Well, most of you are married so you have lust all of the time, it is for me now only when I am there.

ohblondie, while spending your life with someone you love is truly one of life's greatest joys, the passion of a new romance is a unique thrill. Won't you help some of us old married ladies live vicariously?

Ohblondie, you got us hooked this summer and surely you won't leave us hanging again! Anyway, if I can talk about penises in Pompei you can tell us about romance in Naples. Now that's a much more interesting subject to all of us married ladies!

Ohblondie: Please share the name of the Lancome concoction that unpuffs your eyes? I suffer from that malady at 37,000 feet.

To Lisasal: I bought a European hair dryer in Italy, in a little shop in Montalcino. My hair dryer was not doing too good, and I was afraid it was going to play out on me. I had tried to buy one on the internet before we left, but no luck. We were just walking down the street in Montalcino, looked into a shop window and saw some electrical items, went in and bought a hair dryer. Cost was about 20 E. So I'll have it for future trips - was glad to find one so easily.

An extra toothbrush is the one thing I DO pack an extra of. I bring the folding travel ones from Target. Put one in my purse, and leave the other at my hotel/apartment, etc.

I have seriously cut back on bringing other toiletries, and have learned to use hotel shampoo as shower gel, shower gel as shampoo, etc... I DO bring hair styling gel, as my hair gets FRIZZY, and I need a certain hair serum. Other than that, I am low maintenance, and purchase everything else when I get to my main destination.

Treesa, the name of the product is Progres by Lancome, if I don't use it my eyes puff up.

I will write my report now but I will surely get flamed by non-romantics, I
will have to accept it in a noble manner, for romance must be reported, right, ladies?

Never fear, we will defend you against all flamers.

cigalechanta.

>>hair dries so fast in France and Italy why bring a drier?<<

Darn, why didn't my hair know that when I was in Italy...it took the same time as at home, actually it took longer, because my converter fell on the floor the first night and busted, so I had to use the hotel hair dryers, which weren't much better than the dryers in bathrooms for your hands. I have thick hair and sometimes my hair was still damp in the morning (I had to start washing it at night in order to get out of the room before noon...if only my hair had known that it dried quicker in Italy).

Anyway, I was wondering, does hair also dry faster in London? I'm going there in 2004 and I was thinking of bringing an extra converter just in case or buying a hair dryer in London...but if my hair will dry faster in London...well...

Thank you, Ohblondie... I'm off to purchase the magic eye potion. And I agree with you, I would not have picked up that toothbrush from the bathroom floor except to throw it in the trash.

Question for Cigale: I'm curious... What's the scientific explanation for hair drying faster in Paris?

Ladies - if you find yourself in a desperate stae without Lancome eye cream, try just a dab of hemmoroid cream to tighten things up....it works....but take care requesting the cream from the chemist....lord knows what you may get!!!!

Treesa, I have been using it daily for many many years so I may just be maintaining, ask the salesgirl if it will work if you are just starting with it, but I think it is such a good product it will help anyway.

Marilyn, I posted Part I last night, I just wrote it off the top of my head, see if you like it.

I am coming across as only being interested in eye cream, toothbrushes and romance, lol.

And what's wrong with that? You sound like a well-rounded young lady to me -- beauty, hygiene, and social skills.

ohblondie,

>> am coming across as only being interested in eye cream, toothbrushes and romance<<

Sounds perfectly normal to me, and as far as the romance part...the toothbrush obsession can only help with the romance.

You are both too funny, thanks. I was intending to write the second part tonight but I am wiped out, I keep dozing at the computer. I came online to check emails, so I will write when I am livelier tomorrow. Must go brush my teeth now and put on my eyecream, notice which part is left out....

FYI, I just saw a commerical on TV about a tablet that cleans toothbrushes. It caught my eye because it shows a little kid dropping his toothbrush on the bathroom floor. You drop the tablet in a cup with water and the toothbrush, and it becomes germ free. I believe the maker is Aqua Fresh. Maybe instead of bringing lots of toothbrushes a couple of these tablets would do the trick.

OK, tooth brushes are not that big a deal(take up very little space)....the real question....can you guys spend a week with a roll-on carryon piece of luggage and no checked luggage??? (In November when it is cold in Italy)
Laura

LauraD,

>>the real question....can you guys spend a week with a roll-on carryon piece of luggage and no checked luggage??? <<

Absolutely NOT!! But since I carry my own luggage, I expect everyone around me to be quiet about the size of my luggage.

Whatever happened to blondie with no toothbrush and the man?

It was just getting interesting, darn.

I learned the hard way to always just buy a hair dryer or curling iron in whatever country you are visiting.

I almost burnt down my friends house in Maidavale (Little Venice area of London). Her family owned an old historic home called "The Brownings" of Warrick Ave. I set my American curling iron on the window ledge. It fell off of the stand and heated up so quickly that it burnt the window frame before we noticed what was happening.