One of the things that sets the gondola apart from other boats is that
she's asymmetric (that means crooked).
It is said that most gondolas are about nine inches off center,
although in all honesty, I've never gone so far as to break out a
measuring tape to check the accuracy.
I row them, and from where I stand,
I can easily see that gondolas have an obvious lean.
Of course the gondola is not the only crooked boat on the water.
There are several other rowing boats native to the Veneto,
that have a lean to the starboard side, and then there are those other boats - which were not meant to curve to one side or the other...but somehow ended up doing so anyway.
Looking at the gondola, one notices that there are very few
straight lines on the boat.
Just about everything has some sort of curve to it,
in many cases, a complex one.
Come to think of it, the boat isn't always rowed in a straight line either. Because she's got a flat bottom with no keel or rudder,
it's not unusual for a gondolier to pilot the boat somewhat sideways.
In light of all this, I chose to post this photo today, a photo where nothing, including the horizon, is straight, and I like it that way.
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