The End, Day 6

We caught sight of the Bridge at 4:15am as we sailed into the New York harbour. Joel disappeared at from 4am til 6 am to take in ever detail the the process of docking noting the function of each and every gangplank and ramp and line. I got up at 4:30 and watched this bridge pass overhead (3 metre clearace to the boat so it was very close). Then I watched the statue of liberty draw closer from the outer deck along with hundreds of passengers. White gloved butlers appeared on the dimly lit sidelines wheeling carts of coffee and tea. The whole scene was perfectly silent and surreal.
When I finally found Joel we had breakfast for one last time at the Britannia Restaurant and were disembarking by 8am.

Day 5, 3rd formal night, Royal Ascot Ball

 

The Ascot Ball is a long standing tradition aboard the Cunard ships. It's a formal ball like most of the other evenings, tuxedos for the men and evening gowns for women but this has the added hat thing going on complete with a hat contest and prizes. While everyone is in their best frocks, the actual hats are often handmade during the day out of whatever people find on board. Joel's construction paper top hat made him a finalist for the evening. The picture above shows him being interviewed in the ballroom about his particular hat-making technique. Yes, he had a very good time.

Big Band Ball

This was the third night of the voyage. The evening theme was big band and the dress code was reduced to "Elegant Casual: jacket and tie for men, skirt or pant suit for women". Women wore everything from 1940s era cocktail dresses to bejeweled pantsuits and lots of men had saddle shoes and bowties. All the dances were jive or quickstep and the evening kicked off with a jive competition. The music was fantastic. We actually kicked it off with a bottle at the Veuve Cliquot Champagne Bar before dinner. Then we had about a five course dinner with lots of wine before arriving at this event. After quickstepping around the room here our group of six went on the the G32 club and were the only people there. We had a Band and two waiters and a bartender. Needless to say there was no line up to get a drink. I think this was my favourite night onboard. We finally fell into bed sometime after two.

On deck

 

Three laps around the outer deck is 1.1 miles so we did quite a bit of that when we didn't have high winds. The weather most of the voyage was brilliant.

Day 2 first formal night

Heading back down one of the long hallways after our dinner at the Todd English. Unfortunately none of our pictures together at dinner turned out.

London and QM2 Day one

We arrived back in London on the 20th and celebrated Joel's 27th Birthday at dinner with Heather and Angus. I managed to get a candle on his dessert but we really haven't had a proper Birthday for him yet avec cake. I did notice a couple stealing a cake last night from the 24 hour buffet, making note of that idea.
We had tickets to the Terracotta Warriors at the British Museum on the 21st which was really fantastic. If you are in London in the next while I'd recommend it but make sure you do the Audio Tour. It was a really good way to be lead through it all.
That evening we went out to see Fiddler on the Roof at the Savoy Theatre (at the Fairmont Savoy Hotel). Excellent! I'm really glad we got out to a show while we were here.

We arrived on the Queen Mary 2 yesterday. Were in the spa straight away, Joel had a massage and I had a much-needed facial and we spent some time floating around the hydro therapy baths beforehand.


Dinner was at the Britannia Restaurant was lovely. We are seated with two very friendly couples who we will sit with each night we eat there.

After dinner we watched the Queen Elizabeth pass in her way into port - apparently this is a big deal here. And spent the rest of the evening trying to keep up with Joel who was determined to inspect every inch of the ship. Should have packed running shoes - stupid.

Today he still has ants in his pants, he's like a kid at Christmas. Up at 6, again at 7 and 8 and 9... checking on the 24 hour buffet every so often to make sure it's still there. Finding things to poke and prod, asking me every so often what I think the spare anchor weighs. He might join the crew before we got off. Anyway, we are both enjoying ourselves immensely. Me at a stroll and Joel at a run.

Ville Franche Sur Mer

 

Italia

 

We went on a driving trip to Italy today for lunch. It was beautiful. 30 degrees and sunny. We stopped for a stroll on a long beach with the most perfect teal water and rolling waves... and crispy Italians...

