I have just realized that most of my recent blogs have been concerned with such 'wedding' matters as drinking cocktails and the Maldives, so caught up have i been in getting organised (and drinking cocktails) and so today i thought i might bring it back to the real reason for the blog in the first place-BELLA ITALIA!
Yes, as the grey days here in Ireland pass me by in the blink of an eye (it's lashing outside as i write) and our wedding day on the Amalfi Coast gets ever-nearer, i have again begun to imagine what it will be like when we arrive there and how we will make the most of such a relatively short time on the Amalfi Coast with so much to do. I check the local weather daily and i am delighted to say they are experiencing beautiful days just now, with temperatures of 28 degrees being about the norm! I am keeping everything crossed that this agreeable weather remains for their entire summer (i am thinking not just of us but the happy Italians and other summer brides too). Oh how i wish i could be there now...
I whett my appetite by reading various travel articles and local blogs on the area (well, on Italy in general to be honest) and keep up to date with what is happening over there, such is my desire to be a 'local' one day! There i see pictures posted from those who have relocated to the area and choose to tell the world all about it (let's face it, why wouldn't you?), and the beauty of the place blows me away every time! Can it actually be that wonderful in real life? I guess only time will tell. The colours of the local flowers and the blue of the sea seem to be so bright and extreme it's hard to compare with what i see when i gaze out of my window here at the grey buildings and eternally grey sky.
Of course i am not naive enough to be fooled into thinking there will be no grey buildings or rain in Italy-i have seen the outskirts of Rome and the graffiti'd train stations-but somehow when you mix that with a culture so ancient and a joy of life so impressive that they don't need to get stressed about the 'little' things, it is easier to digest.
Instead of grey monstrosities they look out on terracotta and burnt yellows-pieces of history all- the bright blue skies are of course much more frequent and much more 'blue', even their dinner table is brightened with the varied assortment of reds, greens and yellows, all fresh and natural, obviously. Maybe it's just the romantic in me colouring my judgement, but having experienced the Italian way twice now i think not! Having dreamed of going to Italy for many years, when i eventually arrived in Rome for the first time i remember feeling that this was one dream which had lived up to my expectations and added fuel to the fire inside me. Being in Rome is like living in history, never could life more resemble a film set. Florence showed me the cultured side of Italy, it's richness and the way it fits seamlessly into everyday life there. In the countryside of Greve and the hills of Fiesole i saw what i had always pictured Italy to look like-reams of lush green countryside, crumbling orange villas dotted here and there and a thick blanket of the beloved olive tree sown like patchwork all around,- and i imagined myself transported into the pages of the many books i have read on Tuscany. I was consciously aware of lapping up every last detail, 'this is my dream come true' i told myself, commit it all to memory! After all, who knows what tomorrows there will be?
And now there will be more to memorise. Positano, a place so photographed it is recognisable to anyone, and with obvious good reason. Will i have time in this short stay to walk the 'path of the Gods'? Or will i have to leave that for my next trip? Will we get a chance to sail out to Capri or the smaller islands? What about seeing the ruined city of Pompeii, yet another piece of history preserved in Italy? Ravello, 'citta della musica' as it is known in Italy, 'city of music'! Already i have fallen in love again! It's beauty and views are the reason for the 'difficult' bus journey on the wedding day and when i think of being there already i can feel the warmth of sun on my skin.
But there will not just be Italy to remember this time, there will be a wedding day to commit to memory too, and hopefully some joyous days with family and friends thrown in for good measure! But as my brain has become slow and addled with all the planning and talk about this impending wedding being crammed inside i had better make sure i have the camera fully charged!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
11th May 2009-Still standing!
Well, i managed to stay standing on my incredibly high shoes and in fact my hen night was a wonderful success!
Any nerves i had were soon washed away with my first glass of pimm's and then positively drowned when i moved on to a sea breeze! I won't go on to list in full all the drinks i had because i don't think this pc carries that much memory, but suffice it to say that the list included such things as several Mojito's, sambuca's, something called a 'stiffy' and of course, with a 'Sex and the city' theme, a cosmo! But i have to tell you all i was very well behaved and awoke sober and smiling the following morning to cook breakfast for the remaining hens! How very unlike me!
