Italian Honeymoon, part IXb: Tuscan Villages (and how we honeymooned with my mother in law)

Missed the first part of this story? Check it out here.

I was doing my best to forget that we were traveling basically one day behind my MIL and her friend (M) during our honeymoon, but occasionally Eric would tease that he saw them in the villages we toured. I laughed it off as a total impossibility--what were the chances? We hadn't coordinated our schedules any further than a general location and had no idea which days we'd be in which cities.

So when half-way through our day in Siena E was convinced he saw his mom's friend I slapped him and told him to stop kidding around and just enjoy the day.

But walked up closer to the steps at the baptistery to get a closer look. Sure enough, there was M and my MIL on an audio walking tour not 100 feet in front of us.

I was anxious and would have probably rather just pretended not to see them, when Eric got this idea to go surprise her. And not in a good way.

He told me to get out my camera and started creeping up behind MIL. Here's the scene:

and he goes for it

Let's take a look at that a little closer, shall we?

Yes, my husband snatched his mother's purse in a busy town in Italy. But before she realized who her purse snatcher was, she screamed bloody murder, and afterwards was so shook up (from surprise at seeing us as well as being 'robbed') I felt really bad! I don't think E did, though.

Because they were on a guided tour, we had only enough time to ask how things were going, take a photo together, and be on our way.

We didn't see them again after that, but I have to admit it was strange to come home and compare pictures of the exact same places on the same days--our honeymoon vs. their vacation.

But from now on, we're calling travel 'dibs' first!

If you went on your honeymoon to the same location at the Inlaw's vacation, would you change your plans? Ask them to change theirs?

Was I overreacting?