Had pasta and pastries (why do our clothes still fit? It beats all odds) and then headed back to France again. I'll never get over the views of the coastline here. The N7 road we take between the towns in high up, cut into the side of the cliffs and all you can see is teracotta rooftops and blue shutters and of course the sea. The roads were congested today with the mega yacht show going on in Monaco. The man on the radio is asking us if we have thought of insurance for our mega yacht, and have we been properly covered for our precious artwork on board. This is another planet entirely.
This is our last night in France and then we head back to London tomorrow and then the cruise begins...

Monaco

 

 

Canyons and Cote D'Azur

 

 

 

Yesterday we made the 11 hour drive from Avignon to Ville Franche Sur Mer. We passed through some scenery I can only describe in pictures so click on the picture above and go check them out!

The whole trip took us along Napoleon's route through the Grand Canyon which is lush and full of vibrant blue rapids. We drove through the Luberon region which Peter Mayle wrote about in A Year in Provence and stopped at a Market for goodies and real Fendi sunglasses for 10 euros... haha, no.
We drove down though Cannes which felt like arriving in LA compared to where we'd been. Ville Franche is really a rich touristy burb of Nice overlooking breathtaking views of the Mediterranean. Just around the corner is Monaco where we went today for a walk. We strolled around the Palace grounds and the waterfront there taking in the comings and goings of the mega rich who call Monaco home as they pay no income tax there. But a 3 bedroom flat will set you back about 8 million. Our hotel la Fiance du Pirate is really great. Amazing view, nicely appointed and beautiful pool and great breakfasts. Hard to find cheap places to find a bite here but we've done pretty well at the bakery. Off for dinner now!

Can a Golf pull a camper?

At 40km an hour our drive around the Cotes du Rhone vineyards began slowly. We were as it turned out one of two vehicles on the narrow road. Our Peugeot and a Golf lugging a prehistoric camper with Dutch plates. Joel found his inner angry French man and we were off to see mile after mile of vines and valleys bits of forgotten ruins.

It was a perfect day for it, sunny, 27 degrees and a Sunday so no other traffic. Where people disappear to on Sundays without the use of vehicles is still a mystery to us. You can't even find a gas station open so it's just as well the roads aren't bustling with traffic.
We purchased our first souvenir in a shop with all sorts of beautiful linens and pottery. A linen tablecloth, hand embroidered with a matching set of napkins.
Tomorrow we move from our Hotel in Avignon to a new place in Ville France Sur Mer until the 20th.

On the bridge of Avignon

We are sitting in a rustic back room of a Brasserie, tastefully adorned with tapestries and paintings of local scenery. Jazz is softly playing in the background, the local wine is cheap like water and the menu boasts delicious things like tapanade. Yes, I'm back to that again. I keep some in my purse in case I encounter a baguette.

Our room is inside the walls of the old city in a house as old as the walls themselves. The decor is eclectic. (ok so i admit I would love to rip out the carpets and go on a plastic flower kill but it's charming nonetheless.) The bed has a handmade quilt and the window has shutters. We went to the local superstore (somewhere between the magical ambiance of a dollar store and Zellers) to pick up wine glasses and cutlery for our picnics.

We've decided to spend the rest of our time in France eating, napping and figuring out how cheap you can go before the wine tastes like ass. Current bottle: €4.95... so far so good.

Le sigh

La Trou Normand

On our first day - date unknown, we don't count anymore - we checked into our hotel and made a b-line for Le Troumilou, the place Joel's parent's highly reccommended. It was great, upon hearing that we'd been refered the host sent us each a Kir on the house and took great care of us.

Joel's French is all coming back, we have been treated very well everywhere save the vespa-nazis but they can't be helped.

The Marais area where we are staying is very old with narrow cobblestone streets full of boutiques from various local designers. The clothes are beautiful though very expensive here. A little further from our hotel are some stores like Zara which are half the price of at home and we've both lucked out with our purchases.

The whole vibe is so different from London, more calm. Even though everyone is drinking all the time no one is drunk and no one down here is under 25. People are polite and as soon as Joel asks the waitress for the correct way to say something we've got a sure ally.

We spent part of yesterday in the Louvre though only just saw a few things. The galleries leading into the Mona Lisa, the Egyptian rooms and the Napolean Chambers a a whole lot of things that are all a blurr now.

We did the Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame today which was really beautiful. I have found a deli with the most amazing tapanade ever and a bakery with baguettes that just melt in your mouth. I think they add extra butter...

