Here comes the bride...

It had been more than 2 months since I last was home but now it was time to go back, mostly not by choice but by default: 2 of my good friends were getting married! Of course, necessity is the mother of invention and the idea of travelling back (albeit for only a weekend) was more than welcome!

This time round, the flight was somewhat of a patriotic act, since the chosen carrier was AirMalta rather than one of the low-cost ones, and this had the "luxury" of travelling at a relatively decent time and from an airport of easy reach (though this was from Gatwick which is far less convenient than Heathrow but always better than Luton or Stansted). The night of arrival implied very little sleep, probably a mix of adrenaline, change of sleeping location and eagerness to start the new day on the following morning! As always, it was great to be home, enjoy the endless supply of Kinnie, savour the irreplaceable pastizzi and of course just being home. But let me go straight to the Sunday morning, the day of Oriana's and Matthew's wedding...

One must keep in mind that during the previous week and also on the eve of the wedding, it virtually did not stop pouring almost all day long. I was dreading the fact that the religious celebration was taking place at Mdina (implying a walk from the car park outside the Silent City to the church at the tip of the city's winding main street...in the rain) and the reception was taking place at Sliema (implying a walk from some lucky parking slot hundreds of metres away from the venue...in the rain). However, the Sunday morning was almost like summer, with ample sun and a big sigh of relief from my part...and definitely a bigger one from the bride's!

The drive from home to Mdina was pleasant - sunny, smooth and in time. It was good to catch up with all of my mates and former work colleagues who turned up at the church. The mass was scheduled for 11am; we were there at 10.30am...but the groom only arrived at 10.55 and the bride...well, a few minutes late! I always heard stories of how one would feel at weddings after his/her own wedding, but I always thought such tales to be quite soppy. However, the wedding did bring back memories of our own wedding and, in the elliptical Baroque church of the Carmelites, the setting was perfect to recall that fateful evening back in March...I did my "prayer of the faithful" along some of my other mates and am proud to say that it was all done with no hints of London-ese accents!

When all was done (pun intended!) we headed off to Sliema, after I was delighted to hear that we could park within the hotel's car park, which took away all the dreaded "Sliema parking" experience. I had never been to the venue but, up on the 9th floor terrace of the modern hotel, the venue was nothing short of breathtaking. The Mediterranean sun, sea views and panoramic views of the capital and beyond, it was a good place to catch up with friends and old friends and also to enjoy my short time at home. Sunglasses constantly on, the hand permanently occupying a glass and endless banter, the day went by, with the compulsory consumption of G+T and Negronis and the usual exhibit of wedding dancing and the traditional lifting of the bride on the shoulders on the way out to the hotel suite...

Now that I am back in London, I look forward to the next Malta trip which will be, yet again, another wedding! And that will mean another post...