So, did you hear that Lala’s band The Whoreshoes got a European gig? They’re touring Benelux (see site for full details) for about ten days at the end of September. If you’re there, you should go.
We’ve known about this trip for a while. We’ve been broke for a while, too, so there were no plans made for me to go along, although my first thought on hearing about the tour was VENICE! I could take Lala to Venice! That was my first thought, even though my first thought really should have been something along the lines of "Oh, how wonderful that my wife’s band is so good and popular." No, I thought of how close Venice is to Brussels via Ryan Air.
Then we looked at finances, and I had given up the dream. Sigh. Someday.
Then we rented the condo, and I signed up for on-calls and overtime, and the dream is BACK on, baby.
I have to admit, that however glamorous it sounds, I don’t have much interest in touring with the band. That sounds like a lot of work and not enough time sitting in cafes. So instead, Lala and I are going to fly into Brussels about four days before the tour starts, and immediately hop a flight to Venice, where I will show her the city of my heart. (For more, if you have to have more, there are links to some of my Venice ramblings on the left.)
We’ll stay three days only, a long weekend for me, and then we’ll fly back to Brussels where I’ll dump her at her gig, maybe watch the first show, and head home.
I am beside myself. Look. Here’s me, and then over here, here’s me, sitting next to me. Be. Side. My. Self.
To catch you up if you’re behind, I love Venice, Italy. I do not like the city. I do not feel fondly toward it. I love it. I love everything about it. I’ve been six times, I think, and nothing dampens the passion. I got an amazing email from someone today, a gal who had stumbled on some of my Venice writing and wrote to say that she feels the same In Love way with the city. She, however, is living the life — writing for nine months in America, and living for three in Venice. I am jealous in that happy oh-someone’s-really-doing-it way.
The passion for the city feels physical, it feels like when you’re in love with a person. The smell of salt mixed with diesel, the sound of birds’ wings flapping and the myriad bells chiming, none at the same time, none together, the taste of spritz and prosecco and coffee and sepia.
Look! That just happens when I think about Venice. I wax poetic. How annoying for you.
I worry a little about freaking Lala out. She won’t love it as much as I do, and that’s okay. Few people do. She’ll think it’s a nice, pretty, tourist town, as most do, and that will be good. She might like it a LOT. She’ll be amused by her enthusiastic Boxy Ferrari (a Venetian working on a church’s scaffolding once gave me that description), and hopefully that will keep her from wanting to scream if the Ferrari says, "Oh, over here, sugar, over here!" one more time.
Also, even though god knows I love Italy, Italy does not, so much, as a whole, love the gay. They’re pretty closed to the gay. So it’ll be interesting to be there, out as a couple. I could have a very different experience this time. But I don’t think so. While the people are wonderful, and I love the interactions I have there, my relationship is with La Serenissima herself. I’ve called the city "it" through this blog entry, and every time I typed the word, I felt like I was calling a woman "it." I knew, however that saying I can’t wait to get back to her would be too precious, and I’d want to slap myself. You’d come through the computer to slap me, and I wouldn’t blame you. But Venezia just isn’t an It.
Ack! Stop me!
I’m excited.
How exciting!
Ya know, even if Lala doesn’t fall in love with the city the same way you do, she’ll get to be with *you* while you’re in such bliss in your beloved city. And for someone who loves you, getting to see you all glowy and beside yourself with your love for Venice will probably be as much a treat as actually being in love with the city herself.
You are so lucky, you get to enjoy your two loves at the same time. Have a wonderful time!
Ooh, what Rebekkah said was cool, and right on, way better than what I came in to say: woo-hoo!
That sounds heavenly. I have loved showing my husband the places I adore, and when we go to Boston? His unabashed glee at His City is infectious.
In other words, even is Lala is not quite so enamoured as you, she will benefit from the contact high.
You are the COOLEST!!!
Oy, I am so jealous! I was in Venice in May for three days and I didn’t get enough of La Serenissima. Where are you staying? If you don’t have a hotel booked yet, I stayed at Hotel Abbazia by Santa Lucia. It was the best hotel of our trip.
mmmm sounds like so much fun. I love Venice – not like you (just the lowercase L!) but I Love New Orleans and I understand how it is to be sharing a city you Love with someone who means so much to you! Enjoy!
i’m so very excited for you. you and lala will have so much fun.
