A Winter Getaway, Part Four

After a late night, (or early morning?) we had a relaxing day before the wedding. We checked out the roof of our hotel to find some really neat views. (click on the pics to make them bigger) Go easy on me; I've never used the panoramic feature on my camera before.

Most of the tall buildings around our hotel were call centers. The only one I can remember is IBM... but late at night, the lights were always on, and honestly it looked like many of them were just having parties all night long- flashing lights, loud music; it was kind of bizarre. Apparently Manila has surpassed India in numbers of call centers... and we were right in the middle of it all.

 It was actually kind of cold up there, so even though I would have loved to enjoy the pool below, it just wasn't the right day.

before I move on to the wedding, which deserves a post of its own, I'd like to show you some of the homes that we experienced while in Manila. Below is the bride's brother's house:

In between his house and his brother in law's is a pavilion with a massive dining table.

and on the right is an almost identical home where his brother in law and family live. Impressive, no?

Inside the house on the left:

same room, different view:

and the staircase leading up. I didn't check out the second floor, but I'm pretty sure it was just as impressive and was told it was also full of antique furniture. There were a ton of Spanish influences- decorative ceramic tile everywhere and lots of carved wood doors, much like the cathedral in my last post. Don't worry... we made sure not to visibly drool all over their beautiful belongings. (all photos of bride's brother's house courtesy of the groom's father)

All photos below are of the family home where the wedding was held. If you need any more proof of their amazingness, let's just say that they both had a tile near the front door displaying the family crest.
 

Below is the chapel on the same property where Justin and Anya got married.

Inside where we waited for the wedding... one of many dining rooms... I think. All I know is there were tables and chairs and lots of pretty decor.

The stairway with family portraits. The elegant winding staircase is obviously an important architectural element in the Philippines.

 Above photos courtesy of a fellow wedding guest. Up next... the wedding!