vanillanostalgia

I am back from my holidays in Italy. Though it was lovely and sunny and (most of the time) relaxing there is always one problem that keeps coming around:

I am single!

Not a problem you might think? Well, let me tell you what happens to single women when they go on holiday. That is… alone with non singles.

When you go on holidays with other singles, you drink cocktails by the pool (I did that anyway) you read on the beach and you always try to look your best because you never know who might come around to flirt with you.

In my case, this is what happened:

1. All my single friends were busy or didn’t have time to go on vacation with me, so I decided to go with my sister, her boyfriend and my freshly squeezed little niece (till that point we are still doing great!) AND friends of them (a couple) with their two kids.
2. My sister’s hotel was full (they shared a suite with the other couple) so I had to get a room in a hotel next to seem (which in the end turned out to be a brilliant idea… no waking up all night).
3. When you are single, your friends try to hook you up… My Italian friend whom we were visiting tried to hook me up with a guy: divorced, just broke up with his latest girlfriend and has 2 kids (one with each woman)… and did I mention that he was 39?  Thanks but…. no thanks.
4. My hotel room: I didn’t know they still made those small beds. You remember these tiny beds your Mum used to tuck you in when you were 7? The first word that came to my mind when I saw the room was: chastity. Seriously, the whole room was screaming: You are a lost case and you are not bringing anyone home anyway!
5. Dinner: Another funny moment is when you enter the dining room of your hotel and you are… thumb roll… alone! First people look at you, second they think you are weird because you don’t look as gloomy as the other ladies in the single department of the dining room. Folks, I am having a two-hours break from the kids (and their parents), of course I am happy. If that wasn’t enough there are the single gals to keep me smiling. In front of me was a woman (mid fifties) who looked as if she would burst out in tears any minute (I’m tipping on divorce). Really felt bad for her and kept trying to smile at her but she was staring at her glass of water. On my left, this weird old woman who I ended up seeing later on on the street reading cards for money (which explains the weird look she gave me).
6. People with kids: Here I must say that I adore my sister because she has not become one of those mums. She is relaxed and you can still have an actual conversation with her without a sentence starting with “my baby does this”… The actual problem with spending your holidays with people who are parents is that a) for some reason they always think they are smarter than you and more mature, b) they think they are allowed to do anything because its “for the kids” ( does your 60 cm baby need 7m² of shadow?) and for some reason they seem to forget that you also have a life (job, uni…) and that you are also entitled to some relaxing moments  (for example sleep, but should I be damned if I wake up the baby only by speaking).

I know this blog is about indulging me. And know I am complaining you might think? Wait till I get to the best part.

My vacation started to be good when I started to be anti social and to play a game called  “the shadow is mine”

And do you want to know what the most rewarding moment was?

When I got home to my flat, saw my immaculate white couch (no chocolate stain there, oh sorry forgot to tell you that one), I sat down, poured myself a glass of red Shiraz, closed my eyes and there it was: Silence!

No screaming, no whining, no complaining (I’m not talking about the kids here) no rush, no fuss… just me, the wine and the silence.

And that my friends, is the most indulging part of being single: you always have an option, they don’t!

♫ ♪ Independent Woman Part I by Destiny\’s Child

Tags: children, cocktail, kids, Men, single, single women, vacation, Woman