Our Honeymoon in Paradise—Scotland, Paris, Venice

Drew and I had been eagerly waiting for this honeymoon since last fall when our parents told us they planned to cover the entire journey abroad as a wedding gift for us, an enjoyable and memorable start off on our new life together.

We stayed an extra night at the Pinnacle Harbor Resort after seeing off all our friends and relations on Sunday, just relaxing and feeling wonderfully married. Then we had an early drive to Montreal airport to fly to Scotland, the first part of our honeymoon trip. In Edinburgh, we stayed at the Prestonfield House, a lovely little hotel where we walked their beautiful gardens with peacocks, ate fabulous food, and felt like ourselves again in time to board the train. 

What could be better after our whirlwind wedding weekend than to just relax for a few days on a train – a luxurious trip of great food, great accommodations, and great scenery (a lot of which we missed, enjoying our superb room on rails!).

The Royal Scotsman was everything we could have hoped for. Drew got to go to several distilleries he had wanted to visit, we stopped at castles and gardens and saw some of the most gorgeous vistas in Scotland. We got massages on the spa car and even shot clay pigeons one day at a beautiful country estate. We met people from India, Australia, and France while dining on the most fabulous food in the gorgeous dining car. A trip to remember.

When we got back to Edinburgh, we stayed one more night at the Prestonfield, which has a lovely bar for more single-malt tastings, before taking a flight to Paris.

The lights of Paris as our flight began its descent were so beautiful that I thought I was landing in a dream. The night sky was clear so that we could see thousands of lights twinkling in the city. A chauffeur from our hotel, Le Meurice, picked us up and brought us to the elegant French palace across from the Tuileries Gardens. The Le Meurice is so romantic. Our suite had bright windows overlooking the courtyard, period furniture and gold trim on the walls a la Louis XVI, a lush sofa and a sumptuous bed. The food in the elegant restaurant was beyond delicious – as was everything we ate in Paris.

This experience was the first time Drew and I had ever been to Paris together. I had gone my junior year at college, and Drew had been several times with his family. Each street we walked down together, each café we lingered at, and each museum we explored was a new, exciting experience.

One of our most memorable nights was listening to blues in a café on the outskirts of Paris. Drew and I could speak passable French, but the locals were so kind and considerate helping us find our way around. No matter where we went the local French people contributed to make our trip more enjoyable.
Our time in Paris went by too fast. Both Drew and I talked about coming back or even living in Europe later in our lives. It's funny, the kind of plan one makes when in love and in a beautiful place.

Our final destination, Venice, Italy, was quite different from Paris because it is a small town compared to how Paris is vast and expansive. We wanted to be in Venice because it is a tradition in Drew’s family to stand in front of the San Marco’s Basilica altar and light three candles and recommit wedding vows.

We lit one candle for the start of our life together, we lit one candle for our future together, and we lit one candle for the family we hope to have. This tradition goes back to World War One when Drew’s great grandfather, John Stratton, fought in the Great War in France. After the Armistice, while traveling through Northern Italy, he found his future bride and shocked his blue-blood family by bringing home an Italian girl from Venice. Drew's grandfather and father have both brought their wives to Saint Marco's to honor their heritage.

We stayed at Aman Canal Grande Venice, a beautiful palazzo in the heart of Venice. We had a gorgeous room overlooking a hidden garden behind the hotel. On the ceiling of our room, there was a fresco of three doves flying around an olive tree. Drew and I considered that this was good fortune, because we are both fans of Bob Marley’s song “Three Little Birds.” Yes, everything's going be alright.

As corny as it may sound, my favorite experience in Venice was a moonlight trip in a gondola with champagne and a fabulous food basket put together by the hotel. Paulo was our gondolier. A handsome older Italian man with the singing voice of an angel.

We loved every journey we took during our honeymoon, but the most precious memories are the long talks Drew and I had while traveling to these beautiful places. We feel more love for each other and our families after this delightful honeymoon.

Thanks for everything, Mom and Daddy, Mum and Dad!