Venice’s First Female Gondolier…Is A German Who Can’t Drive

by Willy Volk on

I’m all for non-discrimination in the workplace, but from where I’m sitting it sounds like, in the case of Alexandra Hai, the Italian courts made a fundamental mistake. Apparently, after a 10-year struggle, this German woman has breached one of Italy’s oldest male-only clubs to become Venice’s first female gondolier. Although she can’t sing and has yet to pass her gondola-steering exam, a regional court recently ruled that she can ferry guests along the city’s famous canals.

During her ordeal, Hai claims she faced rude gondoliers and discrimination on the part of the Italian Gondola Association, which she believes conspired to exclude her from the profession — males-only since 1094. However, Roberto Luppi, president of the IGA, dismisses this, claiming, “It is very important to be able to steer a gondola. That is why we have the exam.”

According to the exuberant Hai, “I am delighted. It has been my mission. I promise not to wear jeans and I have a beautiful gondola, clean and built according to tradition.” While I applaud Hai’s persistence, I’m curious to know if tourists will prefer a gondolier who can pass their “driver’s test.”

[Thanks, Karen!]

Shanxi Province–More than Polluted Linfen

by Jamie Rhein on

Linfen, China is indeed one of the most polluted cities in the world as stated in my post on April Fools Day. That isn’t the joke. The mask give-a-way is, however, even though it’s not uncommon for someone to wear a face mask to cut down on pollutants, particularly when riding a motorcycle.

What is also true is that Linfen is in Shanxi Province and the province is worth an extensive visit. One reason to make the trip is because of the history that’s found there. In the province’s Wuzhou Mountains are the Yugang Grottos and the 51,000 statues that were carved in their niches beginning in 453. Several of them are Chinese style Buddha images, but Greek and Indian influences are present as well.

The province also has the ancient city of Pingyou and the tallest wooden pagoda in China. Besides the cultural and historic treasures, the natural scenery includes waterfalls and mountains, totally opposite to what one might expect when considering that one of China’s most polluted cities shares this same corner of the earth.

Silk Road in Less than Four Minutes

by Jamie Rhein on

After the 10 rolls of film I took on a trek in Ladakh were overexposed by the professional developer I took them to, and after my camera was stolen out of my apartment in Albuquerque–twice (not the same camera, different cameras on two different occassions) and after leaving one camera in the trunk of a taxi in Hanoi, Vietnam when we were dropped off at the airport, I don’t take pictures all that often anymore. That’s why I am doubly impressed by travel videos. Not only did someone manage to hold onto a video camera long enough to have loads of footage by the end of the trip, the person managed to not get the video camera lifted or forgotten. Then there is the editing afterwards.

Here is a video of a Silk Road tour by Ameriklik that moves at a fast clip through East and Central Asia. I particularly like this one because of the added music, the performances and the photos of the people who were on this trip interspersed with the culture and the scenery. This makes me want to rethink my camera neglect–and head out on a Silk Road journey. There is a lot packed in here in under four minutes.

World Music Link

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the most pleasant of all discoveries one encounters while traveling is the local music scene. So much of what I love about Ireland, for example, can be summed up in a quaint little pub with 5 or 6 musicians jamming away in the corner.

Music is as varied as the cultures themselves. Often it is background, a soundtrack if you will, which accompanies you on your journeys. But it is always there. Sometimes I forget to stop and audibly smell the roses, but when I do, there are so many wonderful gems that really come alive and change the whole dynamics of a place.

Yesterday, while surfing through the National Geographic website, I was pleased to come across an entire section dedicated to World Music. The site offers up audio and video samples of local music from all over the world, ranging from hip hop flamenco to Cambodian psychedelia (above).

One can search by genre or country so you can travel the world’s musical landscape without leaving the comfort of home. In addition, National Geographic has cross-promoted with Calabash Music so if you like what you hear, you can buy the tunes for 99 cents each. Pretty cool!

Gadling Podcast: David Farley

by Erik Olsen on

A while back, travel writer David Farley decided to undertake a rather odd quest: he left the cozy comfort of his New York City apartment and set out to find, or at least to learn what happened to, one of the most sacred, um, and shriveled, relics in all of Christendom.

I am talking about Jesus’ foreskin. Farley moved to the Italian village of Calcata and spent months exploring nooks and books to find out the answer. The online magazine Slate even gave him some digital ink to tell his story…or at least where the story lies so far.

In this all-new gadling podcast, I talk with David not only about this glorious quest, but also about the life of a travel writer and how he manages to make a living in one of the most competitive and challenging of professions. You can check out some of Dave’s other work at his website here.

So take a moment, put this on your ipod, and enjoy.