New Experiences!

Palma de Mallorca is an adorable little resort town.  It reminds me of Florida in a way—hotels and resorts, beaches, shopping, great weather, etc… We decided to take it a little easy here, and it was lovely.  

First, we took a shuttle into town and we immediately noticed the city wall, which surrounds the outer part of the city.  It is very large! Right inside the wall is the Seo Cathedral and the Alumdaina Palace which are both absolutely beautiful. The cathedral is from the 13^th century and the ornate interior was partly designed by Gaudi (much about him in my Barcelona post).  The doorway to the harbor is absolutely beautiful.  The palace is right in front of the cathedral and used to be the residence of Arab kings. It is full of paintings now.

After happening upon these impressive and important landmarks, we wandered further into town.  We did some shopping, and had some sangria. After this, we decided to go to the beach.  It was really beautiful on a beautiful day so all in all, we would say we loved Palma De Mallorca!

The next day, we travelled to where we were most excited to visit—Tunisia which is in the Northern part of Africa.  We did not really know this at the time, but it is a very Middle Eastern part of Africa.  All the people are Middle Eastern so they told us to dress very conservatively.  However, we did not even see one woman in a Berka. I still wore a long black sundress and kept my shoulders covered which was brutal in the 100 degree heat. 

We did a ship sponsored excursion this day because we didn’t feel comfortable “winging it” in Africa.  First, we visited a museum FULL of mosaics.  They were extremely impressive.  The mosaics are from all over Tunisia, and they are all from the floors of wealthy homes.  Even though we saw many of the mosaics on walls, that is just because they do not have room to have them all of the floors.  Some of them were simple patterns and some were very ornate.  We learned that the nicest mosaics were only in the dining room, as that is where they were shown off during parties.  They would incorporate different symbols to let their guests know certain things; for example, a wine bottle meant they had a cellar full of wine so the guests can drink as much as they want. 

After the museum, we went to a rug store.  This was one of the most interesting experiences of my life.  Apparently people come to Tunisia just to buy rugs.  The sales people in Tunisia are very, VERY pushy by our standards.  This pushiness, however, is completely normal in their culture.  After an impressive presentation of their selection of rugs, the guide gave us free time to look around and possibly buy rugs if we wanted to.  I wanted to buy one so badly, as we need one anyway.  However, they were definitely out of our budget.   In order to find out they were too expensive for us though, we had to ask how much they were.  The guy was suddenly ON US. “This one is $10,000,” he said.  We replied that we certainly could not afford that.  “What can you afford then? What about this one? This one is only $1200.”  We replied that we would have to think about it—even though that was still wayyyy out of our budget. “No! No! No thinking! Why would you come here and not leave with a souvenir? In America these are 5 times as much!” We understand this, we explained, but we cannot afford it. “What can you afford?! What is your budget?!” Craig refused to give a budget because he knew that would lock us in so to speak.  After about 15 minutes of this, we decided to leave the room.  It didn’t end there however.  He followed us out of the room, through the hall, down the stairs, and through the store.  We started looking at other souvenirs and another guy started questioning us. We quickly left the store. It is very overwhelming. Again, it is just part of their culture but wow!

After the rug store and lunch, we went to the city of Sidi Bau Said.  This was like the rug store but slightly less pushy, and times 1000 stores.  I wanted to buy some pashminas so we started looking.  The guy saw us looking and rushed right over.  He wouldn’t give us a price until after we picked out what we wanted.  After showing us his veryyy large collection of scarves, we picked out 3 and finally asked—how much?  He replied: 90 Euros. Hahahahaha. 90 Euros! That is like $140. For 3 scarves which you can buy anywhere! In fact I just bought one for 5 Euros in Pisa. So we laughed at him—told him we were thinking more like 10 Euros and then we began to bargain.  After a while, we got into it. It’s sort of fun.  At one point I actually walked out and Craig looked at the guy and said: “She’s the boss and she says we have to go”.  Eventually we agreed on 12 Euros.  We did this again to get an amazing bowl that I fell in love with—don’t know how we will be getting that home but that is neither here nor there.  After experiencing the culture for a day we really got used to it.  We got 2 of them for 40 Euros, all the way down from 1 for 200!

