Gondolas (How Could I Forget This?!)

How could I forget the one thing that almost everyone might ask upon hearing that I went to Venice?

So, in case you're wondering, I did in fact go for a ride on a gondola.

For eighty euro, you get approximately forty minutes of being toured around through winding canals and for a quick jaunt down the Grand one.

I hopped into my gondola just off of the Piazza San Marco. I got there bright and early, as I had to catch my train back to Florence that afternoon. The laws in Venice dictate that the gondolas can't go out before 9:45 in the morning, so I did a bit of waiting around before sitting upon the plush black seats of my gondola.

The area where I caught my gondola from. My the time my ride had ended, all but two of the gondolas shown here were out and about. 

My gondolier's name was Robert and he is from Venice. While he did not sing, he did point out specific sights throughout the ride and had some historical background for each. One of the most interesting facts that I learned from him are that gondolas are longer on the left side than the right side to provide a certain weight distribution/balance to the craft. Perhaps this is because the gondolier stands on the left side and rows to the right. Nevertheless it's intriguing. Also, over ten types of wood go into the creation of a gondola and supposedly true gondolas are only made in Venice.

My gondolier.

I also found it interesting that most of the guidebooks say to take a gondola ride at night for the best atmosphere. They're not big on lighting buildings in Venice and I felt like it could make for a fairly creepy jaunt without great views. However, going in the morning was fantastic and the air was nice and crisp from the previous day's rain. The lighting wasn't bad either.

And while it might be the most touristy thing that I did while in Venice, it was also the thing that no one should miss.

A view from the boat.