MESTRE - It's the last day of the championship. The players are circulating in the tournament hall while they discuss their qualifications with each other. The Italian organizers are packing their things in their cars.
It is ‘ciao, ciao’ everywhere around me. “See you the next time.”
But I still owe you the story of the OEMC2011 couple that actually got married here, in Venice.
The wedding took place on Wednesday, July 6th; two days before the tournament actually started. The bride was Lone Irene - but she is not a competition player, so you probably do not know her. The groom was Lars Therkelsen. Lars is a strong Danish mahjong player (in the final classification of the OEMC2011, you will find him on the 18th position). Also present at the wedding: their son Oliver, since the couple has already been together for many years.
The wedding took place in a little Venetian church I do not know the name of. Problem was: actually the church was so unknown and so hard to find, that also many of the wedding guests could not find it. A somewhat bigger problem was that also the best men could not find it in time, so some random people had to be registered to make the ceremony official.
Lars and Lone are romantic people. That is why they choose for Venice as the location for their wedding. After the ceremony there was a little gathering where finally the guests arrived.
Since I did not hear from the wedding until afterward - and I only arrived the day after - I have to take their picture now, right here in the tournament hall. We are lucky: the salon orchestra has just started playing Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by W.A. Mozart. So I put them next to the orchestra. Another romantic setting.

Ae Oche

Later that day, I meet with lots of people in the pizzeria with the weird name of Ae Oche, just around the corner. Cheep food, great food, huge pizzas. Half of the remaining mahjong players appear to be here. So it is yet another reunion. Ildikó Hargital, the new European champion, is braiding the long hair of Dane Morten Andersen. She looks very happy with her title.
I have my favorite pizza: Quattro Stagione, the four seasons. And I had such a great lunch already at the Laguna Palace Hotel: potatoes, veal, pasta (penne) with Bolognese sauce; parmesan and Emmenthaler cheese. I will have to confess to Dicky that I did not stick to my diet at all. Look at the picture of me with Ildikó: I definitely will have to lose some weight again the coming weeks.
Tomorrow, I will fly home. Longing to see Dicky and the grandchildren again.