Gondola ride

So we did the ultimate touristy thing in Venice last night. We rode a gondola.

It was actually a lot of fun, because even though it was a "touristy" thing to do, we got to go down some smaller, more out of the way canals, and get more of a glimpse of what life is like for a resident of Venice. Window flower boxes, laundry hanging from windows drying, and dogs sleeping on boats tied to nearby apartments were the norm on the backstreets.

Our gondolier was Franco ("Hey, justa call me Frankie, like Frankie Goes to Hollywood"). We actually had three gondolas, with one featuring a vocalist and accordinoist keeping us entertained through our tour.

We started on the Grand Canal, with the gonola station right outside our front door, and then wound our way around the city, seeing Marco Polo's home, as well as the apartment that Cassanova stayed. "He was a great lover," explained Frankie.

Later, he did his impersonation of him with Danielle, who is the director of the study abroad program. She wanted her picture taken with him, and he obliged, but he didn't want to seem to let go of Danielle. A few more pictures, por favor . . .