Venice and Paris

[docetae]

Day 1: Flight is delayed in Montreal. I start to worry and send sms to Anna, not sure that I will be able to catch my flight in Amsterdam in time to meet her in Paris. Plans for these days together are the following: we will meet in Paris, have our week end in Venice and fly back in France to meet my mother. After this, we will spend 2 days in Paris, before leaving...

Time is running and my plane is not taking off. Finally with 2h30 of delay the DC10 from KLM is heading to Amsterdam. I will not be able to catch my flight, I am more than worried for Anna who will arrive alone in Paris.

But Eole is with us. A jet stream is helping us and ground speed displayed at one time is more than 1100 km/h... and I land in Amsterdam just 35 min late with the original time. I can have my transfer flight and land in Paris on time.

I start to wait for Anna... just 15 minutes before her plane from Kiev is landing, her flight is sent to another terminal, I am rushing with my luggages, and I arrive just in time, 15 minutes before doors are opening. She is here. smiling, our eyes can not stop to look at each other. we stop every 30s to kiss and headed to the terminal for our flight to Venice.

In the terminal, it seems that all people taking flight to Venice a Friday evening are couple in love..

After a flight without trouble, we land at Marco Polo airport. It's 22h45, a light rain is falling.

 Taxi is a boat and road to Venice is made of wood pylons in the laguna. We have chosen for a private taxi. Driver told us that water level is too high now in Venice and we will have to walk a little to go to our hotel, it is impossible to go under one bridge.

Venice by night is a mystery. the city is discovering itself trough the rain and the boat is slowing down. We go trough desert channels, with centuries olds building surrounding us with their majesty.

It's near midnight, I am with Anna, we are in Venice, now walking on an almost desert St Marco Place. Our hotel is very close, our room is at the last floor, under the roof and with a private terrace. It seems we have found where is heaven tonight.

[docetae]

Day2,part 1: we wake up late, and it was not a dream. We are here together in Venice. After a breakfast, we went out to start to discover Venice. Me and Anna love to walk a lot and decided that the best way to discover Venice was to get lost and do our own way trough the city.

Tourists are starting to invade San Marco Place. It is still raining but a little blue sky start to appear. We leave these crowded places for deserts little street and finally we are walking near Laguna. Sun is here now, a few people are walking near us and I asked Anna if she wanted to start to talk about our future projects. During the last weeks, we talk a lot about what we want to do to together, the wish for us to live together. But nothing was defined. I ask her "Do you want to live with me in Canada ?". She answers: "yes but how it is possible for me ?". I kiss her and hold her closely to me. "Do you want to marry me ?", showing her at the same time the ring...

I have never felt in my life so much shared happiness. "Yes ! Thousand times yes !". Her answer was making all my fears vanish, and I put the ring on her finger.

We continue our walk together, feeling a closeness unique in our life.

[AnastassiaAsh]

Docetae, wait, let me catch my breath......Wow! Keep it coming. 

[catzenmouse]

Fabulous News Doc! Congratulations to you both!!!

 

[docetae]

We stopped our way visiting a church exposing old musical instrument, taking opportunity to take tickets for a concert in the evening.
We start to discuss what we wants for wedding. It will be simple celebration with close friend only and family. It will happen in Kiev, the day of Anna's birthday, end of September.

We stop to buy some gifts for friends and family and we head back near our hotel to find a restaurant.

It is about 6 months now that I know Anna. 6 Months of daily correspondence and contact, 3 travels and always the same feelings, growing strongers. We are joking about the fact we are twins, we have the same tastes, we organize and view our life the same way. She is the person the more close I know. Together we feel as one. Both of us like to organize our life and plan it in details, we are both goal oriented and sharing same goals: Family must be at center of our life, we want a lot of closeness and coziness. Anna has a son, who is 11, I have 3 children, a daughter, 7, and twins, 4. Our past life went trough same bad experience and  we have showed both same will in our professional career.

The supper was good but jetlag started to make me remember that I live in canada now during the concert...I was feeling bad, my eyes were closing themselves despite my fight and Italian Coffee...Anna was looking at me and smiling. After 45min , it seems the problem is past and I am able to enjoy the music... we headed back to hotel for rest and shared tenderness..

[BillyB]

Conrats docetae,
  You and Anna look like a great couple!

[myrddin]

Congratulations docetae!!

   May you both know ever increasing happiness   

[Gator]

Docetae,

Congratulations!  You two do seem so similar.  I like the red hair and red scarf!

Venice, near St. Marco Plaza, private balcony!!! I am jealous because Italy is my favorite country to visit in Europe.  It sounds af if you did this trip in the Grand Style.  Many, many  years ago there was a book for students called, "How to See Italy for Only $10 per Day."  I am thinking of writing an update, "How to See Italy for Only $1,000 per Day."   

