Christmas Letter 2006

Hello! We cannot believe that a year has passed so quickly. Well, it has been another very eventful one. We include an overview of what we have been up to in 2006:

The Regiment went to Jamaica in February and Aidan was forced to endure another two weeks in the heat with the mosquitoes. Fortunately, they were up in the mountains and the temperatures were not so bad (eighties instead of nineties) Whilst there they did a bout of river rafting as well, which was rather exciting, especially the rapids. The last three nights were spent at a rather nice resort in Montego Bay.

Aidan accompanied Marisa to her 10th College reunion at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia in May and was introduced to some of her old friends from College. Spelman has a very picturesque campus on the eastern side of Atlanta. We also visited the new Georgia Aquarium, which is absolutely superb. The highlight was seeing the Whale sharks in the enormous central tank built especially for them. They were only small though, about 15 feet in length. They will eventually grow to approximately 30 feet. One of the exhibits is a tunnel, where you walk underneath the large tank with all of the fish around and above you, just like walking on the ocean floor.

Musically, Aidan began his “professional” singing career at a couple of funerals. He has also been involved in several concerts with his clarinet, accompanying the St. John’s Youth Choir and a chamber concert with the Bermuda School of Music which included such works as Haydn’s Missa Sainte Nicolai. The bagpipes are also going well. He even has a student who is progressing quite nicely. Aidan hopes to have him ready for the next summer season.

Marisa is technically in the home stretch of her doctoral work with 5 classes to go in 2007. She completed her final residency in Atlanta and has identified "Knowledge Retention in Bermudian Knowledge-Based Organizations" as her dissertation topic. She cut back on dance classes in 2006 but continues to teach Highland Dancing and a Bellydancing course. Unfortunately, she has not been on stage (or backstage) all year!

Of course, the biggest change this year was that we were married on 22nd September. The ceremony went off very well, with everyone remembering what to do. Both the Regiment and Pipe bands played for our reception, along with Marisa’s highland dancers and belly dancers. We danced a choreographed piece to “One” from 'A Chorus Line' which was fun. Everyone appeared to have a great time. Video of most of the performances are on our website.

For our honeymoon, we took a canal cruise across Europe, starting in Budapest in Hungary and continuing through such places as Bratislava, Slovakia; Vienna, Durnstein, and Salzburg, Austria; Nuremburg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Miltenberg, Rudesheim and Cologne in Germany and ending up in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We traveled along the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers and the intersecting canals. We would strongly recommend this voyage to anyone wishing a two week relaxing vacation. All of our pictures are available on www.marisaandaidan.com

Now we are back and settling in to “real” life again. We have adopted two kittens from the local SPCA, who busily try to get themselves into trouble on a daily basis. The gardens are shaping up and everything appears to be going well. We have moved into our new home and the weekend projects never seem to end.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year, 2007.

October 9, 2006

We tried really hard to start October 8 off on a good note because of all of the traveling that we had ahead of us. After an early breakfast, giving Akos his gift and putting our bags out, we walked to Gassan’s, the diamond cutting and polishing operation on one of the canals. It was a lovely walk with almost no traffic and people walking their dogs along the canals. We arrived at Gassan’s about 15 minutes before they opened. We signed up for the free tour and then were taken to a place with other tour guests. I was able to purchase a porcelain bell for the Christmas tree. We had our tour with another couple who I believe were looking for an engagement ring. We had a good tour and were shown the stages of diamond production from having the rough, to cutting it, to faceting it and then polishing it. We saw people polishing diamonds using the traditional tools and were also shown the patented Gassan cut that had 121 facets.We were then taken into a room and given an overview of the four Cs. In Europe, the colour classifications differ as they have names, not letters. We saw loose stones, compared to one another, with the related prices and then we went through trays and trays of rings, pendants, and earrings. It was great and the prices generally were not too bad. Our tour ended in the Gassan shop so Aidan and I got to work looking for a pair of diamond solitaire earrings. We found the perfect set -- .26carat, Top Wessenton (equivalent to colour f/g in the US system), PK1 in a round brilliant cut set in 18 carat white gold – and it did not break the bank! They’re excellent!We walked back to the ship for 11 a.m. transfer. If only we knew that it would be our last bit of peace for the whole day. Getting to New York was HELL! We detest the Frankfurt airport with a passion. It took over an hour to find the tax refund office. We had to go through at least four security checkpoints yesterday. We just got more and more irritated and realized that we would have been better off making our own travel arrangements and flying via London versus New York. Anyhow, we boarded our 7 1/2 hour flight to New York, crammed into tiny seats. I couldn't put my seat back, because the woman behind me kept pushing back -- I was too nice, I should have done it anyway. The guy in front of me did and I was cramped the whole way. The good thing was that I got to watch ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. Yes, I can say I have lived parts of that movie.We got to New York and had to sit on the runway to get to our gate. We finally got in and had to do the whole immigration thing. We caught a yellow cab and I was irritated again because we gave the name of the hotel that we were given and the taxi driver wanted to lecture us because the hotel was not where he thought it was. Then he got an attitude when Aidan gave him the tip -- Aidan ended up giving him extra. I wouldn't have given him anything!The room was nice, and we had a view of Shea Stadium. We had room service -- an excellent steak dinner were french fries and broccoli. We watched the Discovery Channel Atlas program on Italy before going to bed. Aidan didn't sleep well as the stress from yesterday had gotten to him. It definitely was an irritating day. We left for the airport at 5 a.m. with the shared goal of relaxing in our bed at home. We got through the airport pretty well and had an hour before flight. My coughing was awful, but we boarded our flight to Bermuda. We’re Home!!!

