I’m getting seasick.

…and I’m not even on the boat yet.

I can’t find my cousins at the airport, so I’m guessing it means bye bye Christine, find your way to the hotel! Since I travel alone most of the time, I’m usually calm about things like this. …But not at 10:30pm in a country I’ve never been to before (but so excited to explore… if I get to the city in one piece).

“Vaporetto!” the lady at the counter says.

Wait, what? I’m getting on a boat? At this time? … Alone?

(Well, it is Venice, after all…)

When I agreed to tag along on a Mediterranean cruise with my cousin and her family, I was excited to get to travel, but honestly wasn’t expecting much adventure. Because, really, how exciting do cruises get? Almost half the population on the boat is over 60, you don’t have to scrimp for a meal, and buses take you to and from tour guide-led sightseeing around cities.

No one mentioned getting into a tiny water taxi this late at night—it was almost 11pm. With black water. Black water. Possibly my biggest fear.

I see the black water and all of a sudden I’m 8 again, watching that scene from The Princess Bride where Buttercup jumps into the water, trying to escape, and Vizzini yells at her from the boat:

“You hear that, Princess? Those are the shrieking eels. They always get louder just before they feed on human flesh!”

Holy moly.

I look around for a sign that I’m going to be fine, and see this guy on the dock, enjoying a smoke. Hmm, still creepy. I look in the boat and there’s one other guy with me; I think he looks like Tyler Brûleé.

Okay. Focus on fake Tyler.

I’m running on adrenaline as the engine starts, and I turn on my million-dollar data roaming to find out where in the world my cousins are, since they’ve conveniently left their phones on airplane mode, I bet. A Facebook message, really? They agree to meet me at the port nearest the hotel.

I’ve survived the little night ride (after a good hour & a half. Throw me on a 15-hour flight anytime, but black water…) and see them waving from the port.

“Baha dito!” they yell in Tagalog, laughing. (It’s flooded here!)

My eyes widen.

…So, about that time four years ago that it didn’t stop raining one day and I had to swim out of my house…

I can’t help but laugh. Venice, you’re officially one of my favorite places, sending me black water and flooding to keep me on my toes.

The dark port and a flooded Piazza San Marco seem to be smiling back at me. Here you go, Christine. Exciting enough for you?