Europe Part 2 - 2012

Welcome to Part Two of my travels in Europe....I started yesterday with my first stop in Paris, and today I'm going to continue with the first part of our time in Italy.

I was super excited to go to Italy for a couple of reasons....firstly, we had been there a few years ago and I fell in love with the place!  On our previous trip we had visited Rome, Florence & Venice, and I immediately fell in love with the places, the people and of course, the food!  So I was excited to re-visit this amazing country and visit a different area, Sorrento!  I was also excited because we would be attending the wedding of my nephew Alex and his lovely fiancee Francesca.  It was a major family event, and I would be seeing all my family together for the first time in many years!  My parents, sister & hubby and son flew in from Cyprus, my brother & his partner and his three children all flew in from London, as well as many other friends and family from different parts of the globe including Australia, Canada and America!  There were to be 187 people who flew in for the wedding, and a total of 300 people would be attending the wedding!

So, after a long and arduous journey to our hotel that involved planes, trains & automobiles, we had finally arrived at our destination where where we would remain for the next two weeks.  The hotel we were staying at was gorgeous, aptly named Hotel Mediterraneo, and we couldn't have asked for a lovlier setting.  Once we showered and changed we headed to the hotel that family were staying at for the big reunion.

It was an amazing night, and we were almost overwhelmed by seeing everyone at once....yes I did get a little teary, especially when I saw my oldest brother (the father of the groom) whom I hadn't seen in about 6 years!  Seeing the kids was also a big highlight for me.  I say kids, but they are all grown up now and some of them Bob my hub hadn't seen since our wedding over 14 years ago!  It was so wonderful chatting to them and seeing how they have evolved over the years to become adults with their own lives, opinions and personalities.  I felt extremely proud that they have all turned out to be great young men and women and it's a credit to my siblings and the job they've done as parents.

After a long night of drinking, eating and catching up, we said our goodbyes until the following night when there was to be a 'pre-wedding party'.  So again we went over to the hotel where there were even more people, some of whom I hadn't seen in about 30 years if you can believe that!  The drinks flowed and everyone was in high spirits and anticipating the wedding which was to follow the next day, and the excitement was palpable!

The big day had arrived - the wedding day of Alex & Francesca and I was extremely excited!  Finally I would get to wear my outfit and fascinator that I had ordered from London!  I wore a black jump suit in chiffon (although you'll see from the pics it's actually hard to tell that it was a jump suit!), and the pant part of the outfit was pleated and sheer from the knee down.  I had found a thin chiffon shrug with a large sequinned cuff that I paired it with, and added lots of strands of pearls as the main accessory.  Finally I added my black fascinator to complete the outfit.  My husband Bob was wearing a cream colored linen suit with pale blue shirt, patterned tie and a matching blue pocket square, and I have to say he looked very dapper!

Off we went to the hotel where everyone was meeting for a traditional Greek ritual that we perform prior to the church ceremony.  This ritual is one that is very old and one that I love.  Basically family and friends of whomever is getting married (in this case Alex), bless them.  While traditional folk music is being played and in this case my brother asked my father to sing during this ritual something called 'chatista', which is almost a form of Greek poetry that is sung, the family and friends take it in turns to bless the groom.  The best man (in this case the grooms brother, Jason), then performs the ritual of helping the groom get dressed in his wedding suit and performs 'the last shave'.  So as you can gather, there was a lot going on, and I always find these rituals very moving and emotional, and watching my dad sing the traditional folk songs as his grandson was being blessed was especially emotional.

After this we were all (all 300 of us!) taken by boat (yes, I said boat!) to Positano which is where the church service was being held. This was a surprise to all of the guests, as no-one knew we were going to be taken by boat, and it was a real treat.  The scenery en route was beautiful, and the view as we were approaching Positano was amazing!  The church the service was held in was ornate and gorgeous as you'll see in the pictures, and when the lovely bride Francesca arrived the look on Alex's face was priceless!  She looked amazing!  As soon as the bride and groom were pronounced to be husband and wife there was a roaring cheer and shouts of 'bravo'!

Next we took the boat back to Sorrento where we were taken to a restaurant overlooking the bay of Naples!  Seriously!  The venue was fantastic, beautifully set up and we were treated to a sumptuous seven-course meal, that's after the delicious canapes we all had prior to the meal, and then there was a display of the most amazing desserts I think I've ever seen.  Top that with an Italian group who went round to every table and sang, the tarantella, Greek music, amazing speeches, a HUGE firework display, and well....you get the gist of it, right?  This was a wedding to be remembered!  I think Bob and I left at around 2.30am, but I believe it finished at around 4am!

I cannot tell you how wonderful this family wedding experience was for me.  It was amazing on so many levels that it's hard for me to articulate.  Take away all the lavish wedding experiences and it was so special just to have so many people that are so dear to me be in the same place all at once.  When you live so far away from the people you love you sometimes forget what's important.  And what this experience did for me was highlight how important family and friends are, and that no matter how far away you are or how rarely you see people, that bond will always be there.

I have attached some pictures for you to share this experience with me and hopefully enjoy...tomorrow I will continue the journey in Italy after the wedding celebrations...

Me having a drink at our hotel just before heading out to the reunion on the first night.

My wonderful mum and dad....

Me and my brother Mike at the pre-wedding night celebrations the night before the wedding.

Me and my lovely neice Natasha...

Me blessing Alex, the groom...

More blessings...

Me with neice Natasha and my brother Mike's partner, Zuzannah...

Me with my nephew Gregory...

Me with brother Mike and one of his son's, James...