October 7, 2006

We are enjoying a lazy Saturday morning watching the Netherlands landscape pass us by. It is the last full day of the cruise and we will be running around Amsterdam this afternoon. For now, I rest and try to deal with this chest cold and coughing.Yesterday was quite lovely. Cologne was cool, but we did enough walking to keep warm. In the morning, we boarded small trains and went to the cathedral. The tour guide on the train was interesting, to say the least. She drew out her words and had everyone laughing. When we got off of the train we immediately went to the other tour guide who thankfully had different inflection. Cologne was amazing, because it was built on top of the Roman colony. One of the first things we saw was the tile floor in the Romano-German museum. It really caught my attention. I was even more blown away when our guide took us down into a parking garage and we saw the remains of the old city wall. Apparently, construction takes forever in Cologne, because whenever they try to excavate, they come across Roman ruins and artifacts.After the tour we visited the cathedral and the Romano-German museum. The cathedral was special because it is said to have the remains of the three Magi, or Wise Men, from the nativity story. The remains are kept in the Golden arc like box, and it was definitely impressive. We got a book in the cathedral since we did not do a formal tour. The museum was equally as fascinating. It is always amazing to see how people did the equivalent of modern activities that use particular technologies but using only primitive resources. Aidan pointed out that without shock absorbers, the Romans had used leather straps on their carriages. It was indeed fascinating. What gave someone the idea to do something like that in the first place.We then explored the shopping streets in search for an Internet café -- it had been a week since I cleaned out my mailbox. I was over quota again, so I deleted a lot of junk. I kept my promise and didn't answer e-mails. It has been odd to be literally cut off for two weeks. After cleaning up my e-mail we got a waffle from a street vendor and headed back to the ship for lunch. We came out after lunch with the goal to find the bride's collection of Christmas ornaments. We found a store near the cathedral with handmade glass ornaments and thankfully, we found the collection as well. The items and meanings are as follows:1. Pine cone -- motherhood and fruitfulness2. angel -- God's guidance in the home3. Santa -- unselfishness and goodwill4. flower basket -- good wishes5. House -- shelter and protection6. Rose -- beauty and affection7. fruit basket – generosity8. rabbit -- hope and faith9. Bird -- happiness and joy10. Fish -- Christ's blessing11. heart -- true love12. teapot – hospitalityWe then walked about for what felt like hours, visiting shops and looking at what Cologne had to offer. We got tired and decided to drop the ornaments off at the boat. And then went to visit the chocolate museum. Needless to say, it smelled amazing and tasted even better. It was a great museum and the working factory was fun. We got to taste the chocolate from a chocolate fountain and then we got to purchase chocolate in the shop. We ate way too much chocolate on the way back to the ship -- but it was good. After a nap because my cold was getting worse, we dressed for a concert in lounge. La Strada were a trio from Belgium of two violins and a guitar. It was lovely. They played classical and Gypsy music and were fabulous. We purchased two of their CDs for our collection. We then had the farewell Coctail party and dinner. By the end of dinner my voice was gone. We didn't party with everyone else, because we were both not well – Aidan was sneezing and had a runny nose. We turned in early and hope for good Saturday.

Amsterdam proved to be as interesting as it promised to be. The morning and early afternoon was full of both sunshine and rain. I was sure that we would be running about with raincoats and umbrellas. I was wrong. The remainder of the day was sunny and bright.After our last lunch on board, we boarded coaches to take us to the canal near the central station for a Canal cruise. We learned a lot about the different roof shapes, the laws for canal boat living, and the locks that helped prevent Amsterdam from flooding. I was amazed by the canal boat gardens and the large windows in the houses on the narrow lanes. As usual, I loved seeing everyone riding around on pedal cycles -- even walking their dogs riding the cycles. Amsterdam definitely had the most cycles of all the countries we visited. At the end of the cruise we went to the Ryksmuseum. To be honest, I prefer Van Gough to Rembrant but I was there looking at Rembrants with the most boring tour guide, ever. Feeling as sick as I was, I tired quickly of her and I dragged Aidan off to explore the museum on our own. We enjoyed many paintings as well and pieced together Dutch life and their colonial history.After our final dinner, we decided to visit the red light district of Amsterdam. I had basic expectations of the area but Aidan did not know what to expect. The streets were packed with people of all ages. Aidan noticed that many guys appeared to be from the North of England. Anyhow, we walked up and down each side of the canal. The ladies in the windows varied in shape and state of dress. In the fluorescent lights they looked like mannequins, when they did not move. It was odd when they were negotiating with men outside the window. It was interesting to watch yet sad at the same time. We visited the erotic Museum, on the right bank of the red light district. It housed four floors of the history of erotica -- literature, paintings, ceramics, et cetera. It was definitely fascinating. It even had a floor explaining how the girls in the windows operated. Culture and history in the midst of what appeared to be an area of excess. Fascinating!We've just spent the last hour packing. Were having breakfast at 7 a.m. and have to vacate our room at 8:30 a.m. We may go to a diamond museum at 9 a.m. because we do not leave for the airport until 11 a.m.. Then we're in for almost 12 hours of flying – yeesh!!!

