A Gondola in Venice

We were up early this morning to catch the ferry from Porec across to Venice.
This is one of the 400 or so Gondolas in Venice today used solely by tourists. 
Two hundred years ago, it is estimated that there were 10,000 or more of these elegant vessels in the city.
It is hard to imagine how 10,000 of them would have managed to navigate the canals, as with the current number there were still plenty of gondola gridlocks as can be seen in today's extra.