Tintin and Julius: The honeymooners

So how did Tintin Bersola and Julius Babao spend the first day of the first leg of their 19-day honeymoon (from Dec. 13 to 31; they were married Dec. 8)?

Well, they were "welcomed" by a blizzard upon their arrival at the JFK Airport in New York at 6 o’clock in the morning of Dec. 14. It was oh-so-cold (a perfect "bed" weather), so the newly-weds went to sleep (that’s according to Tintin) as soon as they checked into the Metropolitan Hotel in Manhattan.

The snowstorm did not, however, stop Tintin and Julius from catching the last performance of the hit musical Nine on Broadway, with John Stamos taking over the lead role as Guido Contini from Antonio Banderas (a smash in his performance, singing almost the whole two hours he was onstage).

"The play, the songs, the set and the whole thing was just beautiful," said Tintin who waited for Stamos in the rain to have her photo taken with him after the play. "At the end of the play, Mary Stuart Masterson gave an emotional farewell speech. It was touching!"

The next day, Tintin and Julius watched Chicago, playing in a theater just across the one where Nine was staged, and they turned into ordinary eager fans waiting for more than an hour outside the theater to get the autograph of Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing, Ghost, remember?) who smilingly obliged and even posed for souvenir photos.

"We also watched Ashley Judd in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof pero tinulugan namin siya," laughed Tintin, "not because the play was boring because it was nice and Ashley did a good perforemance but because we were simply dead tired. We were seated three rows away from the stage and I wondered if Ashley herself was wondering why ‘those two guys’ were sleeping on me."

The couple also watched Elton John’s Aida – with regrets. "It was boring," said Tintin. "Michelle Williams was not good as far as ‘deep acting’ was concerned and the songs have no recall at all. Sabi ko kay Julius, ‘Sayang lang ang ibinayad natin, ’no!’"

They were disappointed that they couldn’t watch Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera again (they watched them in 1997) because tickets were sold out, and The Boy From Oz (with Hugh Jackman), too.

"But we did see 42nd Street which is the musical for people who really love musicals. I’d never get tired watching it over and over again. Did you know that the name of one of the main actresses in the original cast was Christine Ebersole? Thrilled ako! Also, did you know that the song I Only Have Eyes For You came from that musical? You know: Are the stars out tonight... I don’t know if it’s cloudy or brught... Coz I only have eyes for you..."

What else did the honeymooners do in freezing-cold New York?

"We visited art galleries and museums (The Guggenheim, etc.), browsed in bookstores and music stores, strolled at Central Park and other streets of The Big Apple, window-shopped, rode the Metro, simply walked and walked even if it was cold, and went to Ground Zero (where a new structure will soon be built). We went to the Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Soho, Tiffany and Co. (where our wedding rings were purchased) and Serendipity (Favorite restaurant of Gloria Diaz’s. – RFL) which was made more famous by the movie of that name and where part of the Michelle Pfeiffer starrer One Fine Day was filmed."

Before flying to Florida, Tintin and Julius dropped by The Filipino Reporter office at the Empire States Building and had chika-chika with Reporter publisher Bert Pelayo and staffers Raoul Tidalgo, Edmund Silvestre and Tony Campo who treated the honeymooners to a late lunch at a nearby deli.

They flew to Florida on Dec. 19.

"The six-hour flight was gruelling, made more so by the security check at the airport," said tintin. "It was Orange Alert when we got there."

From the Orlando Airport, they checked into the Orange County Lake Resort, staying at a Mediterranean-style villa where "a suite too big for two" was reserved for them – for free ("Thanks to my Hilton time shares," said Tintin).

Their stay in Orlando was the exact opposite of their New York sojourn.

"Naging kids uli kami ni Julius. We went to Disneyworld, Disney MGM and Universal Studios. Hay, ang sarap magpakabata uli! Disneyworld is really the happiest place on earth!. We stayed in Orlando until the 23rd. And then we flew to San Francisco where we had reunions with family, friends and mga kababayan. We spent several days with Julius’ Mom Zeny and Dad Romy, Lolo Pio and other close relatives. Julius even strood as ninong at a baptism. The reception, held in a yacht, served na rin as a reunion of Julius’ clan. In Sanfo, I also met up with my kabarkada from 20 years ago, most of them married and based there. It was recollection time."

Tintin and Julius were booked at the Sanfo Hilton at O’Farrel, spoiled rotten by the almost all-Filipino staff and crew who gave them a VIP treatmernt – room at the 38th floor with a panoramic view of the city, breakfast upon request ("and specially created for us") and, well the works.

They shopped and shopped in Sanfo and they flew back home on Dec. 31 with a big Balikbayan box among their luggage, filled with pasalubong and other souvenirs given to them by friends, fans and relatives.

"Again due to the security check, our flight was delayed for six hours which we spent posing for photographs with fans, signing autographs and bonding with Julius’ family and with my Tito Roland, Tita Claudette and Tito Laqui."

Now, you wonder: Were Tintin and Julius so busy enjoying the sights that they "forgot" to do the most important and crucial part of the honeymoon?

Laughed Tintin, "We have more than enough time for that back home!"

Oh, yes, I’m sure!

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