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CONTEST: We want your romantic trip tales!

7:08 am June 29, 2009, by Charles Yoo

Many moons ago, an emperor named Shah Jahan was so grifstricken when one of his beloved wives died while giving birth that he decided to dedicate a building in her honor. Some 20,000 folks worked like slaves for two decades. Tah dah! The Taj Mahal was born.

Now, that’s romantic.

Some of you may be that lucky, but for the rest of us, not so.

Yet, we all have that memorable trip full of romantic sparks. Maybe that person wasn’t special before the trip, but became so afterwards. (Boom! OMG, where had you been all my life!)

Do you recall your romantic getaway? Were there stars, chirping birds and cupid arrows? Did he surprise you by proposing? Did she say yes?

What happened? What was so special about that trip, lovers?

June 1 marked the starting line for our summer vacation story contest. Every two weeks, we’ll focus on a different category of vacation memories. You share your stories. We’ll pick three and during the second week we’ll let readers decide whose is best. Last week’s theme was family trips.

You can post your romantic trip tales to this blog in the comments section below. If you want to email your stories instead, send them to Travelajc@gmail.com. (If you have vacation stories that just can’t be categorized but are totally worth sharing, just send it to us. We’ll find a place for it.)

And the prizes?

Each bi-weekly winner will get to see his or her story published in Sunday’s AJC travel pages and become a finalist for a grand prize getaway to a Florida resort. The prize is valued at $800.
So if you think you have a tale, go for it. Compare it with other Atlantans.

Make all of us jealous.

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18 comments Add your comment

CONTEST The winner of vacation horror stories - The eye, the rat & the parasite | Still Traveling

June 29th, 2009
7:09 am

[...] This week’s topic: We want your romantic vacation stories! [...]

Elizabeth Thomas

June 29th, 2009
1:43 pm

My most romantic trip with my now husband had to be when we drove from Pittsburgh, PA to Mrytle Beach. I know it does not sound like much, but it was fun. We spent time on the beach and other places and had a really good time. We spent the whole weekend there and it was so simple. No stress. He decided we were going to go and we went. Although, on our way back home we ran into a rain storm and I actually had to move the windshield wiper with my hand outside of the window. I know you had to be there but it is one of those stories we tell now and laugh and that is really what its all about.

Amy

June 29th, 2009
2:06 pm

When we were dating each other, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I had this running joke about me getting my hair cut short. Jason likes my hair shorter, I like it longer. So one day, he asked me to cut my hair, and I said, jokingly, “I’ll cut it short when you ask me to marry you.” Of course, I wasn’t expecting to get engaged anytime soon whenever I made that comment!

Jason invited me to go to Alaska with him on a cruise. The second night on the boat was our first formal dress-up night. After dinner Jason suggested we go back to our stateroom to rest, so back we went to the stateroom, hand in hand. When we got there, he went to use the bathroom. I started changing into t-shirts and shorts. Jason got out of the bathroom, took one look at me, and said, “Put your dress back on!! Why are you changing?” I thought it was a little bizarre that he told me to change back into my dress, but I did as asked.

Then Jason grabbed my hand and led me over to the living room. He pulled me close, looked me in the eyes, and said, “I think you’re going to have to get your hair cut short.” I was really confused. “What?” He looked away, getting teary-eyed, and choked out, “AMY! don’t make me say it.” I was still confused. “What? Say what?”

He got down on one knee, took out a black box, and opened it up, offering it to me. “Will you marry me?” He was tearing up, and I started tearing up too. I got down on my knees and hugged him. “Yes, of course I will!” And then it was a happy mixture of tears and astonishment and hugs–you know, everything is a blur because you’re giddy. It was perfect.

And thinking back on it, I should have realized something was up! Jason told me he walked around for two days with that ring in his pocket, waiting for the right moment. The first night he couldn’t do it because we both got really seasick.

