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Travel writings by Drewelowe, 1920s
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Between the canals, the city is a veritable network and jungle of streets. A perfect maze and bewilderment of narrow little alleys, - so minute that when we walk through with our arms akimbo, we touch both sides, - stretch in all directions. It seems as though there were just one rank for all the buildings to stand on so they squeeze and push each other in order to retain a foothold. - all tightly squeezed together in a tiny space. It is almost impossible to find our way through the city the same way twice, although we follow closely with a finger upon the map - but it is ever so much fun to explore! It is like playing hide and seek with the streets & buildings for play. Most of the streets are dark and when as much as eight feet wide or less are overhung with stories above; all of them are damp and winding and the sun really never gets at them. Little arched bridges in uncountable numbers span the canals in picturesque fashion and makes a charming curtain for the gondolier to play against, and the tourist to pose against. Venice is curiously different and restful after Naples, Rome and Florence. There are no automobiles, charriages, bicycles or trams on the streets - but there is a constant squeeze of people pushing through the tiny crooked byways as though they were going somewhere, but in reality can't be going very far. Steamer trains fly through the Grand Canal and back and forth among the islands here-a-bouts. They dock at regular stations discharge their loads and take on new passengers. It is really fun to ride upon the municipal steamer-trams just to see how transportation is carried on, but it is much more romantic to gondola about the more unfrequented by ways in and about the city. The gondolier standing upon the stern cuts rather a striking figure as he goes through his cycle of rowing. He is almost more interesting in motion, then is the scenery of narrow high passages, sluggish green water through which his gondola passes. As he goes through the crooked smelly canals with the overhanging
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Between the canals, the city is a veritable network and jungle of streets. A perfect maze and bewilderment of narrow little alleys, - so minute that when we walk through with our arms akimbo, we touch both sides, - stretch in all directions. It seems as though there were just one rank for all the buildings to stand on so they squeeze and push each other in order to retain a foothold. - all tightly squeezed together in a tiny space. It is almost impossible to find our way through the city the same way twice, although we follow closely with a finger upon the map - but it is ever so much fun to explore! It is like playing hide and seek with the streets & buildings for play. Most of the streets are dark and when as much as eight feet wide or less are overhung with stories above; all of them are damp and winding and the sun really never gets at them. Little arched bridges in uncountable numbers span the canals in picturesque fashion and makes a charming curtain for the gondolier to play against, and the tourist to pose against. Venice is curiously different and restful after Naples, Rome and Florence. There are no automobiles, charriages, bicycles or trams on the streets - but there is a constant squeeze of people pushing through the tiny crooked byways as though they were going somewhere, but in reality can't be going very far. Steamer trains fly through the Grand Canal and back and forth among the islands here-a-bouts. They dock at regular stations discharge their loads and take on new passengers. It is really fun to ride upon the municipal steamer-trams just to see how transportation is carried on, but it is much more romantic to gondola about the more unfrequented by ways in and about the city. The gondolier standing upon the stern cuts rather a striking figure as he goes through his cycle of rowing. He is almost more interesting in motion, then is the scenery of narrow high passages, sluggish green water through which his gondola passes. As he goes through the crooked smelly canals with the overhanging
Iowa Women’s Lives: Letters and Diaries
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