Surreal Venice and the Gondoliers

We just got back from a Mediterranean cruise. Venice, Italy, was one of the places we visited. What is it about those gondoliers? They look as if they have stepped out of a movie, or the front page of some fashion magazine. They hang about, posing, their eyes down demurely, pretending not to notice the throngs of tourists taking their photos.

Photos copyrighted sstaas. All rights reserved.




Don't you think that the handsome, sexy gondolier in my photo looks sooo nonchalant, sooo amazingly modest and coy?! You wonder what he's thinking, all decked out his cute little outfit. For a second I thought I was in the Venetian in Las Vegas, so surreal he seemed, as did the canal in the background. I asked myself, is Venice real? Or, is the Venetian in Las Vegas more real?



Another cute, sexy gondolier appeared from underneath a bridge. Now, he was real, of that I'm sure. He was moving, steering his gondola out into the Grand Canal.



So many tourists, so many gondolas, canals, cameras and camcorders. Venice is like a movie. Even Coca Cola makes a splashing and spectacular entrance. The city appears as one gigantic movie set.



It was the pigeons and the sounds of the water lapping against the gondolas that brought me back to reality, that made me realise that what I was looking at was, in fact real.

We went in the month of August when it was really very hot and absolutely full of tourists. I think that May or September would be better months to visit if you want to avoid the crowds. We arrived on our cruise ship on this particular trip, but the first time I visited Venice I arrived by train. There are water buses and water taxis that will transport you around the city. Have fun exploring the narrow streets and being mesmerized by the all the activities on the Grand Canal!

In case you're planning a trip to Venice, here's a useful link that will give you lots of information: travel information