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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Venice is said to have some 150 canals, and on top of that a lot of canals were interred in the 19th century for various reasons. I was recently asked if I had paddled all the canals of Venice, and…
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The Buddhist Gondoliere
In July this year, I saw this gondola stopping to let clients disembark at Campo San Barbaba in the Dorsoduro sestiere, and it immediately caught my eye as different. Watch the foredeck, and in particular the little figure often placed…
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End to End
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The Angry Elagoonephant
The local above average size lagoon mammal can have a bad day. If the weather is foul, he is foul too.
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Rainy Day in Gondola
Some people won’t renounce their gondola ride, not even if its raining cats, dogs and medium sized lagoon elephants. Photos from Rio di Santa Marina, on September 14th, 2009 – a fairly humid day in Venice.
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Doing the Lagoon Walk
The average depth of the Lagoon of Venice is not much, about 1.2m when the tide is at the historical zero mark, but much of the lagoon is a lot more shallow than that. The tidal difference can be up…
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Lost in the Lagoon
Now where? Good thing they have road signs in the middle of nowhere.
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Pussy Boat
One wonders what they were thinking. Spotted on Burano along the Fondamenta Pescheria on September 28th, 2009.
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Venice Kayak in the Guardian
Kayaking in Venice: who needs a gondola? by Teresa Machan in The Guardian, September 26th, 2009. Forget water taxis and tourist rides, if you want a fresh perspective on La Serenissima, jump in a kayak and paddle up to St…
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Bello e tranquillo
There’s a lot of dogs in Venice, and many are seen in boats, often up at the bow where they can see and smell everything. This one particularly caught my attention: bello e tranquillo.
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Fire Brigade on the Canalazzo
There are strict speed limits on the Canal Grande, and its under constant surveillance, but the speed limits don’t apply to the fire brigade, as can be seen from these photos. When you hear the siren you better move –…
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The Elagoonephant
There has been a larger than usual mammal on the loose in the lagoon this summer. The life size elephant stands on a shallow island near the Certosa island, just east of Venice, on the canal that leads to the…