René's old blog

Tag: Photos

  • Torcello in kayak

    Torcello in kayak

    Today we went paddling in the northern lagoon, around the island of Torcello, with the oldest church in the Venetian lagoon.

    The Cathedral of Torcello dates back to the 800s.

    A placid lagoon canal,lined with trees which are reflected in the water. Several boats of local fishermen are moored on the shore, under the trees. The sky is grey and cloudy. A front of a kayak appears in the foreground.
    Boats at Mazzorbetto
    A woman in a red kayak,wearing a read jacket and an orange hat, in the middle of a lagoon canal surrounded by vegetation, under a grey cloudy sky.
    Martina at Mazzorbetto
    Mazzorbetto
    Martina in the marsh
    A woman in a red kayak,wearing a read jacket and an orange hat, in an open stretch of water in the Venetian lagoon, with the outline of a distant island in the background, under a grey cloudy sky.
    Martina near Torcello
    A woman in a red kayak,wearing a read jacket and an orange hat, in the middle of the Venetian lagoon, under a grey cloudy sky.
    Martina
    A lagoon canal with the boxes of the softshell crabs hanging to dry on posts, with a fishing boat firther ahead. The bow of an orange kayak is visible in the front to the right
    Moecheri
    The cathedral of Torcello, seen from the side of the canal, under a dark sky, everything reflected in the placid water.
    Torcello
    The medieval cathedral of Torcello under a dramatic grey sky, with a woman in kayak in the foreground. She's seen from the back, as she's watching the church.
    Martina at Torcello
    A view of the lagoon. The upper two thirds are a cloudy sky with a blue tint, which reflects in the water in the lower third of the frame. Several posts and canal markers, one with a grey heron resting on top. To the right, some bushes on the side of the canal.
    A heron resting
    The island of Burano in the distance,as a thin line on the horiozon, under a dramatic grey and dark blue cloudy sky, which is reflected in the water below. In the foreground, the bow of a kayak, orange with a white stripe.
    Burano
    Fediverse Reactions
  • Gondoliere practise

    Gondoliere practise

    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 cavana safely. They used a normal gondola da nolo, not the standard barcheta da traghetto used by the traghetto.  
  • Reflection

    Reflection

    image Nothing particular, just a nice reflection
  • Redentore 2011

    Redentore 2011

    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 of friends in an old verigola belonging to the Arcobaleno association, and we got a place in front row, just in front of the Punta della Dogana, with only a few gondolas and sandolos in front of us, which proved a very nice spot for getting some photos of the fireworks.

    More photos after the fold ..

    (more…)
  • Spooky Venice

    Spooky Venice

    Spooky Venice Photo from evening paddle on October 24th, 2009, taken in Rio di S.Giovanni Laterano.
  • High Water Gondola Rowing

    High Water Gondola Rowing

    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 of lowering the height of the gondola is for the gondoliere to crouch on the back deck, while he keeps the oar straight backwards, propelling the boat with a sculling movement. The forcola, or oarlock, has a bend exactly to allow the operation where the oar is almost parallel to the boat. High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1329 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1330 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1331 Another example of the crouching gondoliere, same place near Santa Maria Formosa: High Water Gondola Rowing - Crouching - 1 High Water Gondola Rowing - Crouching - 2 High Water Gondola Rowing - Crouching - 3 High Water Gondola Rowing - Crouching - 4

    Edging

    If the bridge is very low, the gondoliere might have to edge to boat to lower the stern ferro, which is the highest point of a gondola. He will do so by stepping over to the right side of the boat, in front of the forcola. From that position he will scull the boat forwards. On many gondolas the stern ferro is on hinges, so it can be flipped down. If the bridge is too low for even the bow ferro the pass, he will have to edge the boat even more, by telling the passengers to all sit on the right side of the boat. From Rio del Mondo Nuovo, near Santa Maria Formosa: High Water Gondola Rowing - Edging - 1 High Water Gondola Rowing - Edging - 2 High Water Gondola Rowing - Edging - 3

    Lying down

    At times the gondoliere will have to pass a bridge where there’s just only enough space to squeeze through, and to make sure that he will not get stuck, with ferri scraping the underside of the bridge, he will lie down on the back deck of the gondola, and push it along with his hands until the stern ferro is well through the passage. From Rio San Provolo, S.Marco: High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1334 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1335 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1336 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1337 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1338 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1339 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1340 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1341 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1342 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1343 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1344 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1345 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1346 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 1 - 1347 And another case from Rio della Maddalena, Cannaregio: High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 2 - 1382 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 2 - 1383 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 2 - 1384 High Water Gondola Rowing - Lying down 2 - 1385
  • The Angry Elagoonephant

    The Angry Elagoonephant

    The local above average size lagoon mammal can have a bad day. If the weather is foul, he is foul too. Angry lagoon elephant - 1 Angry lagoon elephant - 2
  • Rainy Day in Gondola

    Rainy Day in Gondola

    Some people won’t renounce their gondola ride, not even if its raining cats, dogs and medium sized lagoon elephants. Gondola under the rain - 1 Gondola under the rain - 2 Gondola under the rain - 3 Photos from Rio di Santa Marina, on September 14th, 2009 – a fairly humid day in Venice.
  • Fire Brigade on the Canalazzo

    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. Fire Brigade on the Canalazzo - 1 Fire Brigade on the Canalazzo - 2 Fire Brigade on the Canalazzo - 3 Fire Brigade on the Canalazzo - 4 When you hear the siren you better move – or even better – keep to the sides always, as any rowed boat is expected to do in the Canalazzo. The photos were taken on September 5 on the Canal Grande just in front of the City Hall, Ca’ Farsetti, very close to the Rialto Bridge. This is not a regular occurrence. I have only seen it twice this year, and I do spend a good deal of time around the Canal Grande.
  • The Elagoonephant

    The Elagoonephant

    The Elagoonephant in all its tyresome glory 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 trunk. It doesn’t seem to mind, though. It appeared there in early June, just at the opening time of the Biennale, so it probably has something to do with that. If that’s the case, it will likely disappear in November when the Biennale closes. Seen up close it looks like its made from old car tyres, heated and moulded into shape, and some pieces of drift wood. Paddling with the elephant Some have suggested that the little red ball is like a key stone on an arch. Remove that, and it’ll all come apart 🙂
  • Pied a terre – Venetian style

    Pied a terre – Venetian style

    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: Pied a terre - sign The sign reads: “Pied a terre of 50 mq, completely restored with high quality details”. Even though I was looking for a place to live at the time, it probably wasn’t just that pied a terre I was looking for 🙂 Pied a terra Pied a terre or pied dans l’eau ? The spot is on the Rio de Verona on a little used stretch between the Fenice and the Rio Malatin / Rio Sant’Angelo.
  • Jump

    Jump

    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. p1030529 p1030528 p1030526