Well, my husband often says to me "Toni, you never remember there's going to be a tomorrow! He's so right. Place - Santorini, Restaurant Santorini Mou, Cirmustances - After ordering my meal very friendly water comes back and informs me that they do not have any left of what we ordered, have an ouzo for your trouble. Ahh, my husband doesn't drink ouzo so more for me, OOPAH! We order wine and are in fine mood. I say to waiter does any one here do Greek dancing, he says yes most of the waiters but not many diners. I say I'm up for it! After explaining that I'd learnt for four years at home(in Australia and me not being Greek) they were very impressed. So up we got and danced in between tables out through the kitchen into the carpark and back again. Great fun! Other diners so entertained that two more bottles of wine were sent to our table. Afterwards we sat with the owner, chef and dancing waiters and drank more ouzos till the early hours. On the walk home, so I'm told, the stars were so close that I could move them around with my fingers. MMMM. The next day was not so good.

I always wondered when someone would mix up the screen names :)

Thank your for the kind words about my postings.

It should be interesting to see what happens when my mother and I get together on our trip. Neither of us are big drinkers, very light weight actually. I do enjoy seeing my mother loosen up with a sip of wine.

toni... OOOPAH !
LOL that is really funny and I do sympathize with that next mornings feelings :&

I have had red wine every day since I arrived in Italy. One of my doctors said it's good for the blood; I'm not sure if that's true, or if he has $$$ invested in a winery somewhere.

I usually do not have to worry about getting drunk, as I'll order a "quartino" or "mezzo" which is only a small bottle, a fraction of a "regular-sized" bottle of wine. The other day at lunch, I was with a pal and we had wine and finished the meal off with limoncello, and when I stood up to go to the ladies' room, I almost fell flat on my face!

But I think it is good to relax, after all, it is supposed to be a vacation, an escape, and as long as one does not overdo, and can afford it, what harm? (And maybe it does some good, the French claim their low incidence of cardiovascular disease is attributable to their consumption of red wine---hard to argue with, but I'm sure it's NOT due to their consumption of triple-creme cheeses or pastries!)

BC

The benefits of red wine are still being debated. When I became diabetic and had a discussion with my doctor, I specifically asked about drinking a glass or so of red wine per day -- especially since I was headed to Italy and France. He asked me what else I drink and I said scotch. He said that one scotch per day was actually better for me (or should I say less bad) than one glass of red wine.
To be safe though, I like to do both! LOL

The sure way to tell you are on vacation is to get very slightly s**tfaced around lunchtime and then to go back to your nice hotel room (instead of your dreary office) for an afternoon nap. I remember on my first trip to Paris, I had indulged in a second glass of excellent Chinon when an American couple struck up a conversation with me. The husband inquired what was the purpose of my trip to Paris, and I exclaimed "why, the pursuit of pleasure, of course!" His wife hustled him off immediately. What a couple of spoilsports.

I have several drinking stories, the best from Russia. Eleven years ago I took a cruise on the Volga river. OUr last full day on the river we were supposed to have a picnic on the banks of the river, however there was an early snow storm so it was cancelled. However, the cold weather did not deter the folk band travelling with us. They set up a makeshift barbeque on shore, roasted some kind of meat (basting with Georgian champagne) and broke out the vodka and cognac. I went ashore with a fellow traveller, and the band invited us to join them. I have before and after photos (in the first I"m wrapped up like a babuska, frowning~in the second, scarf off, gloves gone, tomato in one hand, shot glass in the other, a huge grin on my face). After several hours we reboarded the ship, and had to sit through a dinner neither of us wanted. The rest of our group thought we were nuts, but it was so much fun!

A couple days later I was in Moscow, with an American friend. We went to a flea market with Sergie, the guide from my boat cruise. AT the end of the day he invited us to his parents aparment, and we (five) finished off a big bottle of Absolut, plus another smaller bottle. Of course we had a great time~what I can remember of it! IN the wee hours Sergei accompanied us home, taking pictures of the barricades around the Russian White House. I passed out and woke up at 5.45am~already late for my 7.30am flight home! I made my flight, but will never drink like that the night before flying!

And then there was the night in Doolin where I shared my table with a spelunking group from Belfast~great craic, and plenty of Smithwicks!

dovima, exactly!!!
That is part of my drinking toast....
"pursuit of pleasure and adventure!!"

"in pursuit of pleasure"! Good answer!

The barge trip through Burgundy with 14 wino's, I mean wine lovers from Delaware... yes, we all drank more on vacation. ...oy the bottles on tables when I choose to drink together! Disgusting! (hehehe)

When I went back alone just to Paris, not so much wine out...yes I did drink...but I always stopped somewhere and got a nice bottle for the Room and as I'm just learning, I let the clerks in teh wine shops recommend...

As a college student I visited a friend in Germany who had studied at my university, the University of Georgia. One day we attended a Schuetzefest, which was a big festival involving drinking and shooting guns, NOT in that order. We drank an awful lot of beer. My friend, who was charmed with everything southern, persuaded me to stand on the table with him and sing the UGA fight song and Dixie. I did not have the heart to tell him that I wouldn't dream of singing either of these at home, so I got on the table and began to sing. Much to my surprise, he had already taught these songs to everyone in his tiny town, including the band. The band played right along with us and every drunk German in the tent sang. He had taught them the words wrong, so they all sang "hooray, dixieland" instead of "look away, dixieland." It was touching!

