Venice - Part 3 (Fond. Dogana)

The third and final part of my Venice blog concentrates on my journey through San Polo to Fond. Dogana, the most southerly part of the city. I was more than happy with the photographs I'd taken on the east side of the Grand Canal and more opportunities followed as I hit San Polo on the west side - gaining access via the Rialto Bridge. By this time it was early afternoon and the temperature was up there, which isn't something I'm a big fan of. I don't mind big heat, but when there's no let up it usually has me hunting down a shaded refuge for a short while. I remember the tee-shirt I was wearing was stuck to my back for the best part. Yes, I remember it well - navy and white hoops, very similar to that worn by those gondolier chaps. All I needed now was a straw hat and two litres of brylcreem and that was me suddenly impersonating one of them. Mind you, when they're asking 100 Euro's a pop for a 30 minute trip in a gondola, I could have made a few bob! Ah well, maybe another time - for now I'll just stick to impersonating a photographer.

My first shot (above) is a typical scene along the Venice waterways, although I don't remember the exact location. The tower was leaning over to one side, not as much as another famous tower but it was easily noticable along the canal where I stood. Two identical bridges give access to either bank of this particular waterway and these add to the shot considerably - there's hundreds of them in Venice, which often give a good excuse to stop when taking photographs of the oncoming gondola's. Again you can see many motor boats along the waters edge - the Venetian residents equivalent to our 'Car on the drive.' Many of the apartments at each side of the canal actually belong to hotels, although you rarely see a reception entrance or a sign telling you which hotel it is. On thing for sure, these rooms won't come cheap but are probably worth every penny when you're commanding a prime spot in a place like this. I'd love to have photographed Venice at dusk when the place is lit up, especially along the Grand Canal towards Rialto and an overnight stay in Venice would have been the way to go, but seeing as I was based at Jesolo the idea never really got off the ground.
Continuing my journey South towards Canal Della Giudecca finally reached Ponte Lungo, another bridge that led me along a waterside path to my eventual destination - Punta Della Dogana. It was here that I had an excellent view across the water to San Marco (shown here in shot 2), with its dominating Campanile Tower. The sky offered an excellent backdrop with those fluffy white clouds that have a knack of finishing of an excellent landscape shot, or seascape in this case. Of course, the obligatory boat enters the frame to add some foreground interest. The buildings to the right of the shot are situated along the edge of Canal Di San Marco and this is where many of the tourist boats reach Venice from places such as Schiavoni, Arsenale and Punta Sabbioni, which is where I arrived from.

At the tip of Fond. Dogana was a large white statue of a man holding a lizard. The design must have stood around ten feet in height, undraped and sporting a rather small penis. Well, you couldn't help but notice it! Groups of girls stood giggling nearby, pointing, before having their photo took next to it. One girl grabbed the manhood while her friend lifted her camera to take a shot, when this scrawny little fella dressed in a policemans uniform jumped out from seemingly nowhere and went apeshit!!! 'NO TOUCH, NO TOUCH' he shouted, as the startled girl pulled her hand away as if she'd received an electric shock, he he. This fella was obviously the 'New Starter' in the police station and had been assigned to the job no-one else wanted. His brief must have been to stand there there all day and make sure no-one touched the statue. Poor lad was about four-foot nowt and five stone wet through! It was funny watching him from afar, trying to look menacing with his truncheon and handcuffs, big black leather boots and hat. He looked like summat from a Wacky Warehouse kids party - in fancy dress! Wish I'd taken a photo of him now. Ah well...

From there I made my way along the waters edge facing Bacino Di San Marco to Palace Genovese. Crowds were taking a breather on the palace steps looking down towards a young Japanese couple that were having their photographs taken. At first it appeared that they'd just been married but it was soon obvious that they hadn't. Another Japanese guy was taking the shots, probably for his wedding photography portfolio, while a girl followed, occasionally spraying the bride's hair and touching up her make-up. There were many obvious pointers that this was an exercise to promote a photography business in Venice - plus the bride and groom were rowing most of the time! I attached my 300mm lens and took a few candid shots of the wedding shot. Quite pleased with them considering I was in the shadows during the 2 or 3 minutes I was there. The couple looked immaculate though - have to give them that.

Finally it was time to head back over the canal and wait for my boat back to the mainland. I made a few more pictures before reaching the docking area, including a well photographed scene of the Venetian gondoliers with the island of San Giorgio Di Maggiore in the background (shown here, shot 4). The gondola's in the shot were out of service at the time, hence the waterproof blue covers. A quick visit to a nearby toilet followed before I made my way towards the docking point where the Marco Polo boat was due in a few minutes. While waiting I watched the world go by, doing a spot of people watching to kill my last few minutes in Venice. At this point along the promenade are many gift stalls and cafeteria's and if you fancy one of those fake Gucci bags - ya know, the ones that fall to bits after a week, well, there's plenty of African immigrants knocking those out. Barter with them if you decide to take a chance on a bag - these fella's will sell their granny for a few Euro's. One of them tried to grab my arm as I walked past. I told him I wasn't 'That way inclined', then he said 'Quality Dolce Gabbana Leather, Sir'. I thought to me'sel 'He he, leather MY ARSE'. I shook my head and walked past the Garth Crooks lookalike as my boat arrived. That was it - I was out.

