THE DISCOVERER BLOG offers “9 Canal Rides You Have to Take,” three of which I’ve already enjoyed—and one that Discoverer missed but could well have included. Here are tidbits about them all, including personal adventuring.
Annecy, France. Discoverer notes, “The romantic canals that weave through the city have earned the town its nickname, ‘Venice of the Alps.’ ”
Annecy, France. Credit: Olga_Gavriova/iStock. This and the following images from The Discoverer.
Wikipedia notes that Annecy “lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed the ‘Pearl of the French Alps’ in Raoul Blanchard‘s monograph describing its location between lake and mountains, the town controls the northern entrance to the lake gorge.”
Though I’ve been to Geneva on a Rolls-Royce junket, I’ve never visited Annecy. I have been to the next town on Discoverer’s list, Bruges, Belgium. It was on a Mercedes trip, as I recall.
Bruges, Belgium. Discoverer suggests, “Explore Bruges from the swan-filled canals that connect this West Flanders capital to the North Sea on a 30-minute canal tour. Cruise past St. Boniface Bridge and Jan van Eyck Square, delighting in the discovery of hidden courtyards, microbreweries and aromatic chocolate shops.”
Bruges, Belgium. Credit: Catarina Belova/Shutterstock.
I recall discovering pommes frites er… frieten as they’re properly called in Flemish, served with Andalouse, sorta a Flemish Thousand Island dressing.
Newport Beach, United States. Discoverer’s third canal adventure is just down the 55 here in Orange County: “Ten unique communities across eight manmade islands make up California’s Newport Beach. Crisscrossed by a network of gurgling canals, a tour of this community’s waterways introduces visitors to Newport Beach’s enclave of glossy waterfront residences and accompanying luxury yachts.”
Newport Beach, California. Credit: Ron and Patty Thomas/iStock.
I recall one year we rented a pair of boats to celebrate a Newport Harbor birthday party for Editor Thos. L Bryant. We never got lost and even passed a bayside residence once owned by John and Elaine Bond, R&T’s guiding lights.
Wife Dottie, R.I.P., had a family tale about the famed Newport Christmas Boat Parade: One of Dottie’s kin shared bayview digs with other young ladies. Her pals called her out to watch, but having just finished a shower, her hair a’tangle, and less than fashionably attired she needed special urging.
Shortly after appearing on their balcony, she was bathed in a brilliant spotlight from a passing parade boat and a booming voice called out, “John Wayne wishes you a Merry Christmas!”
Venice, Italy. Though California has its own Venice with its own canals, quite rightly Discoverer says, “Venice [Italy] is the mecca of all canal cities, for good reason. Over 150 waterways surround 118 islands and stream under 400 bridges. A gondola ride along Venice’s canals ranks high on visitors’ bucket lists, an essential Italian experience that acquaints visitors with the city’s longstanding history and cultural traditions.”
Venice, Italy. Credit: Olga_Gavrilova/iStock.
My own Venice adventure in 1993 prompted “Venezia“ here at SimanaitisSays. This was a Pirelli junket, quite a fine one with accommodations at the historic Royal Hotel Danieli, according to my Baedeker’s the best in town.
The Discoverer’s Others. The website completes its nine with canals in Bangkok, Thailand; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Suzhou, China; Alappuzha, India; and Giethoorn, The Netherlands. Though each sounds charming, alas I’ve never been.
My Llangollen Canal. “Pontcysyllte: A Welsh Wonder” here at SimanaitisSays described another wonderful canal adventure, together with Welsh lessons: “The name Pontcysyllte is Welsh, its nearest English pronunciation ‘Pońt-ker-suck-tay.’ The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is an architecture wonder along the Llangollen Canal. Some more Welsh: Llangollen is, sort of, “Thl’an-gothl’n,” with those thl’s given some explosive force. The Welsh town of Llangollen is 190 miles northwest of London, just inside the England/Wales border; the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, 5 miles east of town.”
Above, an architectural wonder, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct soars above the valley of the River Dee in northeast Wales. Below, scene from a Llangollen canal boat crossing the aqueduct. Images by Dorothy Clendenin.
Also, in a pub, “cheers!” is “iechyd da!” Try “i-hýa-id dah!” and I believe the landlord will get your drift. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024