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GONDOLA DOG |
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 Water buses,water taxis and other boats are the main means of transportation. © David Muenker |
"It looks magical, doesn't it?" the boy sitting next to Sonya said. "I call it my fantasy island."
"Do you live there?"
"No, but my grandparents do. I visit them a lot. My name is Lorenzo. Would you like me to show you around?"
"That would be great! I'm Sonya." She held out her paw to greet him. "I like riding on this boat."
"Good thing! In Venice, you either walk or ride on boats. This water bus is called a vaporetto. We also have water taxis and gondolas."
"I want to ride in a gondola!"
"My grandfather's neighbor is a gondolier. He'll take us."
"Will he let me steer it?"
"I don't know. He's really careful about who he let's touch his boat," Lorenzo said. "First let me show you the sights."
 Sonya admires St. Mark's Basilica. © 2006 Ravay Snow |
"St. Mark's Square is the heart of Venice," Lorenzo explained. "Here's the palace where the ruler of Venice, called the Doge, lived a long time ago. And here is St. Mark's Basilica."
Sonya admired the buildings' marble walls and columns. Swirls of colored stone formed beautiful patterns on each block of marble.
"They remind me of marble fudge ice cream!" Sonya licked her lips.
"We have something even tastier here in Italy. Gelato! It's Italian ice cream," Lorenzo said. "There's a great place to get gelato on the other side of the square."
Lorenzo started to run across the square. Hundreds of pigeons strutted on the pavement. St. Mark's Square was a paradise for bird dogs.
"Silly birds," Sonya woofed. She chased them away only to watch another flock land in the same place.
"Watch what happens when I hold bird seed in my hands!" Lorenzo stood with his arms stretched out at his sides and bird seed in each hand. Pigeons perched on his arms, shoulders and head.
He giggled with glee. "I love doing this!" Sonya stood frozen in a point.
 Lorenzo feeds the pigeons in St. Mark's Square. © David Muenker |
"So many choices!" Sonya exclaimed. Fruit flavors. Nut flavors. Chocolate, coffee and vanilla. They chose mixed berries.
"Yum!" They smacked their lips after each lick.
"Let's go to the top of the Bell Tower now. You'll be able to see the whole city."
They rode to the top in an elevator.
"See the church's five domes? Over there is the theater. And my grandparents live in that neighborhood." Lorenzo pointed at a cluster of red tile roofs.
"Ha! All those pigeons on the square look like tiny ants from up here!" Sonya barked.
"Look here." Lorenzo pointed in the distance. "You can see the other islands."
"Does the vaporetto go there, too?"
"Yes. I'll take you to Murano," Lorenzo replied. "That's where the glassblowers make our famous Venetian glass."
Suddenly the huge bells in the tower started swinging and clanging. Sonya felt like her head was in a metal bucket and someone was banging on it.
"The bells are ringing to mark the hour," Lorenzo shouted with his hands covering his ears. "Hurry! Let's grab the elevator before we go deaf!"
In the next episode, Sonya watches glassblowers make Venetian glass.
Note: This story is fiction based on fact.
Go to Sonya's Picks for links to websites about the sights of this World Heritage Site.
Test your understanding of words used in this story with the Word Match game.
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Photographs ©2005-2010 David Muenker. Text ©2005-2010 Rose Muenker. Illustrations ©2005-2010 Ravay Snow Any use without express written permission is illegal and punishable by law. All rights reserved. Site designed and developed by Josh Bergman. |