October 6, 2006

So much for feeling better. I think I have had a relapse and Aidan is blowing his nose every two seconds. We didn't let that get too much in the way yesterday. While we relaxed, well slept, in the morning, we got to explore Rüdesheim in the afternoon. We boarded a train, much like the type they use at home, well actually better covered, and were taken through the picture postcard town to Siegfried's Music Museum. It had over 350 mechanical musical instruments from barrel organs to music boxes and everything in between. It was fascinating. I ended up purchasing an egg music box because I was just so impressed with the place. It really made me want to get a Christmas music box with a song from the ‘Nutcracker’ but there wasn't a nice enough one that I could find at the time.We walked about looking for the regular stuff -- postcards, a book, and an added item -- the Bride's Christmas ornament set. We only found the postcards. We went down one street and found a place with the lot of wooden carved items. Aidan liked a particular nativity set, but they were attached to a rock. After walking about for another 15 minutes, we finally went back to the store and found that he could buy the set without the rock. Aidan set it up as soon as we got back to the cabin -- he knows exactly where he wants to put it for Christmas. At the same shop, I found gifts for my team in the office.We sailed down the romantic Rhine looking at castles and hearing about the fabulous legends of the area. The Loreley legend was the most familiar to me, but there were legends connected to almost every castle. And many of these castles were fairytale quality! The countryside was amazing with the vines and the colorful houses and the castles on the hills. During dinner we docked in Koblenz. We went for a walk around the town. If we visited Koblenz during the day it could have been what the Australians called an ABC tour – Another Bloody Church/Castle. It was indeed a pretty church from the outside. Everything else was bars and restaurants -- then again, it was after 8:30 p.m. We decided to head back to the ship and spend the time instead in the hot tub. We then watched ‘Monsters Inc” before turning in. The Rhine is pretty rough right now and has a lot of traffic. That with being sick made for a somewhat restless night. Still, we're ready to discover what Cologne has to offer tomorrow.

October 5, 2006

Miltenberg was an excellent stop because we do not have to board a coach or start out on a walking tour. After a relaxing morning of sleeping, reading, and eating, we were eager to get some fresh air. We headed out with the map and warm fleece because it was sunny but cool, in the 60s. We started off by going the wrong way, but soon find ourselves back on course and in an absolutely lovely town. The half timber houses were pretty impressive, and I loved how people were growing grape vines up their buildings and even across streets. We saw one man harvesting grapes. It was even better than expected, because there were so many craft shops. If I lived near here I would have been in heaven. There were also many toy shops selling trains and the like. In any case, we did some shopping, including a suitcase, had some ice cream, pastries, and bratwurst. It was a lovely timeWe enjoyed the hot tub before dinner, and it became apparent that both of us are ready to go home. This has been an amazing honeymoon, but were also ready to see how we will get along with real life. We intend to enjoy the next few days, but we also know that going home will not be a sad event. After dinner we went to a vanilla cookie baking demonstration. It was so funny. We did the daily soduku puzzle while we waited and in between slow bits. It was the craziest cooking show I've ever seen! The man separating the eggs was just too hilarious. They went through a lot of eggs to get it right. At the end, the lady knighted the two men as "Vanilla Cookie Bakers" and one of them said “once a King, always a King but once a knight is enough!” Total insanity, I tell you!Today we crossed into the Rhine River. It is much wider than the Main River, but just as beautiful. We are now firmly in the midst of fall as we've seen the leaves change from green to yellow to brown (they seem to miss the red and orange colors here). We've seen so many ducks and swans today to. In fact, we saw quite a few over the last few days. We fed swans off of our balcony/sliding glass door yesterday! After lunch we're set to go to a mechanical music Museum in Rüdesheim and then in the late afternoon we will sail through the Rhine Gorge. It should be beautiful.