Cinnamon

June 30th, 2009
9:40 am

What happens if you never meet Mr. Right! I have done everything right. I have worked hard, taken care of my children, been support of my family. But then one day I realize that the kids are older and I home alone. No one to talk to, share my dreams with, or play footsies with for that matter. Where are all the Mr. Rights. Is there truly sucha a thing. But for those of you who have found that long lasting happiness, I am truly happy for you. For me, I will continue to search within myself, ask god for comfort and companion and most of all live life to the fullest.

Alyssa

June 30th, 2009
9:47 am

The most romantic travel story for my husband and I happened, in fact, before we were even husband and wife! I was 20, having just studied abroad in Paris, and was traveling with a friend around Europe. My husband had just graduated from college and was also doing the grand European tour with a friend. I was from Connecticut and went to school in Boston. He was from Baltimore and was starting school at Emory in the fall. Needless to say, our paths never would have crossed in the U.S.

But thankfully, we did cross paths… in Rome, Italy. We both ended up at the same hostel in Rome at the same time. The hostel itself, located near the train station, was very dirty and filled with college students drinking their way through the continent. I was not enjoying our stay there at all. But then, one evening, after a long day of sight-seeing, my friends and I happened upon my husband and his friend eating in the communal kitchen. They seemed nice enough, so we sat down to join them. We talked for a long time, and I remember thinking that it was terribly unfortunate to meet such a wonderful guy all the way in Rome.

The next day, we had to part to go our separate ways. We exchanged email addresses, but I didn’t think anything would come of it. However, when I moved back to Boston in the fall, in a strange twist of events, my now-husband’s best friend moved in down the street! We spent all fall going to football games together while the one I really liked was beginning graduate school thousands of miles away in Atlanta. Thankfully, my husband came to visit that January, when we had only been communicating my email for six months. It was just as wonderful and comfortable as the first time we met in Rome. It was as if we’d known each other our whole lives. But we were so far apart!

Then, in a leap of faith, I applied to and was accepted to graduate school at Emory as well. Though I was planning on going to Harvard, there was something even stronger calling me in the South- and that was my future husband. I moved across the country for a man I’d met completely by chance in a horribly sketchy hostel in Rome– now, five years later, we are happily married and enjoy reminiscing about our happenstance meeting.

sharon

June 30th, 2009
9:48 am

Cinnamon hang in there. Love arrives in the most unexpected ways you just need to be receptive. You also have to make yourself available and more sociable.

Wabbit

June 30th, 2009
11:11 am

My story has the attributes of family, a bit or horror and romance at the same time. After 38 years of old maid-hood, I met the man of my dreams. I was not looking, it just happened. Here is my story.

My father had recently married a bimbo and he wanted me to meet my new “grandparents”. (My dad got along with them because they all were the same age.) It was a scorching July day when Dad, the bimbo, my boyfriend and I started up the interstate in Dad’s brand new motor home. The bimbo had picked it out so of course, it had all of the bells and whistles.

After many miles, my boyfriend told me that he was not feeling well and went into the bathroom. That is when we discovered that there was something horribly wrong with the plumbing.

The smell that filled vehicle was deadly. The bimbo and I kept looking at each other, finally breaking into hysterical laughter. We opened every window as quickly as possible. The result was sort of an internal tornado with anything not tied down, blowing around in the foul smelling, now blistering hot air.

My father reacted to the smell and the flying debris by trying to outrun it. The worse the smell got, the faster he drove. Pretty soon, we were flying. He passed everyone and everything. You know how they tell you to vary your speed when breaking in a new vehicle. Well that went out the window (while the smell did not). He had the pedal to the metal and was not letting up.

My boyfriend finally came out of the bathroom, looking sort of green. When he realized what he had caused, he played the “I am sick” card (which was really the “I am embarrassed” card) and went to the bedroom to lie down.

Shortly afterward, he called me to the back. There, he took my hand and asked me to marry him. That was almost 15 years ago and we have been happily married for over 14 years now. Dad and the bimbo did not fare as well. She has gone back to bimbo-land which made everyone happy.

So, while most women can paint a pretty picture of the story of how they got engaged, the one I can relate has mini-tornados, noxious odors and my dad driving up the interstate like a bat out of hell.

