Virtual Venice

My RL summer travel plans include a trip to Venice, so I thought I'd check out its SL counterpart in preparation for the real thing. 

The tiled roofs and golden colouring of the buildings is quite faithful to the original, and it was a pleasure to stroll around the narrow streets, peeking into shops and admiring the hidden plazas. I felt pretty shabby in my jeans and running shoes, so I ducked into a corner of shop to change. It felt more glamorous, more James Bond-ish, to be strolling the Venetian streets in a handsome suit.

The famous Rialto Bridge dominates the main open area, spanning the Grand Canal and connecting the districts of San Palo and San Marco. On one side of it, a row of gondolas lie in wait for visitors' use. While I was there, a French-speaking family arrived to take a trip in one.

I expected that a member of the party would have to row the craft but then noticed a board near where they were docked that allowed travellers to summon a staff member to serve as a gondolier. In RL, the profession of gondolier is strictly regulated and requires broad knowledge of Venetian history and landmarks, in addition to the skill required to the handle the vessel. I'm not sure if there's a uniform requirement, but if there is, SL Venice seems not to have adopted it.

 I spent some time lingering by the docks, watching the visitors come and go. The French family, rowed by their diminutive gondolier, toured the city and returned to the starting point. A self-proclaimed "SL & RL" master, clad in black leather from head to toe, passed through, as did a lady in an evening gown, who dashed about with her long skirts swirling, looking every bit like Cinderella racing to get home before her coach turned back into a pumpkin. I had a bit of a laugh as I looked forward to my RL trip, imagining myself strolling along the canal people-watching in the same way but without the ability to right-click and view a helpful profile.

Even if you don't have plans to visit the original, stop by Venice in SL. Wear a suit. Take your sweetheart. If you're adventurous, summon a gondolier - just don't expect him to be wearing a striped shirt. Or to be a him.


Find Venice in SL. 

Tourism in SL

I love when people use the tools of SL to create fantastical and otherworldly creations that could never exist in RL, but I love it just a little bit more when someone re-creates something from RL in SL. I found the SL Eiffel Tower to be as lovely and romantic as its RL counterpart, and I followed the same path out of the train station in RL Amsterdam when I was there as I had in SL Amsterdam. I really enjoy being able to (virtually) visit a site I may never have the chance to see in RL. So it was with real pleasure that I discovered the Terracotta Warrior Army of Xi'an, China.


The Terracotta Warrior Army is "a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China." This UNESCO World Heritage site has thousands of warriors, generals, and horses, standing in formation in excavated pits. The site has been produced in SL on a slightly smaller scale by Pravda Core with impressive detail and is well worth visiting.


The entrance to the subterranean site is a simple dip into the ground, not unlike the entrance to a mine shaft. 

The opening to the Terracotta Warriors Army exhibit doesn't reveal much about what's to come.