October 4, 2006

Aidan actually didn't do the port talk on October 2. The plot actually thickened considerably as more people got involved. I'll get to that story later.The night of the second and all day on the third was absolutely rainy. It was okay while we were on the ship. We just relaxed and enjoyed the ability to do nothing. I slept a lot and really got to the point where I came to appreciate the ability to do absolutely nothing. It really made me look at life a little differently. We will see how the desire for relaxation will continue to be a priority for me when I get home.We visited the Prince Bishop’s Residence at Wurzburg in the afternoon and had to don raincoats and bring out the umbrellas. We had a bit of a city overview in the bus, but it was somewhat difficult with the rain. The Prince Bishop’s Residence was nice. They have done great restoration work of the baroque areas, but have not restored the Empire areas. Wurzburg was bombed during the war so some areas of the palace had to be rebuilt from scratch. It was fascinating to see how the mirrored room was reconstructed. It took 10 years to replicate the room using the original techniques. After visiting the chapel, we headed back to the ship because the weather was still bad.Aidan made his preparations for the evenings activities, and I rested. The port talk was indeed crazy. Akos came into the lounge and begin talking about the busy day to come. He was then called down to the reception area for an important call by the hotel manager. The hotel manager, Roman, came across a loudspeaker with Akos and we heard them throw Akos overboard. Roman then announced that Aidan was the new cruise director. Aidan then came in with Akos’ jacket, identification card, and the microphone and gave the port talk for the evening. He communicated a more relaxing day since Akos’ notes were written in his native Hungarian, and he therefore had to make up the schedule. It got crazier when Akos came back into the lounge, soaking wet with a life preserver around his head. He called for Aidan to be taken away by security but instead Akos was led away by two crew members. It was absolute insanity! Aidan, Akos and Roman are nuts. Everyone loved it! Aidan then announced that the restaurant was open for dinner.At dinner, there was a pirate theme and Stefan came out dressed with his pirate captain outfit to carve the turkey. After dinner, we were treated to the crew talent show. The most memorable number was the kitchen staff's interpretation of ‘Swan Lake’. Good Lord, they were crazy. They wore shorts, their aprons, undershirts, and had boobs that were made from blown up kitchen gloves. I was crying from laughing so much. We danced a lot last night, as we hung out with Roman and the other crew members. I had a crazy merengue with one of the ‘Swans’ and had Roman cracking up when I danced with him. Aidan hung out with Roman a little longer, as it turned in for the night.Today is another easy morning before we arrived in Miltenberg this afternoon. We haven't gotten today's soduku puzzle yet, so we've rested and now Aidan is giving me a massage. All the walking has my back, hamstrings, and calves really tight!

October 2, 2006

Well, I am sick with a cold. All in all, it was a tough night. Still, I quite enjoyed breakfast and was looking forward to walking in Bamberg. The tour guide was probably one of the best that we have had. We found that we have learned a lot in the last week or so. We were able to recognize various German words, and even the different types of architecture. We went into a church, and I looking forward recognized the Gothic architecture. Aidan, looking to the sides recognized Norman architecture. It turned out that we were both correct.At the end of the tour, after a great visit to the most beautiful Rose Garden that I've ever seen, we got to run about Bamberg to see the lovely things that the city had to offer. Aidan purchased another bouquet for me because the roses that he purchased in Vienna had faded. It is a shame that I could not dry them out and take them home. I also purchased a really nice tea cup for loose tea and some Earl Grey. The Lipton tea bags are starting to get on my nerves! Lunch was lovely, and I've been napping on and off because I have a slight fever. I'm enjoying ‘Notting Hill’ on TV as I watch the scenery pass by and the rain coming down. Aidan is doing a tour of the galley and getting ready to change places with our cruise director tonight, since people keep mistaking Aidan for Akos. Yeah, Aidan and Akos to look similar, and now they've decided to have a little fun with the confusion.

October 1, 2006

Yesterday was another busy day. Granted, the walking tour of Regensburg was not until 10 a.m. We made it as far as the Stone Bridge and the Old Sausage Kitchen before we broke with our group and went exploring on our own. It was a lovely Bavarian city with great pride in their history, and in Pope Benedict since he was a professor at their university. The Pope also visited the city recently. We also saw the Pope's old house in the afternoon - people were taking pictures in front of it. In our exploration, we purchased a scarf from H&M and I got a dried lavender and rose wand from a nice shop. We then found a Moroccan store, and I found a hip scarf for the evening’s Passenger talent show. We went to the Old Sausage Kitchen to purchase sausages on fresh rolls and ate them while we walked through the Saturday market. They were all types of vendors including one with guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, and canaries.After lunch we went to the Weltenberg Abbey and the Danube Gorge. The church was beautiful! The Father gave us an overview of the history of the church. He started and ended with Gregorian chant. Talk about amazing. We found a few Christmas decorations, but never tasted the beer made at the Abbey. That was a shame because the brewery has been making beer for over a thousand years. The Danube Gorge tour was breathtaking. It was insanely beautiful. Upon our return to the ship we participated in the passenger's talent show. We performed ‘One’ and I did a bellydance. It was a fun night.

