The wedding

  Banska Bystrica, Slovakia
Saturday, August 4, 2007

Hey folks heres another addition ......

We are fine but the clutch is getting worse gona have to get it into a garage soon ....... bugger

......so we pick up the story in slovakia again, after the quick dash down to budapest, after the drive back up we parked in a carpark by the river in banska bystrica for the night. In the morning we met up with mads kim and the other groomsmen and headed upto the ski resort in the mountains by town. After a quick check into our hotel room (first night out of our van) us lads meet in the tennis court for a good old game of back yard cricket. Then there was a quick lunch and a haka practice for zeke garath mads marty and I (we planned to perform that night at the reception) then it was a scrub up for the big event. Once everyone was glamed up there was photos and then into a big old bus down the mountain to Ivana's village church.

Ants, Kim & Jen at wedding

........the ceremony was great very relaxed and amazing experience to see another cultures traditions although it was a bit confusing at time as to what we were supossed tobe doing and everything said had to be translated both ways. With the vows rings kisses and signing done we left the church and the first thing we get is a shot of the local specialty a moonshine plum brandy (not the last of the night either the slovakian tradition is to celebrate for 12 hours after the wedding).

Marty,Scot, Ivana, Garath & Mads

......so back to the ski resort and after scott cleaned up some broken plates (another tradition) it was a 4 course meal interspersed by speaches and toasts. Dancing and drinking followed untill midnight when Ivana changed into a traditional outfit for a coming of the woman ceremony with dances singing and a chair lifting thing. Us lads followed this with the haka which went down pretty well although latter studies of video footage showed a few funnies. So its after midnight and the next event of the evening is another meal including a pig on the spit amazing! then as there was still 4 hours of partying to go there was more plum brandy and dancing untill at 5 am when we crashed into our beds.

Cy, Marty, Zeke, Mads, Scot