This is the LAST photo montage form the trip- I promise. I just had a ton of other random things that I wanted to have when I make my DVD later.
First I want to address everyone who told me before the cruise that "you don't even feel the boat move"-- Well, we sure did! Two of our three days at sea were so rough, even the crew was getting sick. We had 20 to 40 foot swells and they even made an announcement closing the upper /outside decks and advising everyone to wear flat soled shoes! Early in the morning before it was off limits we went to the tip top deck of the boat to watch the pool splash about and feel the wind. I was getting wet form spray, not from the pool, but the ocean, 11 decks below! ON the front of the boat it was so strong I could not walk forward. Rusty managed it though, but we were windburned when we were done. Braden was terrified that he would get blown overboard so we headed back down.
Also, there are a few videos of our waiter and his classic pre-dessert phrase, "It's Show time!" Poor Aldo we made him say it again and again so we could film it!
The rest are a modge podge of things we did on board. Enjoy the show, at least watch as far as the pool pictures, they are crazy!!!
Showing posts with label cruise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cruise. Show all posts
8.04.2008
Last Port- Barcelona Spain
After another rocky day at sea we woke up in our final port city of Barcelona Spain. While I was sad to see the trip end, I was happy that everything we had bought so far fit in our suitcases! We disembarked the ship, collected our bags and took a short city tour before heading to a hotel for the night. We saw the church where the King & Queen welcomed Christopher Columbus back after he found the new world, as well as a cathedral that was the oddest holy place I have ever seen. We walked all over downtown 'Barce' (the locals call it that) and took in the sights. We even found a McDonald's for Braden & Berk to eat at; and a Dunkin' Doughnuts for us. We had a fun time in a shopping center that has hundreds of boutique stores and took in one last chance to eat gelato. We must have walked miles and miles and saw a lot of the city. We saw the stadium where the Olympics were held in '92 and drove to the highest point in Barce to get a fantastic view of the city. It was nice to understand the language -even if the accent was annoying. We packed up and early the next morning and headed to the airport. The flight from Spain to Philly was uneventful. Once we got to Philly, however, our three hour layover became more like 8 and then we sat on the place for an hour or two before it took off. Weather all over was causing flights to e cancelled so we were glad when we finally took off. 25 hours after we left our hotel we were back in Phoenix collecting our bags. It is a wonder that over 20 bags, 2 strollers and countless carry-ons-- everything made it there AND back!
Hope you enjoyed reading about our trip of a life time. I have one more post to do with random on board photos, but I don't know when I will get it done. Thanks again to Russ & Cindi for inviting us on this amazing trip! We love you guys!
Hope you enjoyed reading about our trip of a life time. I have one more post to do with random on board photos, but I don't know when I will get it done. Thanks again to Russ & Cindi for inviting us on this amazing trip! We love you guys!
8.03.2008
Nice, France & Monaco
The French Riviera is as pretty as it was described to us. We drove into Villefranche & Nice and spent time in the city there. We walked through a street market , bought some fresh peaches and walked down to the beach. The thing about the beach, is there wasn't any sand! Small black stones were all over the beach, so the ocean made the coolest noise as it came in and out. As we were taking beach photos (trying to avoid the nude people in the background) a wave came in and nailed me & Kelcie. So I spent the rest of the day wet. We then drove to Eze. A small town on the side of the mountain. We found the coolest shops and were high enough up to be in the clouds when a storm passed though. We thought it was funny, ok so I did, that once we got back to the States we discovered we had been in Nice when Brad & Angelina had their twins. We had no idea...
After lunch at a restaurant named Pinocchio we headed to the principality of Monaco. This country was everything it I thought it would be. Beautiful and Ferrari's everywhere. Driving around we saw so much pretty stuff. We walked in to the heart of the country and towards the palace. There is no crime there so when they pointed out Princess Caroline's home- her cars were right up front! Crazy. The best part for me was seeing the church where Grace Kelly married the King, and it is also where they are buried. We also saw the road where she crashed her car. Crazy. We drove the route of the Formula 1 race. The starting lines are painted right on the asphalt. We even walked the famous hairpin turn on our way to the Grand Casino. Russ, Rusty & I went into the Casino Royal. The detail and beauty are too hard to describe, and photos are not allowed, so you will have to see it for yourself someday. Or watch the Bond movie they filmed inside... after a few hours in Monaco we drove back to France and headed back to our ship bound for Barcelona!
