You got to give a little more

You got to give a little more than you’re asking for and your love will set you free. I think that is a quote from a Bee Gees song.

I often use this quote when talking about long term relationships. Huddy D and I just celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary and I believe it is because we are best friends. We give a little more than we are asking for all the time.

When our friends LW and YW told us their oldest, LZW was going to get married in GREECE, we said we would be there. 

 Then COVID hit us. But we held out hope and guess what, WE WERE THERE!!!!!

This photo of LW and YW as taken at Kennedy Space Center when they visited us in 2018.

Their daughter's wedding was amazing. LW made all the arrangements, coordinated travel for a many of the guests and made the trip a real adventure. After the wedding we visited 3 Greek islands and had a FANTASTIC TIME!

Hubby D and I flew on United Airline's new “Polaris Business Class.” It was nice, but nothing like Emirates. However, United is sponsoring the Olympics and the business class goodies came inside this great bag. We love the bag.

LW’s sister, KU and her husband, JU were on our flight into Athens, and we connected with them. When we arrived in Athens, YW met us at the airport with a big van we would be using for the whole trip. 

Our arrival in Athens.

On the way to LW’s and YW’s home, we visited the top of a mountain to take in the view of their town, Artemidos. It is located just a few miles east of Athens. It was beautiful. 

This is a small church on an island off the coast. I took this photo from the beach close to YW's house.

The beach down the street from their home was gorgeous. Although beaches for swimming were limited but it was picturesque. Small shires like this one dotted the coastline.

On the way to their house, we stopped at a restaurant on the beach for something to eat. Hubby D and I shared a "real" Greek salad, the first of many.  AWESOME! 

For a while LW and I have had a running discussion about the type of feta cheese to use on a  Greek salad.  While Hubby D and I were living in Bahrain, I started learning how to make really good salads.  On the Greek salad I made in Bahrain I preferred Saudi Feta cheese because it is creamy and salty.  LW and YW are adamant that the cheese has to be Greek feta (by the way the word feta means "sliced" in Greek - learned that on this vacation), When I returned to the US, I could no longer buy Saudi feta cheese so I have started using Greek feta on my salad. 

While were staying at LW and YW's house, YW went out and found some Saudi feta cheese for me and I actually brought it home in my suitcase. YIPEE! Can't wait to make a Greek salad.

LW and YW just finished building this beautiful home close to the beach.

Here YW and JU are standing on the top terrace (one of MANY) of the new home.

For the first few days of our trip, Hubby D and I stayed at the Dolce Resort. They call this area the Attica Riviera. It was very nice. 

This was the view from  the hotel terrace and from our room.

One day we ate lunch by the pool and had a "Greek" pizza. It was terrific. During the entire vacation, our food was fantastic.

The first night we were in Greece, LW and YW threw a combined “bachelor and bachelorette” party. WOW – so much fun. LZW and BM looked like the perfect Bride and Groom-To-Be. So happy!

The next day the wedding was just magical. I really am struggling to find the right words to tell you how beautiful and meaningful it was.

First, you need to know this was a traditional Greek Orthodox wedding complete with everything you think of in a Greek wedding! 

The church was so very, very picturesque. 

It was a bit windy however nothing could have made this beautiful wedding anything but perfect.

The bride arrived along with her dad, followed by her mom and her brothers in a procession down a cobblestone street led by a violin and traditional Greek guitar. It took your breath away. 

BM - the Groom waited for them at the entrance to the church holding the Bride's bouquet.

The ceremony could not have been more beautiful. As the Bride and Groom put on their crowns and traveled three times around the alter, I kept remembering my own wedding and how much love and affection Hubby D and I have for each other today. Oh my goodness, I am tearing up even now. 

It inspires you to see two young people making a life long commitment to each other and sharing that with all their family and friends. Then came the reception – no reception is not a good enough word. The BIG CELEBRATION!!!! 

We ate, drank, danced, and celebrated in an adorable, quaint, seaside restaurant until 2:30AM. And, there were all the traditional Greek dances. 

Once during the festivities, Hubby D requested a Frank Sinatra song so he and I could show the Greeks how we do it in America. LOL The next day (after sleeping in for a bit) we started the second part of this adventure, a visit to the Acropolis in Athens. I will blog about that in my next installment. 

 Cheers, Brenda