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Posts Tagged ‘weddings’

It’s been a couple of weeks since I have updated my blog, but that is mostly down to constant travel. I was in Switzerland for a few days, then Barcelona, then to Lisbon for a wedding, then back to Barcelona for a few days, and I am now finally back in Paris. It looks like I will actually get a full week in Paris this week (unless I have to go to London for the day on Friday – the outlook is 50/50 right now) followed by a week in the south of France. My first holiday in a year, and one that I am really looking forward to!

Darren and Lina’s wedding in Lisbon was fantastic – lots of entertainment, good food, and beautiful weather. We even got a more scenic tour of the Portuguese countryside than we anticipated, thanks to the bus driver’s detour when he couldn’t find the house.

Butcher

Aude can’t resist a guy with a cleaver

Matthew and pigs

What is it with Matthew and pigs?

Bride

Lina walks up the aisle

Exchange of rings

Darren and Lina exchange rings

Newly married couple walks down aisle

The newly married couple walks down the aisle

Little girl with confetti

Outside the chapel, getting ready to throw her confetti…

Lina's mother

Lina’s mother shares a laugh

Bride and groom with confetti

Darren and Lina, under a shower of flower petals, as they leave the chapel

Aude and Mascha

Aude and Mascha

Mimes in makeup

These two didn’t say much…

Simon, Jill and Aude

Simon, Jill and Aude

Darren catches his breath

Darren catches his breath

Simon and Jill

Simon and Jill

Matthew and Aude

Matthew and Aude

Lina

Here comes trouble!

Aude

Aude

Table decorations

Tables decorations

Flowers

More table decorations

Wine

Wine bottles, lined up and ready to go!

Tree

Another table decoration

Best man

Best man

Little boy

Lots of little ones around!

Dance lessons

Dance lessons before dinner

Wedding couple dancing

Darren and Lina show us how it’s done

Funny glasses

Nice glasses, mate.

Cheese plate

Portuguese cheeses after dinner

Lina and Darren share a secret

Lina and Darren share a secret

Happy bride

Happy bride

Photographer

My twin

Lina dancing

Lina takes the lead dancing

Darren and Lina strut their stuff

Darren and Lina strut their stuff

Dangerous dancing

This goes beyond Dirty dancing — this is downright Dangerous dancing

Little girl with lion makeup

Roar!

Fire blower

You really shouldn’t mix alcohol and cigarettes.

I imagine they'll look a little less smiley after a drive through Singapore traffic!

I imagine they’ll look a little less smiley after a drive through Singapore traffic!

I knew we sold ourselves short with just a ribbon. His ‘n’ hers matching teddy bears on the front of the car are the only way to go!

We’re back from Turkey, relaxed and tanned. More pictures later, but here’s a matching set to start…

Aude at the old harbour in Antalya

Aude at the old harbour in Antalya

Matthew at the old harbour in Antalya

Matthew at the old harbour in Antalya

Aude by the light of a lantern's glow...

Aude by the light of a lantern’s glow…

Our waiter, hard at work filleting the fish we'd ordered...

Our waiter, hard at work filleting the fish we’d ordered…

Matt relaxes over his dinner...

Matt relaxes over his dinner…

Matt isn't the only one who thinks the fish looks good...

Matt isn’t the only one who thinks the fish looks good…

Another beautiful day, most of which we spent at the beach. The beaches here are pebble, the waves are strong, and the water gets deep very quickly, so not great for swimming. It was probably our first and last visit to the beach until we get to Cesme, where the beaches are sand and the water is more shallow.

My animal magnetism seems to be working overtime. I’d barely sat down for lunch before one of the ‘hotel’ cats was sitting in my lap. We’ve dubbed him ‘President Cataturk’. And the cats here have obviously worked out that I’m a soft touch as they’re constantly begging at my table (and seemingly not others!)

We had another good dinner overlooking the harbour, Aude managing to charm the waiter so much that we left with flowers. I’m considering buying her a burka.

Matthew at the old harbour in Antalya

Matthew at the old harbour in Antalya

Aude at the old harbour in Antalya

Aude at the old harbour in Antalya

The view from our hotel room at the Sheraton Voyager Antalya

The view from our hotel room at the Sheraton Voyager Antalya

Aude ponders the world from atop a bridge at the hotel

Aude ponders the world from atop a bridge at the hotel

Turkish coffee!

Turkish coffee!

Turkish tea!

Turkish tea!

It’s a beautiful, bright morning in Antalya, Turkey, where we’ve spent the first few days of our honeymoon. After a few hair-raising moments in the rental car, I managed to find the hotel and dodge the worst of the Turkish drivers. The hotel, pool, beaches, and weather (30 degrees and sunny) are all perfect. We were met with champagne, flowers and the general honeymoon treatment.

The only thing raining on the parade is that I’ve managed to pick up a throat infection and have spent the morning at the doctor’s (for those of you who have never visited a doctor’s surgery in Turkey, it’s best to imagine something circa 1950s out of M*A*S*H – lot’s of hand-labelled glass bottles of disinfectant – it’s all a little scary, to be honest).

Aude has developed a pathological fear of the bees out here, which are the size of small birds, and has quickly abandoned her perfume.

Our biggest excitement seems to be the fact that no one believes that either of us live in England. Most assume we’re Turkish (helped, no doubt, by having spent a few weeks in the Mediterranean sun before we arrived), and those who don’t assume we’re Turkish guess Italian, Spanish, or German.

We had a nice meal last night overlooking the old harbour in Antalya – and had our first raki overlooking the port. No doubt we’ll be tired of kebabs by the end of two weeks here. The food has been universally excellent, but there’s a sameness to the cuisine here… We’ll see how we fare now that Ramadan has started – our dining choices may become more limited still.

We’ll be here for the next few days, then we’re off to the Aegean coast for five days there.

Aude and Matthew getting married in the south of France

Aude and Matthew getting married in the south of France

We’re off on honeymoon — more updates when I’m back!