Waiting for the Carnival procession on the Canal Grande at the traghetto San Samuele we enjoyed the view of two gondolieri practising the manoeuvres they need to do the operate the traghetto. They needed to turn the boat repeatedly and fast, to navigate the current and waves the other traffic caused and to enter the […]
Nothing particular, just a nice reflection
The Redentore Feast is one of the major annual celebrations in Venice, and one with a massive local participation. It takes place on the third Sunday of July, and on the evening before there is a huge display of fireworks just before midnight. It usually last around 45 minutes. I went there with a bunch […]
Photo from evening paddle on October 24th, 2009, taken in Rio di S.Giovanni Laterano.
Rowing a gondola at high tide requires some special skills. The higher water makes for lower bridges, and a gondola is not a low profile boat that’ll just go under anyway. The gondoliere have to do all sorts of weird manoeuvres to get the boat under the lowest of the bridges. Crouching The simplest way […]
The local above average size lagoon mammal can have a bad day. If the weather is foul, he is foul too.
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.
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 – or even better – keep to the sides always, as any rowed boat is expected […]
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 airport. Most boats pass at a distance, but we can paddle right up under its […]
One day as I was paddling through some of the smaller canals in the sestiere S.Marco, close to the Fenice, I spotted this little sign in a window directly on the canal: The sign reads: “Pied a terre of 50 mq, completely restored with high quality details”. Even though I was looking for a place […]
At high tide the water in the canals at Murano is clean enough for the local children to swin and play in the water. The kids were jumping from the bridge in front of the medieval church SS. Marie e Donato.
The 35th Vogalonga was held on May 31st, on the Sunday following Ascension as tradition dictates. The Vogalonga is a 30km non-competitive “race” through the city of Venice and the lagoon. It starts a 9 from St. Mark’s with a cannon shot, and proceeds around Sant’Elena, past the islands of Certosa, Le Vignole, Sant’Erasmo, San […]
Yesterday I was paddling around Venice with a German couple and their daughter. The girl was almost mesmerised by the crabs scuttling around on the walls and steps on the rii, so daddy picked one up to show her, then put it down on the kayak so it could get on with its life. I […]
They’re restoring the back side of the Palazzo Ducale and the corresponding side of the Prigioni Nove, both facing the Rio Canonica. The Bridge of Sighs connect these two buildings across the canal. To get funds for the restauration works they have sold advertising rights to the façades being restored, and the sponsor have clad […]
I have a quite decent camera in my mobile phone, and often take photos where I go, but I also often forget to download them to the computer. I did that today, and here’s a selection of point-and-shoot photos from we left Denmark in early April until now here in Venice. The phots are in […]
There are many rowing regattas in and around Venice during the summer, with various kinds of boats participating. The Regata di Mestre is the first of the season, and it was held last Sunday, May 10th. My initial plans were to watch it from a kayak, but Mother’s Day intervened causing friends to stay home, […]
I’m back in Venice now, in the camping getting the last things ready before a group of Danes arrives on Sunday for a week of magic Venetian paddling. I was lucky enough to find myself a vacant window seat on the right side of the plane. The airport of Venice is built on the edge […]
All the photos from the entire journey in Sardinia
Franceso and i had planned to paddle to Cala Goloritzé in the Golfo di Orosei yesterday, and we got up early and set off fetching kayaks at a local camping where Francesco keeps par of his gear, and then on the road to Santa Maria Navarrese. We launched in calm weather, a force 2 scirocco […]
My good friend Francesco Muntoni who runs Cardedu Kayak in Sardinia, has started uploading photos from his home island to flickr. A month from now I will be down there again, to visit Francesco and to paddle the magnificent coast. Francesco is currently the custodian of my Skim Distance, seen here at Porto Quau in […]