Although expensive, Italy is still worth it.  Especially as a setting to ask a beutiful woman to marry you.

[Blues Fairy]

Wow, what a story.  
I'm reminded of my own first glimpse of Venice at night in January 2005.  The town was covered with a thick sub-zero fog that froze you to the bone.  You could see no folks taking gondolas, except a few teeth-chattering but resolute Russo Touristo who had apparently expected to find tropical temperatures in the Adriatic in any season and were loath to part with their illusions.  In fact, you could see almost nothing in the dense mist.  I made my way on foot and was quickly lost in the labyrinth-like, scarcely illuminated streets.  A remarkably authentic and lovely town, though utterly unsuitable for living (yet those nutty Venetians still live there!) I caught a funny scene on Piazza San-Marco: an Indian fellow made the typical Venetian tourist blunder of standing in the center of the square holding out food for pigeons in both hands.  I cannot describe what those pigeons did to him! 

Docetae, congratulations and smooth sailing!

[Jet]

Docetae,

Thanks for sharing your incredibly romantic story with everyone 
Looking forward to reading more!

PS You two look great together 

[docetae]

Docetae,

Congratulations!  You two do seem so similar.  I like the red hair and red scarf!

Venice, near St. Marco Plaza, private balcony!!! I am jealous because Italy is my favorite country to visit in Europe.  It sounds af if you did this trip in the Grand Style.  Many, many  years ago there was a book for students called, "How to See Italy for Only $10 per Day."  I am thinking of writing an update, "How to See Italy for Only $1,000 per Day."   

Although expensive, Italy is still worth it.  Especially as a setting to ask a beutiful woman to marry you.

My first option was to book a table at the Jules Vernes, the restaurant located at the second floor of the Eiffel Tower but budget was almost the same than week end in Venice... so decision was easy
Hotel was the Colombina, 4 stars , the private terrace was a good surprise. My main goal with this trip was to build memories for us... We know that Venice will be on our list of travel, we will come back to celebrate this 8th of march which was a little different this year...

About the red scarf.... This is a gift from Anna..She spent two months to did it ! (she is working as director of logistic for a large company in Ukraine, not the kind of woman you can imagine doing such presents...).

[docetae]

day 3: We must be at airport for 1pm, so we take our last day on a very lazy beat... Next step will be around 50km in the west of Paris, in my mother house. Both will meet for the first time. The good thing is that I will meet for the first time the new boyfriend of my mother...No, it will not be a remake of Mr Woodcock... In fact I am responsible a little of this as I subcribed my mother to a online dating site where she met the first true love of her life as she told me.

Weather is really bad in Paris with a lot of wind and rain, we took a taxi for a long ride and finally arrive at my mother house.

First contact with Anna is good. I discover again with pleasure some tastes of wine and food, it was 5 years for me without coming to France... Anna enjoy a lot like me gastronomical food...

In the evening I showed to Anna photos of my family, of my childhood.

The day after, we decide to do a tour of places where I was during my early years, my school, airport where I have learned to fly, etc.

Each day spent together is making us closer. We finished the day by shopping, Anna wants to cook Borsh for us tomorrow before leaving...

We find everything and my mother, her boyfriend enjoys Ukrainian cuisine for the first time. My mother asked two times for it, so I think it was appreciated.

We leave now for Paris. I have booked a room in a hotel very well located and very cozy that I will recommend, Hotel Park Luxembourg. It's a 4 stars hotel with very classic style. Our bedroom was inpirated by XVII century.

In the evening, I met a friend I have not seen since 5 years, we get together with Anna a lot of laughs, life is wonderful.

[SANDRO43]

Many, many  years ago there was a book for students called, "How to See Italy for Only $10 per Day."

Wasn'it Europe on $10 a Day (1975) by Arthur Frommer ?

Very good choice, Docetae, smack on Rio San Zulian: were you able to see the 'Ponte dei Sospiri' from your balcony, the covered passage leading from the Doge's palace to the 'Piombi' ('Leads', fom its roof coverage), the upstairs accomodation of Venice's jail, whence Giacomo Casanova was the only prisoner on record to evade in 1756, after serving only 15 months of his 5-year sentence by the local Inquisition for freemasonry, anti-religious propaganda and magic (though having cuckolded some powerful Venetian patrician also played a part in his downfall ).

Colombina is a famous serving-maid character of Commedia dell'Arte (http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/colombina.html), later to become, with her lover Arlecchino (Harlequin), the couple presiding over the Venetian Carnival.  

[Muj]

Congrats Docetae!

[Serebro]

Venice, near St. Marco Plaza, private balcony!!! I am jealous because Italy is my favorite country to visit in Europe. 

It's also my favourite country and as for Paris I don't have any special feelings towards it:)

the story is great and romantic