The evening started early (well in the afternoon really!) with a couple of unexpectedly early arrivals, but i was prepared well in advance and it was great to start catching up straight away. Everyone looked gorgeous in their glam outfits! By 8 o'clock we were all drinking, eating and laughing like old friends and the real fun began! I was presented with the obligatory 'bride to be' sash while the most embarassing pictures of me in existence were passed around the room! Hen party badges were donned while i had my 'L' plate firmly stuck in place! Then the quiz began! What a surprise! In the absence of my pre-mentioned unofficial bridesmaid i had not really expected any 'shenanigans' as i hadn't done the usual thing of asking someone to take charge of the night. But a very special friend stepped up and had planned the whole thing-making sure we all had a bit of craic and made fun of the bride! I was delighted and it turned out to be great fun!
We headed out for a meal although after eating my house dry of nibbles and snacks no one was really hungry! But for a table full of girls who all hardly knew each other the craic was 'mighty' and the evening flu by! After desserts and shots kindly supplied by the restaurant we headed into a cocktail bar where a few more cocktails were taken and then as planned we all went back to mine to finish off what we had started! I remember there was singing (not me), and pizza (what? more food!) and a good time had by all (so i'm told) and then a few hours sleep before breakfast!
I stayed standing in my shoes, and managed to remain relatively sober! I didn't do anything embarassing in front of my lovely MIL2B who raised a very lovely toast to me, and everyone loved everyone else! Brilliant! Now the count-down has really begun and we're having a great time! We even received our first wedding gifts on Saturday which was a great surprise and felt really special! Why did we not do this sooner...?
Any nerves i had were soon washed away with my first glass of pimm's and then positively drowned when i moved on to a sea breeze! I won't go on to list in full all the drinks i had because i don't think this pc carries that much memory, but suffice it to say that the list included such things as several Mojito's, sambuca's, something called a 'stiffy' and of course, with a 'Sex and the city' theme, a cosmo! But i have to tell you all i was very well behaved and awoke sober and smiling the following morning to cook breakfast for the remaining hens! How very unlike me!
The evening started early (well in the afternoon really!) with a couple of unexpectedly early arrivals, but i was prepared well in advance and it was great to start catching up straight away. Everyone looked gorgeous in their glam outfits! By 8 o'clock we were all drinking, eating and laughing like old friends and the real fun began! I was presented with the obligatory 'bride to be' sash while the most embarassing pictures of me in existence were passed around the room! Hen party badges were donned while i had my 'L' plate firmly stuck in place! Then the quiz began! What a surprise! In the absence of my pre-mentioned unofficial bridesmaid i had not really expected any 'shenanigans' as i hadn't done the usual thing of asking someone to take charge of the night. But a very special friend stepped up and had planned the whole thing-making sure we all had a bit of craic and made fun of the bride! I was delighted and it turned out to be great fun!
We headed out for a meal although after eating my house dry of nibbles and snacks no one was really hungry! But for a table full of girls who all hardly knew each other the craic was 'mighty' and the evening flu by! After desserts and shots kindly supplied by the restaurant we headed into a cocktail bar where a few more cocktails were taken and then as planned we all went back to mine to finish off what we had started! I remember there was singing (not me), and pizza (what? more food!) and a good time had by all (so i'm told) and then a few hours sleep before breakfast!
I stayed standing in my shoes, and managed to remain relatively sober! I didn't do anything embarassing in front of my lovely MIL2B who raised a very lovely toast to me, and everyone loved everyone else! Brilliant! Now the count-down has really begun and we're having a great time! We even received our first wedding gifts on Saturday which was a great surprise and felt really special! Why did we not do this sooner...?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
6th May 2009-Pimm's Anyone?
As if the fact that i will wake up 7 weeks today on my wedding day doesn't fill me with excitement enough, we have just booked our dream honeymoon and neither of us knows which we are looking forward to more!
Yes, as you have read on these pages, it took us quite a long time to decide on where we should spend our honeymoon. We have both spent weeks looking at every beach resort and luxury hotel we could find, having discarded early on the place we had always thought we would go-the Maldives-due to the uncertainty of the July weather. Nothing was really 'doing it' for us and we just kept coming back to how we just wished the Maldives didn't have their 'rainey season' during our summer-time. That's what comes of having a wedding abroad you see, you want to be able to do it outside and make the most of the summer sunshine in Europe, but the rest of the world is not keeping up with you and would prefer you to visit them at Christmastime when their sun is shining!
