What a celebration!

WOW!
We've just had the most wonderful day of celebration - the most perfect 25th wedding anniversary we could have imagined!

We started the day as we cruised into Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai - breakfasting beside the huge windows at the rear of the ship. Then we travelled up the Wailea river in a large barge-boat, to a 'fern grotto' - we walked through acres of flowering gingers, hibiscus, guava trees etc etc to an area surrounded by high rock walls, draped in vines and ferns, above a mossy grotto dripping moisture - although we had a glorious sunny day, Kauai is officially the wettest place on earth. At the grotto, a Hawaiian group waited, ready to sing the 'Hawaiian Wedding Song' to us, and another couple who were celebrating their 36th anniversary, and a couple who'd been married 2 days before - as well as 100 or so others, who were just there for the enjoyment! The group accompanied us back on the barge, singing and demonstrating the hula - if only we'd had a video camera to film John doing the hula - he was a whizz!!

At dinner time we dressed up, although it wasn't actually an Elegant Night - John in blazer and tie (with long trousers AND shoes!) and I in my wedding dress! We were surrounded by love and good wishes, particularly from Katerina, who was a favourite of ours last year on the Carnival Splendor, and who comes for a hug each evening - she's now our head waiter - and from Karnita, the wonderful Balinese chap who's been our head waiter up until now - and Fernando the maitre d' and his assistant, Natalia, and so many others who've become special to us. They tell us that we are 'the best guests they've ever had' (Oh yeah?), but they were so generous that they ordered a surprise anniversary cake for us, and the Cruise Director sent wine - our room is full of baskets of fruit, chocolate-covered strawberries, more wine etc etc ... we've done a couple of small things around the ship, like reorganising the library (with permission), and we've been paid back ten-thousandfold!!

After dinner (and the obligatory 'Happy Versary to You' song sung for all anniversaries) we proceeded to have our photos taken - twice - by Marco, and by Luz, both of whom we knew last year as well. We haven't seen the results yet, but hope at least one set will come out well.

We finished the day with the show "All that Jazz" - a really splendind all-singing/all-dancing spectacular which we've seen before, and loved - couldn't help but wonder what we'd have been doing if we were home on our own!

Thank you all for your good wishes - it was great to think of home, too. Love to all of you.