A unique form of water transportation, the gondola has been used to carry passengers along Venice's waterways for centuries.
貢多拉是威尼斯獨特的水上運輸船，貢多拉在威尼斯古代就開始流行，至今已近有幾個世紀的歷史了。
A Bit of History
關于貢多拉的歷史資料
Gondolas were once the chief form of transportation through the canals of Venice. Today, they are generally used as sightseeing vessels for tourists willing to shell out quite a few euros for a ride on these historic rowing boats.
貢多拉曾經(jīng)是威尼斯運河上主要的水上運輸工具。今天，來自世界各地的觀光客們更愿意坐上貢多拉去有體驗一下穿越的感覺。
Some experts believe gondolas date all the way back to the 7th century, but the most common belief is that they originated around 1100. Designed to deal with the shallows and mud flats of the canals, early gondolas had 12 oars. A few centuries later, they were much smaller in size but had acquired a "felze" or cabin. In the 16th century, they had become so covered with ornamentation that a law eventually banned such ostentatiousness. From that point on, and still today, the vessels were permitted to only include a curly tail, a pair of seahorses, and a multi-pronged prow.
一些專家認為，貢多拉的歷史可以追溯到公元7世紀，但多數(shù)人認為貢多拉開始的時間是公元1100年。為了在狹窄的運河里穿梭，以及在泥濘的淺灘上停泊，貢多拉從最開始出現(xiàn)到今天也有很多演變。最開始的貢多拉設計了十二個槳手，幾個世紀以后，貢多拉的體積小了很多，但有了船篷的設計。到了16世紀，貢多拉被裝飾得很花哨，但最后法律禁止這樣招搖的裝飾。從那以后，貢多拉就演變成只有一個翹起的船尾、一對海馬做裝飾，然后就是多管齊下的船首。
Gondolas are built at one of just three remaining boatyards, of which the Squero di San Trovaso is the most famous. All gondolas are built in the same manner by experienced builders,
建造貢多拉的船廠只有三個，去中最著名的是 Squero di San Trovaso。所有的貢多拉船都被技術精湛的工人建造得一模一樣。
they are composed of 280 separate pieces. The left side is longer than the right, which allows it to resist the tendency to turn to the left during a forward stroke by the gondolier.
貢多拉船由280個不同的部件組成。左邊比右邊要長一些，這是為了船夫們可以在向左轉的行進中提檔水流的沖擊。
Not everyone can be a gondolier. In Venice, it is considered a noble profession that has been passed down from generation to generation through the centuries.
想成為貢多拉船夫？也不是那么簡單的事。在威尼斯，貢多拉船夫被譽為崇高的職業(yè)，而且是世襲制的。
Nearly every visitor to Venice wants to enjoy a gondola ride while visiting the city. However, gondolas aren't the normal form of transportation around the canals. That task falls to the vaporetti, or water taxis. Gondolas, instead, are tourist vehicles that visitors can hire for sightseeing purposes or purely for the opportunity to say they rode on one of these historic vessels. Many hire them for a romantic journey and, each year, hundreds of couples become engaged while sailing through Venice's canals.
幾乎每個去威尼斯的游客都想坐上貢多拉船欣賞一下這個水上王國的魅力。但是你要知道，貢多拉在今天可不是真正的運輸船哦，不是你認為的拉客從一個點到另一個點的水上巴士。如今的貢多拉只為了讓游客坐上來看看美景和體會歷史的工具，當然，也有許多人覺得和愛人同船渡是極其浪漫的事，每年，在貢多拉求婚的人很多。
Gondola rides are offered at a fixed cost set by the city government, though experienced travelers will tell you that many gondoliers do not always adhere to these costs. That's why it can be necessary to negotiate the price and length of ride before you board the gondola. Don't expect the ride to be cheap, especially during peak tourist season when the demand is great. In addition, rates are higher after a certain hour of the day, so a nighttime ride will be more expensive.
威尼斯政府對貢多拉收費有相關規(guī)定，然而，經(jīng)驗豐富的游客會告訴你，很多船夫不會老老實實按規(guī)矩辦事。所以，在上船以前，你可以你可以和貢多拉船夫討價還價，也可以要求多在船上呆一會。不要期待貢多拉會很便宜，特別是在旅游旺季，旺盛的需求會讓貢多拉更貴。另外，在某些時間段價格估計也會高出平均，比如晚上，就會比平常貴。
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