I slept most of the day today. Firstly, because I could. Secondly, because it was day one and I wasn't feeling too good. Aidan just let me sleep and woke me up for lunch. Again, Stefan, the head chef, made an amazing lunch. I think the hazelnut mousse was the best I have ever had!We boarded buses for the Nuremburg tour and honestly I did not expect much. The only thing I knew about the place was the trials after World War II. Well, the history and beauty of the place got me. The old town still had its city walls, many of its timber homes, and of course there was bratwurst! We visited the castle and saw the cityscape. After most of the city was destroyed during the war, they decided to rebuild the city with traditional rooves but with modern bodies. Therefore, the view from the castle reflected a medieval cityscape. We walked down into the city and pretty much waited impatiently to be let loose. You see, there was a market in the square with rows of vendors. We immediately went to the tourist shop for postcards and some Christmas decorations. We visited another shop and found Advent calendars, and I got a beautiful Swiss watch. We then purchased a pewter wedding cup to celebrate one week of marriage.Upon our return to the ship we sent our daily postcards to ourselves and wrote the postcards to our parents on World Cup postcards. We then went to a Bavarian beer tasting. Four beers, and four different types of glasses to enjoy them. I had double the amount since Aidan does not like beer. He took a sip and then would pour the rest into my glass. I didn't mind. I liked all of them except for the wheat beer. Dinner was great as usual. The vodka in the sorbet was quite interesting. I also enjoyed the crème caramel. So yummy. We ended our evening in the hot tub. Good Lord, we need one of those! It was a great place to relax.Well, we're a week in and have a week to go! I hope the rest of our honeymoon will be relaxing and enjoyable.

September 29, 2006

I never got to finish writing yesterday. I was so tired that we turned in at 9:30 p.m. Yesterday afternoon, we visited Melk which was another beautiful abbey. We were a little peeved about the walking tour because the pace, but the whole experience became worthwhile when we got into the library. My goodness, it was beautiful! We walked back to the ship through the town and enjoyed the sights. I even purchased an edelweiss apron. After a hot tub break and dinner, we watched the ship go through a lock before going to sleep.Today was busy. We had an early breakfast and then boarded buses to Salzburg. Our first stop was Mondsee. It was the location of the movie wedding in ‘The Sound of Music’. It was exciting to see the aisle and the steps to the altar from the movie, and it was a great indication of things to come. Aidan and I made sure we walked down that aisle. Afterwards, we found an Internet café and check the e-mails before getting back on the bus.We slept most of the way to Salzburg, but were ready to sample the city's charms when we got there. Between Mozart and ‘The Sound of Music’ we could've been kept busy for a few days. The guided tour took us to important places. On the Mozart side, we saw where he was born and lived as well as the 250th birthday exhibition. Aidan and I visited the exhibition during our free time and loved it - Aidan was particularly good at the shooting game that Mozart used to play. As for ’The Sound of Music’, there were so many spots that we were able to visit - the graveyard in St. Peter's, the gardens where they sang ‘do-re-me’, the fountain from ’I Have Confidence’. It was great! We took the tram up to the fortress near the abbey (as in THE ABBEY from the movie) and had a traditional Austrian lunch. Talk about fabulous.We slept a lot on our way to Passau in Germany. We did get to see the crossing of the border. We then had a relaxing evening in the hot tub, dinner, 1 salsa dance, 1 cha-cha and 2 merenges!

September 28, 2006

I write this sitting on the deck, eating fresh grapes that we purchased after walking tour of Dürnstein. It is such a beautiful and peaceful morning. Another reason why this vacation has been so phenomenal!Yesterday was a very long day. We spent the day in and around Vienna. The morning tour that included St. Stephen's Cathedral was lovely, but I was dealing with an awful sore throat. However, once we finished and got to a pharmacy for some medicine, I was much, much better. We did a quick shopping trip getting a few items from H&M, an edelweiss ring from a shop that specializes in enamel work, and some roses from a flower shop. Instead of staying in the city we went back to the ship for lunch and a nap. I felt much better for the visit to Shonbrunn Palace. It was beautiful. I now find that I'd love to learn more about Marie Therese. I started to also piece together the history of Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna. Oh, and I was in flower garden heaven most of the day. After dinner we had tickets to a lovely concert in a concert hall that Johann Strauss conducted/played in. Oh my, the music was lovely. The program was definitely memorable and the singers were superb. There were dancers too, but I was not too fond of the male dancer. After the show, they served us goulash before we went to bed. I then managed to watch a little ‘Sound of Music’ on TV before bed.This morning was great. It was cold and foggy when we set out on our walking tour. The town was so quaint and lovely. We purchased some Christmas stuff and apricot items. We even walked up to the castle ruins. I don't have to go to the gym today! We got fresh pastries from the bakery and purchased fresh grapes on the roadside. This is the life!

