Stripes in the Sunlight

photo by Kathleen Gonzalez

Having been to a few different corners of the world, I've come to understand that it's not so much the places that interest me as much as it is the people - how they think, interact, and really, how they live.

Want to see how people in a particular city live? Go to the grocery store.

Don't visit the big must-see landmark, go to where locals are, 

(chances are good that they tend to avoid those landmarks, especially in high season) and try to catch a glimpse into what their lives are like.

And while you can tell a lot about someone by looking inside their home,

in this case we can learn a bit from the outside as well.

Here, in the apartment with the clothesline, we can see that it's the home of a gondolier, who appears to also enjoy fishing (yes, I know, that's like making the bold claim that someone from Hawaii likes to eat SPAM).

 

I've heard it said that "every Venetian likes to fish", 
and while that might be a blanket statement, I think it's mostly true.  
In fact, based on things I've seen and heard, most Venetians know more about fishing than I ever will.

And how do we know there's a gondolier living in this space?
That's easy: black pants and a striped shirt.
It's probably tomorrow's uniform.


See also: 

"Laundry, the Sun, and Quiet Places"

and "Smelling the Sun" .