As we left, we were discussing how it was fun to haggle with the people—and you really begin to tell stories about yourselves.  He has 3 kids at home he needs to support! We are students…on our honeymoon! Ahhh congratulations! We give you 10 Euro discount! And so on. You get to know people this way and I think that is half of the point of it all.

All in all we got to experience a completely different country, continent and culture—and that makes for an amazing day! 

Barcelona--Favorite City of All Time!

So today we arrive in Barcelona around lunchtime and are staying overnight! We take off tomorrow evening at 10pm so we have plenty of time in a city that needs plenty of time.  As most of you know, my abroad adventures began in Barcelona—I spent 5 months here in 2007 before I moved to Greece and met Craig.  But I never mind coming back to my favorite city, and I can’t wait to show the city to my husband.

For those that are planning on visiting to Barcelona: I highly recommend the hop on hop off tour.  I don’t recommend these in every city, but in Barcelona it’s really a great way to see a lot of stuff.  They have a 2 day pass so if you are in the city for 2 or more days, I would do that. There are two companies and they are basically the same. 

 My number one “must do” in Barcelona is Sagrada Familia. It is by far one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.  I would put it on par with the Sistine Chapel.  Gaudi was an architect in Barcelona in the early 1900s and he has many amazing works all throughout the city of Barcelona.  The most amazing, in my and most people’s opinions, is Sagrada Familia. It is truly indescribable—when I can post pictures (internet is wayyyy too slow) I will or you could just google it to see what I am talking about.  The church is yet to be finished and I honestly cannot imagine it ever being finished.  Gaudi passed away in 1926 and there is still so much left to be done.  For example: there are only 4 towers finished now and there will someday be either 16 or 20 (can’t remember which right now).  If any of you get to Sagrada Familia and see the line, there is always a long line, and want to turn back—don’t.  It is so completely worth it.  We would also recommend getting the audio tour on the headphones.  It’s only like 4 Euros and the church is amazing but all of it makes way more sense and is far more impressive when you know what you are looking at.

Among many many works that Gaudi has, others I would recommend are Parc Guell, and two famous houses he built—Casa Batllo and La Pedrera.  All are worth seeing and touring.  If you go to Parc Guell, I would recommend going early.  Once it gets later there are just throngs of tourists and it’s not as enjoyable.  It is also quite a hike so those who are not up for that should keep it in mind.  Casa Batllo and La Pedrera are now museums dedicated to Gaudi—with the outside being absolutely stunning and the inside being incredibly interesting.

Another “must do” in Barcelona is Las Ramblas. This is a long street full of vendors and street performers.  It is definitely an experience to walk up and down—I love sitting at the cafes and people watching. You can see anything here—every time I go it’s completely different.  This time, Craig and I saw a John Wayne impersonator, hip hop dancers, a robot, a bunch of guys doing a card trick which seemed like a way to rip people of but we aren’t sure how, and so much more.  Along Las Ramblas there is the Mercat which is a huge market.  Absolutely go into the market—it is such a sight! They have stalls with all fruit, all candy, all nuts, etc… it is so beautiful!  They have popsicle treats and all sorts of fruit to eat on the go if you want to get a snack! This is when I dropped and broke our camera so we didn’t get to take that many pictures.  However, I have some great pictures from the last time I went that I can post!

The food in Spain is absolutely incredible.  Aside from Sangria—my favorite—they have the best sea food you can get.  I would always recommend getting the seafood paella—as it is a Spanish specialty.  However, make sure to get it from a good place.  It can be easy to go to a touristy place in Barcelona and overpay for bad food.  One place you cannot go wrong is the Port.  It will not be cheap, but it will be very, very good.

