Today was a special day as we as a class got to take a tour of the Vigili del Fouco, which is the Fire Brigade in Italy, department in Venice. We got a tour from Andre who has been a firefighter for over a decade and specializes in rope rescue systems. He showed us where they have the boats ready to respond and where they perform maintenance. He also showed us the practice tower where they can practice climbing and rope systems. He displayed his own gear that he wears and even let us try on some of it. After having a coffee with him in the cafe we left toured the closed off section of the Arsenale. For the most part we tagged along with another group and had a guide translate what was being said. Following the tour we headed back to the apartment to later have pasta at Pasta&sugo which was cheap and fantastic!

Fire Department and Arsenale

Day 20
Oliver Brown

For our final tours, we visited the local Venetian fire department and the Arsenale. Our tour guide was in the specialist climbing group, so if a building needed to be scaled at an emergency he would be called. They have multiple fire boats, equipped with pumps and fire hoses. We were shown all of the gear, which is the same in all countries in the European Union. Most of their calls are not for fires, as the buildings here are made out of brick and stone and fires don't catch or spread well. While responding to a call, they drive about 7 knots. 

This afternoon we toured the Arsenale, the old Venetian shipyard. Currently it is a military base where cadets are trained. They still produce a few small boats a year to convince the government that they should not be shut down. During the hight of the Venetian boat building frenzy, the Arsenale was finishing a boat a day.

A display of various knots at the fire station

 Fire response boat

docking bay for fireboats off canal

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Independent Research

Day 17
Oliver Brown

Today we started our week of independent research for our report and presentation. Our class met in the morning to discuss our topics and our individual plans for the day. I am studying the water supply system here in Venice, including the continuous fountains in the square. I measured the flow rate, so that I can calculate the amount of water used per day. 

Fountain near the Rialto fish market.

 The two pictures above are of construction workers maintaining and replacing sections of the canal walls where sediment has been washed into the canals, causing erosion and sinking. To do this, they first have to install a wall to hold back the water, which is what they are using the crane for in the second picture. After they finish this they have to pump out the area they are working on before they can begin repair.

 Shown above is one of two remaining bridges in Venice with no handrails. Didn't fall in!

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Haus des Meeres

On Saturday we wandered around Vienna. The highlight was definitely when we went to a 12 story zoo/aquarium in the middle of the city, called Haus des Meeres. At the rooftop cafe we ordered food and I had some delicious and refreshing apple juice. At the end of the day we got on the train to go back to Venice.

May 28th

We returned from Vienna fairly early because we took the night train. This left us with plenty of time to return to the beach for the day. We arrived at Lido around 11 and rented bikes to ride to the beach. After several hours of swimming and baking in the sun, we decided to pack up our things and explore the island on our bikes. The island was very small and rural but still as beautiful as the city. It also helped that I love riding bikes and this was the first time I've been able to in a while. We finally returned to Venice for our Sunday dinner with everyone. After dinner we hung out for a short while before I turned in for an early night.

28/5/17

The day started with all 8 of us students returning from Vienna around 830 in the morning. Once back, a group of us decided to head back to the beach for a day in the sun. We arrived at the beach shortly after 11 and spent a couple of hours swimming and tanning(or burning for most of us). After the beach we decided to take a bike ride around the peninsula. We spent 2-3 hours just biking around and listening to music. The day ended with dinner near our apartment. It was a very fun and relaxing day back in Venice after a weekend in the city of Vienna where everything moved faster.

Vienna

This weekend I took a trip to Vienna, Austria, to see what it was like in other countries in Europe. I toured a zoo, toured an aquarium, went to the Austrian Natural History Museum, and got lost in an amazing amount of local goods at the local market. Besides doing typical touristy things, I also studied things such as how the city has been made more accessible for the blind, which is something we studied as a class in Venice. The highlight of the weekend for me was the zoo, where I got to pretend to be a 12 year old again. The zoo was in the middle of the city and went up 10 floors of animals, leading patrons to a rooftop terrace where you could look out over the whole city; let me tell you it was BEAUTIFUL. Vienna was a blast, and I highly recommend anyone thinking about going there to do it! Now it's back to engineering in Venice on Monday.