Yesterday, I went to Torcello via water bus (vaporetto). There were some interesting water crafts with their passengers in the waters of the northern lagoon.
These rowers were quite a distance away, and moving at a good clip.
Along came a barge toting some form of goods.
And, look at this totally relaxed young chap. He knows how to conserve energy.
Here come the firemen! (Vigili del fuoco)
There go the firemen!
Andrew, who writes the excellent blog All downhill from here http://ajh57.wordpress.com/ went to work on yesterday’s offering, which resulted in this new, improved version. Thank you, Andrew!
Hello World 
Rowing in Venice? Hm. Might have to add that to the bucket list….
Love what Andrew did with the photo.
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Well, put this link into your bookmarks, they’re the ones to go to! http://www.rowvenice.com/ And, report back to us, please.
I’m so chuffed that Andrew took the time to do that editing! And, I’ve got a treat from another nice person (Andante) for your viewing pleasure, in the next post.
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Bookmarked!
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Just a small query but is there any part of Venice that you haven’t been to yet?
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There probably is, John. Venice hides some of her very best places, even from people who have time to spend there.
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Venetian men on the water are almost a tribe apart. I remember a hair-raising speedboat ride across to the mainland in which the helmsman belted through the rough water with a cigarette in one hand and his telefonino in the other. He was, naturally, involved with both pleasure of the cigarette and the extraordinarily important and exciting conversation he was holding on the phone; steering was clearly the least of his concerns. Andrews vamped up version of the bridge photo is a work of art.
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I wonder what kind of car drivers those blokes would be!?
I agree about Andrew’s work, I’m pleased he did that for our enjoyment.
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That fellow lying down has the right idea. What a nice way to travel. I love what Andrew did with your photo. He is very clever, despite what he says.
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Andrew is not only clever, but modest with it.
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Those rowers make me nervous, standing up in the boat like that….and they are not rowing, either…..they’ve obviously spotted a squalo just ahead and can’t decide whether to fish or cut bait…..
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Yes, it was the famous squalo of the North Lagoon. They soon began to run across the water to safety, in fact.
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I love the red in all your pictures, especially the one Andrew doctored.
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I was glad Andrew volunteered to do that, it looks so darn good!
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I like the worked up photo. Also all pictures of boats. Were the rowers pushing forward with the oars from a standing position?
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You and Bruce ask hard questions! I’ll see if I can find a video that shows it, it’s difficult to describe the Venetian style of rowing.
Here’s a nice one, with youngsters in a competition, and an Italian commentator, probably the momma of one of them!
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Wow. This is very interesting.You don’t see that kind of rowing action from someone standing, usually. Looks a bit backbreaking the way the kids were doing it, but then, they’re kids…I imagine there’s a technique.
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I’m fixated on that style of rowing, too. I wonder if it developed from an initial kind of “poling” as in the classic gondolas one always sees, representing Venice. Our American way of rowing is always seated (we are constantly told not to stand up!) and our canoes are very tipsy, so we keep a low center of gravity—in kayaks, too. I guess we learned our ways from the various American Indian tribes and the Alaskan Inuits. We also “pull” the water rather than “push” it, most of the time. But those Italians do it differently….it’s interesting. (at least to me.)
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And, they face forward, so they can see where they’re going without having a helmsman. Probably they were also facing enemies, in the good old days!
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It caught my eye right away. I’ve seen that style, but sitting, in guide boats in the Adirondacks, though you can go both push/pull. I do think it must have come from poling. The also don’t put much oar in if you look at the video, which would tend to make it less strenuous. Anyway, that Yvonne is always showing me something!
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They do make it look easy when they’re not in some big race, with momma watching!
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I actually think Mom and Dad were in the respective boats. It sounded like it was a boat club race, from what I could gather with my minimal Italian! And both were clearly in the steering position…
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There sure is a technique, and you can take lessons when you’re in Venice, should the desire overwhelm you. Folks I know have done it, and loved it. I tried it once, and found it intimidating. (Sissy, aren’t I?)
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Naahh. Everybody has stuff they like. I think I would like this, having been a rower, grown up canoeing and now kayaking pretty regularly. If I get back to Italy (and don’t spend all my time in the lakes) I will definitely try the lessons.
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And a jolly good ‘Vigili del fuoco’ to you too..Trying to keep a straight face with schoolboy humor.
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Child! Get in that naughty corner, again, little Gerard.
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Love the Black and white photo ( with the snow too ! ) That would look good up on the wall, a very original print .
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I still can’t see the snow on my own blog, Julie. I’m off to Treviso today, I’ll never forget how cold it was when we went there! (Now I’m thinking, which Julie is this, the Aussie one, or the English lass.)
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Is that a mirage in the first photo? [The optical illusion, not the French fighter aeroplane.]
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They were a fair distance away, you’re seeing some part of the mainland in the distance, Bert.
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More interesting Venetian scenes. To create the ‘new’ photo I simply desaturated every colour except red! I used Lightroom to do it. Time taken, about 10 seconds 😁.
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Hey, you could have preserved your air of mystique by saying you stayed up all night to do this!
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But that would have been dishonest. 😂
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What part of the sea was on fire?
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Argh, you always ask the tough questions.
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Gorgeous! The fireman seems a little laid back for his job!!! I also like what Andrew did to your photo. I need to learn how to do that. It looks so cool. 🙂
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Chuckle. That laid back fellow is on a barge type of craft, not the fire boat! The firemen looked cold!
I’d like to learn to use something like Photoshop also, but not today. 🙂
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hehee and I can’t read! hahah! 🙂
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It’s not the first time I’ve seen one of those men on the barges “lying down on the job”.;-)
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Great photos as usual
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Thank you, Joanne. I like what Andrew did with the photo from yesterday.
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