After lunch at a restaurant named Pinocchio we headed to the principality of Monaco. This country was everything it I thought it would be. Beautiful and Ferrari's everywhere. Driving around we saw so much pretty stuff. We walked in to the heart of the country and towards the palace. There is no crime there so when they pointed out Princess Caroline's home- her cars were right up front! Crazy. The best part for me was seeing the church where Grace Kelly married the King, and it is also where they are buried. We also saw the road where she crashed her car. Crazy. We drove the route of the Formula 1 race. The starting lines are painted right on the asphalt. We even walked the famous hairpin turn on our way to the Grand Casino. Russ, Rusty & I went into the Casino Royal. The detail and beauty are too hard to describe, and photos are not allowed, so you will have to see it for yourself someday. Or watch the Bond movie they filmed inside... after a few hours in Monaco we drove back to France and headed back to our ship bound for Barcelona!
7.31.2008
Pisa, Florence- Part 7
Well as I eluded in the last post, Berk got really sick. That night he threw up a few times, ran a fever ad was just not well. So about 4 am Rusty and i decided that he shouldn't go off the boat. So Rusty, Berk & Braden stayed on the boat while the rest of us headed to Pisa and Florence. While I can't say that it wasn't nice to have a tour and actually enjoy it without kids, I did feel bad that they missed it. Luckily Jaci decided to be my buddy so I still got to carry a little one some of the time. Our drivers this day were so cool. Maria was in our van and she wore teal leather driving gloves. Seriously. We went to Pisa and say the famous leaning tower. There are three buildings in total that lean, two one way and one the other. But since they are shorter the tilt is not so noticeable. They lean because they were built on an ancient lake shore and the ground was not strong. We got to do quite a bit of shopping from street vendors before we headed to Florence.
The beauty of Tuscany lived up to the hype. Everywhere you looked there were olive trees, kiwi, apple, cherry as well as fields and fields of sunflowers. We went to a church built to commemorate the Christian martyrs in the area, and their bones are still in the church. Kinda creepy, but the area was cool. That church is also where the author of Pinocchio is buried. We then headed to downtown Florence to see the David. It is so big. Much taller than I thought. You couldn't take pictures there either but there is a replica near by that you can take pictures of.
When we got back to the boat, Berk still wasn't feeling well. It was our final formal night so we got ready for dinner and I could tell he was burning up. After the first course I decided to take him down to the ship doctor. I am glad I did, since he had a fever of 104.5 and he was having small seizures. He got medicine for his fever and an antibiotic and we headed back to our room. He felt so much cooler within a few hours and we were able to control his fever with the medicine over the rest of the trip. Thank goodness there is a doctor on board and a full pharmacy!
The beauty of Tuscany lived up to the hype. Everywhere you looked there were olive trees, kiwi, apple, cherry as well as fields and fields of sunflowers. We went to a church built to commemorate the Christian martyrs in the area, and their bones are still in the church. Kinda creepy, but the area was cool. That church is also where the author of Pinocchio is buried. We then headed to downtown Florence to see the David. It is so big. Much taller than I thought. You couldn't take pictures there either but there is a replica near by that you can take pictures of.
When we got back to the boat, Berk still wasn't feeling well. It was our final formal night so we got ready for dinner and I could tell he was burning up. After the first course I decided to take him down to the ship doctor. I am glad I did, since he had a fever of 104.5 and he was having small seizures. He got medicine for his fever and an antibiotic and we headed back to our room. He felt so much cooler within a few hours and we were able to control his fever with the medicine over the rest of the trip. Thank goodness there is a doctor on board and a full pharmacy!
