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Joshua & Kay

A Honeymoon in Five Acts

April 20 — May 3, 2026
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"Fourteen days. Five countries. One love story —
told in cathedrals, on alpine lakes, across lagoons at sunset, and beneath the water lilies of Giverny."

Act I

The Thames in Mist

London, England · April 21 – 22

One magnificent day in London. From the statues of Westminster Abbey to the gilded Palm Court of The Ritz.

Houses of ParliamentJoshua in London
Westminster Abbey interiorJoshua at Westminster AbbeyAbbey fan vault ceiling
Changing of the GuardKay in St. James's Park
Together at The Ritz
April 21 · 5:30 PM

High Tea at The Ritz

The Palm Court. Chandeliers, finger sandwiches, and a surprise anniversary cake with a candle. The trip had barely begun and it already felt like a dream.

Kay at The RitzFloral Street at duskKay with Van Gogh Sunflowers
Kay with Parliament behindLondon Underground

An afternoon flight to Ljubljana. A pink church. A river at blue hour. Then — the mountains.

Kay in LjubljanaLjubljana riverfrontLjubljana at night
Act II

Mirrors of the Alps

Lake Bled & the Julian Alps · April 22 – 25

Three days in the Julian Alps. A fairy-tale lake, the wishing bell, 50 hairpin turns, and the emerald Soča Valley.

Lake Bled panorama
Lake Bled — the castle on the cliff, the island church, the Alps
Lake Bled dock Kay on the dock Lake from water level Pletna boat with castle Swans on Lake Bled Kay on pletna boat Kay with ice cream Together at the lake
Joshua ringing the wishing bellKay ringing the wishing bell

"No wishes made — just wishes fulfilled by adventuring together."

Kay on the castle throne View from the castle Kay on castle balcony Sunset from Bled Castle Bled Island at dusk
Bled Castle dinner
April 23 · 7:30 PM

Dinner at Bled Castle

Perched above the lake as the sun set behind the mountains. The food was shockingly amazing — one of the best meals of the entire trip.

The Mountain Day

Vršič Pass & the Soča Valley

Fifty hairpin turns. A turquoise river. Waterfalls, gorges, and the silence of the Alps.

Lake JasnaTogether at Lake Jasna
Kranjska Gora photo frame Dock at Lake Jasna Julian Alps peak Feet over emerald water Relaxing at the lake Russian Chapel Kay with a snowball Together at the summit
Turquoise waterfallVirje WaterfallStone arch bridge
Soča River gorge Footbridge over gorge Slot gorge Deep gorge from above Kay on bridge over river Together on river boulder Sheep in the Alps Mirror selfie on mountain road
Mountain ridges at golden hourPink sunset over valley
Kay at sunset
Sunset over the Soča Valley — April 24
Interlude

The Scenic Route

Lake Bled → Venice · April 25

A day-long drive through four landscapes — from the Alps through underground caves, along the Adriatic coast, and into the Venetian lagoon at sunset.

Heart sculpture at BledPredjama Castle
Piran main square Seafood on the waterfront Kay on the Piran shore Kay overlooking the Adriatic Sailboat on the Adriatic
Venice water taxiArriving in Venice at dusk
Act III

Reflections in Rose & Gold

Venice, Italy · April 25 – 28

Three days in the floating city. Shopping for photoshoot outfits in the backstreets, golden mosaics, the Bridge of Sighs, and the colours of Burano.

Grand Canal from Rialto
The Grand Canal from the Rialto Bridge
Kay at St. Mark's Gondola and Salute dome St. Mark's golden mosaics Kay inside St. Mark's Venice canal Kay in a Venice alley Kay by a canal Kay with gelato Doge's Palace ceiling Kay in the Doge's Palace Bridge of Sighs passage Bridge of Sighs from canal Gondola bow at evening Kay by a canal at evening Kay at Caffe Florian
Dinner cruise at sunset
April 26 · 8:00 PM

Venice Dinner Cruise

A four-course Venetian dinner aboard a galleon, drifting past illuminated palazzi as the sky went pink over the lagoon.

