"Gondolas" - Egyptian-Style

I post photos regularly of true, Venice-built gondolas here.
Gondolas that are more authentic than most, and boats that many readers would be happy to buy, steal, borrow, or inherit.
I also post photos now and then, of boats that are maybe in need of some grace on the part of the viewer.  Today's post certainly falls into that category.

I've never been to the resort known as "Aqua Blu Sharm" in Sharm El Sheikh,
so my views on these boats are based solely on photos, but they do have some "interesting" gondolas in Egypt.

In shape, they seem to have lines that are similar to other gondolas,
although they are a lot shorter in length.  But the guys piloting them appear to be pushing their boats along with poles - "punting" like in England.

These gondolas are definitely in a more "controlled" environment than many others.  This is undoubtably a man-made waterway. 
One nice thing about making your own canals...

You can bring them right up to your V.I.P. bungalos!

Like I said - I've yet to visit the "Sharm El Sheikh" resort, but if I do,
I'll be sure to hunt down the main mooring area for their boats.

because really, if you're gonna design a waterway - it ought to have some cool underwater lighting.

If you've been to the "Aqua Blu Sharm" resort, or of you plan to be in Egypt soon, I'd love to hear of some first-hand experiences with these "interesting" little boats.

The Blue Gondola in Venice, California

As much of a shame as it may be, there are currently no gondolas on the water in Venice, California.
There are as many as nine gondola operations regularly taking passengers in several Southern California locations, but Abbot Kinney's Venice is not one of them.
This wasn't always the case, in fact it was our "Venice of the West" that inspired so many of the gondola operations that sprung up in the US about a century ago.  Many of those operations in turn inspired some of the modern servizios afloat today.

By all accounts, there were roughly three dozen gondolas in Venice, California - all had been brought over from Venezia by steamship, accompanied by the men who came out to row them.
That's a lot of gondolas, and way more than you'd need for the current canal system in Abbot Kinney's new neighborhood.  Originally there were a lot more canals, and in fact if you look at some of the old photos and maps, you'll notice that many of the canals of yesteryear, are streets and thoroughfares today.
One such roadway is the traffic circle at the end of Grand Boulevard.  This traffic circle inhabits real estate that was once the "Venice Lagoon", and leading into it was the "Grand Canal" (you guessed it - now Grand Blvd.).

Today there are no gondolas afloat in California's Venice, but if you drive around, you just might see one - especially if you make your way down Grand Boulevard and go around that traffic circle.

This vessel has been in the area for quite some time (although I've yet to get exact date info), and for the longest time she was displayed on the lawn in front of a bank on Lincoln Blvd. (see my post "The Washington Mutual Gondola - Venice, California" for a view of her back in 2008.

At some point she was brought from the lawn of the bank, to a place where gondolas actually used to grace the water.  Blue continues to be her main color, but some of the yellow details are gone.

I was up there a while ago with my friend, Tim Reinard of Sunset Gondola, and we happened to have a pupparin on trailer.  We thought maybe we could travel back in time if we drove around the circle enough while chanting things in Venetian dialect.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              In the end, all we managed to do was annoy other people trying to navigate through the circle, and confuse some guy who was working at a copy repair store - as I stood in front of his shop and yelled like a maniac.

Next, we decided to park and get a closer look.
Tim brought along an oar, just in case there was any unexpected flooding.

We noticed a curious sign on the bow:

What a shame. 
A gondola in "Venice", that you can't even step onto, much less row.

 
We had an oar, the boat had a forcola, so we waited around for a tsunami, or maybe an unexpected sinkhole to open up - bringing Venice back to her former glory, but it wasn't meant to be.

So we got back in our four-wheeled vehicle, looped around the traffic circle a few more times, and headed towards the freeway by way of Grand Boulevard - all the while thinking how different it would be if the asphalt were replaced by water.

It's not unusual for me to drive down a street and wonder what it would be like if it were a canal. 

This may very well be the first time I did so on a street that once was a canal.

