Lessons I learnt from my honeymoon - 10 years later
I have been married for ten years. Ironically, the memories remain as vivid as ever, thanks to my newly inculcated habit of going through the photos on my phone every few days in an attempt to declutter them. These are the lessons I learnt from my honeymoon that happened ten years ago.
- Make sure that you choose a destination country that boasts various facets. We visited Rome, Florence, Vernice and Milan, all of which felt distinctly different from one another. From the cobblestone streets of Rome to the charming waterways of Vernice and the modern megastores in Milan, Italy injected a lot of novelty for me, helping me create several unique mental categories.
- Best to have a theme that permeates the entire trip. My wife’s mission was to eat the best gelato in each city, so that’s what we did. She even memorised how to order gelato in Italian. At that time, I thought she was a tad extreme, but a decade later, I can attest to how her theme was an anchor that helped me recall various vantage points of the trip.
- This point is similar to my second point. It’s worth the effort to do research and spend a leisurely time enjoying the signature dishes of each town. Now, I am the kind of person who prefers sightseeing to dining, so I would gladly have a simple meal in order to carve out more time to explore the city on foot. However, after a decade, memories fade like yellowing pages of your once-cherished book. I can’t tell you anything about the paintings or sculptures or other exhibits that have made an impression. However, I still remember the T-bone steak whose succulent taste gave me tingles of delight. Or the ham and melon that seems to be a staple dish. I have my wife to thank for this one. She researched the restaurants where she would like to dine at.
- Be brave and strike simple conversations with the locals. When I look back at the photos I took with the gregarious staff at various stores and eateries, I find that they personify my honeymoon for me.
- I know it’s weird but make sure you have your better half take gorgeous shots of you alone during your honeymoon. Not being narcissistic, but trust me, you are never gonna look this happy and youthful and radiant again. So, snap some photos as mementos. Your future jaded and haggard-looking self will thank you for it.
- On the subject of souvenirs, just don’t spend much on things. I bought various knickknacks that I thought would help me recall my happy times in Italy. But as the years go by, possessions pile up, and I find that I value the affordance yielded by empty space more. So, I threw these knickknacks one by one. In hindsight, I would have spent my money to obtain more memorable meals instead. Maybe that expensive bottle of Prosecco. Maybe that premium plate of seafood pasta. You create more long-lasting connections with food than with souvenirs.
So these are the lessons I learnt from my honeymoon a decade later. Of course, YMMV.