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Ah yes, tickets for the world's most beautiful open-air sewer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt2QnGckVog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt2QnGckVog "We foun

Ah yes, tickets for the world's most beautiful open-air sewer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt2QnGckVog https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt2QnGckVog "We found a variety of pollutants from several sources, with sewage-associated and faecal bacteria accounting for up to 5.98% of microbial communities. Sewage-associated pollutants were most abundant close to the city centre." - ["Partitioning and sources of microbial pollution in the Venice Lagoon" (2021)](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969721068315 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00489...)

SoftTalker 4y ago
Any river or inland water in a large city will have these issues.
- rtpg 4y ago
  I wonder… I mean of course it’s easy to imagine rivers going through large cities being dirty. But my understanding is most large cities do not dump sewage into rivers except in cases of major flooding. And there’s also stuff like New York putting in all those clams to clean up a river or… something like that anyways.
- imiric 4y ago
  It's certainly not the case with Amsterdam's canals. The water used to be flushed regularly, and dredging boats can frequently be seen pulling out bikes and other garbage. There's absolutely no foul odor coming from the water. It's not sterile, sure, but some areas are even safe to swim in.
  - jacquesm 4y ago
    I definitely would not advise you to swim in the Amsterdam canals. And if you do plan on doing something like that make very sure that you have a tetanus shot, don't have any open wounds and don't ingest any water.
    - imiric 4y ago
      Sure, it's not advisable, and a wetsuit is a necessity, but the fact that it's relatively safe proves that a modern canal city can have clean waters. After all, there was a royal publicity stunt a decade ago[1], part of what's now an annual event[2]. [1]: https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/201209109251/princess-maxima-swims-amsterdam-canal/ https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/201209109251/princess-... [2]: https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/expat-events-festivals/acs-amsterdam-city-swim https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/expat-events-festivals/acs...
Smoosh 4y ago
Meanwhile in the UK: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-wet-wipe-island-has-changed-the-course-of-the-thames-river-in-england https://www.sciencealert.com/a-wet-wipe-island-has-changed-t...
grapeskin 4y ago
Water flowing directly through a city might not be pure. That doesn’t mean a centuries-old city unlike any other on earth and full of beautiful architecture has no appeal.
matwood 4y ago
I went to Venice in 2015 IIRC. Took a ferry over from Croatia and stayed a couple of nights. Interesting city, definitely worth checking out, but I'll never go back. The bird/pigeon poop problem was so bad I threw away my roller luggage once I got home. I also recommend staying a few nights so hopefully you get a day without cruise ships. Completely different city then.

SoftTalker 4y ago

Any river or inland water in a large city will have these issues.

rtpg 4y ago
I wonder… I mean of course it’s easy to imagine rivers going through large cities being dirty. But my understanding is most large cities do not dump sewage into rivers except in cases of major flooding. And there’s also stuff like New York putting in all those clams to clean up a river or… something like that anyways.
imiric 4y ago
It's certainly not the case with Amsterdam's canals. The water used to be flushed regularly, and dredging boats can frequently be seen pulling out bikes and other garbage. There's absolutely no foul odor coming from the water. It's not sterile, sure, but some areas are even safe to swim in.
- jacquesm 4y ago
  I definitely would not advise you to swim in the Amsterdam canals. And if you do plan on doing something like that make very sure that you have a tetanus shot, don't have any open wounds and don't ingest any water.
  - imiric 4y ago
    Sure, it's not advisable, and a wetsuit is a necessity, but the fact that it's relatively safe proves that a modern canal city can have clean waters. After all, there was a royal publicity stunt a decade ago[1], part of what's now an annual event[2]. [1]: https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/201209109251/princess-maxima-swims-amsterdam-canal/ https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/201209109251/princess-... [2]: https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/expat-events-festivals/acs-amsterdam-city-swim https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/expat-events-festivals/acs...

Smoosh 4y ago

Meanwhile in the UK: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-wet-wipe-island-has-changed-the-course-of-the-thames-river-in-england https://www.sciencealert.com/a-wet-wipe-island-has-changed-t...

grapeskin 4y ago

Water flowing directly through a city might not be pure. That doesn’t mean a centuries-old city unlike any other on earth and full of beautiful architecture has no appeal.

matwood 4y ago

I went to Venice in 2015 IIRC. Took a ferry over from Croatia and stayed a couple of nights. Interesting city, definitely worth checking out, but I'll never go back. The bird/pigeon poop problem was so bad I threw away my roller luggage once I got home. I also recommend staying a few nights so hopefully you get a day without cruise ships. Completely different city then.