Veteran's Day

While everyone is marveling over the date (11-11-11 is pretty cool),

today has a much greater significance for many of us in the United States.

It's Veteran's Day.

I've seen this quote in several places today,

and I don't think I could say it better:

What Is a Veteran?
A "Veteran" —
whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve — is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America," for an amount of "up to, and including his life."

That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today, who no longer understand that fact.

Today I had the honor of taking out a young Marine and his girlfriend for my first cruise.  Then I had the opportunity to watch him propose marriage. 
She said "yes", of course.

Happy Veteran's Day.

And to all my friends who have been brave enough to "write that blank check":
thank you.

Day 11, Month 11, Year 11

I'm quite sure that I'm not the only one today who will focus attention on today's date.  It really is cool that today is 11-11-11. 
Most of my friends know how much I love a good number-related post.
In fact I already wrote one on eleven (see "Eleven" from July of last year).
There's not much left to say on the subject except:
Long live Nigel Tufnel!

photos by Chris Clarke

In my June 20th post "Passenger Sandoli - Ready and Waiting",
I posted a nice shot by Chris Clarke of two pristine little vessels side-tied and ready (and waiting) for some lucky riders.

Then a couple weeks ago I posted "Just the Photo - Taxi Plows Through"
and a friend of mine commented on the finish of the sandolo in the corner of the shot.  

So today we'll take a closer look at the two boats.
The first sandolo has a subtle elegance to her - not a lot of bright colors,
but there is just the right amount of gold leaf.

The brass cavalli both seem to feel the need to turn to port - I'm not sure why. Myabe they're just taking their cue from the brass eagle on the bow.

The second sandolo has a bit more color - floorboards and seat cover lean hard in the blue and yellow direction (my parents, who both went to UCLA would love this boat).

The scimier has a lot of gold, and a great family crest.

The cavalli are not just brass, but have a gold finish, and while they don't match the blue and yellow theme, the side pillows have the Lion of St. Mark.

This sandolo also has a lot more high-gloss varnished wood.

Wow, which one would you choose?

Just the Photo - "Stefano at Sunset"

The "D.R. Crest Gondola"

photos by Tamás Fehér

Our focus today, is on one of the many gondolas in Venice that has "all the bells and whistles".

Lots of gondoliers do things to make a boat their own. 

Some do more than others. 

This guy has made quite a statement with his parecio.

The stainless steel ferro has the initials "DR" engraved in it.

 

The eyes are of course, immediately drawn to the tapestry seats,

but there are so many other impressive details on this gondola.

Take for instance, the decorative piece called the "scimier",

which sits atop the seat back.

Once again we see the familiar initials "DR" in the central shield.

We also see a stand-up-paddler pushing by,
and offering quite a contrasting comparison.

Looking forward, we see a striking portela.

It seems that our friend "DR" has a family crest.

As family crests go, it's a lot more impressive than mine.

"DR" spared no expense when he went shopping for cavalli,

and the arm-pieces would be impressive with just the black and gold,

but their rail-facing sides have a red theme and carry smaller family crests.

I could be wrong, but I think I spotted this boat recently in a Johnny Depp film.

I'll bet "DR" was happy to get that gig.

Three-Quarters and Ridin' High

photo by Nereo Zane

One of the most appealing angles to photograph the gondola from is what we call the "three-quarter".
Technically, I'm not sure where the bow of the boat fits into the calculation.
This might be the "three-quarter", or it might be a "one-quarter" shot.
The point is that it's about halfway in between a profile and looking straight down the centerline of the boat.
Looking at a gondola from this perspective, one can better appreciate her distinct crescent shape.
Make the boat a racing gondola, meaning that she sits a little higher afloat, and we can clearly see just how little of her length is actually in the water.

This photo was shot by Nereo Zane at a single-oar regata.  More photos from the day can be seen in my aptly named post "Single-Oar Regata".

Just the Photo - "Painted Sail in Chioggia"

photo by Chris Clarke