The Big Box Proposal.

June 30th, 2009
4:17 pm

I moved to Atlanta from Iowa in 2005, and for various reasons, wasn’t able to spend the holidays with my boyfriend in 2005 and 2006. Finally, in 2007, we decided that he would come home with me for Christmas no matter what. I excitedly spent months telling him about my family’s traditions, but in October, he broke the news that he didn’t think he’d be able to come home with me for Christmas because he would have unexpected family coming to Atlanta. Although I was really disappointed, I still wanted to head back to Iowa and see my family, so we agreed to spend the holidays apart. I drove 16 hours through a snowstorm from Georgia to Iowa three days before Christmas (almost getting stranded at a gas station in the middle of Iowa)to see my parents.

Christmas day rolled around, and we went to my grandparents’ house for Christmas. When we arrived, my aunt(in which I would realize later was a slip-up) asked if my boyfriend was there yet. I told her he wasn’t coming and explained next year he would, not thinking anything of it.

My mom asked me to go downstairs and “help the kids with their Christmas carols,” and about ten minutes later, my aunt came and stood at the bottom of the steps. It didn’t cross my mind that she was manning a post (and my cousin was at the top of the stairs doing the same). My mom calls us all upstairs for dinner, and when I walk into the kitchen, I notice a very large present, about five feet wide and three feet tall sitting on the floor. My dad hands me a note and tells me to read it.

At this point there are 25 people staring at me with goofy looks on their faces and camcorders. I knew something wasn’t right. I read a letter from my boyfriend, which says there was something he forgot to give me in Atlanta, and he collaborated with my mom to get this last present to me. I walked over to the box, lifted the lid, and out pops my boyfriend! He was holding a special ornament in his hand, and he walked over to me and got down on one knee, and asked if I would marry him.

I had my hands over my face and I couldn’t speak, and someone had to prompt me for the answer, which of course was yes. Then comes surprise number two…his parents popped out from the living room! He and his parents drove from Atlanta on Monday, stayed overnight in Cedar Rapids, IA, and arrived around noon on Tuesday at my grandparents. The whole story about family in town for Christmas? It turns out that my boyfriend, my parents and his parents plotted this trip since AUGUST of that year. We spent the next few days with my family and his, going to Christmas gatherings and showing off my new sparkler.

On the way back to Atlanta, we stopped at quirky sports like Metropolis, IL, home of Superman and posed with plywood cutouts of the super heroes, and took pictures of the crazy billboards we saw. While the trip to Iowa was tough, the trip back home was the best road trip I can remember!

The Big Surprise

July 1st, 2009
10:33 am

January of 2008 I had decided that I wanted to go to vacation with my boyfriend. After looking around for some deals online, I suggested that we go to Vegas. We started looking into it, and the next day he asked if we could rent a car and make the 3 almost 4 hour drive to Zion National Park, Utah for a few days after Vegas. Obviously, I said yes to that. After two nights in Vegas, we headed over to Utah for three.

Now, before we left for this trip, I walked into my livingroom and caught him looking at Facebook and saving a number into his cell phone. I immediately started making accusations, and he assured me that he had some surprise waiting for me, and that the plans would be finalized on Monday and e would tell me. Okay, so I let it go.

Fast forwards to Monday, we wake up and head over to Zion National Park, where he had planned for us to make the trek up to Angel’s landing. At first we had planned on eating breakfast at the park’s lodge, but we got there to late. Instead, we went up the trail to the Emerald Pools (i think that’s what is was called) and ate lunch afterwards.

Blistering hot and semi-exhausted, he said that we should still try to make the trek up, and since he was talking on and on about this trail for the last two months, I said sure. After a while of attempting to beat the heat, I told him that I could not go any further. I began to cry because he had really been wanting to do this, and here I was telling him it was a no go.

I was really upset and he told me it was okay. He reminded me about the surprise he had waiting for me and asked me to turn around. He got on one knee and asked me to marry him right there on the side of the mountain.