Joel's post missed the fact that we had a very romantic stroll for hours after dinner by the light of the river boats travelling up and down the Seinne. We ended up at the Eiffel tower after passing many building of note along the way. The Eyewitness guide borowed from Tanta and David has been invaluable. We use the Rick Steves for the hotel reccommendations but his maps are rubbish. Wish we'd picked up an eyewitness for London, maybe we'll get one for Nice.

OK, my post is long enough. We are going to La Trou Normand for dinner tonight near our place and will likely walk away the evening.

Paris

Last night, after eating and drinking too much Italian food... We walked along the Sienne river to the Eiffel tower. It was enrobed in green light and sparkled a magical epilepsy inducing sparkle of epic proportions. It must have something to do with the Rugby world cup, because there was a big inflated Rugby ball hanging deep from the crotch of the towers legs, It was Soooo big, yet alone. Missing a brother no doubt. Also, when you see 12-15 rats lounging on the grass in the shadow of the tower, and they don't run away from you, you think they could get away with being Parisian squirrels. Just a thought. That's it for my inappropriate post.

Joel

Brick Lane

Joel and I headed out last night on a quest to find the best place for Indian food in London. We had heard over and over about Brick Lane but everyone we asked was vague on the exact location. So we took the tube to sketchville and fought through the Emo parade, stepping over drunk and depressed girls on the street (why is there always a girl sitting alone on a curb outside every pub?
And at last found the most amazing place. A whole cobblestone street devoted to Curry.

More Buckingham

We went on a tour of the old jail house in Buckingham and out for lunch at the garden centre with Uncle Donald and Margaret before catching our train back to London.

Milton Keynes and Buckingham

Thursday we went on a train to Milton Keynes and were met at the Station by my Great Uncle Donald and his friend Margaret. They took us on a bit of a driving tour of the countryside manors and out for lunch at The Queens Head pub. A marvelous little place with 6.5 foot ceilings. Joel had Steak & Ale Pie with chips and I had cod and chips with.... mushy peas. So the result is, I enjoyed my mushy peas though hardly made a dent in the fish and chips as it was enormous but very tasty. We washed that down with shandy and were on our way.

Now it's Friday, Don & Margaret brought us tea in bed and we're just heading out to explore again.

London Part 2

On Tuesday we began at Tottenham Court Road and walked down to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. We spent the afternoon at the British Museum and then headed home for a delicious dinner with Heather and Angus.

Key learning moment: Pret a Manger makes great soy lattes. I'll even venture a statement risking my furture entry to Victoria BC, that they are on par with Cafe Fantastico.

Wednesday we went on a tour of Westminster Abbey. Again I would say the audio tour was very much worth it. What an amazing place.

We went to the Maple Leaf in the evening in Covent Gardens to meet up with our friend Matt. We had a great time, drank the world's most expensive Sleeman's, ordered Rye and Ginger and debated the possible culinary benefits of mushy peas.

London

We arrived in London mid day Sunday. My second cousin, Heather and her husband Angus have been our home base in Islington. They have a great London terrace right by the Tufnell Park Tube station.

As soon as we arrived there was a party here with all the cousins and kids and Great Uncle Donald (Grannie's younger brother). I hadn't met most of the cousins so it was a lot of introductions for both of us. We showed the DVD of the wedding which I'm so glad we brought - thanks Keet!

Yesterday we walked from Trafalgar Square to St. James Park and Buckingham Palace. We actually did the tour of the Palace which is really worth it. It's an audio tour which made it really easy to just zone out and get immersed. At £15 a ticket it's not something I would have usually considered but really of anything I've done here I'd say bite the bullet and do it!

Today we caught the changing of the guard and shopped at Harrods (Nancy, next time we'll do this. I'm still daydreaming about the shoe gallery). We just spent a couple of hours at the British Museum and now we are geeking out on the interweb before heading home.

For the record Joel ate scones with clotted cream today and has been drinking tea. The conversion is almost complete.

