A typical Laura Zanzig moment

Six of us went to Venice this past weekend, and I was in charge of the hotel reservations. I got into contact with a place that Kali and I found in her guide book, Hotel Rossi, which was along the Grand Canal, a short walk from the train station, and looked like a good place to stay. In making the reservations I exchanged several emails with the hotel administrator, confirming that we had two triples for Saturday, the 24th.

We arrived at Treviso Airport, where we took a bus into Venice. From where we were dropped off in Piazzale Roma, we found our way easily to the hotel, only about a five minute walk. Everything was going smoothly and we walked into the cozy albergo with confidence. As I told the concierge my name, his brow furrowed and he shook his head.

"There is no reservation by that name," he shrugged in apology.

"That can't be right," I replied. "I made the reservation, I got a confirmation the other day."

He looked back down at the book and I noticed he was looking at the 23rd, which his coworker then pointed out to him: "Ventiquattro, non ventitre." Relieved, I peered over the counter to look at the reservations on the 24th, but my name wasn't listed on that page either.

"I didn't print it out, but I have the confirmation in my email," I told him, positive that he was making a mistake. He beckoned to the computer and told me I was welcome to check my inbox. I pulled up the email and pointed to the screen.

"Yes," he began slowly, "but this is for March. March 24, not February."

I looked down and gasped in horror. He was right - the words were right there in front of my face. "Miss Zanzig, this is to confirm your two triples for the night of March 24th, Saturday." How could I be so completely scatterbrained?

The other girls forgave my stupidity, even though the concierge told us he had no vacancies. Luckily, we found several openings at other nearby hotels and after comparing prices, we decided on a good deal in a very nice albergo just a couple blocks away.

The rest of our stay was fantastic. The first day, we shopped for a few souvenirs and then wandered the city. I felt completely refreshed - for the entire afternoon, I had no idea what time it was or exactly where we were, either. Today we took a busboat ride down the Grand Canal and then spent some time around San Marco with the pigeons. This has been my best weekend yet, and I put pictures on Yahoo!