Needless to say, I’m very happy!

Lindsey

July 1st, 2009
1:29 pm

In 2004, I was studying abroad in Quebec City. As a French major, I was there for 6 weeks for a language-intensive course at Laval University. My 21st birthday happened to fall during this six-week summer trip. As a surprise, my boyfriend, John, came to visit me for a weekend. He came to visit and sightsee but also to celebrate my birthday.

Saturday morning we got up to see all of the sites in Quebec City. We had fun taking in the sights together. Before he left Atlanta, he had made reservations for dinner at the Chateau Frontenac, a historic hotel over looking the St. Lawrence River. As we were leaving the hotel to make our way to dinner, he handed me my birthday present to hold. It was a little smaller than a shirt box. I must say I was a little disappointed…. We had been dating for about a year and a half, and were talking about marriage. I had hoped that the proposal would happen this weekend…How perfect! However, he quickly assured me the first night he arrived that was not going to happen, as he was planning a holiday proposal.

So, we were off to dinner in his rental car. He quickly became nervous that we were going to miss our reservation because of traffic. I told him it would be no big deal and we could just eat wherever. That, he would not accept. We made it just in time and we were seated at a beautiful table overlooking a statue of Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Quebec as well as the St. Lawrence River. How perfect! The waiter brought us our menus and as soon as he left, John insisted that I open my gift. He said he didn’t want to wait until dessert. So, I opened the card, which was really sweet. I open the box to find Wedding Wishes tissue paper. I remarked that it was a cruel joke, and he didn’t even notice it…he just said “it matched perfectly.” When I removed the tissue paper, I saw a beautiful picture frame with a picture of him on one knee holding a ring box. Written on the glass in silver marker was “Seras-tu ma femme?” which means “Will you be my wife?” I was so stunned that I couldn’t speak. He walked around the table to my chair and got down on one knee, with the ring, and said, “Lindsey, will you be my wife?” The best part was that he was so nervous, he had to tilt his head to the side and take a deep breath to get the words out. I quickly said Yes! The ring was beautiful and we had a wonderful, romantic dinner to celebrate.

I will never forget that day as long as I live.

The Cooks

July 1st, 2009
1:31 pm

Where to start……..
In 2001 we decided to fly to Myrtle Beach on cheap airline tickets and the tragic events of 9/11 forced us to drive home. While we had it much easier than most people we were on our 4th rental car. The first one had air that didn’t work, the 2nd one had a flat tire, the 3rd one could not be taken out of the state and since the airports closed we had to get a 4th car to drive home.

The next year we decided to try Myrtle Beach again. This time we were there for the tropical storm part of the hurricane that hit the east coast. We chose that day to visit
Broadway at the Beach – if you’re familiar with M.B. you’ll know that it is an outdoor shopping experience. We were soaked and windblown but in the end the weather was fine after one day of the tropical storm. I took pictures of the weather warning on the television feeling certain I would not experience that again.

The next year we decided to try a different destination, Panama City. We arrived on Saturday only to evacuate on Tuesday because of Hurricane Ivan. We knew when we saw Jim Cantore on the beach we were in big trouble! We did get to visit Pineapple Willy’s with no wait whatsoever! And all of the TV’s were tuned to the weather channels instead of any kind of sports. We evacuated to Pigeon Forge, TN only to be inundated with rain to the point that the hotel parking lot flooded a lot of people’s cars but we were lucky to have a ‘high riding’ car and ours was not affected.

We thought we’d go way out there the next year and go to Hawaii. As soon as we booked our trip Hawaii experienced the most rainfall they had seen in decades and one of the volcanoes erupted. We hadn’t even gotten there yet and they were already experiencing our luck!!

Last year we went on our first cruise thinking that was a safe choice since we all know they won’t cruise a full cruise ship into harm’s way or a hurricane. On the last night we were sailing we ‘followed’ a hurricane up the east coast and on the 5th deck of the ship we had waves crashing into our window. The boat was rocking so hard it rocked us literally across the room of our cabin and knocked things off the shelves in the gift shop. So much for that.

