Italy 1996

It's just over 48 hours until we depart Portland, Maine for Positano, Italy. This trip is more than just a visit to a beautiful place. It is the culmination of an amazing four years with the woman I love: it is my honeymoon.

Enjoying my brother's toast/stand up comedy routine.

Jenna and I were married on August 2nd in Portland, Maine surrounded by friends and family. I must admit I was a bit nervous leading up to the event but it was amazing. Highlights included a great band, hilarious toast by my brother, my extremely questionable dance moves and my beautiful bride.

In anticipating our Italian Adventure I can't help but think back to the first time I visited the country. I was in eighth grade and I traveled to Florence and Venice with my Mom. She had spent lots of time traveling in Europe and wanted to share her interest in art and culture with her son. Looking back I was probably a bit too young to really appreciate all the sights and sounds. Here are some of my distant memories from the trip:

• Ordering Italian hot chocolate and peaches each morning for breakfast at our hotel.

• The hustle and bustle of Florence square and replica statues of famous art pieces like Michelangelo's David.

• Visiting the horse racing track in the center of Siena, Italy and learning that if the horse poops during the ceremony before the race it is considered good luck.

• Visiting endless squares, indoor and outdoor markets, and churches.

• Feeding flocks of hungry, aggressive pigeons in Piazza San Marco in Venice.

• Tolerating cold, stuffy European hotel rooms with no American television channels.

• Getting off a train in Genoa and not being able to get lunch because everything closes down for the afternoon siesta.

• Falling asleep to my mom reading stories chronicling James Herriot a famous veterinary surgeon.

• The greens and browns of the rolling hills of the Italian countryside as we shuttled to our sight seeing destinations on tour buses.

Overall I look back on the trip very fondly. I'm curious what Italy will bring now that I am older and have a better idea of what I want to do and see. Some of my anticipated adventures include hiking the Path of the Gods, snorkeling in Capri, and visiting the Sirens of Homer's Odyssey. The next few days will be packing, planning, and saying good bye to our three dogs. Then it's off on our Italian Adventure.