Maybe we should ask old Billy Schluct.
Yes, you must be very wise wickstad! Having a query and thinking to come straight to me!
Anyway here are some interesting facts about Gondola, which I pronounce
GON-do-LA.
HERE is the pronunciation and more.
gon·do·la
noun
\ˈgän-də-lə (usual for sense 1), gän-ˈdō-\
Definition of GONDOLA
1
: a long narrow flat-bottomed boat with a high prow and stern used on the canals of Venice
2
: a heavy flat-bottomed boat used on New England rivers and on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers
3
: a railroad car with no top, a flat bottom, and fixed sides that is used chiefly for hauling heavy bulk commodities
4
a : an elongated car attached to the underside of an airship b : an often spherical airtight enclosure suspended from a balloon for carrying passengers or instruments c : an enclosed car suspended from a cable and used for transporting passengers; especially : one used as a ski lift
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola
The gondola is propelled by a person (the gondolier) who stands facing the bow and rows with a forward stroke, followed by a compensating backward stroke. Contrary to popular belief, the gondola is never poled like a punt as the waters of Venice are too deep. Until the early 20th century, as many photographs attest, gondolas were often fitted with a "felze", a small cabin, to protect the passengers from the weather or from onlookers. Its windows could be closed with louvered shutters—the original "venetian blinds". After the elimination of the traditional felze—possibly in response to tourists complaining that it blocked the view—there survived for some decades a kind of vestigial summer awning, known as the "tendalin" (these can be seen on gondolas as late as the mid-1950s, in the film Summertime). A sumptuary law of Venice required that gondolas should be painted black, and they are customarily so painted now.
A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, often called a cable car, which consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in the terminal, which is connected to an engine or electric motor. Because of the proliferation of such systems in the Alpine regions of Europe, the French language name of Télécabine is also used in an English language context. Gondola lifts should not be confused with aerial tramways (where a cabin is suspended from a fixed cable and is pulled by another cable), which are also sometimes known as "cable cars".
Snow will never cease to be but it will always be never. - Schluctism
