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The Travel Test: Your First Vacation
Traveling to Italy tests the tenacity of the author's relationship.
by Kendall Morgan
Bypassing the creaky and cheap ferry, he hailed a bright, shiny water taxi that took us directly to our hotel for a mere $100. Even unbrushed teeth, a day without sleep, and dirty clothes couldn’t diminish my first glimpse of Venice. I’ve heard it called “the Disneyland of Italy,” but what’s wrong with that? The city seems to float on top of the sea like a fairytale come to life, a bit of the 17th century preserved in amber.
The boyfriend had chosen a luxurious hotel called Dei Dogi, a former palazzo in the Cannaregio Sestieri residential area. At that point, I could have slept in an abandoned gondola, so I crawled into the ornately carved bed while he went out foraging for really important stuff, such as wine and underwear.
When he woke me up bearing a demurely sexy white lace bra (in the right size) and a new pair of undies (ditto), as well as bread, a wedge of brie, and a bottle of Chianti—“They sell it right out of giant casks!”—that he found on San Leonardo, it struck me that this one might be a keeper.
The next day, after only three or so hours on the phone trying to find our bags and bump back our departure date to make up for the time we’d lost visiting Newfoundland, we set out to explore the city.
I had learned that the ornate, brilliantly colored chandeliers in the Dogi’s lobby were made on the nearby island of Murano, and decided we had to visit. It’s definitely worth a trip. After a demonstration of the centuries-old art of glassblowing, you view More Glass Objects Than You’ve Ever Laid Eyes On. Yes, it’s all designed to make you buy some insanely expensive thingamajig to take home, but the candy-colored glass is so beautiful you don’t mind.
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1 Carlos // Jun 25, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Have anyone on this blog been to the Caribbean on an escorts resort in the DR? Or erotic vacations.
2 Little Italy // Feb 12, 2008 at 11:55 am
Love this. As a fellow writer who happens to be spending a year in Italy, I can vouch for the dear author’s authentic Italian experience. Brava. Now please send some of those love vibes back over the ocean, please…
3 Paris, City Of Fisticuffs? // Feb 12, 2008 at 9:58 am
[…] Isn’t arguing, debate anyways, in the French character? Like if you’re trying to invade Iraq aren’t they the first to say “au contraire, mon frer”? Sure, having a knock down, drag out at the Eiffel Tower is bad form, but would the French really be put off? “Ah, look at the Americans, with their Super Bowl and Dane Cook, how you say, adorable.” Well maybe they should rethink making things tough on us after bailing them out of WW2. Anyone? Dad? It’s weird, this is the first time that we’ve ever thought of National Lampoons: European Vacation and Ethan Hawke’s novella, The Hottest State, at the same time. There are parallels. This reminds us of one of our all-time favorite Tango articles about a little Euro vacation that goes in the wrong direction but ends up just right. […]
4 lola // Dec 1, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Great story! Felt like I was there with the writer and her “boyfriend.” I related to much of what happened as my “boyfriend” also took me to Rome last Feb. and it was without a doubt one of the best trips ever. It wasn’t the vacation…it was the experience of being with a wonderful person and learning more about him. I”m the artist and he is the doctor. What a combination! I”ll let you know when the wedding occurs —