A day trip to Burano — the island of leaning towers and houses painted in every colour imaginable.

Burano street Burano canal Burano leaning tower Kay on a Burano bridge Kay with pizza on Burano
Act III · The Photoshoot

A Gondola at Dawn

Ninety minutes with Enzo, a Venetian photographer who knew every hidden canal. Exploring new corners of the city together, laughing through the fog, and watching Venice wake up from a gondola.

By the gondola pole Canal doorway Laughing on the dock Walking along a canal Laughing by a canal Bridge of Sighs On bridge steps Salute dome behind San Giorgio dock Under an archway Gondola under bridge In the gondola Laughing in the gondola Close together A kiss in Venice Gondola ride
Act IV

The City of Eternal Light

Paris, France · April 28 – May 2

Paris in full. The great Impressionist museums, a hop-on hop-off tour through the neighborhoods, the palace of Versailles, and a Bach concert inside Sainte-Chapelle under that impossible stained glass.

Eiffel TowerMusée d'Orsay clock
Kay next to Monet at d'Orsay Kay at d'Orsay upper level Monet's Water Lilies Kay with Water Lilies Mona Lisa Kay in the Louvre Louvre pyramid Napoleon III apartments Notre-Dame Joshua at a Paris café Kay on a Paris boulevard Kay at a Seine bookstall Les Invalides Grand hotel atrium
Sainte-Chapelle
Bach under the stained glass — an unexpected concert at Sainte-Chapelle, May 1
Her Choice

Château de Versailles

She chose the Sun King — and she chose it very quickly. The Hall of Mirrors, the Gallery of Battles, and a golf cart through the impossibly vast gardens.

Together at Versailles
Château de Versailles — April 30
Versailles courtyard Hall of Mirrors Mirror selfie in the Hall Royal Chapel Kay in Gallery of Battles Kay by a statue Kay on the train Grand Trianon Trianon mirror selfie
Apollo FountainVersailles from the gardens
Golf cart through the gardensJoshua in the gardens
The grand axisGrand canal view
· A Thread Through the Trip ·

The Monet Thread

A quiet thread ran through this honeymoon. The same painter — Claude Monet — stood in four of the same places we stood. Each act echoed him, and the trip ended in his garden.

i
1899 – 1904
Westminster Bridge
Monet painted the Houses of Parliament 19 times in the London fog.
ii
1908
Giudecca, Venice
The same view we woke to at the Hilton Molino Stucky.
iii
1914 – 1926
Musée de l'Orangerie
The Water Lilies murals — eight panels in two oval rooms.
iv
1883 – 1926
Giverny
The Japanese bridge, the lily pond, the studio. Where the thread came to rest.
My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.
— Claude Monet
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"No wishes made at the bell —
just wishes fulfilled by adventuring together."

Encore

Monet's Living Canvas

Giverny, France · May 2

A pilgrimage to the gardens where Monet painted his masterpieces — timed perfectly for spring blooms. A guided tour through the studio, a final evening on the hill of Montmartre, and then — home.

Joshua on a Giverny roadGiverny cottage
Monet's pink house
Monet's house at Giverny — May 2, 2026
Wisteria vendor stall Kay at a Giverny café Kay smelling roses Kay in the flower garden Kay among irises Dense wildflower garden House through the garden Green trellises and flowers Monet's studio Kay in the yellow dining room Stream in the water garden Japanese bridge over lily pond Kay in the water garden Water lily
Together on the Japanese bridgeTogether with wisteria
Together in a garden windowUnder the garden arch

An evening on the hill of Montmartre. Then the airport. Then home.

Paris from MontmartreSacré-Coeur at dusk
· By the Numbers ·

The Journey

14
Days
5
Countries
5
Flights
5
Hotels
1
Gondola
2
Wishing Bells
50
Hairpin Turns
Memories