#3.5- Honeymoon
Our first year of marriage was a whirlwind of travel (we visited 6 countries together in our first year of marriage), celebration, and fun - and, it all started with our honeymoon.
Two days after the wedding we boarded our plane and took off for Greece. We stayed the night in Athens at the most luxe hotel overlooking the Acropolis before heading to breathtaking Crete.
It was nearing the end of the tourist season on the island, so it felt as if we the resort was closed for us. It was amazing.
From champagne upon check-in, to unreal views from our window, to flowers and local sweet treats sent to our room each day - honeymoon treatment is the best treatment.
We stayed in Crete for about a week, enjoying the resort, exploring the city, and soaking up the post-wedding feels.
And of course, we stumbled upon a Grecian karaoke bar one night out in the city - which you know Chris couldn’t pass up!
The locals in the bar were thrilled that two American honeymooners had walked in!
Chris was kicking off his karaoke set with The Darkness (per usual) when I accidentally knocked over and broke my champagne glass! (I was mortified!)
As soon as the locals heard the glass hit the floor and shatter the entire bar erupted into a giant “Opa!” It was perfect; like a scene from a movie.
After a week of rest and relaxation in Crete it was time to make our way to our next destination-- Venice, Italy.
We stayed at the J.W. Marriott, which is a private island in the middle of the Venetian lagoon. The only way to or from the resort is via boat. It was about a 13-minute boat ride from the Piazza San Marco and a 9-minute boat ride from the Bridge of Sighs. It was stunning.
In true honeymoon fashion, Chris surprised me with a wooden, James Bond style cigarette boat to take us from the port to the hotel.
It was night by the time we arrived. As we cruised along the waterway we watched the moonlight as it danced on the water - I distinctly remember wishing I could bottle up how I was feeling in that moment.
We spent our days exploring Venice and the surrounding islands of Murano and Burano, and eating our way through each stop. Everything about it was idyllic.
Spur of the moment one day, we decided to rent a car and take a day trip to Slovenia (where my dad’s side of the family is from.) We arrived at the rental car building and they had one automatic vehicle left. “We’ll take it,” we said!
We left Venice behind for the day as we hit the highway to Slovenia, in particular Ljubljana.
It was very cool to tour the town where my ancestors are from, learn about the culture, and take in the views from the top of the town’s castle.
It was not so cool when Chris, my navigator, told me to make a left onto a street where left turns were not allowed. (In his defense the Slovenian language looks very different and does not resemble anything that we would have ever known.) Just as soon as I made that turn, where we surrounded by a swarm of Slovenian police.
Seriously, there must have been at least 5 police cars and a handful of officers rushing our car. AND - cameramen!! With their large cameras pointing through the windows of our rental car.
I was shaking - almost in tears.
Chris was googling the U.S Embassy in Slovenia.
We were both convinced that this was it - I was getting ready to be arrested on our honeymoon AND by my own people nonetheless!
Thank goodness I was let off with a warning and a threat of a fine, but I swear if you look up the Slovenian version of the American COPS TV show you will find us!
Needless to say, I made Chris drive the rest of our trip.
Thankfully we made it back to our hotel in Venice that night without any trips to jail or the embassy. And, after almost 2 weeks it was time to pack our bags and head back home to start our lives together.
Once again Chris surprised me with our James Bond boat to take us from the hotel back to the port. The trip came full circle as we glided across the dark waterway, watching the moon and stars dance on top of the water for a final time.
We were so full of love and full of life.
In that moment, I couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have this man by my side for all of our adventures to come.
When we said “for better or worse” this was definitely the “for better”. What we we didn’t know at the time was the “for worse” part was waiting right around the corner…..