Honeymoon photos: Greece

My darlings, thank you for being so sweet about our Italy honeymoon photos! Now (ages later), I'd love to share a few of our photos from Greece, if you'd like to see...

We went to Santorini, the Greek island famous for its sunsets. The island was breathtaking, with dramatic cliffs, whitewashed houses, and a sparkling sea as far as the eye could see.

We stayed in the town of Imerovigli, which was quiet and sweet, but we also spent a day exploring the most popular town, Oia, along with lots of other tourists (pictured above).

We saw lots of cute couples taking photos of each other...

...and then we did the same.

As we walked around the cliffside town, we spotted a gorgeous little bay and decided to make our way down to swim.

Our journey to the beach was slowed considerably when Alex kept stopping to take photos of the stunning views...

Since Alex is obsessed with dogs, I laughingly slapped my legs and called for him like my wayward puppy. My plan backfired, since then he wanted to take photos of me doing that.

We finally made it down all the steps and jumped off the craggy rocks into the cold green water. The sea floor felt slimy but the water was refreshing!

Afterward, we had lunch at a little seafood taverna owned by a fisherman. We sat right on the water and ordered a Greek salad, which, in Greece, is simply tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta (no lettuce). The tomatoes were bright red and bursting with flavor.

Even though he doesn't have a sweet tooth, Alex fell in love with baklava for dessert. He ended up doing a taste-test, of sorts, throughout Santorini; the winner is pictured above.

Our favorite afternoon was spent, on my friend Allison's recommendation, on a catamaran, sailed by a friendly captain named Ted. We set out on a gorgeous windy day, along with five other couples, three of which were also honeymooners.

Alex joked that the hardest decision you have to make on a honeymoon is what time to switch from coffee to wine. On this sail, we switched over before noon. (When the skipper asked if we'd like a beer, Alex looked at his watch; the skipper laughed, "The time doesn't matter! You're in Greece!")

We sailed by lighthouses and the famous Red Beach. Then we went swimming in the hot springs. I thought Alex looked particularly handsome in this photo.

I'm the palest person ever, so Alex sweetly gave me a giant sunhat for our trip. He also made me apply SPF 90 multiple times a day. I felt like Audrey Hepburn, if she had worn cut-offs.

After we swam, the captain anchored in a cove and served a delicious lunch of grilled calamari, grilled lamb, Greek salad, pasta with olives and tomatoes, and yogurt with cucumber -- all amazing! Everyone ate around a table on the boat, in swimsuits and towels.

Afterward, the captain sailed back to the port, while we lay on nets at the front of the catamaran and napped. This (above) was our view.

We were happy as clams.

Our final day of our honeymoon was spent in Athens, where we caught our flight back to New York. Overall, our honeymoon was a truly magical trip, and we felt so lucky. A huge thankyou to all our wedding guests and friends, who made it possible. And Alex, you are simply the loveliest travel partner -- I didn't think I could love you any more, but somehow, impossibly, I do.

As for you, Greece, we miss you already! xoxo

Update: My glasses are from Selima Optique, my striped tank is from Steven Alan, and my long-sleeved striped shirt is from Anthropologie.

