We got back from the honeymoon on Friday, and this entry i'll devote solely to the honeymoon, and leave what's happened since Friday (a considerable amount to blog) for the next entry. Just in case anyone's wondering, I haven't blogged before today because today was the day our internet was finally connected to the unit, but more on that next entry.
Onto the Honeymoon: On the Tuesday after the wedding we flew out to the USA to go to Vegas and LA. We had to catch 3 consecutive planes to get to Vegas: Brisbane to Sydney, Sydney to LA, and LA to Vegas.
The flight from Sydney to LA got really bumpy over Fiji, and surprisingly, there wasn't even any message from the captain informing us about the turbulence or anything (on most flights I have been on at least the someone from the flight crew usually warns the passengers when the aircraft is going through, or about to go through the turbulence).
We eventually made it to Las Vegas without any worries, but the crew on the Southwest flight from LA to Vegas were pretty crazy: during the flight they were cracking jokes about each other over the PA, and over the PA made a horse galloping noise as the aircraft touched down to land.
Vegas was great, but our hotel room left a bit to be desired. We stayed at the Flamingo (see below), and upon entering the room saw that it hadn't been cleaned properly, and the view outside the window was really of the air-conditioners for the hotel. Luckily we didn't spend too much time in the hotel (we basically only slept there).
Our hotel, The Flamingo
Real Flamingos at the Hotel
While we were in Vegas we visited basically every casino on the famed strip: from the huge pyramid-shaped Luxor, all the way up to TI (Treasure Island). We saw two shows in Vegas: Mystรจre which was a Cirque du Soleil production, and also Penn and Teller.
The Fake indoor sky at the Venetian hotel, with a real canal running through the building
Mystรจre was typical Cirque du Soleil, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Penn and Teller were very entertaining, but have undoubtedly lost their shine from their peak in the late 90s.
View from the top of the Eiffel Tower down to the Luxor and Airport
View from the top of the Eiffel Tower up to Treasure Island
We watched the magnificent and amazing Bellagio Fountains more than a few times while in Vegas, the highlight being watching them from atop the 1/2 scale Eiffel Tower (which was still really high) from the Paris casino across the road. Unfortunately the song we heard the most (the fountains dance to a different song with different choreography each time) was an American patriotic song, Proud to be an American. Although the song quickly gets a little tired from this sceptic Australian's point of view, it did make for an absolutely amazing fountain display. We caught it on video, so we'll show a few people someday.
Watching the Bellagio Fountains from atop the Eiffel Tower
We left Vegas on the Saturday and flew back to Los Angeles. I have a friend there (whom I met while she spent a semester studying at UQ a few years back) who very kindly showed us around on Saturday and Sunday.
We stayed in West Hollywood, in an area which I didn't know was the gay centre of Hollywood. When I say the gay centre of Hollywood it was really that: in the median strip of the road, on both ends were 3 flag poles: one flying the American flag, the other two flying the gay 'rainbow' flag.
Saturday we went to see the Hollywood walk of fame, and went past the Kodak Theatre which was thick in the middle of the preparations for the Oscars. It's quite amazing how small and dare I say derelict that whole area is; it's a far cry from the glamour we always see on TV. We got photos with a real Oscar statue that they had on a display, and I got a photo with a guy in a Darth Vader costume (see below).
Me with the Oscar statue (string attached so nobody steals it)
Me with Vader and Stormtrooper, with the preparations for the Oscars behind us.
Sunday we toured the beaches: we went down to Santa Monica Pier, and then did a long walk along the famous Venice beach, both of which were really nice. We didn't do any swimming (it was winter over there), but toured all the entertainment on offer.
Monday and Tuesday we went to Disneyland. Monday rained almost the entire day, which dampened our spirits a little bit, as we had to mainly stick to only the indoor rides. Although it was forecast to rain on Tuesday as well, it turned out to be absolutely fantastic weather and we had a great time. We rode all the usual favourites: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones etc etc.
Disneyland!
Wednesday was our final day, and we went to Universal Studios. It's a little bit of a let down going there after going to Disneyland, but we still had a great time. We flew out at midnight that night, and had a really pleasant flight home.
I'll try to post a few pictures into this entry when I get a chance, so stay tuned.
Welcome back Lucas and Despina! I'm glad you had such a wonderful time and I hope your honeymoon never ends.
aside from the honeymoon - congrats on being patient enough to wait for the internet to come on before breaking your computer! a/s
yeah i didn't really like universal studios when we went there. seems like there's less to do.
Hey guys! Welcome back! It sounds like you both had a fun and interesting time, glad to hear it! Congrats on completing step 2 of married life. 3rd step is live happily ever after, and I know you will. Cya when you get back to work Lucas!
PS. We want photos ๐
Welcome back Guys,
Sounds like you had an awesome time