Ben's sister, Step-dad, Mom, Ben, Sarah, Dana (my niece), my Mom, me, & C
(Sarah's something borrowed was my veil)
(Sarah's something borrowed was my veil)
I wish I could say the planning for the event was smooth, but is it ever? The drama started early when Sarah decided to support tolerance and wanted C to officiate over the wedding ceremony. Sarah isn't a religious person so she toyed with the idea of a modern gay friendly wedding. Of course this concept didn't sit well with her father Mark (which was understandable) so, he decided early not to attend. Personally, I was intrigued that C (or anyone for that matter) could go online and pay $15 to become a .com Minister with Universal Ministries. This certificate allowed C to perform weddings, but she can not get married herself...go figure!
But, as all early wedding decisions go, this officiating idea came and went and Sarah moved on to other more traditional options. Unfortunately the damage between Mark and Sarah was so old and extensive that Mark would not consider the inevitable changes planning for a wedding goes through as normal. He treated the two like they were foolishly indecisive. During a dinner Sarah, Ben and Mark were having to discuss plans for the union Mark called his daughter's future husband a wimp and said he would not pay for anything. The two young lovers simply got up from the table and left Mark to think about his self-inflected exclusion. On the ride home, both Sarah and Ben made three wedding decisions that stuck; 1) they decided to have a small traditional ceremony in an old traditional palace, with 2) a Destination Wedding in Venice Italy and 3), they would not ask Mark for a dime.
After the wedding it's an Italian tradition to walk the couple around town to show them off and take pictures. While Sarah and Ben did their walk Italians cheered and tourists congratulated the couple when they passed. It was warmly validating.
Great Reason #2 for a DW is that for the guests who attend it's a good reason to vacation. Those of us who flew to Italy for the wedding had plenty of time to spend together sightseeing because Sarah had done such a superb job planning the event. As a group we experienced Murano Glass works, museums, beautiful architecture, and stained-glass windows. Since we had ample time for leisure, we ate, drank, and walked to our hearts content. Our small group, consisting of multiple last names, got along superbly too. I especially enjoyed the company of my Mom. It was like we were on the same page after all our trials and errors. It was evident she had become 'one of the girls,' or was it I had become one of the elders....oh now that's scary!
(Fur stole complements of Mark's Mother)
Anyway, after the Italian ceremony, and after Sarah and Ben left for their honeymoon, the rest of us guests went our separate ways and experienced Europe as we wished. C and I set out for a 10 day excursion to southern Italy. To help our photos become more interesting, we brought a small yellow plastic rubber race ducky named Pedro to take pictures of at all the cool places we visited and/or stumbled into because we were lost. Italy has the most confusing roads ever! One can go around in circles for hours and never know where they are. (C and I did that a lot.) Anyway, the game was on to use Pedro the Duck as a Where's Pedro in our Italy photo album.Another good reason for a DW is that those who want to attend pay to do it. For Sarah and Ben this kept the cost of the wedding down. For family members and friends who could not go to Italy Sarah organized a simple reception that would take place state-side the following January. Mark attended the reception but he wasn't in good form. He was so high on something he couldn't stand straight let alone see clearly. He stumbled through the Father-Daughter dance while saying disrespectful things to Sarah. He was also seen heavily petting his date in a booth next to his own Mother (Sarah's Grandmother). Mark isn't an evil person, he simply has a difficult time dealing with not being in control. His reaction over Sarah's wedding was a perfect example of Mark's contempt for independence. To date he believes he has nothing to apologize for. Some might disagree.
Venice
Our first destination after leaving Venice was Florence...or Firenze. We visited Duomo, Uffizi and all the churches in between. By this time historic churches were beautiful and inspiring. By the time we reached the end of our trip both C and I didn't care if we ever walked into a church again. However, if there's one thing I love about the Renaissance its how the walls of not only churches, but palaces, government building, and dance halls became canvases for the poor yet creative. Hell, in Italy the amount of graffiti everywhere, especially on trains, makes it look like graffiti is not only legal, but encouraged. Sometimes I wonder if that modern artistic expression is nothing more than the evolution of independent Renaissance art.
Florence
C's and my second destination was Sienna where we walked the streets enjoying local eateries and pubs. If I were to ever go back to Italy I would spend more time in Sienna, and I would do it while the vineyards were in bloom. The place is quaint and quiet, but maybe that was because in Sienna C and I had a room that wasn't next to an elevator. One sure thing about hotels in Italy is that they have thin walls and very small, yet loud, elevators.
While we were walking the less confusing streets of Sienna C and I stumbled into a small hole-in-the-wall bar called Bella Vista Social Pub. They liked that we were Americans who knew a thing or two about football and paid for all our drinks. After our night-on-the-town C and I stumbled through the quiet thin streets to our hotel and considered the evening a Go USA success.
