How Our First Vacation Almost Ended It All.
Yoni and I were “certified” workaholics when we met in 1993. Our relationship was a whirlwind of post-it notes and “warm bed” routines.
Finally, in April 1994, we decided it was high time for a vacation. I hadn’t taken one since my grand tour of Europe in 1985 after graduating with my BA, and Yoni was growing restless waiting for final confirmation on a big deal for his company.
We settled on spending two weeks in Paris and Provence. What could be more romantic for our first vacation than the City of Love? Oh, how naive I was!
Living together hadn’t exactly revealed all of Yoni’s quirks. Our vacation was supposed to be a bonding experience, but it turned out to be more like a crash course in “How to Drive Your Partner Crazy.”
On our first day in Paris, Yoni announced he HATES cities. No museums for him, no art.
He spent most of his time in bed at the hotel while I roamed the streets of Paris alone. Not so fun in April when it’s cold and rainy.
I managed to coax him out one day when the rain stopped to walk in one of the marvellous parks, only for him to have one of his worst asthma attacks.
I didn’t even know he had asthma! It was terrifying—I thought he was going to die!
I hoped that once we got to Provence, things would improve. We took a train to Avignon and rented a car for 10 days to explore the region.
It was better, but I quickly learned that he had no patience for archaeology, history, or art—all the things I loved.
The one thing we both enjoyed was strolling through flea markets, which was a delightful shared experience.
Yoni loved driving and exploring unknown roads, which led us to discover new places off the beaten path. However, what drove me nuts was his deep resistance to taking photos. He was fine taking pictures of me, but he absolutely refused to be photographed himself.
Even when I tried to snap a surprise shot, he would cover his face.
What was supposed to be a relaxing break from our hectic lives turned out to be more stressful than our daily routine.
We fought constantly. It took us years to find a way to have a vacation together without ending it in a break up.
Looking back, those challenging times were actually part of our love story. They taught us the value of patience, understanding, and finding joy in the unexpected.
