Travel photographs from a memorable honeymoon.

London

I always enjoy visiting London. As our cruise package took care of us from London, we decided to spend the weekend there in order to avoid any travel disruptions possibly preventing us making our flight on the Monday to Toronto.

Instead of going to see a show on Broadway, we decided to see the musical ‘Wicked’ at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London to maximise our time in New York. My wife loved it! The following day, amongst other things, we visited the Tower of London. We got a great tour from one of the Yeoman Warders which was full of history from the past several hundred years. We also saw the World War One poppy display; 888,246 ceramic poppies ‘planted’ in the moat surrounding the Tower of London to represent those who died in the war. There is a fantastic view of Tower Bridge from inside the grounds of the Tower and I’d thoroughly recommend a visit there if you’re ever in London.

Niagara falls

Following a very enjoyable flight to Toronto we travelled to Niagara to view the Falls. Thanks to slight jetlag we were awake early and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise from our hotel room which had views of both the waterfalls which make up Niagara Falls and looked over to the US side of Niagara from our base in Canada. The falls themselves were mesmerising; especially up close where the sheer volume of water crashing over the edge is most apparent. We then enjoyed night-time views from the Skylon Tower - a revolving restaurant with views of the Falls and the city. After two nights in Niagara we boarded an Amtrak train on what ended up being a rather long journey to New York, New York!

New York City

After the marathon 15-hour train journey from Niagara, which should have taken 11 hours, we finally arrived in New York City about 1am local time. Despite the long journey the day before, we were all ready and raring to go the following morning in The Big Apple. The following two days were spent taking in the sights and soaking in the atmosphere. We took bus tours to get a better idea of the surrounding areas, had a short stroll to Central Park, ate in classic diners, visited the Top of the Rock to take in the night-time views and generally had a brilliant (if exhausting) time! We also stumbled across the recording of the David Letterman Late Show which we really enjoyed; especially since the Foo Fighters were performing! A very surreal afternoon indeed; we were left wondering if it had really happened when we were ushered back out into the afternoon hustle and bustle of Manhattan.

Seeing the Sights

I made sure to take some time out during our time in New York City to capture some images to represent our trip. Grand Central Station with its busy goings on inside a beautiful building was a ‘must do’ in terms of photography. Although I didn’t have much time here, it was a really interesting place and I wanted to capture the feel of the place. Also below are some of my pictures of ‘Lady Liberty’ herself. We were very lucky with the October weather and enjoyed clear views from our ferry ride out towards Ellis and Liberty Island and under the Brooklyn Bridge. The time passed in a flash and it was soon time to board our cruise for the next part of our honeymoon.

Carribean Cruise

We boarded the Norwegian Gem at Pier 88 at the Manhattan Docks. She was an impressive vessel and we very much enjoyed our two days at sea. First stop, Puerto Rico. We took a tour of San Juan at sunset and also visited the Castillo de San Cristóbal - a fort built in the 18th century to protect the city from attack. Our next stop was St Thomas, US Virgin Islands which was a true beach getaway and we spent the day basking in the sun on the wonderful Magen’s Bay beach, as well as some lizard spotting!

Enjoying the caribbean

Our final two cruise stops were the islands of St Maarten and Tortola. We got to grips with snorkelling and also spent some more all-important time on the beach. My wife and I really enjoyed soaking in the laid-back atmosphere as well as the sun’s rays. I think that due to these islands’ small size and population (Tortola’s population is not all that different to our native Shetland), there was a strange kind of comfort and familiarity which really aided a feeling of total relaxation after the hectic time we had had in Niagara and New York. All too soon it was time to board our ship for the final time and make our way north back to New York.

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

I’ve always been fascinated with Concorde. Our cruise liner, the Norwegian Gem, docked at the port next to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, so I took the opportunity to visit the museum who have one of these special aircraft on show. It was a mad dash around before our transfer to the airport; I’d love to go back some time to view the impressive aircraft, vessels and more in their entirety. I was really keen to get some photos of Concorde, especially as a family friend spent five years as captain on these amazing aeroplanes. We had a fantastic honeymoon and enjoyed another excellent flight back across the Atlantic followed by a night in Balmedie at the fabulous Cock and Bull Restaurant (thoroughly recommended) before returning home to Shetland.