I’d like to tell a story (No Pictures)

So, hopefully by now, you’ve perused the various albums from my Italian vacation. So, I think I’d like to discuss why there is practically nothing in the final album. On the Tuscany day trip, I developed a mild cough. Nothing that seemed major, just an annoyance, really. By the time I had walked from the bus to the hotel, however I was starting to get dizzy, and had a few dry heaves on the side of the road. I was well and truly sick. That killed plans to try and walk around aimlessly and take pictures on my final day. Of the final day, there is only a single picture. That’s the sandwich and cannoli. I wasn’t in the best shape to walk to get food, but I knew I had to eat, so I staggered to the sandwich shop around the corner because a sandwich sounded like the safest option. At this point I was also fairly nauseous. But I needed to eat something so I could take some ibuprofen (Never take ibuprofen on an empty stomach).

I wasn’t able to finish the sandwich, which is a shame because it really did taste good. And I barely managed the cannoli, which was one of the items I told myself I had to have at least once in Italy, and had thus far failed to obtain. The world was spinning, my stomach was rebelling against the food, and I ended up just laying in bed, worried that I might have to make a trip to an Italian hospital. I wasn’t able to sleep, because my shoulder hurt like hell suddenly. Honestly the shoulder still is flaring up on occasion.

I eventually passed out for a few hours, not nearly enough to feel rested, just enough that I would be awake and miserable for the trip back.

For the most part, the day of my exodus from Italy, the cough had died down. My throat was a little raw from all the coughing I had done, but dealing with a sore throat was nothing, I get those all the time. I just drink a lot, and try to avoid talking. The illness plus the lack of sleep made the flight one of the worst experiences I’ve had traveling. I was too tired to actually focus on anything, I pulled out my Switch, and managed to play one or two battles in FF6, before my brain just shut down. I tried to sleep, but I can’t sleep in moving vehicles, I don’t know how other people do it, seriously. What sort of dark magics do you conjure to sleep in cars and planes?

So that was my life for the next 10 hours… stuck in a sort of eternal fever dream, not quite awake, but not asleep… This seriously has me pondering whether or not I will be able to do another international trip in the future.

By the time I got off the plane in Dayton, I honestly didn’t feel too bad. The cough reared its ugly head occasionally but for the most part, I was fine… and I’ve just been dealing with a mild cough since then.

No real point to all of this, I just wanted to relay some experiences from my trip that didn’t involve pictures. The reality behind the pictures if you will…