Then we started to read a bit more, ask people who'd been there during these 'wet' months what it was really like and all we could conclude is that the Maldives, no matter what the weather is like, is, as a well-travelled French masseur once told me, 'paradise on earth', and besides, it might not rain at all, and almost certainly won't rain the whole time no matter what.
Now, it's not like me to take a chance on the sunshine. Getting a tan and lazing all day in the sun are two of my very top holiday priorities! But somehow, a romantic private villa on the edge of a picture-perfect Island, in the middle of the Indian Ocean sounds ideal for a honeymoon no matter what the weather is doing outside, and thus we have made a decision! So, the Maldives it is! 8 days of pure luxury and the very best room we could afford! I cannot wait to experience the outdoor bathroom! Especially if the weather doesn't hold! Nor can i wait to see the baby sharks and rays, along with the Islands resident turtle, which will be living a stone's throw from our 'front door'. How will i sleep for the next 8 weeks with dreams of midnight fishing trips and dinner on the beach, not to mention our wedding and week in Italy?! It's such a special time.
But for this week at least i have something else to occupy my thoughts...Saturday is my hen night! And for a hen who has been really quite reluctant all along i am now looking forward to what will esentially be a night out with the girls. I have a house full of cocktails ready to be mixed (glass of pimm's anyone?), the highest and most gorgeous pair of shoes i have dared to wear in a long time (well, i am almost a married woman you know?), and group of girl-friends that i can't wait to have a natter and a giggle with. My only disappointment is that my unofficial bridesmaid (she who MADE me have a hen night in the first place and was to fly over from the UK) has recently had some wonderful news of her own and is unable to make it over for the hen now. She will definately be missed but i know i will see her soon when she arrives in Italy to be at my wedding, and that will be another thing i have to look forward to.
And so, on Saturday night i will have a drink to her, to all the other friends who i will celebrate my last weeks of singledom with, and i might even have a sneaky one to me! And i will try not to fall off my shoes before the end of the night!
Yes, as you have read on these pages, it took us quite a long time to decide on where we should spend our honeymoon. We have both spent weeks looking at every beach resort and luxury hotel we could find, having discarded early on the place we had always thought we would go-the Maldives-due to the uncertainty of the July weather. Nothing was really 'doing it' for us and we just kept coming back to how we just wished the Maldives didn't have their 'rainey season' during our summer-time. That's what comes of having a wedding abroad you see, you want to be able to do it outside and make the most of the summer sunshine in Europe, but the rest of the world is not keeping up with you and would prefer you to visit them at Christmastime when their sun is shining!
Then we started to read a bit more, ask people who'd been there during these 'wet' months what it was really like and all we could conclude is that the Maldives, no matter what the weather is like, is, as a well-travelled French masseur once told me, 'paradise on earth', and besides, it might not rain at all, and almost certainly won't rain the whole time no matter what.
Now, it's not like me to take a chance on the sunshine. Getting a tan and lazing all day in the sun are two of my very top holiday priorities! But somehow, a romantic private villa on the edge of a picture-perfect Island, in the middle of the Indian Ocean sounds ideal for a honeymoon no matter what the weather is doing outside, and thus we have made a decision! So, the Maldives it is! 8 days of pure luxury and the very best room we could afford! I cannot wait to experience the outdoor bathroom! Especially if the weather doesn't hold! Nor can i wait to see the baby sharks and rays, along with the Islands resident turtle, which will be living a stone's throw from our 'front door'. How will i sleep for the next 8 weeks with dreams of midnight fishing trips and dinner on the beach, not to mention our wedding and week in Italy?! It's such a special time.
But for this week at least i have something else to occupy my thoughts...Saturday is my hen night! And for a hen who has been really quite reluctant all along i am now looking forward to what will esentially be a night out with the girls. I have a house full of cocktails ready to be mixed (glass of pimm's anyone?), the highest and most gorgeous pair of shoes i have dared to wear in a long time (well, i am almost a married woman you know?), and group of girl-friends that i can't wait to have a natter and a giggle with. My only disappointment is that my unofficial bridesmaid (she who MADE me have a hen night in the first place and was to fly over from the UK) has recently had some wonderful news of her own and is unable to make it over for the hen now. She will definately be missed but i know i will see her soon when she arrives in Italy to be at my wedding, and that will be another thing i have to look forward to.
And so, on Saturday night i will have a drink to her, to all the other friends who i will celebrate my last weeks of singledom with, and i might even have a sneaky one to me! And i will try not to fall off my shoes before the end of the night!
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