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| - Do you ever walk by the Venetian or through the Grand Canal Shoppes and watch as couples in gondolas pass below you, the scattered crowds looking over the bridges and at the man-made canals in admiration - snapping pictures of the gondolas (and the people in them) with their petite little digicams? Do you ever wonder what it would feel like to be on one of those ubercool gondolas?
Well, honestly.. it's just not as romantic as it seems. I could've done without the uncomfortable (me, not the) stares and the pushy photographer who coerces (it's true) you to pose in awkward ways with your +1.
See, both my husband (then boy/friend) and I have been to Venice - except sadly, we both missed out on the gondola experience. I managed to ride the vaporetto & water taxi, but see, gondolas won't take you to the airport (or even quickly enough) when you're in a hurry. Also, I was alone during the Venice portion of my trip and didn't feel like paying 120 euros, which at the time was about $166. Instead I bought something from Gucci. I know, silly.
As friends, we'd promised each other to do Europe together and ride the gondola. Well, when we went to Vegas and saw the opportunity to do the "next best thing" (ok that's a bit of a stretch, let's call it an alternative instead), we seized it.
We wanted to do the ride outside, but it wasn't available.... so we rode through the Shoppes (+ extra "p" and an unnecessary "e" - cus the Venetian's fancy like that) instead. Our gondolier was pleasant, hospitable, chatty (whether that's a pro or a con is up to you) and a pretty good singer. (She sang "Con te partirĂ²" beautifully.)
Total tourist attraction! (It's likely I won't ever do it again.)
Once, though, is never a bad idea.
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