My parents were born in Italy, so I was raised drinking my grandfather's wine. Now I drink Budman's :) Believe me, his rates very high on my list(I had prepared dinner for some friends and covered the labels and ask them which wine was home made-no one guessed his!!!) We drink wine at lunch and dinner, but that is our life style not that anyone should. My husband had never tasted an artichoke or sea urchin or an eel or snail til he dated me. Boy, was he in for big discoveries!

Now interlacing this topic with the "foodies" one... Cigale's statement:
"My husband had never tasted an artichoke or sea urchin or an eel or snail til he dated me. Boy, was he in for big discoveries!" Well that's just it, at least he must have TRIED them before going "yuck"! I hope.
My "X" wouldn't try anything!... hence, he's my "x"

suzieC, I understand! Also having lunch with your women friends who only want to watch their weight and never have a meal that is worth sharing thoughts about as we do plays, film

My rule is eat and drink what you like and when you like on holiday. Cocktails always provide a fun fuzzy night or two depending on the country.

We had so much fun in Florence discovering places. The first night was Bellini's in a hotel bar with a bartender who kept speaking German to us. I thought we were pissed and not hearing him right...we gave in and spoke German as it made it easier and funny for us making up the words we could not remember in German.

Great cocktails on a fisday in Cafe Aromo beside the Duomo and afterwards accidently got caught up in a Margarita happy hour in a Mexican restaurant near the Market. We were trying to hook up some American college students with the guys at the bar who kept sending them drinks. It was great until we realised it was 10pm and I had to drag my drunken other half down the road home because he was too smashed. He never believes I know the way back and refused to budge so I had to pull him with me back to the hotel...no margaritas the next night!

P.S. going home now for a bottle of Vino its 8:30!....Cheers!

Two or three years ago, I went on holiday to Bermuda with my now husband, and his family. My husband has 4 sisters (and two of them had their husbands with them)- and we were all in our twenties. Anyone that has been to Bermuda will have heard of the Swizzle Inn - fantastic atmosphere, lethal cocktails, great music. Even better, it was right next door to our hotel!

We dined at different restaurants every night as a family, but we would all get left off at the Szizzle Inn on the way home. We usually started off with 2 pitchers of rum swizzle, with 8 glasses. Well. One particular night, we were in great form, and went in and ordered 8 pitchers with a straw in each!!!

What a night - the craic was fabulous!! But the next morning wasn't. We had lost wallets, purses, handbags, lipsticks, necklaces, shoes(!!!), all sorts!! Reception phoned us and asked us to come to reception as they had some stuff belonging to us. When we got there they handed us a cardboard box, filled with our belongings! They were laughing, we were too hungover!!

The next night when we got to the Sqizzle Inn, we actually got a standing ovation. Apparantly we had broken the record for the most jugs drank. I dont know if we should be proud of that, or ashamed - but it was a brilliant night, one I shall always remeber with a giggle!

Angela

"shared my table with a spelunking group from Belfast"

Kate, that's awesome! My ex-SIL & her hubby moved to Belfast 2 weeks ago & wrote last week to tell me they'd already joined a caving, hiking, canoeing & some other club. Her husband has his master's degree in environmental engineering and they've been spelunkers for awhile they've been able to spelunk in some really environmentally-sensitive cool caves that are off-limits to most people. I think it's so exciting!

These are such great stories, Thank you for bringing this back up :D

I got a headachy twinge when I read Kates account of getting on a flight early in the morning after a night of drinking :)

Well, last month was my first trip to Europe, and I didn't drink all that much, but I can't really claim that will be a pattern going forward! I like to drink on vacation as I don't generally get the chance to do so at home, but I was slightly afraid of getting lost while smashed in Italy all by myself. :)

That said, I do have a slightly amusing drinking story...

I stopped to have lunch at a cafe/restaurant right on the edge of Piazza Navona. I was enjoying my meal, watching the people go by when the waiter decided to strike up a conversation. I don't speak Italian (although he thought I did for a minute or two, as I order very well!), and he doesn't really speak English. We try conversing in Spanish for a bit, with limited success. Apparenly he ejoyed our conversation more than I knew...as I finished up my meal, he brought out the first of what was to be about 6 limoncellos!

Everytime I finished and tried to pay, he would bring another drink (and once another bottle of water - thinking ahead, I suppose). Of course conversation the progressed to the obligatory offer to 'Show me Rome' which I tried to decline politely - while slightly tipsy. At some point I pay my bill and realize he didn't charge me for ANY drinks. I contemplate leaving a large cash tip and getting away. You can imagine my panic when he walks by and says his shift is over and that he'll be ready in a minute!!! I wait until he goes back inside, leave a big tip on the table and 'discreetly' run away, eventually ducking into a church and hoping he hasn't followed me.

And then there was me...smashed at 3 in the afternoon...hiding from some random Italian man..in church. What a great way to end my trip to Rome!

That IS funny :D