Something I had never done before that we did this time is stop at the National Art Museum of Catalan.  Catalan is the region of Spain where Barcelona is—and this is the main museum of their art.  It was very impressive, but our favorite part was the view outside.  We got some great pictures from here with the entire city of Barcelona behind us. Definitely worth a quick hop off the tour bus to get this picture!  

I could go on and on and on, as there is SO much to do in Barcelona. Anyone who is going can always e-mail me for more details! We ended our evening at Port Olympic which is a huge street of bar after bar after bar! You cannot go wrong on a night out here! We had an absolute blast!

Craig LOVES Barcelona and it was just as amazing as I remember! I was sad to say goodbye but we have so much more to come! Up next: Palma de Mallorca, Spain and Tunisia, Africa! :)

Monte Carlo and the Flash Mob!

Monaco is a very interesting country.  First of all, it is the 2^nd smallest country—right after the Vatican (which isn’t a “real” country in most people’s eyes—it’s like a city that they call a country because the Pope lives there).  At some point in its history (I can’t remember now because I’m on my 2^nd glass of wine) Monaco lost a lot of its land, and therefore income (it mainly exported fruit).  Because of this, it was pretty much going down the drain when Prince someone or another suggested they open a casino and become gambling town.  

This saved the country, as it became the rich man’s Vegas. A decade or so later, the King made it tax free for the people living there, which obviously attracted a huge amount of wealthy people.  It’s a very small country—they have very little land to work with—so the city has grown up instead of out.  A way it did grow out some was when, about 100 years ago, they decided to reclaim land from the sea and build it up.  About half of Monaco’s square mileage is there because of what they have built up from the sea.  Now Monte Carlo is full of very tall sky-scraper apartments and hotels, amazing yachts, and the nicest cars we have ever seen.

We did a “hop on hop off” tour to see Nice, France, and Monte Carlo, Monaco.  The whole day was amazing, we would highly recommend visiting.  However, the highlight of our day is probably not something that would happen on your trip.  We decided to take a break for a latte outside the infamous Monte Carlo Casino.  This is the most well known square in the city, as the 2 most well known casinos, and a very well known hotel—Hotel Paris—are there.  These are supposedly what put Monte Carlo on the map.  So we decide to have a (quite overpriced) latte at the Café Paris around 2:00pm. When we arrived, there were a bunch of reserved tables spread out in the outdoor patio area.  At one point, we noticed someone setting up a camera.  My first thought is that maybe someone famous is coming in the café, like Oprah, hahaha.  But then, people dressed in jeans and different colored shirts start to walk in and take the reserved tables.  All of their shirts are different colors, but are the same style—plain T shirts.  More cameras are set up and there are lots of people talking to the colored shirt people—do they need water? Are they nervous?  What stands out to me the most is that they are obviously together (with the similar dress) but are not sitting together… they are all spread out.  At some point, I turn to Craig and say, “I bet it’s a flash mob.” Craig replies, “No way.”  He insists for the next 15 minutes that it is not a flash mob, and I insist that it is.

Suddenly the awnings above us retract and one guy stands up and starts singing. Another guy joins him, and then 2 more and then slowly their whole group does as well.  There are about 30 of them and they sing and dance for the next 10 minutes.  Everyone laughs and claps and thoroughly enjoys the performance.  And then, they just sit down like it never happened.  I have wanted to see (well be in, but at the very least see) a flash mob for the past 2 years and seeing this made my day.

After that, we did some walking through an amazing park, bought some souvenirs, and took a “boat bus” back to our ship.  All and all it was a fabulous day! 

The Honeymoon Begins.... First, Tuscany!