The Wedding

I promise to give you all of my heart, my trust, to be your light when you are in darkness, to be mindful of your feelings and be open to change. I vow to weather through the ups and downs, to grow with you and grow old with you. No matter where we are in this world, I will be your home and I will love you unconditionally always
~

Our wedding on August 25th was not only an insanely fun weekend with our favourite people in the world, it was also a good-bye to our life in Canada and a very real chapter opener for the next stage of our lives. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding day and was overcome so many times by the sheer magnitude of people coming all the way up to the lodge to celebrate with us and give us their time and share such love.

It wasn't all fun and games though! There was a whole team of people making everything happen and dealing with each hurdle as it came. There were four walkie-talkies among a group led by Nancy, Anne-Marie who set up all day Friday and part of Saturday. Some guests arrived and just jumped right in with the set-up team and got to know everyone which was really helpful! Thanks from the bottom of my heart to all of you.

Joel and I arrived on Thursday night after an insane drive up where our car died and we actually had to borrow a car to make it the rest of the way! Friday we had the ceremony rehearsal and then Joel's folks hosted the Meet and Greet party for 50 or so guests who made it to the venue that night. The food was amazing and it was so nice to get to say hello to everyone.

I actually managed to disengage from the set-up on Saturday morning (I even ditched my walkie talkie) and had an amazing massage from Jessica and spent a little time with Warren [aka the God of hair]. Meanwhile my brother had pretty much pulled an all-nighter working on writing the ceremony music (are we surprised?) and was running around like a madman getting things set up for the ceremony and reception.

The various family cabins were abuzz with food prep for the after ceremony snacks. A groups of guests and the hostess-lead ground crew were in the barn arranging flowers and the staff at the lodge were pulling together the flowers for the ceremony site. In no time the ceremony time arrived and there I was walking with my Mum and Dad toward the beach.

There's nothing more moving than walking toward all the most important people in your life except doing that on your wedding day while your brother plays a piece of music he wrote for you. I had tears in my eyes before I even made it to the circle on the beach. The ceremony was a blur. I remember having a hard time not dissolving during the parent readings and actually didn't make it through the last sentence of my vows "and I will love you" but I think it was implied.

We led the guests in a parade to the champagne and then down to the beach for my father's toast. We got into a canoe and pushed out onto the lake with everyone waving from the shore. We looked at one another and Joel said "we're married" and we both grinned. I'm really glad we had that moment alone before we needed to talk to anyone. To me, that was the pronouncement.

The family photos were a riot, we all ended up in the canoe in the rain with an odd assortment of umbrellas waving over our heads. Once we finished the photos it was pouring and we all went indoors to dry off and then we were off to the barn for dinner and dancing.

Arriving in the barn was really like stepping into a fairytale - really that was not my goal in my planning but sometimes these incredible moments just happen. It was amazing to see all the faces around us and the tables full and all the candles casting light up on the flowers. I wish I could bottle that. I loved having our own little table, we talked to almost every guest throughout the dinner without even needing to move around.

The speeches were so well put together (I knew our families would have something to say but really I think everyone outdid themselves). Again I had a hard time keeping composed. Joel and I had a tough time with our speech because we were both so overwhelmed by all the things people had done for us.

We served the little wedding pies next which I'm glad we did because we got to have a little visit with everyone as they came up to have dessert. Around this time I realized that Joel and I had never taken a moment over the past year of wedding plans to figure out our first dance. Seriously. We went out on the deck and I took him through the box step slowly a couple of times and he said "got it" so we went inside and then we were out on the floor for the first dance which I can only describe as perhaps the least coordinated dance we've ever performed.

The Bills kicked off the dancing for the guests by getting everyone on the floor in long lines and calling a simple folk dance. It was a riot. After that the dance floor remained packed until 1am.

Other highlights of the evening:
The Pennington men dancing together
The stories at the open mic
The Bills getting plugged in and playing a rock set as "The Billets"
James Brown
My Dad being called on stage and playing the last song with the band

There are reports that guests continued to party till 6am. By 2am though, Joel and I had a fire burning in the old wood stove in our cabin and were drinking a bottle of champagne recalling all the great moments of the day.

The following morning guests split into groups and went on hikes and jumped in the lake or just enjoyed some peace and quiet around the chalets.  In the evening people gathered again at Joel's family cabin for a dinner and party followed by a gift opening and then a campfire. My 90 year old Grannie sang Blue Moon while my dad and brother played guitars and we all toasted marshmallows till the wee hours. What more could you ask for?