Gondolier Luke “Luciano” Andreen surprises us with a question: “Would you like me to sing a song?”
Absolutely.
“In English or Italian?”
Since we are sitting in a Venetian gondola slipping effortlessly through the canals of Coronado Cays, Italian seems the appropriate choice.
And a beautiful performance it is.
“The song is from the opera ‘I Puritani’ by Vincenzo Bellini,” says Andreen, who has traded the traditional gondolier’s sunhat and striped shirt for a Santa hat and green, tinsel-laden jacket. “The character is singing about how he just lost the love of his life and is upset about it.”
Andreen’s aria ends our 50-minute gondola ride with a flourish. We’ve cruised through one of the county’s most prestigious neighborhoods where one waterfront home lists for $43 million. Having worked in real estate research, Andreen also serves as our historian for mansions and yachts in “The Cays.”
“Some of these houses have been torn down and rebuilt three times,” he says of the enclave where prices begin at $3 million.
This degree of wealth is hard to grasp, as well as the fact that our serene gondola ride is within view of the phrenetic city across the bay, but we feel a million miles away and in the holiday spirit.
“Most people are surprised at how calming the ride is,” says Long Beach native Sean Jamieson, founder of The Gondola Company of Coronado 25 years ago. “As a gondolier, you are dealing with people that are in a much better mood than as a waiter.”
Jamieson’s love for boating is a logical extension of his childhood in Long Beach.
“We didn’t have parks. We had the beaches and the bays. We were in the water at all times, whether we were surfing or going fast behind a ski boat or slowly in a gondola.”
Jamieson and his former partner constructed three of the company’s six gondolas; five carry six passengers; one carries 13. Company gondoliers must learn to master the unusual skill of propelling the boat with a single oar from only one side.
“In Venice, the canals are narrow and there isn’t room for two oars,” Jamieson says.
Southern California offers many additional ways to celebrate the holidays:
- Lightscape – Sparkly dragonflies, floating golden poppies, illuminated trails and glowing stars are just a few of the shiny art installations in the one-mile long a dazzling holiday exhibit of lights, color and music at the San Diego Botanic Garden. “Each installation is quite different,” says Chief Operations and Experience Officer Tomoko Kuta, including the music. “We want to cover a range of time periods because of the range of ages of visitors.” Runs through Jan. 5.
- Winter Wonderland – Lakehouse Resort in San Marcos is transformed into a Frozen Fun Zone with Polar Express train rides and more for kids; meals, drinks and hors d’oevres in sparkly lakeside igloos for adults (reservations necessary). Weekends Dec. 6 to Dec. 29
- Winter Fest OC – It’s the 10th year for this Orange County holiday event that features snow play, ice tubing, ice skating, carnival rides and more. Nov. 22 to Jan. 5 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.
- Big Bear Lake — Winter has arrived at this alpine town at 7,000 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains. That means it’s time for Big Bear Snow Play, SoCal’s largest snow-tubing hill. Two Magic Carpet lifts mean it’s nothing but downhill fun.
- Bahia Resort, Catamaran Resort and Lodge at Torrey Pines — Iconic San Diego resorts offer a plethora of holiday activities for locals, including Whoville/Grinch-themed Jingle Belle Cruises on Mission Bay, gingerbread houses display, ringside seats for the Mission Bay Parade of Lights and more.
