Wedding Anniversaries in Europe # 1 of 2

In 1970, during our first visit to the jewelry stores on the Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy, Emmy fell in love with an elaborate 18K gold ring that sparkled with 18 emeralds. I wasn’t smart enough to take the hint right away, but on our return from Rome a few days later I decided I didn’t want cold “toast” for the rest of the trip, so stopped and made the $70 purchase. Later, unbeknownst to Emmy I arranged for a friend, who visited Florence the following year, to buy the matching 18k gold bracelet with 64 emeralds, for $125.

The bracelet was presented in a restaurant in San Francisco, on our 20th anniversary, in 1971. A dozen years later the ring and bracelet were appraised at more than the cost of the entire 1970 trip for four. In 1995, in that same Ponte Vecchio store, a very simple 18k gold ring with one emerald was priced at $1,000. That convinced me I couldn’t improve on the 1970 purchase, so why should I try.

We always eat in a “new” restaurant, one neither of us has visited before, each wedding anniversary. We spent the night of our 29th anniversary in the Mirabeau Hotel in Monte Carlo, and ate dinner in a restaurant on the top floor of a nearby hotel. We could see the Mediterranean Sea on one side of our table, with the city of Monte Carlo climbing the hill on the other.

Of the 54 dinners, including 2005, that one rates 54th, and will most likely continue on the bottom of the list, both for food and service, forever. (A restaurant in the Los Angeles area, is second to last for food quality.) Later that night, in honor of our anniversary (or could that just have been a coincidence?) there was a massive fireworks display. It was as if a scheduled one hour exhibition, lasted a minute. A spectacular performance, proving that Monaco really does, or does not, know how to put on a fireworks show.

By the way, the anniversary dinner at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Kamuela, Hawaii, for our 30th Anniversary, most likely will always rank number one.

In 1985, for our 34th anniversary, Cousin Toni made a reservation at the Hotel Zur Post in Greimerath, Germany, a little town near Mettlach, then she went to dinner with us. The sun doesn’t set until late this time of year, so there was still plenty of light. Meal was fine, Emmy had Sigoinasnitzel, pork in tomato sauce with green peppers. It must come as no surprise, I had a rump steak.