239: The Vision Episode
This week’s magic word: Vision is brought to you by Ira Burns, Alison’s Dad. So, I thought it only appropriate to share a Dad joke about eyesight.
Alison is very competitive, so it’s no surprise that she is currently obsessed with picking out a car in traffic that she then bases her own progress on. Sounds a bit wild card to me, but hey…I can’t judge.
Lulu is obsessed with a delicious jewish pastry called chocolate babka. Think of a good cinnamon twisted soft, sweet bread, but with chocolate instead of cinnamon. Soooo good!
Alison wishes every car had a 3-D printer inside of the sunglass case holder so that when you forgot your sunglasses you could 3-D print a new pair immediately. Ray-Bans, hot…make is so!
I agree with Lulu on this…she wishes she could sing along with the radio like she did when she was young. I know I learned how to harmonize by listening to 70’s rock on the radio! Always such great harmonies. And yes…it was 70’s rock IN the 70’s.
Inspired by her father’s Magic Word: Vision, Alison chose Peschiera del Garda, Italy which is pronounced like this. I swear, sometimes her pronunciations are just more fun than the original ones! She stayed at the 4-star Vision Hotel, directly overlooking its shores in San Benedetto di Lugana in Peschiera del Garda. It reminded her of the 2021 Disney movie, Luca, which was as touching as it was beautiful. You should watch it! Staying in the Garden Deluxe Apartment, she chose the add-ons of a bottle of sparkling wine in the room, City Bike Rental & Room Sanitization w/Ozone.
Next was the Boat Tour around the Venetian Fortress and as promised, I looked it up and it is about 1.5 hours from Venice, closer to Verona, actually. She hired an opera singer to serenade her while she enjoyed the ride. Sounds lovely!
Speaking of wine…the best idea of the day was a Truffle Hunting Tour w/Wine Tasting! And why is this the best idea of the day, you ask? Well, it’s because she got to “hunt for fresh, local truffles in the countryside surrounding Verona during this private truffle-hunting tour and tasting…” guided by a truffle-sniffing dog!!! Sign me UP! She bought out the experience so it would be just her, the guide and her truffle sniffing pupper to enjoy guided tasting of truffle with fresh pasta and local cheese and salumi paired with wine. Don’t think the dog drank too much wine, tho.
And, if you’re going to be in Italy, you ought to explore olive oil!! So, she went to DOP Olive Oil, a family-run winery in Marano di Valpolicella. Again, there were plenty of local cheeses, meats and more to taste, but she got to explore the tree orchard and learn about the process of making olive oil and how to distinguish one from the other.
Lulu fully supported Alison’s choice to have breakfast for dinner where she sipped her 1949 Domaine Leroy Richebourg Grand Cru with the complimentary breakfast. Where she found her bottle for just under $6000 I don’t know, because the cheapest I found was just under $8000. That better be some tasty ass wine!
Before Lulu revealed her reason for choosing Klaipėda, Lithuania for her Vision city, she shared some interesting info you should know before visiting Lithuania.
•Do not shake hands over a threshold.
•Do not directly hand someone scissors or a knife; set it down.
•Do not walk on opposite sides of an obstacle, when walking with someone else. ...
•Don't wear your shoes inside someone's home.
•If bringing flowers to someone, don't bring even numbers.
Her Airbnb won her over with every room having its own bathroom (always a priority for Lulu!) She filled up with breakfast at Monai, a place that was recommended on every site she searched, so she HAD to go there! Steeped in ancient history, one of the fun things to do there is visit the Black Ghost Statue. “The bronze sculpture, known as “Juodasis Vaiduoklis” (“The Black Ghost”) has been terrifying children since 2010. Sculpted by Svajunas Jurkus and Sergejus Plotnikovas, the figure is 7.8 feet in height, with about half below the level of the waterfront walkway and half above. Apart from the ghost’s hands, the hooded robe is empty inside, creating a strangely expressive spectral appearance despite the lack of any facial features.” Mostly people debate whether or not the statue is creepy. With the green glow on it at night, I think that sounds pretty magical!
Lulu was down for some dolphin therapy at the Lithuanian Sea Museum’s Dolphinarium and inspired by a Maxfield Parrish painting called Lady Underwater, she bought a gauzy white dress from My Theresa so she could be all pretty as she floated with the dolphins. Lunch was a combination of many Lithuanian culinary delights, but one that is classic is Cepelinai, a cherished national dish of “large dumplings made of a mixture of raw and cooked potato dough that is filled with pork and doused in a ladle of a sour cream and bacon sauce.” She also enjoyed fried bread, beet root soup, borscht and much more.
Now for the reason Lulu chose this location for Vision. She found that it is much cheaper to get Lasik Eye Surgery in Lithuania than it is in the states! Needing to shield her eyes post surgery, she got some Dior Club D-frame sunglasses. Why not be stylish as you recover, right? And while recovering, you have to relax, so the logical choice would be to get a bath from the Bath Master. Who wouldn’t want to be bathed by the master of bathing!? “The bath at Angelų Malūnas offers an exclusive experience of real bath with all the pertaining ancient customs. Mr. Ričardas Rasiukas, our bath master, will be happy to share his extensive experience and knowledge. He gained his deep understanding of bath and mastered its rituals under the supervision of the highest bath experts in Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Ural Region and the Eastern world.” Fully relaxed from the bath, Lulu rounded out her day with dinner at XII at the Amberton Hotel.
Being a busy Dance Mom is just one of the many hats Alison wears daily. And she had been excited to find what she thought was a quiet spot in the hotel she’s in. But, it didn’t take long for rowdy young dance kids to turn that spot into a quiet-ER spot.
Lulu is so happy that there is a great dishwasher in her current show housing. And Alison was so excited to hear that it uses less water to run the dishwasher than to wash by hand!
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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