by simply pulling the rope.

You never ever have to call a boatbuilding master for maintenance due to faded wood in the bow.

This is the official story.
The secret is:
The 1.000$-fully-cromed-Copper RATAW tube could be used to exhaust the  next development step: a probably invisible German nanotec - highpower engine (3 times Toyota SUV) answering  the John Kerschbaum Toyota-engine.

There should be a law to prohibit mechanical, geothermal, electric, solar, wind, nuclear and other  nonhuman powersources for Gondolas to prevent further escalation!

Officials statement: thats  the reason why Germans and John may be not allowed to compete in the Nationals this October with their modificated gondolas.

written by: Carlo the Gondolator, Germany, Hamburg, www.gondel.it, www.facebook.com/carlo.gondel

reviewed by: Greg

The "Dutch Neuschwanstein"

Our German friend Uwe Kunze from Kiel posted theses on Facebook
and I just had to snag them and post them here.

The castle is the famous Kasteel de Haar in the Netherlands - just south of Amsterdam in the outskirts of Utrecht.
It was built in 1880 and is known as the "Dutch Neuschwanstein".

My first response, of course, was jealousy.
Uwe was quick to point out, however, that there were:
"Gusty winds, narrow bridges, and stones under the surface of the water".

Regardless, I wish I were there to take my chances with those winds, bridges, and stones.

Even so, what a great photo opportunity.

Thanks for making us all jealous, Uwe!

Beauty in Wörthsee

photos provided by Ingo Stahl

My dear friend Ingo in southern Germany sent me these fantastic pics

from his location in Wörthsee - a lake Bavaria.

Seems to me that not only do they have some of the very best beer in the
world in Bavaria, if you believe the camera lens, they also have one of the longest gondolas!

Now, I know that they have seasons in Germany, and my guess is that it's
still a bit brisk right now in Bavaria, but I must point out that Wörthsee looks absolutely idyllic in these images.

When I get out there, I think I'll break out my tape measure

and see just how long that gondola really is!

 

To learn more about Ingo's gondola, go to:

www.gondola-viaggiante.de

Origami

Christmas greetings from our friend Uwe Kunze (aka "Carlo") in northern Germany:

Hello Greg,
I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
My daughter has given to me this wonderful Japanese Origami artwork.
She knows what I´m dreaming of.
We still have to wait 5 more months to be back on the water day and night with The Black Magic....
In January I´m in Venice and meeting some old friends from G.S.V.V.M.
- Carlo

Merry Christmas, Carlo.
Stay warm and enjoy Venezia in January.

Vivid Colors in Wörthsee

Our friend Ingo Stahl in Germany sent this in today

from his operation in Wörthsee (upper Bavaria).

 

 

Ingo writes:

Dear Greg,

Autumn has arrived and the evenings start in great colors.

A few days ago, it was such a wonderful evening, you like to enthuse about so much in our job.

I was initiated to the plan of a guy to propose to his sweet and had prepared the gondola with roses,

prosecco, and romantical guitarmusik.

A glorious sundown for to pop the question.

In tears she sniffed "Yes I will".

I fully agree with you: we do have a great job.

Thanks for the amazing photo, Ingo.

I'm glad she accepted the proposal.

 

Ingo tells me that the photo was provided by a Mrs. Witt, a guest in the restaurant `Paradisecorner` when they left after a romantic dinner.

Berlin Pedicabs

I've mentioned it here before:

there's nothing exactly like the gondola business, but there are some similarities in other lines of work.

As a gondolier, I tend to notice them in things like horse-drawn carriages and limo services.  Operators of hot-air balloons and sailboat charters share some of our methods and have challenges familiar to some of ours. 

Another group of passenger taking people, one that I've identified with a lot over the years, are the operators of pedicabs.

 

Sure, you can easily laugh at the comparison, but look closer and you'll find some strong parallels:

- they are tour guides

- they often take couples who are out to have fun and often there is romance

- like rowing gondolas, they rely on their own athleticism to take their passengers from place to place

- just as gondolas in most places have to share the water with larger,

faster vessels, pedicabbers share the road with larger, faster vehicles

- a good personality can result in better successes and better tips

- like gondoliers in Venice, drivers usually have to drum up business

(pre-arranged fares are rare).

 

One of my jobs in college was driving a pedicab.

I was crazy for cycling, and loved the idea of training...while being paid.

The job was brief, but the fond memories have prooved to be permanent.

Everywhere I go, I notice them, and when I was in Berlin a while back

I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of these pedal-pushers

in their natural habitat.

 

There are many different types of pedicabs out there, here we see two of the more commonly seen versions in Berlin, and most European cities.

 

Two guys pedal their passengers just a few feet from where the Berlin Wall once stood (the two rows of cobblestones in the lower left hand corner marks the footprint of that infamous wall).

 

Like a gondolier, this pedicab driver is also "part tour guide."

 

The old and the young - an older driver chats with a younger driver, as they stand with their pedicabs, which are of appropriately contrasting designs.

With the columns of the Brandenburg Gate in the background, we see a bright yellow, um, well I'm really not sure what you call it, but it looks fun and I'm sure that's the idea.  I've seen these before - passengers participate in the pedalling, and the guy who operates it steers.  They pay...and then pedal. Something tells this guy took a page from the Tom Sawyer playbook.

Another creative approach to pedalling around Berliin is the "Bierbike",
you pay, and you pedal,
but you also get beer!
"Clever German Engineering"

Also take a look at:
NYC's "Other Gondolas"
I still think there's nothing quite as great as a gondola,
but we can learn from some of these similar vocations.

