That last day in Vegas, I woke up with a terrible cold. I mean awful. I hadn’t slept well for the previous few nights, and when I woke up that morning I was gooooone. My Mom, being a touch under the weather herself, and understanding, was cool with having a really chill day.

So we headed to see the sign – you have to of course. Then walked around the Strip during the day. We hadn’t really walked around everywhere inside and out on the Strip, so a day of casually strolling and stopping occasionally for tea sounded good to my sick face and was also kind of appropriate.

I mean this is how sick I was: I was wearing my sneakers. Not to say you can’t wear sneakers, but you know that I do not wear them unless I’m out hiking or I’m working out. But I was weak and sick and walking around on anything other than socks or sneakers was just too much work.

As gorgeous as the shops on the Forum in Ceasar’s Palace were, it was the Venetian that struck both of us. The indoor Grand Canal leading to St. Mark’s Square, with the lush boutiques and everything just extra was gorgeous. It left quite the impression on my Mom, and it certainly was a great experience to meander through the decor. Seriously gorgeous. Makes me want to go back to Venice again. What’s interesting is that my Mom mentioned that the real Venice feels like a dying city, whereas this recreation is so enjoyable because it captures the dreamy quality without any of the nasty reality. She has a point. Everything in Vegas on the Strip is about fantasy and dreams. And as long as you don’t get lost in dreamland, it’s so fun to visit there.

That last day ended early, after lunch canalside, and walking the shops, we headed to the hotel. Where I collapsed into bed. I was really and truly exhausted and sick. So sick, that I couldn’t even finish my delicious meal and that is so not like me.  I’m really thankful that my Mom was cool with me killing the day passed out in bed, but I like to think it’s ’cause I packed all the other days full of enough adventures. Now, back to the real world, and on to dreaming up the next trip…