Sunday, April 16, 2006

Planning

Two weeks from now, barring any problems, we'll be in Milan. This isn't just any trip. The purpose of this trip is to bring Marc's mom on her first trip outside the United States. She turned 80 this year (Marc is the baby of the family), and she's never set foot on foreign soil.

Well, that's about to change. By four weeks from now, she will have been to Italy, Switzerland, France and England. I'm sure she'll be overwhelmed (but in a good way).

The problem right now is that I'm the one who is overwhelmed--although Marc is helping with that. Months ago, I bought books on each place, to help with the planning. Also, we've been to London and Paris before (two of the key stops), so that's easier to plan. Milan and the lakes of northern Italy, on the other hand, have been more of a challenge. For the entire trip, there are so many possibilities that it's hard to choose what to do.

Fortunately, Marc, who is a great organizer, is now in full planning mode. He grabbed a couple of the books last night and started discussing options with me.

I'm sure all of this will come together. These things always do, but I've been a bit worried lately, since this is a rather large (and expensive!) trip that I want to make as special as I can. After all, this literally is going to be a loved one's "trip of a lifetime." So that's a bit of a burden. On the other hand, if it goes more-or-less as planned, we'll really give her a time to remember!

Wish us luck! :)

6 comments:

CoffeeDog said...

I'm sure she'll have a good time just being with you guys, no matter what you do.

As for planning, I felt the planning crunch as our Hawaii trip came upon us. At a certain point I decided that we'd decide what we'd do once we got there and just go with the flow. Of course that's easier to do on an island the size of Conn. I'm sure it'll all come together! Good luck and send me us a post card.

Unknown said...

Sounds grand! A few years ago I spent a couple of day-long stopovers in Milan (on the way to and from Berlin). I didn't get to see a whole lot, but I did go to a concert at La Scala (on Valentine's Day, no less), which was a total highlight for me.

Greg said...

How wonderful that you're both taking her to Europe! She's gonna love it!!

epicurist said...

You know, I have a really good feeling that she already appreciates it and that she will have a priceless memory no matter what you do. It just proves what I already suspected of both you and Marc. You guys really are too sweet.

Jess said...

CD: Yeah, I guess it will be fine. I just feel lots of pressure for it to be great.

Jeff: La Scala is on the list. Actually, Marc talked to Arthur Frommer yesterday (yes, that Arthur Frommer) who said that had to be on the "must see" list if we're going to Milan. He highly recommended a tour of the place.

Greg: I sure hope so! I hope she's not overwhelmed!

Epi: That's perceptive of you. Yes, she's already enjoying it. Just that she had to get a passport was exciting for her. As for whether we're sweet--well, you should talk. You're pretty sweet yourself!

Sangroncito: It will be nice to do this for her. I'm sure we'll enjoy it, too, but it's important to us to let her have these experiences.

W said...

wow. do you need a personal assistant to come help you along on the trip?