Ingo Goes Dry-Land Rowing

Our friend Ingo Stahl of Wörthsee in southern Germany sent in this great photo along with the following text:

"every year in July, the municipality of Munich and the Bavarian broadcasting BR-Klassik arrange an open air concert in the City at Odeon Place in front of Feldherrnhall (Hall of Generals) and Theatine Cathedral, the Open Air Concert Classic on the 7th and 8th of July 2012 with Notte Italiana. The Symphonieorchester Bayerischer Rundfunk (Symphony Orchestra of Baverian Radio) present music of Verdi, Puccini, Mascagni and Respighi.
Placing your gondola in various waterways is a fun and challenging diversion from the day-to-day cruise service we usually perform.  Sometimes it's for hire, other times it's for publicity or charity,
but it almost always makes for great pictures.

In further description, Ingo included:

And last Wednesday the organizer presented a new star tenor Josef Callea from Malta to the Press and TV in a press reception with my gondola for decoration to give interview and - naturalmente- singing "O sole mio".

Visit Ingo's website at:
www.gondola-viaggiante.de

Clever German Engineering

A few days ago my family and I were in Berlin, touring areas that had been revitalized since the fall of the communist regime. My wife had been there in the 80's and saw first hand what it looked like. She was amazed at the change in things. Architecture, mood, and freedom have all seen major changes. Our tour guide got quite a surprise when he claimed that Berlin had more bridges than Venice - the whole family jumped on him for saying such a thing.

As we drove, I did see a heck of a lot of bridges, but no gondolas.

I saw lots of pedicabs, some horse-drawn carriages, and one very strange limo (all of which will probably end up here in a future post).

It became clear to me that:

A. Berlin needs a gondola, and

B. Berliners are creative with their modes of transportation.

Nothing makes my point more clearly that the "Bierbike".

Here's an option that gives commuters the opportunity to get a workout...while enjoying a frosty cold one.

Brilliant!

The height of German engineering.

And it also clearly evidences the fact that capitalism is alive and well now. The owners of the Bierbike make money while getting their patrons to do all the work - the vehicle appears to be completely human powered.

Tom Sawyer would be jealous.

I was jealous, as I stood there just a stone's throw from "Checkpoint Charlie" and the Bierbike went by.

I love German engineering.

Happy Birthday Jürgen

photo shamelessly stolen from www.gondel.info

Happy birthday to One of Germany's best gondoliers.
Jürgen Riegel operates gondolas in Bamberg - a city in Bavaria with lots of history.

We've seen Jürgen here on the Gondola Blog before. 
He's got a very unique canopy in the post "The 'Old Ford' Felze".

In the post "Gondola activity in Germany" we see some images of gondola activity on the water in Bamberg.

And last year about this time, a few of Germany's gondoliers traveled to Venice to be involved with Uwe Kunze's acquisition of a gondola before bringing her to Germany - here's a shot taken with Jürgen rowing as they visited a capitello: "German Gondoliers at the Capitello".

Happy birthday Jürgen!

Have a rauchbier for me.

---------------

this message was shamelessly recycled from last year, because I was running out the door and didn't want to give Jürgen a wimpy post.  :o)

Snow on Gondolas - Easter in Wörthsee

As I write this, we are not enjoying the kind of weather that Southern California is famous for.
To borrow a term from my Jamaican friends:
it's been "liquid sunshine" today.
I suspect that I'll be spending some quality time with some sort of pumping device in the very near future.

My friend Ingo Stahl in Wörthsee sent these photos today.
Wörthsee is a beautiful place just west of Munich in Germany,
and by April they begin to see some warming.

But as our current conditions here in Newport show,
the weather doesn't always do what we think it will do.

These photos were shot on Easter.

I don't know for sure, but I don't think Ingo rowed any cruises that day.

Blog Header Roundup - Winter, Spring, Summer

V-Day Sunset
Now and then I find myself out on the water during a perfect sunset.  
Most of the time I just soak up the moment. But on this night, 
in mid-February, I handed the camera to my passengers and asked one of them to snap off a shot.

 Five Guys
This one was shot at the Sunset Gondola get-together on April 6th, 2011.
From left to right:
Sean Jamieson - owner of The Gondola Company in Coronado, Me, Andrew McHardy, Kent Dexter, and Mike Bixler.

Traghetto in Monochrome

This photo sat atop the Gondola Blog forever.
The timelessness of a traghetto, coupled with a black-and-white image grew on me, and it seemed perfect for the blog.  I shot this in Venice in 2009 on a perfect afternoon, with the Rialto behind me.

Return to Venice
On July 5th, I threw this one up as a teaser for the  Puparin-in-Venice posts. The next day "Ina With Stripes" went up until the Venice, California post was posted. There is so much history in Abbot Kinney's Venice. It was an honor, and a rare privilege to row with Tim Reinard on his pupparin on her last day on the canals of Venice, California. To read more, check out Rowing in the "Other Venice".

Ina with stripes
This one popped up for about 18 hours while I was warming up for the Venice, California.
The original image was a photo of Ina Mierig in Hamburg, Germany.
You'll definitely see this one at the top of the Gondola Blog again in the future.

Over the Side - Sunset Skies
Hanging your camera over the water, clipped to the end of a tripod can be a nervous affair.
Using the timer feature allows full extension.
Try doing it while rowing - remo in one hand, extended but bundled tripod in the other, and you have to make numerous attempts to get something decent.  In between the decent ones (and all the missfires), you get a few real "keepers".
This was one of five images featured in my post Hanging it Over the Side.