the proposal

nervous. i was nervous! i knew what i wanted, i was 99% sure piero would say yes, but i was nervous. so nervous. 

i knew that when i asked, i wanted to ask piero overseas. as our relationship had taken in continents and countless countries, it felt fitting that the proposal should happen overseas. but where??? 

we were heading to the uk for a gav & mish’s wedding. london was a place of meaning for both of us but we would only be passing through and it would be a whirlwind of catching up with friends. gav & mish’s wedding was in newcastle, and while there was something poetic for me to propose in my city of birth, proposing at someone else’s wedding didn’t really seem like the done thing! we were heading to sardinia to visit piero’s family but i didn’t know if we would have any alone time there.  that left our one week in greece!

first stop was athens. it’s a beautiful city but it just didn’t feel like the right place to propose.

next stop was the party island of mykonos. in hindsight, it would have been a fab place to propose as we had so much fun, had lots of romantic moments and loved the place but i didn’t want to spend the rest of my life explaining that our proposal was planned and beautiful and not some drunken, party infused act.

with all those options out, that left santorini – not a bad option to have! i knew it would be beautiful, but nothing prepared me for just how beautiful it was! that island is simply stunning! crystal blue waters, white-washed cliff-top towns and the most breathtaking sunset in the world. 

on the day i had chosen, i had booked a restaurant overlooking the caldera. i would do it there ... nerves set it in! 

where should i hide the ring? should i propose at the restaurant in front of others or go somewhere private? should i order champagne or should i keep it more natural??? 

the momentousness of that moment dawns on you as it approaches. it’s you. it’s him. it’s both of you stripped to your emotions. it’s the rest of your life. asking that question is huge. but at the same time, it’s so natural. it’s all about the future, but it’s such a living-in-the-moment moment.

after dinner, we went for a walk and found a place on the cliff-top town deserted of people. the full moon twinkled overhead, reflected in the sea below. the time was now. 

proposing is such a personal thing you share with your partner. given this is a public blog, i don’t want to go into detail with what i said and how it panned out, but what i will say is the most important thing: he said yes! 

a new world opened up. 

minutes before i proposed

the restaurant we ate at

the view from the restaurant

piero just after he said 'yes'

europe calling!

our dear friends, mish & gav's wedding in the uk in august 2010 gave us the perfect opportunity to spend two fabulous weeks in europe! 

greco loving
i can’t believe that i never went to greece when i lived in europe. it’s an amazing place: history, food, wine, the islands and sexy locals. 

first stop was the party island of mykonos! we knew it would be fun, but weren’t prepared for just how beautiful it was. when the ferry pulled up, one of my besties, jaimee, was there to greet us after flying in from london a couple of hours earlier. over the next few days we lazed it up on the beaches, danced till our feet hurt in mykonos town and created the most amazing tv concept known to humanity – stay tuned! 

a little bit of mykonos magic

jaimee & piero and the view from our apartment

jaimee headed back to london and piero and i ferried it to santorini. the island was stunning! people tell you it’s beautiful, but it’s one of those rare places that exceeds your built-up expectations. we had a fabulous two nights watching the sunset, exploring the white washed villages, swimming in the med, walking on the volcano and... getting engaged!!! for more deets, see: the proposal. 

minutes later, we were engaged!

the view of the caldera (and a lazzzzzzzyyyyy dog!)

following an unforgettable two days in santorini we headed to athens and my god, it was fantastic! we had an amazing hotel with a restaurant and a funky roof top pool with stunning views of the acropolis! this was europe as it should be (bar the pending economic doom). 

while in town we explored the acropolis – simply breathtaking seeing it up close and finding out more about athen’s history – and enjoyed the food and wine on offer. while at the acropolis museum, I read a great line that has stayed with about why post-golden-age-athen's invaders didn't destroy the city: the brilliance of its past guarenteed its future. am sure that probably doesn't mean much to may of you, but for some reason, it has stayed with me. 

aaaaahhhh, i adore this view! this was the bar next to the rooftop pool of our athen's hotel.

ancient athens on a beautiful day

greece was, simply, an amazing week.

rule britannia 
next stop was that little island where we met: the uk! i have two great loves in my life: piero & london. heading back to the motherland is always an exciting experience. 

city hall, where i used to work, and the shard, which was being built while i was in london

the olympic rings on tower bridge

as it was the olympics, the airport was teeming with people but the airport was incredibly efficient (god i love britain, it turns it on when it really – and only when it really - has to). we touched down in newcastle and headed to the pre-party for mish & gav’s wedding. it was a fabulous night catching up with mates and watching the funniest surprise mock-bollywood dance sequence by some of mish & gav’s family and friends. 
the next day we explored newcastle before heading to morpeth to catch up with my family who live there. it’s always fantastic seeing the hunters, they’re such a close family who always make laugh.

and then it was time for the wedding! and what a wedding it was! for more info, see: to gav & mish.

mish & gav dancing the dance of life

sardinian sunshine 
following newcastle, we headed to sardinia (via one night in london where we checked out jaimee & damo’s new pad and caught up with the aussie girls!) to catch up with piero’s family. as always, my time in italy can be best summarised by one word: food! 

my favourite experience in sardinia was when piero, his brother andrea, brother-in-law davide and myself went out on a boat on the med for the afternoon. swimming in the mediterranean is fabulous – it’s warm, the water is so clear you can see the bottom and, unlike, oz, it’s hard to get burnt. 

a beautiful day, on the beautiful isle of sardinia

journey back to where it began
our final stop was a weekend in london. for friday night, we explored the surprisingly-fantastic cafe-hub in hackney and caught up with my old work chums at victoria park, watching the olympics on the big screen. we crashed at our friend’s, marta & dave, isle of dog's apartment and enjoyed a good ol' chin wag. 

dave, marta, piero & me hanging out in their flat

the next day, we d-r-l-ed it to tower hill and took in the sites of an unbelievably sunny london – walked across tower bridge, through potters fields and down my favourite street in the world, bermondsey high st. we caught up with nat at one of my fav pubs in the world, the woolpack, before heading to jaimee and damo’s in balham for an afternoon of lazy drinking in their back garden. 

piero outside the woolpack

in the evening, we headed to a pop-up bar on the southbank (during the olympics in london, it was all about the pop-up bar) and met the aussie girls, luc, keith & kris. for dinner, we headed to soho – loved the new w hotel near piccadilly – before jumping into a cab and heading to our old favourite, the two brewers club in clapham (it wouldn’t be a weekend in london if we didn’t head there). 

the gang at jaimee & damo's

and finally, on sunday, we continued our (never-ending) farewell-from-london tradition and met our mates for drinks at the volunteer, our old local when we lived at marylebone. 

while swung by the flat of dreams (sans mish & gav who were on their honeymoon) to drop off and pick up a couple of things. it was weird being back there – all so familiar but unfamiliar. i found myself taking a snap from the living room window of the fish n chips shop opposite, it’s not a beautiful view or anything, it’s just a very ‘my london’ view.

and with that, we were on the heathrow express, ready to return down under.