September 26, 2006

I write this as the world passes by on our sail towards Bratislava in Slovakia. Is a beautiful sunrise and the river is so peaceful and almost postcard perfect. Is almost as if we are in a dream.Yesterday was a lovely birthday for Aidan. After a phenomenal breakfast buffet that even included boiled eggs, we were off for a tour of Budapest. Our guide was great and took us to two spots, Heroes Square and Mathias Church. Aidan and I slept on the ride between the two sites - I was quite embarrassed that I did. Anyhow, Heroes Square was fascinating for its statues, and for the translation of what Hungarian names meant English. I really enjoyed Mathias Church. It had been taken over by the Turks at one point and was elaborately painted inside. It was just so beautiful! The Hungarian crown jewels were also in Mathias Church and the enamel inlaid crowd was beautiful.We returned to the ship and had a great lunch with cabbage soup and Hungarian goulash among other things. We returned to the cabin and there were balloons and chocolates all over the bed with a Happy Birthday note to Aidan from the housekeeping staff. We then had a quick run down to the shopping district to buy a bathing suit for me (70% off!!!). We then went to visit St. Andrews, which housed the artists village. Again, we slept on the bus trip. I think it was the air-conditioning being turned off and on. We had a tour of the area by a guide and a visit to the marzipan museum. We then had pastries in a café. Talk about sublime. We went shopping and met up with a vendor who gave us the history of various Hungarian crafts. I loved that. We then purchased a box where the key is hidden and a chess set, both with hand engravings.The evening was relaxing. We sat on the sky deck while the boat left Budapest. Akos, the cruise director, gave us commentary as we sat on lounge chairs watching the amazing sites go by. Dinner followed with a surprise birthday cake for Aidan – complete with a roman candle on top and all of the staff singing Happy Birthday. Upon returning to our room, we opened the curtains to watch the sites go by. And that is how we woke up. It is amazing!

A true vacation day! After breakfast looking at the river passing by, I ended up asleep until 11:30 a.m. Yes, I had a luxurious morning in bed while Aidan went up on the sky deck to watch us go through our first lock. There are 62 more to go through, so I'll see one eventually. When I finally got up I did 15 minutes of cycling and rowing in the gym followed by another 15 minutes of yoga and ballet. It was then off to another superb lunch with tomato soup, stuffed cabbage, Austrian bread, and roast beef with bernaise sauce.The afternoon took us into Bratislava. Like Budapest, I love to see the window boxes. The flowers are so beautiful! Bratislava is a lovely city and we enjoyed visiting the castle and the old town. We found a flag for Aidan and purchased a few lace items and some decorated eggs. We also discovered that I looked like a gypsy – really! I was treated somewhat oddly by store owners because of it.Tonight we went into the hot tub after dinner and then watched the end of the flute quintet concert. We aimed to watch the boat disembark from the sky deck, but instead watched it from the lounge. We enjoyed watching people dance and eventually did a cha-cha, merengue, and a waltz/rhumba before heading to bed. We have a long day tomorrow in Vienna, but it should be fun!

September 25, 2006

Today is officially day three of our honeymoon. There are moments where I cannot believe that we are on a real vacation. A vacation that I've been eager for over a year! Our adventure began on Saturday the 23rd. Somehow we made it out of the house, still on cloud nine from the previous day. After visiting Aidan’s family and my family, Brendan dropped us off at the airport and we were on our way. I spent some time talking with a wedding guest before we boarded, and then we were off to New York.New York was not as great a layover as it was expected to be. We had a good Chinese lunch and made it through security. We then had hours to wait and the concourse was not that conducive for enjoyment. Granted, I had a change of nail polish at the spa, but that was the best part. We couldn't find a book for me to use as a Journal. And we had to pay $3.40 for Vitamin Water!Anyhow, we boarded Lufthansa and the flight was actually quite good once we got off the runway (2 hours after boarding). The hot meal was okay and the breakfast was fine. It wasn't British Airways, but it got us to Frankfurt. We have 30 minutes to get to our gate in Frankfurt and literally just made our flight on Sunday morning to Budapest. Our luggage didn't make the plane though. This meant that we got to stay the same clothing for many more hours. Upon arrival at Budapest we were taken to a coffeehouse and received instructions on what was to happen for the afternoon. We then got to wander about for a few hours. We had a traditional Hungarian meal at an outdoor café. The shopping was fun, but we wanted to shower. We still had a few hours to wait. We got to the ship and took a nap before we finally got our luggage around 5 p.m. Showering was sublime, and we were ready for dinner. After a security briefing, we had a five course meal. I'm going to be fat after this trip. We talked with our table guests and then we were off to bed. This morning I gave Aidan his birthday present. We are going to take a tour of Budapest today and then will be off to visit an artists village this afternoon. We then sail for Bratislava this afternoon, and it will definitely be a fun day.

Reception Memories - Marisa's Version

The first thing I saw when we entered the Maritime Museum was the flags. Aidan had about 40 flags on the flagpole. We knew we were a bit behind time-wise but had about one hour and 15 minutes of slacking the timetable. We could theoretically catch up.Walking up the steps and into Commissioner's House was indescribable. It was almost what I think walking into a movie premiere might be like. Everyone was taking pictures and calling out to us and coming to hug us, etc.. The cakes were set up on the table in the entrance hall, and they were beautiful! I put my bouquet down on the table between the cake so everyone could see the bouquet jewels. It was then off for family pictures. It was pretty well organized, and we got through them in good time. We then tried to catch up with our guests before the Regiment Band and the Pipe Band began to perform. They were fabulous and the dancers had me feeling so proud when they did the Barracks. I loved every minute of the performance and was on cloud nine when the bands played ‘Scots Wae Hae’ at marching pace.We then got into the cake cutting. We started by looking at the knife and server since we had engraved our information on my parents set. We cut my cake, the Aidan’s cake and then served up a slice of each to feed each other. My goodness, the cakes were so good! It is a shame we do not eat more. We were then on to the second performance, and I danced the Highland Fling with the dancers and then watched the performance of the Sean Truibhas and the Sword Dance. The Pipe Band then washed into the building, and we were able to get into the dances. Aidan and I danced to ‘So In Love’ (he was so good) and we immediately followed by dancing with my dad and his mom to ‘The Way You Look Tonight’. My dad and I sang the words throughout the whole thing.We still had a few things to do before the evening wound up. The speeches went well with Aidan, myself and Brendan doing the honors. Then came the shocker. Yes, there was belly dancing! A few of my students were good sports, and we ensure that many jaws hit the floor. Even Alegna had on a hip scarf. We rounded up the night with the performance to ‘One’. That really had people stunned to see Aidan with the top hat and cane. We had good fun with it and the energy we got back from everyone was fabulous.Before you knew it the sparklers were being handed out. The time had gone pretty quickly, but we had made up for lost time! We walked out amid the sparklers. It was so beautiful. We stood in front of the taxi and looked out the sparkling Commissioner's House. As we boarded the taxi friends were calling out that they loved us. It was amazing. As we rode home we were happy that the whole day and evening had gone so well.

Reception Memories - Aidan's Version

We arrived at Commissioner’s House and Josh played us in to the building where we spoke to a few people before heading outside to the balcony to take the formal photographs. Once that was complete, the massed bands of the Bermuda Regiment and Bermuda Islands Pipe Band marched onto parade for a short performance for us. They played “Scots Wa’ Hae” as a quick march as per Marisa’s request and she thoroughly enjoyed it. We went inside and cut the cake and met a few more people. The pipe band organized themselves again and performed in front of the flagpole at sunset along with the dancers. Marisa could not resist performing the Highland Fling in her dress. Following this was our first dance. I remembered most of the steps and I think it worked out quite well. Marisa’s belly dancers did a short show. Again she couldn’t resist. Alegna joined in also. Marisa, Brendan and myself then each made a short speech and it was time for the last dance. Again, I remembered most of it, although the people were so stunned that I was actually doing something like that, that they probably wouldn’t have even noticed the mistakes I made. The sparklers were passed around and lit and so it was time to go. So we headed out to the awaiting taxi as all of our adoring fans waved from the balconies, shut the door and drove off around the corner of the building and out of sight.

Ceremony Memories - Aidan's Version

We were ready to go at 4pm on schedule, but unfortunately some of the guests were taking their time, so we eventually started at about 4:10. I tried to follow Brendan and Chantal at the prescribed 4 pew spacings, but with my parents on each side it was a bit difficult. Once I arrived at the front, I turned and watched Alegna walk down the aisle. She got about half way and then realized that she was by herself and started to cry. So we had to try to placate her. Once she made it to her parents she was fine. Marisa headed down the aisle looking very lovely with her parents alongside. She arrived at the front and our families exchanged greetings. The parents went back to their respective places and Marisa took my arm and we proceeded to the altar together. The service proceeded and before we knew it, it was time to say our vows. Marisa of course had memorized hers, but I had to cheat. However, I did read a line at a time and repeat it to her to ensure that I was talking to her and not the book. Father Jerry handed over the dish for the rings and Brendan looked like he was emptying his pockets of change as he took out the five rings to be blessed. Then it was off to sign the register, whilst Marisa’s godfather Phillip played the violin, and before we knew it we were being introduced as Mr and Mrs Aidan and Marisa Stones. A fanfare of trumpets and Handel’s Water Music and we headed out of the church and down the steps to the carriage whilst Josh played the pipes.
We sat in the carriage to allow as many people as possible to see us and then we proceeded out of the car park and along the road to Church Bay. It was nice to have a few quiet moments on our own and the photographer took a few shots whilst we were there. We then boarded the taxi to Commissioner’s House.

Ceremony Memories - Marisa's Version

We were early, but the guests were still arriving we got there. Chantal and I stayed in the taxi for about 15 minutes. So yes, we started 10 minutes late. I did not think about the time again until we got to the reception. There was no need to…I remember walking into the church with my parents and thinking how wonderful it was to see everyone there and looking so genuinely happy. Alegna got halfway down the aisle and began to cry, and both Aidan and I were trying to get her attention to get her to go to the front. It was so precious to see Aidan stepped forward to try to get Alegna to come to him. When I got to the front with my parents, all I wanted to do was touch Aidan to make sure all of it was real. Indeed, it was! I don't think that I stopped smiling for the entire time we were at the front. Fr. Jerry’s homily was memorable because he told stories first about getting to know us - and the work I used to give to him during RCIA. The vows were definitely an experience. I had been practicing them since the rehearsal (especially at the salon with my cheat sheet) and still managed to flub the second line. The exchange of rings had a great smiling moment because Brendan had to put five rings on the plate to be blessed. It was like he was emptying his pockets of change! Aidan and I had to smile. Debbie’s singing of The Lord’s Prayer had me teary-eyed and I was in awe listening to Philip playing the violin during and after the signing of the register. When the fanfare trumpets went off at the end I was thinking “Oh my goodness, I'm a wife!!!”We walked out of the church and got into the horse and carriage that was decorated with blue ribbons. We got to speak with a few people and took a few pictures before we left. The ride was lovely, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. People in cars honked their horns and waved at us. We completed our carriage ride at Church Bay to took pictures at various locations. We then got into a taxi and went the final distance to Commissioner's House. That time alone after the ceremony was great and I recommend it to everyone to just catch your breath.

The Proposal - Aidan's Version

Well, last evening (August 19th, 2005) was the culmination of about two years of research and work. The idea started as an idea of how to involve it in the Edinburgh Tattoo. I began mind games, thinking about how, what, when, where and why with regard to this proposal. I decided fairly early on that I wanted to include sapphires in the ring, to ensure that a part of me was included, it had to include a diamond as that is recent tradition and it had to be a white metal, platinum, because that goes best with her skin tone. I started looking around Hamilton to see what was available, which didn’t thrill me an awful lot, so I decided to try the Internet. I tried various schemes and eventually ended up with a three stone ring. Through various hints, nudges and other very subtle hints, I learned what Marisa liked in rings, cuts, styles, ring size and a host of other pieces of information. Patience was a must as this information gathering took a while. I tried contacting several online jewelers asking about styles etc. It turned out that most only did three stone diamond rings in the type of style I wanted. It wasn’t until four months ago that I found one that would put together the combination that I wanted. By the time I had collated all of the information that I required, did tests on AutoCAD including scaled printouts that I tested on my pinky finger for sizing etc. I eventually settled on about ¾ carat as being the best size. Researching the quality, I discovered that the best which would not change things too much was to get as near colourless as I could, with a fairly good grade of clarity and most of all a top class cut. The ring arrived about a week before I had decided to do it. I had to tell someone, because I was so excited, so I let my sister, Veronica, in on the secret that evening. My next project was to ask Marisa’s parents. I tackled her mother first to gain some vital information on how I should approach Marisa’s father. Armed with some good advice, I had 24 hours to sort something out. I arrived at Marisa’s house that evening. Her mother was out walking and her father wandered around the garden with us looking at various things. As if on queue, Marisa disappeared indoors and so I took my chance. His reaction was interesting, in that his first comment was, “Yes, take her out of here” or words to that effect. I knew I was ok as he was actually beaming. So now, I had to put the final touches together for the evening that followed. We arrived at Coral Beach and walked to the clubhouse. We were greeted as is traditional at CBC by Alonso the parrot with a cheery “Hello”. We were escorted to a table in the corner by the window and passed the menus and wine list. We chose our drinks, wine and dinner. I had quail, vegetable soup and beef tenderloin. Marisa had seafood medley, fish chowder, and the beef tenderloin. We talked about a variety of issues, and the thread kept on coming back to engagement, rings and wedding and timings thereof. I was inwardly smiling, knowing what I knew. We had dessert. I had ice cream with chocolate sauce and Marisa had the dessert medley, which was a small portion of everything on the dessert menu.We got up to leave and I suggested that we take a walk outside. We walked across the granite outdoor dance floor and then found our way through a myriad of corridors and passageways to the steps leading down to the beach. We stopped on the balcony below the beach terrace, and I started the ball rolling, talking about our 1461 days together and that I had another present for her anniversary. She then suggested that we go down to the beach. This was my nightmare, as I had been thinking that I would drop the ring in the sand and lose it at night. The moon was shimmering across the water and the ocean was near calm. I started my spiel again and was distracted by some children who came running onto the beach. We walked a bit further along the beach until I felt a little safer away from the “crowds”. I then began my spiel again about the 1461 days and all that. I decided not to kneel for two reasons. 1 – I wasn’t sure how she would take the surprise, because it was obvious that she didn’t have a clue what was about to happen. 2 – the sand. I eventually got out the words “Will you marry me?” to which her mouth opened wide, her face fell and she broke into tears. I was glad that I was standing as she probably would have collapsed. I kept on prompting her for what felt like at least ten minutes, until she said yes. This gave me time to get the box out of my pocket, the ring out of the box, and pre-position it near her ring finger. As soon as she said “yes” I slipped the ring on her finger. She looked down and burst into tears again. We walked along the beach a bit further to a beach chair and sat down. She continued crying for about 15 minutes. I asked her if she was happy, and she said yes. I told her the story of the ring and asking her parents etc. I’m not sure how much she truly took in as she was rather caught up in the moment. We eventually got up and left the beach in the moonlight to spend the rest of the evening together.