Honeymoon photos: Italy

My dear readers, Alex and I just got home from our two-week honeymoon to Italy and Greece, and I'd love to share a few photos, if you'd like to see...
Our first stop was Positano, a teeny seaside town on the Amalfi Coast, the most magnificent and charming place in the world. Even though it's a popular destination, it still feels like a authentic small town.
We were lucky enough to stay for four days at the Villa Fiorentino, a 6th-century home owned by a warm and wonderful Italian family. Our honeymoon suite had an outdoor shower and a little pool overlooking the town!
The bedroom was fancy, too. We secretly pretended that we lived there.
I'm more of a doggy-paddler than a swimmer, but the water in Positano is so salty that it keeps you afloat. We spent each afternoon floating on our backs in the clear blue water, gazing up at the town and pinching ourselves. One day, we also rented a giant pool float, and it felt like we were drifting in the sea on a double bed, which was funny and awesome.
At night, we'd head up to Montepertuso, the little town above Positano, for dinner; the restaurants would send a driver to pick you up (that's typical but feels so swanky!). We ate an especially incredible meal one night of pasta with shrimp and lobster, and a starter of grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves, a local specialty. Seinfeld says the secret ingredient to anything delicious is cinnamon, but I'd say it's lemon!
One afternoon, we took a boat trip to Capri and met cute couples from Australia, Africa, Russia and Hong Kong. It felt great to be out on the water.
During our boat trip, Alex took another little boat into the Blue Grotto, where the reflected sunlight makes the water glow blue. Gorgeous, right?
But the catch? To get inside the cave, you have to wait for the waves to subside, and then everyone in the boat has to lie down, so the boat can squeeze through a tiny hole in the rock (can you see it?). Freaky!
Being a tried-and-true claustrophobe, I was happy to watch my brave husband from a safe distance.
On our final night, on my dad's recommendation, we dressed up and went for cocktails at the fanciest hotel in town, Le Sireneuse. The waitress brought us chewy homemade potato chips, and Alex got a Negroni (his new favorite drink; now he orders it everywhere we go) and I got a crisp white wine. The sun was setting, and we felt sunkissed and wonderful--it was one of those perfect life moments.
Then we said goodbye to our beloved Positano and traveled north to Rome--a surprisingly easy jump up on the fast train--and spent three days exploring the city. Alex, of course, was obsessed with the history and spent hours at the Colosseum and in the Forum.
We wandered down twisty streets and dipped our hands in cool fountains. My favorite afternoon was spent visiting the Villa Borghese with its stunning art collection of a (now long dead) jovial cardinal and his family. We took the audio tour, which was hilariously irreverent and described the scandals behind each painting (the myths! the murders! socially inappropriate nudes of famous people!).
At night, we'd walk to to local restaurants for gut-busting pastas. One evening, Alex took a Sartorialist-inspired photo of me on the cobblestone streets outside our hotel. (I know, my flip flops would never cut it on his real blog!) We were staying at Maria Rosa Guesthouse with airy bedrooms rented out by a lovely French woman.
For dinner, Alex quickly become obsessed with carbonara and couldn't resist ordering it wherever we went. I loved cacio e pepe, a simple but rich pasta with Pecorino Romana cheese and tons of pepper. On our last night, we finally splurged and got dessert, too, and it was fabulous--a housemade tiramisu, which came in a glass with espresso at the bottom and thick hot chocolate on top.
Overall, our Italy trip was absolutely a dream come true, and we felt so grateful and lucky. Thank you so much for sharing our excitement! (Greece is up next!) xoxo P.S. A few more on Smitten...

Honeymoon!

My darlings, how are you?! Alex and I got home from our honeymoon last night; we had an absolutely amazing two weeks of beaches, sails, swimming, smooches, and lots and lots of fried calamari. We returned home happy and a little fatter. Being married is wonderful!

After getting settled today, I can't wait to post more honeymoon photos and catch up on all your lovely blogs and comments. xo

P.S. Thank you, Hollister, for your sweet post about our wedding. Now we're waiting with bated breath to see the wedding photos by Max Wanger.

Bensimon shoes

Bensimon shoes are the French girl's Converse. Aren't they cute? I packed a pair for my honeymoon, and I'm excited to wear them (they're also really comfy).

(They're sold at Shopbop, Jumelle and Habitat.)

Honeymoon + registry

Many of you have been asking about our honeymoon, and I realized that we never shared our final plan! After our wedding this weekend, we'll be flying to Italy and Greece for two weeks. We can't wait. We're flying into Naples, then going to Positano for four nights, then Rome for three nights, then Santorini for four. It will be such an exciting, romantic, over-the-top trip! (Any last-minute recommendations? I would LOVE to hear. xo)

To help afford our splurgy honeymoon, we skipped the regular household registry and created a honeymoon registry. We signed up with buy-our-honeymoon (don't worry, guests never see the tacky name!). Alex and I spent a fun evening listing our trip activities, restaurants, hotels, even sun hats, and, happily, our guests seem to be into it. The honeymoon registry has worked out really well and made our honeymoon possible; I'd highly recommend it to anyone. xo

Organic sunscreen

The other day, I was hanging out with my friend Jessa Blades, a natural beauty consultant and make-up artist. She always uses natural, organic products, and she explained that regular products often contain dangerous chemicals and harmful toxins. I was shocked. You can even check out your own makeup on Skin Deep. (Scary!)

So, for our honeymoon, Alex and I have decided to take natural sunscreen. I'm excited about it, especially since you slather sunscreen all over your body every day, and I want to stay safe and healthy (and incredibly pale).

Thank you so much, Jessa!