Many thanks to KLC for taking over the project of creating a compact disc of photographs taken by the group of FlyerTalk members that attended the Venice Meet for each member of the group to keep as a momento. I truly appreciate her efforts.

I will not mention the name of the FlyerTalk member who said that he was going to bring a multi-format card reader to Venice to read the images from the different cards from everybody’s digital cameras, but it would have made the entire effort much easier if we received it at all, let alone in the nick of time...

I think I saw Dovster in one of the pictures and, personally, I find that objectionable.......

Actually, there were no pictures of me in that collection and thus it had an unfair advantage as to quality.

Then it was a Venetian who looked like you and, IMHO, even that's objectionable...;).

If that is the case, then that Dovster impersonator should be known as Venice the Menace.

Great pictures, KLC. I just always focus on people and often miss the great classic architecture.

So where is the next amazing party? Tel Aviv?

The bus that went to and from the airport passed right by this property — and I do not even know if it has a safe in the room.

It would have been quite inconvenient to travel into Venice from this property and, from the outside, it looked like it was one step up from being a dump, even though it is an international (as opposed to a United States) Ramada Inn.

However, Dovster is the resident FlyerTalk expert when it come to Ramada Inns...

Shouldn't come as a shock considering the source of the reference.

Note To Self: You really must be more charitable towards Dovster this Holiday weekend.

Note From Self: AFAIK, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Israel so go for it....:).

Please be careful Rudi-- she violently strangles folks with her feather boa that upset her. ;)

Back to the basics ...
 

On topic..you DL guys ROCK! (Sorry about your airline of choice.)

VCE was wonderful! Hotel was truly a gem, dinners great, water taxi tour fabulous, the bar at Ai Mori so filled with interesting FTers we didn't have time to investigate the plasma TV. (Thinking Christmas gift to myself and Mr. lili)

Thank you Dov, O2K and all the rest who made it a great trip. Your planning and arrangements absolutely made the gathering. So good to put faces to those 1,000 pre-meet posts.

FT-related: we flew United/Lutfhansa/Southwest, coach all the way--hey, we were earning miles! Checked bags from SAN/VCE and VCE/SFO. No problem except at SFO when Joanne's bag arrived and Michael 's and mine did not. Since neither of us could remember checking them at VCE at 4:30 am we assumed they were in the Venice airport wherever we were last sitting. WTH. Suddenly they appeared on the carousel, voila! we are home free with all our dirty clothes!

Michael, Joanne and I left Ai Mori early Thursday (4 am) by water taxi and arrived in SFO and SAN just in time to be transported by family directly to our respective turkey tables as Thanksgiving dinner was being served. Apparently Michael and his brother, father and grandmother stayed up drinking Cosmos with the rest of the family while I crashed before desert. Joanne flew on from SFO, survived the family meal with 14 dinner guests at her home (wonder-husband Terry cooked the meal) and was able to pick us up at SAN the next day.

We did seriously consider staying in Venice. Joanne was going to break into the knock-off purse ring, Michael would do tours-for-food, and I was busy designing a coat that held 101 pieces of Venetian glass and a few fake Rolexes. However...we were holding return tickets, invitations to Thanksgiving dinners, and the possibility of another FT meet in Tel Aviv or Antartica......

Thanks, it was super!!

lili

We do celebrate Thanksgiving in Israel.

Every year, we have a holiday specifically dedicated to thanking the Supreme Honcho for keeping Cholula (the man, not the hot sauce) out of the country.

It is called "Cholulaka" athough alternative English spelling sometimes have it as "Holulakkah".

Each night during this eight-day festival we light candles and use them to burn Cholula in Effigy (which is a small village in the Galilee).

Of course, when next year's F/T Meet is held in Tel Aviv this whole holiday may go the way of the Dizekians.

Next year’s meet is in Tel Aviv?

Nobody told me.

Did anyone tell Aviv?

It was supposed to be a surprise for you. Do not, however, plan to bring your wife.

I'm arranging for you to have a Negilla in Tel Aviv and then go to Nazareth where you can 'ave a Maria.

Wouldn't that be Oyevay Maria? :D

We have arrived home from our ski trip to Whislter, British Columbia, and found our previously missing bags in our foyer. YEAH!!! :D :D

They appear to be undamaged and unviolated (even the Hebrew T-shirt), however my RCC tag was missing. I am certain that our bright yellow FlyerTalk tags aided UA in their search.

It was interesting to note that when we were dealing with the general "baggage" department, we were treated very poorly and spent hours on hold. Once I mentioned that we were 1ks, we were given a special telephone number and the level of service sky-rocketed, reinforcing our decision to become million milers before we retire and start traveling stricly on miles and points.