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Venice Is Flooded Again; Everyone Go Wakeboarding!

The terribly wintery weather currently hitting Europe right now is bringing the lagoon waters of Venice up into the piazzas and reminding us of one of our favorite quirky stories from last year: that of the guy who wakeboarded through a flooded St. Mark's Square. We've posted the video for you again above, and believe us that it's worth watching all two minutes because the Red Bull guy also wakeboards in a canal. This is what happens when you combine horrible weather, a sinking city, and an opportunist tourist on energy drink.

Each year, this high water, or Acqua Alta, hits the Italian city at its weakest time: when the tourists and locals are all in town to celebrate the holidays. It also doesn't help that the lowest (and therefore most affected) place in town is the visitor mecca of St. Mark's Square. When the waters get knee-high here, you'll see Venice become a network of raised platforms as sidewalks—here's a great picture to demonstrate. Come to think of it, we should add "leaving the rain boots behind" to our list of the Top Five Tourist Mistakes in Venice.

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Water Water Everywhere / Floods / Italy Travel / Adventure Travel / Wakeboarding / → All Tags

Wakeboarding In Venice: New Attraction Or New Crime?

As we (unfortunately) promised, a second surge of floodwaters hit Venice yesterday, peaking at just over three feet. But with the windy weather now calming down, experts are predicting the flooding will subside and Venetians will soon have a chance to dry off a bit.

It doesn't sound like all the locals have been as upset by the flooding as they should be. One guy thought that a flooded St Mark's Square made a great venue for a bit of wakeboarding.

Of course, we know that the Venetian authorities are on a big campaign to ban anything that's fun, so we weren't surprised that the wakeboarder was quickly arrested by local police. Pity, perhaps Venice could have turned its flood woes into an adventure travel paradise.

Related Stories:
· High Tide Wallop Venice for 2nd Day [AP, via Google]
· Acqua Alta in Venice At Near Record Levels [Jaunted]
· More Rules for Venice Tourists [Jaunted]

[Photo: BBC]

Water Water Everywhere / Floods / Italy Travel / → All Tags

Acqua Alta In Venice At Near-Record Levels

Parts of Venice were under more than five feet of water today, as the Adriatic overwhelmed the city's canals in near-record-breaking fashion. While the flood waters quickly receded from the crest, another surge of acqua alta is predicted early Tuesday. The mayor has warned everyone to stay indoors, which shouldn't be a problem, since the city's vaporetti, or water buses, aren't operating normally because of a national transportation strike.

By mid-morning, almost every walkway in Venice was submerged because of the exceptionally high waters, and St. Mark's Square was more than 2.5 feet under. The brave few who did trudge outdoors had boots pulled up above the knee to fend off the sea.

While the flooding looks really awesome in photos, it's horrible for the long-term survival of the city, which is slowly being eaten alive by salt water and sea breezes. Get there now for the best chance of seeing high seas yourself: Floods are most common in the winter.

Related Stories:
· Venice Suffers Worst Flooding in 22 Years [AFP, via Google]
· Have Kayak, Will Travel [Jaunted]
· Water Taxi Travel: Brad on a Boat! [Jaunted]

[Photo of the flooding today: TangOblivion]