Gondoliers and tradition.

[tyggerjai]

Gondolieri do not, in fact, sing. "Only in movies" - "No cantare. Sole in Cinema.", if I'm hearing correctly - I may not quite have the Italian. I overheard a passing gondolier very firmly tell his fares this several times, but it seemed to be a different mix of French and Italian each time. Our own gondola trip was, I like to think, somewhat more authentic than the staged "Servizi Gondola" from San Zaccharia or the Frezzeria. We interrupted our gondolier while he was drinking vin brule and chatting to a mate in front of the Accademia, to ask directions to a ball for which we were already late. "This place, I know it well by river, is very easy. But by street ... is very difficult. Many turns. Many small streets. I do not think I can say ...." And so, of course, we arrived by Gondola at the Ballo del Doge. And it was, of course, far the bast way to arrive - the doors fronting the Grand Canal were hung with elaborately lit giant masks, and we were assisted from the gondola by a Commedia troupe, and flourished to the front door. And it gave us, as I say, an indisputably authentic experience - halfway there, in a dark patch of the canal, our gondola slowed and I heard a prolonged splashing, immediately recognisable to any man. After all, pissing in the Grand canal is what gondolieri have been doing for a thousand years, and we *did* interrupt his vin brule ....

sol.
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