Read at CNN Online that Venice’s canals are drying up due to “good weather and an unusual combination of planetary influences.” (full story here – Gondolas stuck as Venice waters recede).
This is sad news because it means Venice’s reputation as a romantic city par excellence is at stake. Not that I’ve been there, let alone sat in a gondola with anyone special (not that there’s anyone special).
I remember reading about Venice in Jeanette Winterson’s The Passion, a “fantastical tale of Henri–Napoleon’s cook–and Villanelle, a Venetian gondolier’s daughter who has webbed feet (previously an all-male attribute), works as a croupier, picks pockets, cross-dresses, and literally loses her heart to a beautiful woman.”
Reading about Venice makes me wanna pick up The Passion to read again. Unfortunately, I don’t own a copy; the one I read was borrowed from the library at the place where I work.
Reading about Venice and thinking of The Passion, a certain someone comes to mind. *sigh*