After waking up with a slight (or strong for others) hangover and flying from Santorini to Milan, (laying over 8 hours), and Milan to Rome, we arrived into Rome very late on July 9^th.  If any of you have heard my “Rome story,” you will understand that I was not thrilled that our honeymoon cruise embarks and disembarks in Rome.  (For those who haven’t heard the story, in a nutshell: myself and 2 of my girlfriends stayed in a horrible hostel, got robbed, ended up in the middle of nowhere with no place to sleep, and were continually followed around by very, very creepy guys. We all swore we would never return.)  However, I sucked it up and went back.  My one condition was that we stayed in a Hilton (or similar) hotel. And we did.  We definitely paid WAY too much to stay in the airport Hilton hotel.  However, walking from the flight to our room after 12 hours of travelling made it worth every penny.

The next morning we made our way down to the port (which is about an hour and half to 2 hours for anyone attempting to do this), and we began our honeymoon cruise.  The AMAZING itinerary looks like this:

July 10^th: Leave from Rome

July 11^th: Livorno (Tuscany)

July 12^th: Monte Carlo, Monaco

July 13^th: Barcelona, Spain (overnight)

July 14^th: Barcelona, Spain

July 15^th: Palma de Mallorca, Spain

July 16^th: At Sea

July 17^th: Tunisia, Africa

July 18^th: Sicily

July 19^th: Naples

July 20^th: Rome

July 21^st: At sea

July 22^nd: Croatia

July 23^rd: Corfu, Greece

July 24^th: Katakolon, Greece

July 25^th: back to Santorini J

July 26^th: Turkey

July 27^th: Athens, Greece

July 28^th: At Sea

July 29^th: Messina, Italy

July 30^th: disembark in Rome to head HOME!

I have only been on one cruise and this is Craig’s first so we weren’t completely sure what to expect.  20 days is a long time to be in a very small room, especially because I get sea sick sometimes.  However, we were thrilled with the ship and room when we arrived.  We have a verandah deck with chairs and tables—where we eat breakfast most mornings and have a drink before dinner most evenings.  3 pools, 8 hot tubs, 11 bars, 7 restaurants, live music all the time, etc… etc…  One (slight) downside is the age of people onboard. To be fair, however, we were warned of this.  It is either older, retired or already dead people or families with kids.  There are VERY few people even close to our age. However, we have met some incredibly interesting people.  Many of the couples we have sat with at night are celebrating their 20^th, 30^th, 40^th wedding anniversaries.  They have also been all over the world.  Everyone is very nice, so we don’t really mind that there aren’t a bunch of mid-20s on board.  Besides, we didn’t come on the ship to meet people, or to watch the shows…. We came for the amazing itinerary. And to be together :)

Our first stop is in Livorno, Italy which is the main port in Tuscany.  Pisa is about 30 minutes from here and Florence is about 1 ½ hours.  A 90 minute drive each way was a little much for us, so we decided to enjoy Livorno and Pisa. 

Many people do excursions at every stop on cruises.  Craig and I, however, feel pretty comfortable going out and doing things ourselves.  Plus, it is way easier on the budget. The excursion to Pisa, for example, was $189 per person.  We spent about 100 Euros total, which is about $150.  This worked out to quite a bit less than half.  That total includes what we spent on eating/drinking/souvenirs, which obviously isn’t included in the excursion.  So, if you don’t mind putting in some effort, waiting in a line or 2, and rolling with the punches—we would say 80% of cities can easily be done on your own. 

In Livorno, we took a quick shuttle to the town and went to the tourist information center.  There, we bought tickets to get to Pisa and back, and then to ride a boat through the canals of Livorno. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most interesting things I have ever seen.  We found out that when the tower began to lean, engineers actually raced to “save it”. They put lead weights in the base to balance it (so it wouldn’t fall) and for 10 or so years, they tried to figure out how to straighten it out.  However, it suddenly became a tourist attraction, and soon the engineers were called off.  These days, setting it level would be “unthinkable”!! “Then it would just be a tower,” Craig said. “Who would come to see that?” And he is right—no one would. Because everyone, including both of us, really only cared about one thing—getting a picture where it looks like we are holding the tower up.  And despite the “police” yelling at everyone for being on the grass, we did just that!

