More about New York
Now over the jet-lag and preparing for the next long-haul flight (tomorrow: hurrah!) But just wanted to note down some of the good New York stuff before I have anything else to add. The problem I usually have with holiday diaries is that I forget to update for a couple of days by which time there's so much to tell that I can't be bothered to update ever again. And then i think it's more important to have the holiday than to write about it.
Whatever - this is an experiment, and the idea is to have something to remember it all by. 10 weeks is quite a long holiday by anyone's standards, so I'm bound to forget stuff if I don't write it down. And it's a good way of telling my lovely Gran what we're up to as Dad is going to be printing this out for her.
So, New York. The carousing doesn't need any more detailing, but the wedding deserves more than I managed to get down t'other day. For a start, Aliza looked BEAUTIFUL. She wore traditional white/ivory but she has such good style that she maintained her own personality through it all. Mike looked pretty cool too - wearing Paul Smith, and a fuschia pink shirt.
The temple they got married in was in Orange County, New Jersey: a short trip under the river (in the disco bus - tack central) sighting the lunar eclipse (not quite as dramatic as the solar eclipse we saw in Hungary but very pretty) and a meander through clapboard house territory.
Aliza's family has very close associations with the temple because her mom teaches there. The cantor and the rabbi are good family friends and this was reflected in the ceremony. Under the huppah we could barely see them as we were on a balcony above the main room but I thought that gave the proceedings a lovely intimacy. It's not a photo-shoot after all. The whole room was candle-lit, mahogany-lined walls gave off a warm glow, and they'd chosen bright pink and purple as the flower colours. Aliza's grandfather managed to call in by phone to the ceremony ("he says mazel tov") and the rest of her family - and Mike's - gathered round them both under the huppah. Some of the blessings were in Hebrew, some in English. There was lots of love and kind words for Aliza and Mike - who deserve both in bundles. When the rabbi read the final blessing, both sets of parents placed their hands on the shoulders of Aliza and Mike and the final act was the glass-smashing. Lovely.
I wish them both lots of love and happiness together. x
Oh, and the talented groom - with help from Aliza I understand - created a comic book with the order of ceremony on the back. It's class.
Now over the jet-lag and preparing for the next long-haul flight (tomorrow: hurrah!) But just wanted to note down some of the good New York stuff before I have anything else to add. The problem I usually have with holiday diaries is that I forget to update for a couple of days by which time there's so much to tell that I can't be bothered to update ever again. And then i think it's more important to have the holiday than to write about it.
Whatever - this is an experiment, and the idea is to have something to remember it all by. 10 weeks is quite a long holiday by anyone's standards, so I'm bound to forget stuff if I don't write it down. And it's a good way of telling my lovely Gran what we're up to as Dad is going to be printing this out for her.
So, New York. The carousing doesn't need any more detailing, but the wedding deserves more than I managed to get down t'other day. For a start, Aliza looked BEAUTIFUL. She wore traditional white/ivory but she has such good style that she maintained her own personality through it all. Mike looked pretty cool too - wearing Paul Smith, and a fuschia pink shirt.
The temple they got married in was in Orange County, New Jersey: a short trip under the river (in the disco bus - tack central) sighting the lunar eclipse (not quite as dramatic as the solar eclipse we saw in Hungary but very pretty) and a meander through clapboard house territory.
Aliza's family has very close associations with the temple because her mom teaches there. The cantor and the rabbi are good family friends and this was reflected in the ceremony. Under the huppah we could barely see them as we were on a balcony above the main room but I thought that gave the proceedings a lovely intimacy. It's not a photo-shoot after all. The whole room was candle-lit, mahogany-lined walls gave off a warm glow, and they'd chosen bright pink and purple as the flower colours. Aliza's grandfather managed to call in by phone to the ceremony ("he says mazel tov") and the rest of her family - and Mike's - gathered round them both under the huppah. Some of the blessings were in Hebrew, some in English. There was lots of love and kind words for Aliza and Mike - who deserve both in bundles. When the rabbi read the final blessing, both sets of parents placed their hands on the shoulders of Aliza and Mike and the final act was the glass-smashing. Lovely.
I wish them both lots of love and happiness together. x
Oh, and the talented groom - with help from Aliza I understand - created a comic book with the order of ceremony on the back. It's class.
