Europe
Posted: September 10, 2007, 1:00 pm
So a couple of old friends of mine moved to England last year, and tied the knot last night. So a bunch of people from three continents converged on the town of Wantage for the ceremony. Being my first trip outiside the USofA, I decided to make a real vacation out of it.
Started out in Amsterdam for a couple days. Weed and hookers. Hookers and weed. The Dutch are some of the most laid back and genuinely nice people I've ever met. They are also very tall. I'm usually one of the biggest people around, and the Dutch women are generally my height. The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museums were truly amazing. I've now seen something like 2/3 of all the publicly displayed Rembrandts and Van Goghs.
Went to London after that, and while it's certainly the most comopolitan city I've ever seen, it's kind of a pain in the ass to get around. Went to Camden to see the freaks, and I have never seen such a collection of motley motherfuckers in one place before. Had 2 fun nights doing the stag (that's English for bachelor party), and had some fun, but it cost us a lot of money.
After London, we came to a small old town called Wantage where my friends own a pub. There is a church across the street that has stood in one form or another for almost 1000 years. The oldest gravestone in the cemetary dates back to the 1600's, and there are a ton of stones that are too weathered to read. The pub inside is an amazing contrast from the front to the back. The front room is older than America, and they haven't covered up the old beams, so it still looks like what you'd imagine an old English pub would. The back room is much more modern, and it also has a covered courtyard.
The wedding was in a barn. I know, I was thinking the same thing when the bride's brother told me. He must have seen the look on my face, so he follows with "But it's a very old barn." Understand that this girl is a very proper English bird, and her brother just told me she's getting married in an old barn. I'm starting to wonder if this is going to end up as an international disaster.
We get to the barn, and this place is ancient. The barn is over 400 years old, but has been totally renovated and converted into a proper venue, while totally retaining the character of the place. The place has a full kitchen, and the barn is simply amazing. I'll link some pics when we get back to the States and host them up. This was by far the most amazing wedding and reception that I've ever seen. This is the wedding that I'll compare every other one I attend for the rest of my life. The bride looked like a princess, and there were so many diverse groups of people there mingling and partying that I can't even find words to fully convey the experience.
So after the reception, at midnight, some of us (mostly the young people and those of us from far away) head back to the pub, and proceed to fucking tie one on real proper like. I spend the night being force fed shots by the most hardcore 18 year old girl I've ever met. English girls can put away more alcohol than most American men I know. English girls also seem to have much bigger tits than the ones back home. Needless to say I had a fucking great time.
Tomorrow is my last day here, and the bride's bro is taking us on a car tour of the countryside, and then we're joining the Oxford girls in their home town for a proper afternoon tea.
In closing, if you've never left North America, you need to get your passport and see this shit. It was expensive and exausting, and I probably have liver damage, but this has been one of the best two weeks of my life.
Started out in Amsterdam for a couple days. Weed and hookers. Hookers and weed. The Dutch are some of the most laid back and genuinely nice people I've ever met. They are also very tall. I'm usually one of the biggest people around, and the Dutch women are generally my height. The Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museums were truly amazing. I've now seen something like 2/3 of all the publicly displayed Rembrandts and Van Goghs.
Went to London after that, and while it's certainly the most comopolitan city I've ever seen, it's kind of a pain in the ass to get around. Went to Camden to see the freaks, and I have never seen such a collection of motley motherfuckers in one place before. Had 2 fun nights doing the stag (that's English for bachelor party), and had some fun, but it cost us a lot of money.
After London, we came to a small old town called Wantage where my friends own a pub. There is a church across the street that has stood in one form or another for almost 1000 years. The oldest gravestone in the cemetary dates back to the 1600's, and there are a ton of stones that are too weathered to read. The pub inside is an amazing contrast from the front to the back. The front room is older than America, and they haven't covered up the old beams, so it still looks like what you'd imagine an old English pub would. The back room is much more modern, and it also has a covered courtyard.
The wedding was in a barn. I know, I was thinking the same thing when the bride's brother told me. He must have seen the look on my face, so he follows with "But it's a very old barn." Understand that this girl is a very proper English bird, and her brother just told me she's getting married in an old barn. I'm starting to wonder if this is going to end up as an international disaster.
We get to the barn, and this place is ancient. The barn is over 400 years old, but has been totally renovated and converted into a proper venue, while totally retaining the character of the place. The place has a full kitchen, and the barn is simply amazing. I'll link some pics when we get back to the States and host them up. This was by far the most amazing wedding and reception that I've ever seen. This is the wedding that I'll compare every other one I attend for the rest of my life. The bride looked like a princess, and there were so many diverse groups of people there mingling and partying that I can't even find words to fully convey the experience.
So after the reception, at midnight, some of us (mostly the young people and those of us from far away) head back to the pub, and proceed to fucking tie one on real proper like. I spend the night being force fed shots by the most hardcore 18 year old girl I've ever met. English girls can put away more alcohol than most American men I know. English girls also seem to have much bigger tits than the ones back home. Needless to say I had a fucking great time.
Tomorrow is my last day here, and the bride's bro is taking us on a car tour of the countryside, and then we're joining the Oxford girls in their home town for a proper afternoon tea.
In closing, if you've never left North America, you need to get your passport and see this shit. It was expensive and exausting, and I probably have liver damage, but this has been one of the best two weeks of my life.