All around Pisa there are the tourist booths that sell everything from pasta to picture frames to all sorts of Pinocchio items (apparently he is from Pisa? We aren’t sure but we bought a Pinocchio wine opener just to be safe). You find these shops in any touristy area, and we love them.  You can always (and should) bargain down the prices and you can find some great things! We left with a picture frame (which I get from each place we go), a fridge magnet (our new thing we decided to do), a wine opener (too cute to pass up), and 2 pajminas (because 5 Euros each is a great deal!).  After a Tuscan meal and some Tuscan wine, we were very satisfied with our day and returned to the ship!

Next stop… Monte Carlo, Monaco! 

The Ceremony and Reception!! The definition of perfection!

So after the near death experience and complete freak out, we arrived back the hotel only an hour behind schedule.  This wasn’t really an issue though, because my appointments for hair and makeup had yet to start. I came into the bridal suite and all the girls were in their adorable red silk robes getting ready! I am so glad we got the robes because everyone looked so cute.  I showered and put on my white robe, and the fun really began.  Hair first, then makeup, and of course eating a gyro (only in Greece will a bride be getting her hair done while eating a gyro).

I had taken my dress to be steamed the day before (on the back of a quad no less) and it was picked up and arrived in plenty of time.  As my brother was bringing it in, however, he went to hang it up and knocked over a glass of RED WINE.  My mom, in a superwoman moment, moved faster than the speed of light and hit the cup in the other direction.  She literally SAVED the DAY! I was turning away from her as it happened but the make-up artist said she had never seen anyone move so quickly.  The red wine was quickly put away. What we were thinking having red wine there in the first place is a wonderful question.  Brides: don’t follow in those footsteps.

After doing pictures of the dress, Emily, the photographer, went down to do the boys getting ready pictures.  All the boys in the bridal party wore kilts which was awesome.  They all looked so great and it was so much fun! However, kilts are very, very hot, because there are many layers and it is made of wool.  As my brother Chris was super hung over, as per usual, and it was 90 degrees outside, he wasn’t feeling so well.  Right as Emily was taking a shot, Chris turned and threw up.  Emily said in all the weddings she has ever done, she has never ever seen that take place. I am glad to say I did not witness it, but the story was told over and over throughout the evening, as it will continue to be for years to come I am sure.  

As soon as everyone was ready, we did more pictures and soon it was time to head to Santo Wines.  A bus picked up everyone besides Kayla and I, and we were taken in a private car.  The driver honked the horn the entire time, and we waved to everyone we passed.  It was almost like being an actual princess.

The ceremony went smoothly—and it was truly amazing.  I walked down the aisle as the sun was beginning to set, and as we said our own vows to each other, I had the overwhelming feeling of calm, happiness, and perfection.  I married my best friend, with loved ones around, in the most beautiful place in the world.  Literally nothing could be better than that.

After the ceremony, some pictures, and some Santo Wine, we got in the bus/car and rode up to Fira for the reception dinner.  Fira is an amazing town on the cliffs of Santorini.  All the houses and restaurants are built with literally no room in between them.  There are cobblestone roads that lead up and down so that people can get to the top and see the incredible view.  (Walking up the cobblestone stairs with 4 inch heels and a huge hoop dress was quite interesting to say the least—but with my new husband, maid of honor and best man, we made it all the way up).  If you have seen many pictures of Santorini, Fira is very well known for the long, bending road that leads all the way down to the water.   It is also well known for the donkeys that take people up and down it. (Donkeys are sacred to the Greeks—they are considered the lost souls of their people.  However, there is also a cable car for those that are not a fan of riding the cute little donkeys, such as me).  At the top of the mountain, there are many restaurants with the amazing view of the sea and volcano.  At Argo, where we chose to have our dinner, there is a large balcony that can seat 70.  We rented it all out so that we could have a little privacy to drink and dance.  Just as we arrived, the sun was setting in the horizon, and the view was absolutely breathtaking.  Michael Danby, a great friend of ours from Australia, played his guitar and sang all our favorite songs.  The dance floor was full the entire evening.

