I marred my lovely husband Alessandro in Summer 2012 in Marbella and also in Milano but we didn't really have proper honeymoon just the two of us until last week.

We did go to Tuscany in Italy after our wedding, since we were invited by our friends and we stayed in their family summer house and also one of my bridesmaid traveled with us :) (please see my column “My perfect wedding" and “My honourable bridesmaids" ) so we were not alone. Although we had a great time with our friends and I really wanted her to come along. After that we went to Tokyo together but again everyday we were spending time with my classmates and with my family. Again we had a wonderful time there, but it wasn't a trip only for us two like honeymoon is supposed to be.

Finally last week, two years after our wedding, we went on a Caribbean cruise together and it was a proper Honeymoon trip. First we went to Miami and stayed at a friend’s place for five days. They are the always best hosts also in Marbella after that we were off to the Bahamas for a five day cruise. My husband was so happy booking this cruise for us saying: “Finally we have a trip just for two of us! This will be our honeymoon and a proper one!!!” I agreed and I was so excited as he was, because we both have been working so hard in Europe, so it would nice to be far away from the every day problems, internet and phone calls, even if it’s only for five days. 

But we didn't think about the 3000 other passengers on board and how sociable me and my husband are. Because we love meeting new people and we are very easy to make friends with. It is almost like a gift we both received when we were born. We probably spoke to 2000 of the cruise’s guests and with the crew out of the 3000 people on board of The Royal Caribbean Cruise. And we made some nice new friends there on and off the ship who we will keep contact with and hopefully see them again one day.

We had dinner together every night with Mariko, who is a medical doctor from Tokyo but is staying in Miami for few months for observation and withChristine from US Navy, who used to work as a nurse on the Red Cross ship. We were talking about the medical system and the differences between Japan, USA, Europe and of course we discussed love and relationships.. 

Our first cruise together my husband and I we both had a joyful time. We played beach volleyball with people and visited Ernest Hemingway's house in Key West, since we both are big fans of him and we also participated in most of activities on the cruise ship. So maybe we were not totally alone alone.. but I prefer to stay a sociable person and to travel with even more sociable husband. 

Ernest Hemingway Home

Our friends-making trip was already starting on the Air France Paris-Miami flight. We started talking to a girl who lives in Miami and we became very good friends before we even reached to our destination.  Of course we already promised to have a dinner with her and her boyfriend in Miami and one night we met in a restaurant. Our dear fellow rotarian was arriving to Miami as well, so we all had a dinner together. It was a great Cuban dinner with Cuban friends exchanging culture and jokes. We laughed until I had a stomach-ache.

Thank you Jeselyn and Jorge for a wonderful and delicious Cuban dinner! And Carlos you really shouldn't have paid our dinner!!! You guys were fighting over the bill for a while, and I thought it was very Cuban. Actually, in my country it is the same :) In Japan we also fight over the bill very often. Everybody wants to invite everybody… Anyway thank you very much, our dear Cuban friends!

Our Cuban Friends
 

We also had a chance to see my dear friend who lives in Miami and my friend from Madrid. Surprisingly I bumped into my dear friend who lives in New York and I haven't seen her since our wedding! My friend Ursula took me to a very fashionable place called "SeaSalt and Pepper "and a lady who was sitting at the bar called my name "Saekooo!!!!! What are you doing here ???!!!!!!!!!!!" It was a such a coincidence, she normally lives in NYC but she happened to be there because of the bad weather in NY and it was also the last day she was staying in Miami. I was so happy to see her and I hugged her very strong. It was a very nice surprise for me. 

 My old friend from NYC, who I bumped into in Miami!

When we were at the airport, leaving Miami, again we meet this lovely Italian girl Ilaria and her dog Cannella, who was in a buggy like a human baby so I couldn't help myself asking how can I find a buggy for my baby Fernando de Chihuahua too! I see many people in Tokyo that carry their mini dogs in human baby's buggy but I have never seen it in Europe. Until then! Hopefully I can find a buggy very soon for my little chihuahua Fernando. 

While we transit through NY and Paris we needed to use the bus transport between the terminals, and it was so cold for me because I was dressed as a traveller from Miami to Malaga. So I was wrapped in the Delta Airline's Red blanket. Thank you Delta Airline! Again, I am very happy to be with my husband who doesn't care how his wife looks in public and purely worries about her to not catching a cold. I really looked like a very badly made lady Santa with "Delta" logo on my outfit..

Thank you my husband who organised this trip. I had a lovely time and I was completely relaxed. 

Me and my husband

And thank you to all of our friends and people who we met during this trip, you all made our trip safe and easy and exceptionally enjoyable. See you soon ! 

Sending love to all from Marbella,

Saeko Hamada