So now we’ve decided to hire ourselves out for vacation to anyone who might need some sort of natural disaster. Maybe a houseboat on Lake Lanier this year??? None of my family will go on vacation with us now. It’s a true test to see who our real friends are……any takers for the cruise we’ve booked for this year???

sheila

July 2nd, 2009
8:20 am

Our trip started out on a warm evening, stars were shining and the air had a light breeze blowing. We stopped for dinner at a Italian restraunt and I was so upset I couldnt contain myself. Fidgeting I reached across the table and looked into my husbands glistening green eyes and said I cannot lie to you any longer there is something I have to tell you. Squeezing my hand and looking back into my eyes he said as long as this doesnt involve a trip to the Jerry Springer show go ahead. Laughing broke the tension that was swirling around in the air between us, No i said I am kidnapping you for a long weekend and so we can enjoy riding the North Ga Mountains. His face broke into a wide grin and he said really? What about work? Dont worry my love all has been arranged, Everyone including your boss knows and here is the key to our cabin.
Jumping on the bike we rode to our cabin and spent a wonderful weekend rediscovering one another and the roads that led to no where in paticular just to the destination of our hearts. We strolled hand in hand in the moonlight, danced to the radio and most of all enjoyed each others prescence. Weve now been married 26 years and not a night goes by that he doesnt still tell me he loves me and kisses me goodnight. We havent enjoyed “A” romantic trip, Weve enjoyed a romantic life. After 26 years he is still my best friend, and my heart still beats a little faster when I hear his voice or he walks into a room. This journey we have been privlaged to share together is our romantic trip.

Jennifer

July 2nd, 2009
12:04 pm

My most romatic trip was when my now husband and I got engaged in 2001.

I had qualified for the USA Long Course Triathlon World Team and the ironman race was in Denmark. The Tuesday before the race I said a tearful goodby to my now husband. I was so sad to be leaving him. My friends, who were competing also, and I arrived in Denmark and went about our business of getting ready to race. We came back from a swim workout and my friend called and told me to come down to his room and bring my bag. He said he left something in it. I was totally confused since I knew he hadn’t, but said I’d be down as soon as I got dressed and was ready for our team dinner.

I arrived at my friends room and knocked on the door. When I opened it my friends were smiling and my now husband was behind the door. He flew to Denmark to surprise me and I was happily shocked.

The race took place a few days later and I was happy to have him there as support. It was wonderful to see his face at the finish line.

The next day we had plans to go to Copenhagen. We took the train to the city, had lunch, and started to tour around. We saw a church and he wanted to go inside so we did. I didn’t mind the rest since my legs were tired from the race. We sat there for a bit and I was kind of ready to go, but he seemed to be stalling. Finally I knew why…he got down on one knee and proposed.

I then found out that my friends who were in Denmark with me, and all of my friends and family back home, knew he was coming to Denmark to ask me to marry him.

Our flight schedules were different so we didn’t get to fly home together, but it sure was nice coming home engaged to the man I wanted to marry.

Mickie

July 3rd, 2009
10:31 pm

When we first got engaged I was 19 and in college and my future husband had recently graduated and was on active duty with the Army. He wanted to get me a diamond engagement ring at the PX since they were less expensive there. I told him that I had several diamond rings that I had inherited and to save his money and buy me an emerald when he could afford it. Fast forward 25 years. Our younger son was 8 years old and Mardi Gras coincided with our anniversary that year. We had some time off because of the holiday and decided to take our travel trailer and spend a week at Disney World. Hardly a romantic getaway! On the evening of our anniversary, we left our son at the Mickey Mouse Club and had a lovely dinner at Flaglers Restaurant in one of the nicest Disney World hotels. During dessert my husband gave me a gorgeous emerald and diamond ring. He remembered after 25 years that I wanted an emerald! I have worn that ring every day for nearly 20 years now.