 As people started to taper off and go home in taxis, the younger crowd was not ready to end the thus-far perfect night. So, instead of taking taxis to the hotel, 4 loads of us took them to none other than Beach Bar.  In our dresses, and kilts, we continued our reception at the place where it all began. 

<3 

Santorini and Preparing for THE Big Day!

So here we are—finally settled in Santroni, Greece. We are staying in Perissa Beach, which is the beach that Craig and I worked on in the summer of 2007.  Santorini is divided into 5 main parts… and we decided to stay in Perissa so that we could be on a beach, and be in the place where we truly fell in love.  Since being here 4 years ago, so much has changed, yet everything is the same. Everywhere we go, we recognize people from that summer.  Everyone asks what we are doing here and we tell them we came back to get married.  After 2 or 3 days, the word has spread.  Everywhere we go, everyone knows who we are.  This probably also has something to do with the fact that we have brought 36 people with us, and many of them are loud Americans.

On July 6^th we do the sunset dinner cruise of Oia, the hot springs and the volcano.  We do this with the entire group!  It is a very great thing to do—THE thing to do if you ever visit the island.  The dinner is definitely optional, as it was mediocre.   However, the sunset tour is truly amazing and a great way to see Santorini.  Everyone loved it.  On board, when it is time for dinner, they tell us to go to a special area.  “The Big American Family,” they say, we need to eat from a different buffet. And from here on out, we are known as the Big American Family here for the Big Fat Greek Wedding. 

After the sunset tour, which was meant to take 4 hours and took nearly 7, we were scheduled to have the (3^rd and 2^nd respectively) bachelorette and bachelor parties.  Despite the fact that we were exhausted, we sure did just that.  Craig’s brothers had planned a fabulous “Stag Due” (aka bachelor party) in Fira, but by the time we got back and showered, it looked as if we were all going to be staying in Perissa for the evening. So the girls and the guys split up—knowing we would eventually meet at Beach Bar anyway.  (Beach bar, by the way, is where everyone ends up every night in Perissa AND where Craig actually introduced himself to me!)  Craig’s evening was filled with lots of drinking and just about everything else you can imagine—including the Greek cliché plate breaking (which is amazingly fun btw)! The ladies’ evening was filled with many cocktails and free shots… Oh, and possibly some dancing on the tables/bars by the younger ladies ;)

The following morning at the (seemingly) very early hour of 11:00am, we had our rehearsal at Santo Wines Winery.  About a year ago when I told Craig about the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner—he was very confused.  So confused, in fact, that he inquired why American’s need to rehearse the dinner?  I found this absolutely hilarious until his mother and brothers all asked the same thing.  Apparently this is an American thing. 

However, at this “American thing,” my family got to see Santo Wines.  While they had always been supportive of us coming to Greece for our wedding, I think they always thought we were a little crazy.  However, I think as they walked up to Santo Wines and saw the view, they finally completely understood.  The view from Santo Wines is BY FAR the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and apparently the most beautiful place most people have been.  The view is truly magical and the pictures, although amazing, cannot do it justice.  As we practiced walking down the aisle, in our “Team Bride” shirts which my A.M.A.Z.I.N.G maid of honor Kayla made, I felt a true feeling of calm and happiness.  After a year and a half (or 10 years if we are honest) of planning, the day was finally so close we could taste it!

