René's old blog
Whatever I feel like posting, whenever
This site goes back some twenty-five years, so it is bound to be full of stale links and irrelevant information. It is, at best, updated irregularly.
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The City of Venice has published a modification to the city traffic rules, which bans kayaks, canoes, dragon boats and others from navigating certain canals. The relevant text is this: Nei Rii principali interni di collegamento: Canal Grande, Cannaregio, Giardini,…
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Venice about to ban kayaks in the city
Ever since the fatal accident in August 2013 there has been a lot of debates about what to do to make boat traffic safer in Venice. There has been little change in the year and a half since the accident.…
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Copenhagen paddle
These photos are from a short paddle in early January in Copenhagen, with our friends Per and Lise. Many thanks to Kajakhotellet for lending us the boats.
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Lonely Planet video
Lonely Planet visited Venice Kayak a while ago, and produced this little video.
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A Roman boy in 1912
I’m currently listening to a podcast on the Byzantine Empire, which is very interesting. An episode discussing the identity of the people of the Byzantine Empire mentioned a story of a little boy on an island that had been part…
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New Year at Tivoli
We spend New Year’s evening in Tivoli in Copenhagen, with a handful of Italian friends.
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High tide in Venice
We’ve had several days with high water lately here in Venice. Not extreme high water, but enough to be a burden for the locals and an amusement for the tourists. The city canals are very quiet when the tide goes…
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Reflections in Venice
Throughout October we’ve had some fantastic reflections in the water. Less traffic and a different light are probably the main reasons.
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Photography classes II
I did a basic level photography course back in the spring, and in September and October I did the next level course. The teacher was Marc De Tollenaere. This course covered several themes which all build on the basics from…
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Photography classes
This year I have taken a couple of photography classes, for the first time ever, and I have learned a lot. Like so many others I have just relied on the automatic settings and shot without thinking too much. While…
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Guaranteed for Life
I’ve been using a Tilley hat ever since I started paddling and I’ve been very happy with it. However, after some 8 years of heavy use, and at least a thousand days kayaking in all sorts of weather, my hat…
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Contorted Venice
In the 1960s a deep canal was dug across the Venetian lagoon to give access to bigger ships to the commercial harbour at Marghera, and since then Venice has been flooded by ever more frequent and ever higher tides. To…