Kraig Brown

July 9th, 2009
11:51 am

I had been married to my best friend for 21 years, in fact we celebrated our first meeting in June 22 years to the date. We have assembled a 19, 17 and 13 year old, and most recently have begun the process to adopt two toddlers abandoned by their mother in downtown Atlanta. We needed a get-a-away, as the last two months introduced us to diapers and ‘child-proofing’ all over again, kind of like the runner who had settled into the last mile- and then opted for another 20 miles in full sprint. We decided to stay in Atlanta and researched local fare for the perfect evening.

We found the St. Regis, a newly opened property in Buckhead because it boasted an elegant and stunning outdoor pool. We packed our bag, gave the kids the cell number and headed to one of the most wonderous places in Atlanta. Nothing could have prepared us for the decor, the friendly staff and the over-sized rooms! Our suite was furnished with every luxury, including a chilled bottle of champagne.

We had spent our 20th anniversay in Rome, It., and as we lay besude the sinding staircases next to the Olympic pool being served hand and foot- our singular thought was that this was what Rome had wished it had in both beauty and romantic flair. We dined at Paces 88, another treat, and then headed back to the quiet of our Roman Holiday, 30 minutes from home, but a whole world away!

Joyce Ann

July 27th, 2009
11:43 am

When my husband and I were dating it seemed like all of our trips seemed to center around cars – Sebring, Petit Le Mans, etc. and involved camping. Like outside in a tent camping – of which I had never done before I met him. So I asked if the next vacation we took could be one that didn’t involve cars (even though I’m an auto enthusiast also) and that I could sleep on a nice cushy bed and not on a sleeping bag outside. He said sure and that he’d plan it. He checked with me to make sure that my schedule at work was open over the weekend of February 1st/2nd. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going, but didn’t mind if I’d ask questions. “Is it near an ocean?” “Is it near a racetrack?” “Have I been there before?” and all of these were answered ‘yes.’ We happened to be watching Food Network one night and he said “How hard do you think it would be to get reservations at Paula Deen’s restaurant on a Friday night?” and I said “We’re going to Savannah, aren’t we????” He said “um, no, why would you think that? no more questions…” :p So, vacation time rolls around and we’re at the airport and he hands me my boarding pass…to Savannah! He couldn’t believe I guessed it. We flew into Savannah and picked up the rental and headed to the Dresser Palmer House – beautiful house and wonderful service there. The room was just crazy romantic – giant four-poster bed that had a small set of stairs that you had to climb to get into it, beautiful verandah, just gorgeous. I was laying on the bed and Luke was digging around through his luggage and he said ‘well, want to know the itinerary?’ “Sure!” ‘We’ll get up tomorrow and go to Tybee Island to see the sunrise, then come back and have breakfast, pack our luggage and then we have to leave.’ “WHAT? We just got here???” ‘Well, we’ll be heading back to the airport because we’re going to fly to San Diego to watch the sunset. You okay with that?’ “HOLY CRAP!” (not the most ladylike thing to say, I know) “YES! Wow, San Diego???” ‘Oh yeah, I have a surprise – shut your eyes.’ He walked over to the bed and sat me up. As soon as he grabbed my left hand I knew what was going to happen….he proposed. :) After much hugging and smooching on my part, he grabbed my shoulders and asked ’so, is that a yes?’ He was going to propose at Tybee the next morning but couldn’t wait. We flew to San Diego the next afternoon – watched the sunset on the Pacific after watching it rise on the Atlanta. Spent the night and morning in SD and headed back home (after a nice surprise upgrade to first class by Delta!) on Sunday. We married at the Dresser Palmer House last August 30th and are approaching our first year anniversry. Perfect trip – perfect wedding – happy marriage. :)

Joyce Ann

July 27th, 2009
12:09 pm

dangit…I meant to type “Atlantic” not “Atlanta!”

Peter

August 10th, 2009
10:48 am

It’s a great article. I loved to read it. Last night I was searching for some good feelings sharing sites on internet and suddenly I found an awesome site for sharing our feelings. If anybody wants to do then just visit http://www.lastnightwas.com and post their feelings like me in this site.