After the rehearsal, we had my rehearsal hair-do. Because of this, we decided to do some of our pictures that day. Because Oia, where we want to get pictures, is 40 minutes away, going there on the day of the wedding is just really unfeasible.  I guess it is possible, but it would have been miserable. So, at the suggestion of our photographer, we put on the dress and kilt and got them out of the way on the 7^th.  It is a long and hot day but the experience in Oia was truly inexplicable.  Thousands of people congratulated us, took pictures with us, and even threw flowers off their balconies as we walked.  There aren’t really many words to explain how amazing the experience was—but there will be pictures ;)

That night, the Sangria and Ozou flowed, and Greek food was served till we were stuffed.  Some tear jerking speeches from my Uncle Mike and Uncle B brought the night to a close, and it became very apparent that all 36 of these people had come SO incredibly far just for us.  We are truly lucky and blessed people.

The day of your wedding is supposed to be the picture perfect day.  Every woman pictures getting ready in her bridal suite, all her closest people around, a glass of champagne in her hand, feeling the calmest she has ever felt.  Enter: reality.  When you decide to have a wedding in GREECE and have the family that I do, the day may or may not go as smooth.

The entire 5 days we have been in Perissa, I have been meaning to go out to Fira to where we are having the reception dinner to meet with the owner and prepare some things.  I have had loftly plans of this every single day and every single day I failed.  Somehow, hosting 36 people in a foreign country got in the way and I absolutely did not have time.  And somehow, this means I am heading up to Fira today. Being that we will be there for dinner in a matter of hours, it seems I have no choice. But, this will not be an issue, right?  Fira is a quick 15 minute drive, and I should be back within the hour.

Ha.

Ha.

I wake up and my Maid of Honor Kayla has an infection in her feet.  Both of her feet are basically three times the normal size. As Kayla has been the best maid of honor EVER, she has taken on a great deal of tasks.  And as her feet are so swollen she cannot walk, it seems someone else needs to take on these tasks.  Delegate, right.

So instead of leaving at 10am, we leave around 11.  The girls are getting ready in the suite at 12pm but my appointments aren’t until 2. I have pleantyyyy of time………………….

In Santorini, everyone rents 4 wheelers (or quads) and motorcycle scooter things to get around. Our family has had a number of these both throughout the trip.  Being that the island is only 8 miles long, it is very easy to get from here to there and they are also very fun.  Craig and I have had a “quad” but this morning it is out of gas.  Since we are already late, we decide to take a scooter which is full of gas. This was a GREAT idea, people, let me tell you.

Apparently my soon to be husband has never ridden one of these, or if he has, it hasn’t been in a LONG time. We are sitting parked on the left side of the street and my Dad is sitting on the right.  As we go to take off, Craig literally swirves and comes within inches of crashing into my Dad and sister.  Let me remind you, this is ON. MY. WEDDING. DAY.  The bride, groom, father of the bride and maid of honor are all fairly important people in the wedding and all of us almost died.  Craig will protest that I am exaggerating, but anyone who was standing nearby will tell you the opposite.  It was effing scary.

So, Craig recovers and starts driving in a semi straight line but I am officially in freak-out-I-almost-died-mode.  Since all of you have met me, you can understand how dramatic this may have been.  I was screaming.  For my life.  He finally pulled over and let me off the bike.  I screamed at him for almost killing us but he eventually talked me into getting back on the bike.  He explained to me that me screaming at the top of my lungs somehow did not make him any better of a driver (hmm?) and so as I got back on the bike, I did my best to stay as quiet as possible.  For 15 minutes we drove and I was (on the outside) as calm as possible. Cool as a cucumber.  On the inside I am saying “Hail mary full of grace…” over and over again.  I think I went through and entire rosary in the 15 minutes of driving.  He also then nearly crashes about 3 more times.  I attempt to stay as calm as possible and continue to pray for my life.

