Maggie in Venice

A few weeks ago, Cheryl ran across three Chihuahas in baskets who were acting as guard dogs and mascots for a German school choir near the Rialto Bridge. While the girls sang, the dogs sat in their baskets, defending the purses, backpacks, and other items that the singers had piled up behind them during an impromptu arcade concert.

Below is a short video of the concert's highlights, with a cameo appearance by one of the Chihuahuas. (The dogs' names are Daisy, Dory, and Dusty, three monikers that alliterate with "Don't mess with me.")

ABOVE: The bell tower in Venice's Campo San Simeon Grande, as viewed from the Hotel Ai Due Fanali's rooftop terrace.

by Durant Imboden

About a week ago, I wrote a review of the Hotel Ai Due Fanali in the Campo San Simeon Grande, a quiet little square that opens directly onto the Grand Canal.

To give our Venice for Visitors readers a better sense of the campo's atmosphere, I dug through our image archives for a video clip that Cheryl had shot in 2010 as part of a "noontime church bells in Venice" series with Maggie as her sidekick.

As with most of Cheryl's noontime videos, two of the three Campo San Simeon Grande clips had a canine accompaniment. I was able to find one usable clip for the review, which Cheryl had recorded as the sound of the bells was waning. The short clip below is an outtake that's tolerable only if you're fond of dogs.

(Linguistic wordplay observation of the day: Maybe it's no coincidence that the German word for "bark" is "bellen.")

ABOVE: When the crowds get crazy, a nervous dog needs a hug.

We're in the final weekend of Venice Carnival, and the major pedestrian thoroughfares in the city are jammed with people. Unfortunately, even the busiest streets tend to be narrow, and human traffic jams can be frustrating.

The crowds can be especially worrisome if you're a dog without a leash, as the following short video demonstrates: