Saturday, December 16, 2017

Teresa left early in the morning to get a manicure and pedicure.  The plan was to be back by 10am and at 10:15 we would leave for the wedding.

Since I didn’t know when I would be eating next I decided to have something more substantial than just cereal.  At Carbon de Leña I took my time having calentado with café con leche.  While there a couple gringos sat down at a nearby table.  They were from Norway and have been here for the past few months in a student foreign exchange program.  They were about to leave to visit Cartagena.  (They had a large suitcase with them.)  I left at 9:30 and stopped at the paper store and bought a wedding card.

As soon as I returned to the apartment (9:55) - with plenty of time to change clothes - I remembered that Teresa had asked me to buy a 2^nd card for her mother.  So I hurried out and bought another and when I returned at 10:05 Teresa was already back.  After that it was “hurry and get dressed”.  I had problems fastening my cuff links but I got no help from her.  We left the apt 10:20, got a taxi after a 5-minute wait and were on our way.  I managed to get my cuff links on on the way.  I knew we were close to our destination when I saw tents set up in the distance on the top of a hill. 

We were in our seats – on the bride’s side – before 11am.  They had 2 tents set up for the ceremony. Unfortunately I was on the end of an aisle and thus sitting in the sun.  The event turned out to be very classy.  I saw a young lady walking around that I assumed was the event organizer.  They had a violinist playing during the ceremony.  A priest performed the wedding ceremony which I found out usually doesn’t happen outside of a church but Juan knew somebody.

Afterward, they had an hour of cocktails outside their new home.  We were fortunate in that we found a patch of shade but I felt sorry for those that had to sit or stand in the sun.  A man was playing jazz on a saxophone while waiters walked around serving mojitos and later came around with pitchers to refill everyone’s drinks.  In the last few minutes everyone was given a glass of champagne for a wedding toast.

We were let inside where we found our table #6 kiddy korner from the head table.  My seat was unusual in that I was sitting in semi shade and I kept inching around the table to stay in the small patch of shade.  After about an hour the sun clouded over making it much more comfortable for me.

The menu consisted of a fancy appetizer, a nicely done filet (my choice), a slice of carrot cake for dessert, followed by a slice of wedding cake.  Everything was delicious.

There was a wooden box with a slit in it for the wedding envelopes.  I was disappointed to see Teresa put the original invitation envelope in the slot.  (Later back at the apt I saw both the envelopes I had purchased earlier.)

At one point I received a phone call from Jose Cruz, my Cuban chess playing friend from Miami.  He and his wife left their house with a realtor and arrived back in Medellin last week.  I’m sure I’ll be getting together with him soon.

In the brief time I had to talk to Juan (the groom) I learned they leave tomorrow morning at 10am for a 7-day honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

We finally left about 7pm and spent some time in a car waiting for the driver.  After about 30 minutes we were driven about 100 yards down the road to a gated community.  The guard with a large dog let us and a couple other cars in.  We drove a short distance and stopped at what I assume was a finca.  We were greated by 2 large German shepherds but, intimidating as they looked, they were very friendly.

Inside most people were sitting around a small table filled with snacks.  The hostess got us seats and filled small plates with food for us.  I ate everything except the “blood sausage” they brought out later.

I had Albero (Laura’s father) sitting on one side and he shared with me that 5 days after Juan and Laura return from their honeymoon they leave for Plano, Texas.  Juan has a 1-year work visa for a special project with Johnson Controls.

They played some games and also read some bible verses that were followed by “chants” – or do you call them refrains.

We finally left a couple hours later and were back at the apt by 10pm.

To speed things up (my postings) I think I’ll post separately the wedding pictures I took with my cell phone.

T-shirt of the day: I am not perfect but I’m limited edition.