People liked my creative streak in this travel-at-home series, so you'll be getting more. I'd love some suggestions on where you think we should "go", what we should do or menu items. This time we traveled to Venice, and I was not disappointed.
I, originally, planned to eat on the lawn, but this weekend was also chilly and windy, and we didn't eat until late, so it was also getting dark. I turned my backdrop around on our porch and made a cozy "indoor" space that sheltered us from the wind. The polyester backdrops that are all one piece are easier to deal with and also prettier to look at, so we might hit up Greece again in the future, but in a different city.
We had this lovely waterfront view on the canals and also a multi-course dinner. This week I ordered from Pastini (you probably have one, as they are a chain) through Uber Eats (get 25% off your first 2 orders at checkout when you use my code: eats-shereenr208ue). I ordered the Field Greens Salad (the tomato dressing is AWESOME - and this is a small), Cavatappi Primavera, Ziti Con Broccolini, and tiramisu. I wanted naked, fresh pastas that aren't heavy like spaghetti or lasagna, that are more Italian, and less an Americanized version of Italian.
I dished out food, had an adult beverage I fixed myself - Bulleit Rye, Diet Pepsi, orange bitters, frozen berries and rosemary. I hadn't planned out drinks beforehand, though Eric had what basically amounted to an Italian soda - and then we sat down to eat and enjoy the view. I also found some Venice gondolier videos beforehand and created a playlist on YouTube, so we could listen to some music and also do some sightseeing while we were eating.
After I played busboy and cleared our dishes, Eric made coffee and I brought out the tiramisu. We then watched the rest of our videos and commented on buildings and wondered why people still had doors that lead right out to the canals. They don't appear to have any boat ties, though they do have steps. It was too late to also take our "walking tour", but we will leave that for another time.
We're loving this new twist on travel and date night. It gives us a chance to sit down and connect. It also allows us to talk about things we haven't gotten to during the week, safely pretend we aren't in a pandemic, and discuss future travel plans. We even used these leftover passport sticker books I purchased for Eric's birthday that we are "stamping" with each trip we take. I've also been dating them for later.
This whole evening cost us around $65, which includes a tip for my Uber driver, and these dishes I picked up at Target. I already had the tablecloth and other items. Here are some things you can use to recreate a fun date night in Venice:
- A backdrop of the canals
- Gondolier YouTube videos. Here's my playlist
- Italian opera music
- Italian soda or syrups that can be added to sparkling water
- Olive branches for a vase
- A very good olive oil or balsamic for food you make at home. Treat yo self!
- A white tablecloth (or any color you like) for your fancy dining experience
- A good chianti
- Espresso cups for coffee with your dessert
- Some new salad servers or new serving pieces. I picked up this divided dish from Target.com.
- A cookbook on simple Italian recipes if you want to also cook together
If you're doing this as a family, get everyone involved. Do make-your-own-pizza night with fresh ingredients, or a DIY pasta where you cook the pasta and then have a selection of toppings and sauces. Create destination trivia. Take pictures. Get a map and choose all the spots you would go on a real trip. You can make your nights all different, or have a different person plan each "trip".
There are only two of us, so we tend to "travel" how we always do: I plan and pack (in this case, set up) and my hubs goes along with it and thanks me for my hard work. It really scratches my travel planning itch, and gives us something fun to look forward to.
How are you making quarantine more fun?
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