Venice - never to be forgotten. Fantastic place!

Back soon...AC

Venice - Part 2 (Rialto Market Area)

Stepping out of St Mark's Square and into the Napoloenic Wing I headed into the unknown through an archway that led me to Calla Larga, which included exclusive shops such as Louis Vuitton. With only my backpack and a map of Venice for company I was about to begin an exploration of this unique City, as a sense of excitement gripped me as to what lay ahead. I was confronted by a maze of narrow streets with tall buildings, which looked like they probably did 50 years ago, retaining character during the passage of time. Many had those old wooden velour shutters, which were all closed, probably to keep the heat at bay. Then again, the residents of Venice mustn't be short of a bob or two, so I reckon Air-Con must come as standard. These three and four storey buildings looked rather run down from the outside but I dare say the interiors are a very different matter. As I stop for a minute to find my bearings, courtesy of my map, I find myself stood outside a pizzeria-stroke-cafe. The smell was something else. What is it about freshly baked bread? I gazed into the window to see an array of pizza, wraps, sandwiches, rolls and cakes. To be honest, I didn't have a clue what was in most of the sandwiches as they were individually labelled in Italian. All I could understand was the prices, and they weren't cheap. I was in there like a dog after a bone, buying a small rolled pizza that looked the best of the bunch. I waited a short while until it was lightly crisped off in a toasting machine before it was handed over in exchange for 5 Euro's. Add to that a 500ml can of coke and I was more than happy, toddling out of the shop with a look of satisfaction on my face. I was now back into the soaring heat as I parked my arse on a nearby bench overlooking Rio Del Veste. Time for lunch.

Feeling a tad more than content after my 15 minute pit-stop I was on my feet again as my map began to draw me towards the famous Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal. As the early afternoon heat started to get the better of me, I remember taking the odd wrong turn or two before getting back on track and heading through Calla Del Fuseri, which took me in a straight line towards Palace Loredan and eventually to the edge of the Grand Canal. The area was very busy - top heavy tourist numbers in every direction, and that included the canal itself! As well as Gondola's, the canal in front of me was a highway for motor boats carrying food supplies and drinks to the many homes and restaurants on the Venice waterways. The Rialto Bridge (Second shot) was the focal point of interest and not only was it a photogenic subect as the gondola's passed under its arch, but the view from the bridge itself was equally as attractive as I looked back along the Grand Canal. Almost everyone around me were using camera's, and why not, views like this don't come along every day! I'd safely say, with hindsight, that this was my favourite viewpoint in the whole city - an ideal position to capture a bit of everything that Venice had to offer.

More sightseeing followed, as I wandered through more narrow streets that ran parallel with the Grand Canal, heading upstream towards the Pescheria (Fish Market), on the San Polo side of the canal. It certainly wasn't my map that guided me to this point on my journey, but the strong smell of raw fish that filled the air. Intrigue got the better of me so I entered the Fish Market to see exactly what had been landed. I somehow assumed that the catch would have naturally been pulled from the Med, so I was more than surprised when I read the origin of Gamberoni (Jumbo Prawns) and Red Snapper was Argentina. The prawns were like nothing I'd seen before - 'Jumbo' is a modest way of describing them! Money was exchanging hands at a sharp rate as the place was packed with customers looking for a good deal. Best sellers appeared to be Tuna Steaks, Shark, Lobster and Sea Bass, as well as Gamberoni. Brought to the market by boat, the seafood left the premises in Venetian carrier bags, by the dozen. As I passed the last stall on my left an apron clad fisherman was gutting a huge fish on a slab - it's head bared a striking resemblance to John Prescott in more ways than one, just before the knife came down, detaching it from its body. Within a few seconds I was out of the building and enjoying some much needed fresh air. I stood near the jetty where the fish was delivered to the market, looking up the Grand Canal, which is where I captured my third shot (shown here). Gondola's was passing regularly, as well as the usual
motor boats that service the City's businesses and homes. Straddling this section of the Canal were the many buildings, side by side, including Palace Brandolin, Palace Broldu and
Ca' Da Mosto. This was to be the most northern point of Venice that I visited before heading west across San Polo, to my evental destination Punta Delia Dogana, the southern gateway to the Grand Canal.

More of this next time, including some photo's of a Venetian wedding that I stumbled across. Until then, thanks once again for visiting.
Ash