Sienna
Our third stop was in Roma where C and I spent Christmas. In Rome we visited the Vatican where I attempted to put Pedro on a statue for a picture. I was promptly yelled at for touching. Roman solders seemed to be everywhere. Consequently, I consider Rome a very safe place. There were cameras at intersections, on buildings facing the sidewalks, and in alleyways. There were even officers in what looked like large phone booths on random streets. Its kind of reassuring and creepy at the same time.
On Christmas Eve we bought a bottle of Absinthe. Neither one of us had ever tried the stuff so we were excited about spending Christmas with it.
On Christmas day we toasted to the Holidays and went out into the confusing streets of Rome to celebrate. We walked around like we didn't care where we were going. Which was a good thing considering we had no sense of directions at this point anyway. About 8pm we walked into a gay bar and sat down at a table with a couple of locals and had a few beers. I vaguely remember the bar except that the people were very talkative and liked that we were surfers. By this time the Absinthe was in full effect and I was feeling pretty good. I'm sure C and I talked shit like pros with the rest of the patrons, and maybe even a wardrobe malfunction happened, but I can't remember.
After we finished our 6 or more beers, C and I went out into the streets again to find our way back to the Hotel Nardizzi to pass out. When we woke up the next morning we checked out the pictures we took Christmas night while drunk. Apparently on the walk to the hotel we gave our camera to random strangers because there were a bunch of photos taken of us. Neither one of us remembers any of it. It's a good time to point out that the Absinthe in Italy is much better than the stuff one gets in the states. In fact, there is no comparison. My abs may of hurt from all the laughing we did while enjoying the evenings festivities, however neither C nor I woke up with rip-roaring hangovers. That says a lot!
Christmas in Rome
(We don't remember having this picture taken at the Fontana di Trevi)
Our final destination was Naples where they were having a trash strike. The most confusing place of all Italy to walk was covered with a stench that gave the place a real grossness. As I mentioned before, one thing I noticed about Italy was all the graffiti. Its everywhere! Its more so in Naples. Add two weeks of trash and, well, you get the picture. If I were to make one recommendation concerning Italy I would say, "avoid Naples." Its not as beautiful as the rest of the Italian boot.
Napels
By now C and I had visited all the churches, museums and art galleries our eyes could hold so all we did in Naples was walk around and get lost. At one point we passed the Castello Dell'ovo and stopped for a look inside. It has an interesting history and beautiful views of Naples, the Tyrrhenian and Mediterranean Seas, and Capri (on a clear day). In fact, it was from its tower that we decided to go to Capri for a day.
Castel dell'Ovo (in Italian, Egg Castle) is a castle located on the former island of Megaride, now a peninsula, on the gulf of Naples (Southern Italy). The castle's name comes from a medieval legend which tells that the Roman poet Virgil, who developed a medieval reputation as a great sorcerer as well, put a magical egg in the foundations to support them. (P.S. We didn't find any egg shells.)
Capri is a very pretty island, but also very high dollar and touristy. While there C and I rented scooters and cruised around. We rode up to the Seggiovia di Monte Solaro and took the chairlift to the top of Monte Solaro. It was a spectacular three hundred and sixty degree view. On the scooter ride back to the rental place C and I got competitive (shocker) and raced through the narrow streets of Via Provincilale di Anacapri. The race ended when we got to the crowded mid section of Capri and had to break for pedestrians every ten feet. We both declared ourselves winners.
Capri
On the boat ride back to Naples we were two content people. That night we went to a local pub and had a few to commemorate our last night in Italy. Unfortunately we both got drunk and walked around the trash filled streets for two hours looking for the Hotel Eropeo where we were staying. Then, because the walls were so thin, we were up at dawn listening to guests chatting and dragging their luggage across the floors and into the teeny-tiny elevator. At this point C and I were ready to leave Italy and head on home for a good nights sleep.
C
On the return to the states C and I had a 14 hour, over night layover in London. To pass the time we went to dinner and then visited some of the places I had heard about on the news like Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abby, and Big Ben. As we walked around I found it funny that the Londoners felt the need to paint Look Right on the streets. I figure its British humor directed at us Americans tourists. Or did the English think it was necessary? Either way, Look Right is painted all over the roads in London just in case one forgets when they cross to the other side.
After taking in the night lights of London we went back to the Sofitel London Gatwick Hotel and crashed for night. We had an early flight to catch.
London
C and I returned to the states tired, yet full of incredible memories. And when we went through our pictures we were grateful for Sarah and Ben's idea of a DW. Over the years I have traveled the world and visited some of the most beautiful places and beaches God artistically created, but when it comes to a non-surfing trip, Italy will always be one of my favorite places to go...all except for Naples. The truth is, one day I'd like to return to the beautiful boot of the Mediterranean and witness once again the miles of Sunflowers, vineyards, and beaches (even though there are no waves). But for now, I thank Sarah for prompting me to go in the first place...twice!
Thanks Sarah and Ben for making it happen...
...and Congratulations!
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Marcus Aurelius