Me and the hub...

Me and my nephew and Godson Michael...

the three siblings together....James, Natasha & Michael...

Coming in to Positano by boat...

On the boat...

The bride Francesca arrives...

During the service...

Me and brother Evis at reunion (also father of the groom)...

Me, brother Mike, and sister Chrissy...

Alex being blessed by best man and brother Jason...

Me and my sis Chrissy...

Me and the goom, nephew Alex...

The boys...James, Michael, Alex, Gregory, and Loucas (a cousin)...

Alex with his two aunts...

Alex on the boat en route to Positano...

Me on the boat looking rather wind-swept...

My brother-in-law Mario wearing my fascinator and my uncle....a lot of alcohol had clearly been consumed!

The wedding cake!

The proud parents of the groom - brother Evis and his wife Maggie...

the happy couple!

Europe Part 1 - 2012

As many of you know, I just recently returned from a mammoth trip to Europe that included Paris, Italy & a brief stop in London.  I have been away for just under a month and was unable to write my blog while away, but now that I'm back and I'm fully rested from all my travelling, I am ready and raring to go again!

I took many, many pics while away, and I promised before I left that I would be posting pics and commentary upon my return.  Over the next few days I will be writing about my travels and posting pictures for you to see, starting with Paris which was our first stop.

I have been to Paris many, many times over the years, but no matter how many times I've been, I can never get enough of this amazing city.  Paris is many things, including romantic, historical, chic, ecclectic, and of course breathtakingly beautiful!  Over the years I've done all the standard 'touristy' things that one has to do when in Paris, but now when I go I really just like to soak up the feel of Paris, and I love nothing more than sitting outside a cafe sipping on a cafe au lait and people-watching.  And trust me, I did plenty of that!

My husband Bob and I had three days in Paris at the start of our trip, and even though we were feeling tired upon our arrive as it's almost impossible to sleep on the overnight flights, we dumped our bags at the hotel and went straight out.  We always find it's the best thing to do to get on European time which is 7 hours ahead of U.S. time, so we wanted to stay up as long as we could and not waste any precious time in Paris!  We got on the Metro (the French subway system) and headed to an area called The Left Bank.  I love this area!  It's quite an 'arty' area, with lots to see while walking around.  Artists display their works and there are many small and interesting art galleries in this area too.  There are cafes and restaurants everywhere, and it's hard to know where to go to avoid the 'tourist trap', but whenever we spot the locals, that's where we head because it's sure to be a good place if the locals go there!

We spent the day wandering around this area, stopping several times to enjoy a coffee and people-watch, and in the evening we found a charming little bistro where we stopped for a meal and bottle of red wine. My hub can never pass up the opportunity for a Parisian creme brulee which he enjoyed on more than one occasion! For me, I can never get enough of the pates and French cheeses with fresh crusty French bread, and I took the opportunity to have this as often as I could! (You'll see in the pics below a display of local cheeses that we found in The Left Bank - I was in heaven!).  Of course you can't leave France without trying one of their infamous crepes, which we also did (see pic below).

One of many things that always strikes me about the Parisians is how effortlessly chic they always look, and this goes for the men as well as the women.  I don't think I saw a badly dressed Parisian, and certainly didn't see anyone wearing sweats or sneakers!  It was a delight to watch them strutting down the cobbled streets going about their daily lives looking so damn good!  They really do make it look so easy!

On our second day in Paris we went to Notre Dame Cathedral (even though we've been before the hub wanted to take some more pics), and we walked a LOT!  And despite the fact that on this day I was wearing heels, I actually managed to walk several miles with very little complaint!  We walked to the Arc de Triumph, and walked all the way down the Champs Elysee....the weather was gorgeous the entire time we were there which was an added bonus, and so walking around was truly enjoyable.

On our third and final day in Paris we went along the River Seine, and on the bridge of love-locks.  This is the bridge that has hundreds and hundreds of padlocks attached to it, and the story goes that you attach a padlock to the bridge with your names on it, and you will be forever bound together by love!  Of course we had to do it, so off Bob went to buy a padlock and put our names on it to attach to the bridge!  Very romantic!  You'll see the padlocks in the attached photos.

As you can see from the pics, my choice of clothing for Paris was simple, comfy but still on trend.  I always say that layering is key when travelling so that you're prepared for any kind of weather, and a hat is always a good idea for keeping the sun at bay and disguising those bad hair days!

So here are my pics from my first stop in Paris....enjoy!

This will be my final post before I leave for my travels on Monday.  I have an awful lot to do before I leave and won't have the time to post any further posts unfortunately before I depart.  I haven't even started packing yet, and I am overwhelmed just thinking about it, but I have promised myself that tomorrow night I shall definitely start this much-delayed task!.  Having to think about what to take to three different countries and climates is more than I can deal with which is why I've put it off for so long!

Anyhow, today is about the last leg of my journey in Europe which will of course be my home town of London!  It will be a brief stop en route back to Pittsburgh and I won't have the time to do much, but still I always love my time there and try to cram in as much as possible.

Again, it's another fashion capital and I always love browsing the stores whenever I'm there to see what the latest trends are and how they compare to what's happening in the fashion world over here in the States.  I do love the eccentricity of the Brits style and the ecclectic looks they always manage to put together.  While some may think they're a little over-the-top and wacky, I like what it says about the fashion industry in this great city, and I have always been a huge fan of Brit designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.

So please enjoy my peek at what was hot on the most recent London fashion runways, and I will be writing much more on my travels and posting lots of pics upon my return.  In the meantime, take care and see you soon!