Kayaking the canals of Venice

Owen Reading has contributed a photo to this story.

This picture was taken during a crowded, hot, humid Sunday. I thought it was funny, water seemed to be slowly turning into a soft green jelly.

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This picture was taken in one of the beautiful sights of canal in Venice.Exploring the canal waterways

by means of kayaking would be an experience of a lifetime!

There seemed to be a bit of a jam! There were Gondolas as far as we could see, all waiting to emerge into the lagoon.

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Venice is a different experience at night.

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Venice Grand Canal at sunset, taken from a gondola ride for two.

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A beautiful spring day on the Grand Canal in Venice - riding the Line 1 Vaporetto & More.

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Best viewed in the full version by clicking on the photo. This was taken on a rainy October day. Venice is beautiful even in the rain!

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I was walking on Accademia Bridge in Venice when a big ship cames under the bridge creating funny circles in the water.

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No, obviously not Venice, but it is strange to see a "piece of Venice" in Utrecht, Netherlands. This gondola is quite famous, and can even be booked for weddings or other special events.

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Venice, the most beautiful city in the world. This was the first photo we took, just getting off of our train. It is stunningly beautiful and took our breath away. Venice is easy to get around in, filled with history, art, museums and fabulous people

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Relaxing and reading on one of the few bridges without 'walls' in Venice.

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A rainy day of the Venice's Carnival 2008. This photo was taken in Saint Mark's dock.

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Kayaking is a good choice. it's not like there's a cycling club to join...
Venice is still beautiful even in decline, you might say majestic.
Compartmentalising what you see in the canals and smell from the sea foods you eat is an acquired skill!

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Gondoliers are somewhat of a rare bread. They are the legacy from generations of of gondoliers. Their talent is honed over many years of balancing on narrow handmade gondolas as they travel the turbulent water of Venice's canals. A Gondolier is an aged old, honored profession with years of serious training to prepare the talents needed to command a gondola safely though the sometimes foul weathered waters of Venice.

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This photograph was taken from the East bank of the Grand Canal, Facing North at the foot of the Rialto Bridge on a day trip to Venice in August 2006. You would never think that behind hundreds of people were milling about, pushing and shoving, it looks so calm and tranquil!

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So many people come to Venice just for a day. The hot spots to visit are of course Saint Mark's Square and Basilica and the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal. Allow yourself to get lost in Venice. Some of the prettiest sights are along the quiet canals.

All About Travel has contributed a photo to this story.

some more photos of Venice canals on www.venice.nu

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A surreal world of waterways winding around this great city. Streets and alleys take a completely different meaning.

picklers II has contributed a photo to this story.

Hi everybody!!! :D I'm lucky, 'cause I live near Venice and I can visit
it on kayak!! The best way to see Venice...is from the water! And kayak
is the non plus ultra for who want to live the real soul of this
beautiful...dreamin' city!! see you around! :D

Vetto has contributed a photo to this story.

So many grand memories of Venice, from the side street canals to the Grand Canel and all its splendor.

This is a vaporetto or water bus - the cheapest and easiest way of getting around Venice. The trip on a vaporetto from one end of the Grand Canal to the other is especially recommended.

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This is one of many great images that Venice has to offer. The city is truly timeless.

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Although of course I had heard so much about them, I had no idea how beautiful and ancient these unique boats were!  The profession of Gondoliere is passed from father to son.  It takes tremendous skill to maneuver these long elegant boats through the narrow and often busy canals.  At present there are 400 gondolieres in Venice, I was told.   During the height of the Venetian republic in the 1400's, there were 10,000 gondolieres !!

Behind San Marco the little canals and streets open out into a rectangular pool - called Bacino Orseolo - just large enough to be a very useful and often bustling gondoliere's station. 

In the sunlight one can see the beautiful detailed carving on these exotic boats which are unique in the world to Venice.   I didn't know I'd fall in love with these ancient crafts, but their beauty, and the elegance of the movements of the gondolieres pushing them deftly along the narrow 'rios' or canals, is etched in my memory. 

venice is surrounded by water that reflects a very unique light through the city.  it gives you an eerie, timeless feeling if you stroll through the area just at dawn. no tourists, no pigeons, just a few joggers and the gondolas swaying back and forth.

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