Alexander Hai - brava!

After a decade of struggling to become a gondolier, Alexander Hai has won a moral victory. A court recently allowed her to paddle around the canals of Venice - but only for the residents of one of the city's hotels. "Brava gondoliera! Brava!" shouted one man from his third-story balcony on the Rio de la Veste canal as Hai paddled past, shepherding a couple from Utah on their honeymoon. The man on the balcony, clenching a glass of champagne, beckoned his friends to take a look as Hai's boat and passengers slipped by.

This is a male dominated job and they are not happy with Hai. Being a gondolier is usually passed down from father to son. They say she isn't strong enough and cannot pass the test to become a gondolier.

I was lucky enough to go to Italy on two different occasions, but did not get to see Venice, where all this drama is taking place. I was very disappointed--twice! I saw Pisa, Rome, Florence, Naples, and Pompeii, but no Venice. And I absolutely would not have cared who was steering the gondola! You have to give her credit, though, for the abuse she's taken but hasn't backed down!