An amazing virtual gondola ride !

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http://www.heygo.com 26th February - Gondola Ride Along The Grand Canal with Igor

Well this was going to be fun a virtual trip on a gondola along the Grand Canal in Venice.

A few years back we took a gondola ride with some friends and that was a fantastic experience but today with the canal so quiet it felt like there was just the guide, the gondolier and me in the gondola.

Gondolas are far from a recent invention. Custom-made for the shallow waters of the Venetian lagoon, they were in use as far back as the 11th century – possibly further back than that, but the first documented evidence of them comes from 1094 – and for centuries they were the main way to get around.

Gondolas reached peak popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, and it’s estimated that the city was home to 10,000 gondolas at that time. By contrast, there are around 400 now.

Gondolas were once much more colourful than they are today. Back in the 16th century, gondola owners tried to outdo each other with their ornately decorated gondolas, until a law was passed requiring all gondolas to be painted a uniform black.

Ever noticed that a gondola tilts to one side? That’s deliberate, as it helps balance out the weight of the gondolier.

You have to pay more if you require the gondolier to sing, so Igor our virtual guide, after lots of requests, obliged us with a serenade.

It’s been a busy day and still one more tour to come!

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