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Posted by Tim on Nov 17, 2009
Home Again After our Honeymoon!

Well, we're back... home again, safe and sound, after a deliriously spectacular whirlwind honeymoon that spanned three countries and over 18,000 miles.

Our honeymoon, like our wedding, could not have been more perfect. We flew first from Boston to Istanbul, where we spent a few giddy days retracing our steps in one of our favorite cities in the world. To make things even better, we managed to score the exact same hotel room we stayed in before!

'Our beloved mosque, seen for the first time in nearly 4 years!That room, #12 at the Türkman Hotel and Pansion, is rather special to us. We spent more than two weeks there while on our trip, at the beginning and end of our time in Turkey. The view from the balcony in particular, looking out at "our" mosque and the sparkling Sea of Marmara, was one of the things we most missed about Istanbul. I can't describe how wonderful it was to sit out there once more.

Istanbul itself was just as we'd left it: friendly and welcoming and beautiful and overflowing with kebabs and apple tea of that particularly most mouth-watering variety. We reunited with some old friends and made some new ones as well, and then all too soon we were off on the next leg of our adventure!

For indeed, here it was that the adventure began in earnest: India, a place which had titillated our imaginations for years. The opinions our friends had on it were as varied as they were fervent, so we had no idea what we were in for. I'll admit that it was perhaps with a touch of trepidation that we boarded our flight to Delhi.

'A camel wades through the sunset traffic in breathtaking Udaipur, RajasthanAs it turns out, we needn't have worried. India so vastly and spectacularly exceeded our expectations that it may just present itself as a serious challenger to Cambodia for the title of "Our Favorite Country in the World."

Yeah, we liked it that much. That much and much, much more.

We've barely scratched the surface of everything this immense, richly varied nation has to offer, but one thing we know is that we will be back. Again, and again, and again.

The stories of all that we experienced and encountered in Istanbul and India will of course be the subject of many, many future posts. For now, know that we could not have enjoyed ourselves more.

'The glorious cathedral of Notre DameOh! And there is just one other small little tidbit I almost forgot. On our way home from India, we happened to have a 7-hour layover in Paris. It proved to be just enough time for two hedgehogs to wander about the sleepy city at sunrise, enjoy some croissants and cheese at a café along the River Seine, and grab a few snapshots of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel Tower.

We would have just loved to discover that Paris isn't all that great, given how tremendously expensive it is (the aforementioned breakfast cost as much as our favorite hotel room in India!). Sadly, though, it's everything we'd dreamed it was and more. As much as it pains our bank account to say it, we fell absolutely head-over-heels in love with Paris and have every intention of going back again soon. (Hopefully we'll be able to spend more than just a few hours there next time.)

All in all, not a bad way to start out a marriage. I can't wait to see what happens next.

If you enjoyed this story, you might also like these ones:

A Few Hours in Paris

A Few Hours in Paris

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November 18, 2009 at 11:44am
Hi hedgehogs! Had we known, we could have met you for breakfast in Paris. much love, Klaus + Secret Agent X
P.S. we are going to Bolivia in February :)
Jessica the hedgehog
November 19, 2009 at 9:17am
We'll definitely keep that in mind for next time! Many of the flights we'd take out of India usually have a layover in Paris. It'd be nice to meet for breakfast, wouldn't it? We miss you guys! :)

we are going to Bolivia in February

You're an evil temptress, my friend. We really want to go to Bolivia one day! :)

Deb
November 20, 2009 at 5:22pm
Yay! I'm glad you guys had such a great time! I'm looking forward to reading your stories and finding out where you ended up in India. Maybe it will entice me to go back and give it another try. :)
Jessica the hedgehog
November 24, 2009 at 1:43pm
It might be worth a shot! It's been awhile since you've been there, right? That said, I know India is not high up on your list…much like Spain isn't high up for me…and it would take an awful lot for me to ever bother with Spain again! There's just too many places to see in the world. :)

I'm looking forward to reading your stories and finding out where you ended up in India.

We can't wait to share our stories too! In terms of our itinerary we ended up beginning in Mumbai, then we headed to Aurangabad (home of the "mini Taj Mahal"!) and took in the Ellora caves (wow, wow, wow, wow!), then it was off to Udaipur (where we landed the most perfect room we barely ever wanted to leave our balcony!) and while we were there we took a day trip to see Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur Temple, and then it was off to Delhi for our flight home! Good stuff, good stuff. :)

missy&derick
November 24, 2009 at 2:39pm
aww! what an unexpected gift– a Paris breakfast! can't wait to hear more details about India! Congratulations Again!
Deb
November 25, 2009 at 5:34am
I was there in the spring of '95, almost 15 years ago. Your itinerary sounds lovely, and the teaser photos are great too!

There are definitely too many places to see in the world, and not enough time to see them all :)

December 2, 2009 at 11:35am
Missy – Thank you! It really was an unexpected gift. We feel super lucky we were able to grab a few hours in Paris! Yeah! :)

Deb – I'm so happy you like the teaser photos! And speaking of too many places to see in the world…Tim and I just started talking last night about where we'll head to next. As of yet, we have no clue! It'll be fun to see what develops over the next few months. :)


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