The Allisons

Additional Venice Info.

This girl Jennifer that I barely know, (just kidding--she's one of the greatest friends ever), asked some good questions about our trip to Venice. I think the answers provide an even better picture of the city. So, I will post them there.

Q. Did you guys not ride in the boats with the guys in black and white with the red kerchiefs?

A. We did not ride in the boats, but true to expectation the guys were wearing the outfits. It's kinda like a carriage ride through central park. Romantic, but really not necessary. It's a very touristy thing and not surprisingly very expensive. I'm sure we will at some point for some special occasion. If just for the romance and to have the experience.

Q. Are the canals more of a novelty or do people really use them regularly to get around?

A. They are very much a necessity as they are the MAIN mode of transportation. There are no cars. You walk or ride a boat. That was the most fascinating thing. Everyone has to have a boat (which indelibly aggravates the water situation what with the oil and gas and stuff). Most of the boats are little boats with motors. Not gondolas. Those are more novelty. The main canals are for travel in or out and the smaller canals are for people to get to their house and park their boat on . We saw very few boat ramps/docks. They just tether their boat to the side of a building or sidewalk and leave it in the canal. In many cases, we didn't know how on earth they got into or out of their boat. There was no door or side walk next to the boat, it was just tied up to the side of the wall/building. Weird huh? We couldn't get over it. While we saw lots of boats zipping around, we didn't see anyone coming in our out of their house unless it was on a street. I guess most houses/buildings have a street side and a canal side. Bear in mind though that most "streets" are no more than about 15ft wide and in most cases about 5-8ft. Unless it's a main street with like shops and stuff. In that case they are probably about 10-15 yards? I don't know--mere speculation, but hopefully you get the idea.