13 December: Gondolas

Today is the feast day of St Lucy, patron of gondoliers. Here are 10 things you may not know about the gondolas and gondoliers of Venice:

1. Nobody knows for sure the origin of the word gondola. One theory is that it may derive from the Greek ‘kondoura’ meaning ’small boat’.
2. The first mention of a gondola in writing dates back to 1094, but they had probably been around even longer than that. At one time gondolas would have been the only way to get around in Venice. It's estimated that in the 17th and 18th centuries there were about 10,000 of them. Today, there are only about 400.
3. Today's gondolas are pretty uniform. They all weigh 700kg and have 280 component pieces made from eight different types of wood: lime, larch, Oak, Fir, cherry, walnut, elm and mahogany. The oars are made from Beech. They're all painted Black because of a 16th century law prohibiting any other colour. Before that, they would have been very colourful.
4. The distinctive shape of the prow is full of symbolism. Its ‘S’ shape represents the bends in the Grand Canal, while the six ‘teeth’ represent the districts of Venice. The doge’s cap is represented by the curved top, while the ‘tooth’ sticking out of the back of the prow represents the island of Giudecca.
5. The modern banana-shaped gondola is credited to the 19th century boat-builder Tramontin, whose heirs still run the Tramontin boatyard. if you wanted to buy one, it would set you back 38,000 euros.
6. Up until the early 20th century, gondolas had a "felze", a small cabin, to protect the passengers from the weather or perhaps from onlookers, since they had louvred shutters which could be closed to preserve their privacy. These were the original Venetian blinds. When gondolas became largely a tourist attraction, the felzes disappeared. It's thought tourists complained that they blocked the view. Up until the 1950s they had awnings, called the "tendalin".
7. They may appear to be lopsided and listing over to one side, but this is intentional and compensates for the weight of the gondolier, who stands in the stern and rows only on the right side.
8. The profession of gondolier is quite a lucrative and therefore sought after one, but it's not easy to obtain a licence. In times past, a gondola would be passed down from father to son within a family. Today, a gondolier must undergo 400 hours of training and pass a gruelling test before they are granted a licence. They not only need to be able to manoeuvre a gondola through narrow canals and busy waterways like the Grand Canal, but they also must have an extensive knowledge of Venice and its history and extensive foreign language skills.
9. There were no fully licenced female gondoliers before 2010, when a woman named Giorgia Boscolo passed the test. Before that, it was generally thought women wouldn't have the physical strength to do the job. Giorgia faced opposition, not only from the licensing authority but from her father, who didn't think it was a suitable profession for his daughter. Even with a full licence, though, she's only allowed to operate as a stand in for male gondoliers.
10. If you live in the USA, it's not necessary to cross the Atlantic to get a ride in a gondola. They are found in a number of US cities as well, including New Orleans, the Charles River in Boston, New York's Central Park, and the Providence River in Rhode Island.

A Very Variant Christmas

Last year, Jade and Gloria were embroiled in a bitter conflict to win back their throne and their ancestral home. This year, Queen Jade and Princess Gloria want to host the biggest and best Christmas party ever in their palace. They invite all their friends to come and bring guests. Not even the birth of Jade's heir just before Christmas will stop them.

The guest list includes most of Britain's complement of super-powered crime-fighters, their families and friends. What could possibly go wrong?

Gatecrashers, unexpected arrivals, exploding Christmas crackers and a kidnapping, for starters.

Far away in space, the Constellations, a cosmic peacekeeping force, have suffered a tragic loss. They need to recruit a new member to replace their dead colleague. The two top candidates are both at Jade and Gloria's party. The arrival of the recruitment delegation on Christmas Eve is a surprise for everyone; but their visit means one guest now faces a life-changing decision.

Meanwhile, an alliance of the enemies of various guests at the party has infiltrated the palace; they hide in the dungeon, plotting how best to get rid of the crime-fighters and the royal family once and for all. Problem is, they all have their own agendas and differences of opinion on how to achieve their aims.

Not to mention that this year, the ghosts who walk the corridors of the palace on Christmas Eve will be as surprised by the living as the living are by them.

Themes 

Christmas; superheroes; reunions; parties; life choices; shocking surprises; mistaken identity; kidnap and rescue.

Reasons not to read it

• It's a bit short. You could probably read it in one sitting.
• Most of the action takes place at a Christmas party. In a palace.
• It's all about Christmas but there doesn't seem to be a schmaltzy moral message.
• There are a couple of babies and some small children in it - and one nearly gets eaten.
• Santa appears in it, but he isn't really Santa.
• Superheroes. Again.
• Not to mention a whole bunch of super-villains. Again all new ones and not the ones we know from Marvel or DC.

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle