Croatia and Paris, Here We Come!

The tickets are in our hands (proverbially speaking of course...they really exist as electronic documents in Dan's email inbox). Our honeymoon travel plans are set! Dan, with his undying patience, navigated through muddy waters and difficult customer service agents to use frequent flier miles to buy our plane tickets. And so, we are off. Well, in a few months we'll be off. We both love traveling, and with the tickets in our possesion (again proverbially), excitement is bubbling up inside. A vacation! A chance to visit a new country, lay on the beaches, walk in the national parks, wonder through the cities, and, for at least part of the time, do nothing and have no cares in the world. And, as an added bonus, our flight has a day layover in Paris on the front end. We've both been to Paris--the last time for me was in 2004, where I strolled in the art musems, ate hazelnut crapes on a sideway cafe, and bought a fabulous, fuchsia colored, watering can shaped purse (I now have two). Paris is dubbed the most romantic city in the world, and while I am not to usually one to fall for cliches, the idea of stepping foot in it as a newlywed is truly enchanting (Although I haven't forgotten the other cliche that rang true about Paris when I was there--people are rude!). Regardless, we are going!!

Croatia, We're A'Coming

So we've chosen a honeymoon destination: Croatia. Its glistening beaches, historical sites, and pristine national parks have beckoned. My blog readers agree, as they picked this Eastern European country on a survey I conducted a few months back. On Saturday night, Dan and I waited in a Barnes and Noble to see Slum Dog Millionaire (the 8pm showing was sold out, so we settled for the 10pm. It was worth the 2-hour bookstore browse. Great movie!), where we paged through several guide books. The never dormant travel bug in me awakened with a frenzy, excited to read about this secluded beach or that famous local restaurant. Dan shares my love of international travel, and I soon saw him drift deeper into the books, dreaming of a scuba dive off a Croatian beach. We bought one book, a glossy covered Frommer's guide that includes several itineries and lists of the best shorelines, diving spots, hotels, and hiking. Let the travel planning begin!

Oh, Where to Go?

So, here's a fun question: Where to honeymoon? (See my survey at right to actually answer this question). I realize it's a little premature, as we are still at the beginning at this wedding planning process. But we both are avid travelers, and the excitement of even thinking about travails in a far off land is intoxicating. Because we're planning to head off shortly after the big to-do, we're definitely building some R&R time into the honeymoon. But we'll both want to do some exploration too, whether it's sightseeing around a big city, or finding some ecotouristic adventures on the sea or in the mountains. I don't know how the "honeymoon" came to be, but I really like the idea of a couple adventuring together, alone, after tying the knot. Not only because I have an omnipresent travel bug, or because I may need to unwind after planning a wedding, but really because a honeymoon can, in a way, symbolize what a life-long commitment is: a journey together. A honeymoon also reminds me of the Jewish tradition where the bride and groom take 10 or 15 minutes after the ceremony to be alone. Just like these few postnuptial minutes, a honeymoon is a chance for the couple to spend some isolated time together, before celebrating life with everyone they hold dear!