#48-Hawaiian Lifestyle

Maui

Paradise. I was fortunate enough to take a trip to Hawaii this past August to celebrate the wedding of two of my favorite Germans, Alex and Britta.  I originally met Britta in 2007 when she was on exchange to Portland. Since then, Britta and Alex hosted me for six weeks on their couch in Germany in 2008 and in 2009 we all took a trip to Seattle and Vancouver BC before I moved to Denver. Jen Hughes is also a good friend of the two (she also went on the Seattle/Canada trip and has stayed with them in Germany a few times) and was able to join us from Vermont for the celebration.

Britta and me in Germany 2008

Britta had always wanted to get married in the States and it was her and Alex's dream to get married in Hawaii. When she emailed me almost a year ago asking if I would fly to Hawaii to witness their wedding, I accepted without reservation.  It had been over a year since I saw Jen, so it was an especially wonderful trip.

I will let the pictures tell the story, but here are some highlights! We were on the island of Maui, which was absolutely breathtaking! The beaches were pristine, the mountains beautiful and the ocean full of animal life to observe.  We spent most of our time at a beach passing our time snorkeling, soaking up the sun or just jumping in and out of the waves.

The wedding was a genuine fairy-tale story of two lovers. Britta's dress was beautiful, Alex was stunningly handsome and their daughter Lily was so well behaved and looked like a little princess in her dress. The weather was perfect and they were able to get some amazing shots! We followed the wedding with a picnic on the beach; German style!









The sunsets were incredible and the views from the cliffs in the rainforest were like I've never seen.  We drove to Hana (on the other side of the island) where the beaches are known for their black sand and privacy. The road wrapped around the side of the mountains, at times funneling into one lane to cross a bridge situated over a waterfall.

We took in local fare, shopped the markets and went to a luau on the beach one evening. Hawaii is a beautiful place, but it is somewhere I might only need to go once. It was great spending time with my lovely friends and enjoying relaxing time on the beach, but I think I would rather spend time traipsing through the windy roads of a European city.