I was so sad at the beginning of the post, thinking you weren’t going to go (and wondering if I should start a web donation page to get you there), and then Wheee! You’re going!!! Yay!!!!!!
am thrilled for you. I love Venice (though not as much as you) but I LOVE Italy and am glad you two will get to go there 🙂
Have a wonderful time. I’ll have to read some of what you’ve written about Venice so I’ll know what I’ve missed. Rome is it for me, though. I *love* that city. And they don’t bat an eye at two women asking for a double bed in Rome–I would imagine that Venice is just as cosmopolitan. In Amalfi, however, we could not convince a hotel clerk that we really reserved a double on purpose, and we were put in a room with two twins, as a favor.
I read 2 books recently – botyh based in Venice: “In The Company of the Courtesan” by Sara Dunant, and “A Soldier of the Great War” by Mark Helprin, who is obviously in love with Venice, too. I read the Dunant book first, and was pleased to get another reference to Venice so soon after, especially since the 2 views are 500 years apart. I hope you can go!
Damn. I am visiting Belgium around that time, but am leaving on the evening of the 20th and will miss them. C’est lavatorie 😉 I will have to try and catch the band in their native environs the next time I am in your neck of the woods.
I’m so happy for you both! Have a wonderful time showing Lala your city.
I lover her, too…except for the diesel fumes. I speak Italian (Spanish, Portuguese and French), so I, blue-eyed sprite that I am, have LOTS of colorful things to say to constructions dudes with their kissy-kissy “Ooo, baby baby, take a look at this!” comments.
Whee! I feel the same way about Paris. Before I went, I scoffed at the cliche about “falling in love with Paris”, and actually hadn’t planned on staying there beyond my plane landing there. But then something happened. Don’t want to analyze it, I just want to marvel in it. It’s been a year since that trip, and do you know I’ve thought about Paris every single day since. *sigh* Have fun and take lots of pics!
I forgot to say, also, that my parents toured the Benelux area last year on vacation, and had a BLAST. They really liked Belgium, and said the people there are very nice and hella polite. My dad spends a good chunk of the year in France and various other parts of Europe for work, and Ma often tags along–they have been EVERYWHERE at this point. In fact, Mom told me the other night that they are going to Venice soon!
Do not worry. I took Mr. Celia to Roma, the city of my mad passionate love. I worried in advance, since I had been telling him how wonderful it was for thirty years. It was still very wonderful and he LOVED it like me.
Oh, that’s wonderful that you get to go back. Venice is something of a fairy-tale city for me, a place that I’ve always wanted to visit and probably have romanticised too much. There’s nothing better than sharing that with someone you love. Hooray!
That’s funny. I live in Germany and it feels as if Venice is farfar away. You certainly have another relationship to distances. 🙂
umm- you have read “the Passion” by Jeanette Winterson, right?? it has Venice AND Gay!!!! you may have already read it – but i have only been lurking here for a little while so I wasn’t sure
If you haven’t – you SHOULD!! she’s an amazing writer (and a lesbian,btw) and I love all of her books.
I have never been to Venice but it is next on the list – it seems like an AMAZING city.
OHMIGOSH I am so excited for you two! Have such a great time and congrats to Lala on all the success of the band!
Fabulous! I’m so excited for you! I feel that way about Rome and I was there 30 freaking years ago!
Oh I am so happy for you and Lala. Absolutely makes the heart step up a beat thining of you showing her around!!
Hoping you both have a blast! So happy you get to go to your beloved city with Lala. Completely awesome 🙂
YAYAYAYAY! You are going to have a wonderful time, and how awesome that you guys can visit The City together. YAYAYAY.
Oh you and Lala are sooooo lucky!! I’ve always wanted to go to Venice. I love Brussels but my favorite in Belgium is Brugge. Ever been there? Take one of their canal tours. Yummy. And speaking of yummy please have a plate of Moules et Frites and report back. OMG they are good.
OOOh I love Italy! Eat some gelato for me!
WOW. You are married to an international rock star. That is pretty cool. Just feel sorry for those repressed Catholic Italians if they give you any sh*t.
Wooo! Fabulous news! Hope that you have a great time, both of you!