Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The swan says... "say yes!"

As a Gondolier I have seen many odd things out there on the water as I'm sure many of my compatriots have. I have seen sea lions and seals (even one jump into a Gondola for a nap! remember that one Cinque?), as well as all sorts of fish and birds (and even a few people that think like the fish and birds), however I've never seen anything quite like what happened yesterday...Stopped under a bridge awaiting the response of a wedding proposal a Swan (rare to see in this harbor, egrets and herons are very common however) came out from behind the docks and swam right up next to the Gondola... the young woman asked the swan whether or not she should say yes and if you believe it (I know there is only one or two people who may read this so I have no need to lie), the swan just so happened to bob it's head up and down. This was not the end of our swan, it decided to escort us for about the next 15 minutes down the canal that leads behind Captain Jack's Restaurant (Great Food, Atmosphere, Service!) where it was distracted by others on the dock who had food to give.

No matter how you look at it, this was a very special moment for all on board...


I do have to admit that I don't know a whole lot about the demeanor of a swan that I was a little nervous when it was next to the passengers... it was very humble except for the head bobbing, until it crossed the ferro of the gondola and hissed...