Then Craig makes a wrong turn and so we basically stop in a parking lot.  I ask him if I can get off for a minute, he obliges, and I definitely start hyperventilating. I have never hyperventilated before, and I have had “mini freak out modes” in the past—but this was a full on I-cannot-breathe, crying-hysterically, I-will-never-get-on-the-back-of-that-bike-with-you-again-mode.  People were coming up from the stores giving us water and asking if we were ok.  I was literally not ok.  Our phones worked over there so I called my Mom.  I told her I have never been so scared in my life and I cannot possibly get on the back of the bike with Craig.  She sends my Dad out to pick me up on a quad and the 3 of us go to Fira together. I eventually calm down, come back, and begin to have my picture perfect wedding day….

The Beginning of Our Wedding Adventure!

Hello Friends and Family!

Craig and I decided to write a blog in order to keep in touch this month! As we are visiting 17 places, we will be able to keep in touch with you all and tell you about our amazing adventures!

The past week, we have been in Santorini, Greece. It was absolutely AMAZING!! But I will start with the journey there, which was pretty brutal. Trying to get abroad on a limited budget always means you will be frustrated and inconvenienced.  And that was definitely the case on the way to Greece.

We left Saint Louis on August 1^st, at 10:00 in the morning.  In the week before, I took my wedding dress to the shop where I bought it so they could help me fit it into a carry on suitcase.  After spending hours on the phone with the 5 different airlines we are taking this trip, we decided a carry on rolly suitcase would be easily carried and transferred—and it would be more protected than in a garment bag.

However, when we got to the gate in St. Louis, we have to measure the carry ons in one of those boxes.  Low and behold, mine and Craig’s were packed a little too much and they didn’t quite fit.  She told us that we would have to check them.  Now brides, and other ladies, I hope some of you can understand my horror.  I spent a great deal of money on my DREAM wedding dress.  It is not the type of dress you would expect someone to wear in an island wedding.  It is big and beautiful!  Then, some woman at a desk tells you that we must give it to them, to go down into the world where people working for the airlines really don’t care whether people get their bags or not. Craig and I have lost bags before and they have never been recovered. It was  devastating to replace so many things. But my 13 pairs of shoes were replaceable. My dream wedding dress is not.

I literally starting tearing up.  Not sobbing, of course, but I started tearing up.  I think part of this was pure exhaustion and stress, but part of it was the dress.  We pleaded with them to keep it in the captain’s closet or something that would allow us to have it where we felt more comfortable. Well, the tears and pleading of a bride worked and they let it on board.  The woman at the counter suggested I get a garment bag, and so when we arrived in New York, that is exactly what I did.

In New York, we staying in Long Island with my brother’s (David) girlfriend’s (Keira) parents (Patricia and Louis).  They were so kind to us and of course took us out to Huntington.  What a fun town! Expensive, yes. Lots of fake (boobs), yes. But so fun. We attempted to get to bed at a decent time, as we had a lot more traveling to do.

Amazingly, 20 people attending the wedding were all leaving from Newark airport at 5:30pm on August 2^nd, and we left at the exact same time from JFK.  We booked different flights because we had plans to fly with friends, who sadly could not make it in the end. It was sad to fly just the two of us when we knew my family was all together, but eventually we ended up in Athens together.  A quick 30 minute flight to Santorini, and we had finally arrived—at 7:00pm on August 3^rd.

 But the fun didn’t end there. When we arrived at our “5 star hotel,” they had given away our rooms. Most of the people in our party had reserved suites.  My Uncle B’s family had reserved an apartment so that him, his wife, and their 4 kids could all stay in a room.  The apartment was not available when we arrived because “a lady broke both of her feet and needed to stay there”.  Ok…. But what about the other 2 suites that we reserved and aren’t available.  Uncle B: “Did someone else break both of their arms?” Hahahahahahaha.  It quickly became apparent that they never had any intention in putting us in the rooms we requested and that this was a regular custom for them.   And if I am honest, bridezilla Meagan came out a little here and eventually, it was semi resolved/we semi accepted that we are in Greece and sh*t happens.

From here on out, the trip was mostly a breeze! And the wedding was absolutely fantastic! But more about that tomorrow! Hope you all are doing so well! We love and miss you!

Xo

The Moodies