7.30.2008
Rome and the Vatican- Cruise part 6
Have you read Angels & Demons or the Da Vinci Code? I have and so did everyone else who went. So we were excited to find out that our tour guides/ drivers used to do tons of A&D tours. As we drove throughout Rome and the Vatican they would point out certain places or details from the book, as well as site obvious inaccuracies. But still it was amazing. Our driver this day was one of my favorites. He learned how to speak English in four months after moving to Boston when he was younger. So his accent was so funny. Let me take the time to point out how well everyone dresses in Italy. I mean even our drivers were in designer jeans, silk ties or some times full blown suits! Hair done perfectly, nice shoes ect. Our driver in Pisa wore driving gloves to protect her hands from the sun, honestly, the Italians are awesome.
We went to the Colosseum first. We were taken to a smaller gate away from the crowds to buy our entrance tickets. While we waited we saw a large section of the aqueduct and the boys played in some rocks that were 30% rocks 70% cigarette butts. Smokers were EVERYWHERE. I still marvel at being able to keep my hair smelling like shampoo for more than a day after being out and about since we got home.
The Colosseum was huge and incredible. Most of the damage to the one side was from an earthquake not a war, which is what I thought. We spent about an hour walking around before we headed to see Caesar's Forum. The forum was hard to imagine. Since there isn't much but the footprints of buildings left.
We also went to Trevi Fountain, where tradition lets you throw a coin in and make three wishes. The first is to return to Rome, the other two you get to chose. We had a lot of fun there. The water was so cold and refreshing. This was where the aqueduct pooled and the citizens got their water. It was Roman custom to build these beautiful fountains endpoints, but this is the largest in Rome. It has been in tons of old movies. From there we headed to lunch which was just outside the walls of the Vatican. Lunch was yummy as ever and we loved that our guides would tell them to serve us fast so we didn't have to spend hours there (as is the norm).
Then to Vatican City. The Vatican has a wall running all the way around it. Inside we went though the Vatican Museum where we had the world's most knowledgeable guide (really- this guy talked and talked and talked-even when we asked him to just show us the stuff. What part of it is hot and we have sick babies, and we really only want to see the Sistine Chapel didn't he get???) But it was cool to hear all about it. We took tons of photos until we went into the actual Sistine Chapel, where photography is prohibited. But not for the reason you think- it is copyrighted! There is a protective film on it so the flash doesn't hurt it, but aghhh you gotta love commerce. Looking up at Michelangelo's most famous work you are in awe. It kinda hurts your head to take it all in (tilting back to see it all doesn't help your neck out any either). It was one of those pinch me moments- I just saw The Sistene Chapel. We also walked through St Paul's Basilica. It was huge. And it was hard to wrap your brain that standing a few feet from you was where this Apostle was buried. Berk was sick that day and it only got worse once we got back to the boat. He did perk up on the way back when we stopped for gelato. He ate most of mine and Rusty's. Our driver was so cool, he even offered to have us all stay at his mom's house on the seaside. He promised she would feed us --sounded pretty good to me...
We went to the Colosseum first. We were taken to a smaller gate away from the crowds to buy our entrance tickets. While we waited we saw a large section of the aqueduct and the boys played in some rocks that were 30% rocks 70% cigarette butts. Smokers were EVERYWHERE. I still marvel at being able to keep my hair smelling like shampoo for more than a day after being out and about since we got home.
The Colosseum was huge and incredible. Most of the damage to the one side was from an earthquake not a war, which is what I thought. We spent about an hour walking around before we headed to see Caesar's Forum. The forum was hard to imagine. Since there isn't much but the footprints of buildings left.
We also went to Trevi Fountain, where tradition lets you throw a coin in and make three wishes. The first is to return to Rome, the other two you get to chose. We had a lot of fun there. The water was so cold and refreshing. This was where the aqueduct pooled and the citizens got their water. It was Roman custom to build these beautiful fountains endpoints, but this is the largest in Rome. It has been in tons of old movies. From there we headed to lunch which was just outside the walls of the Vatican. Lunch was yummy as ever and we loved that our guides would tell them to serve us fast so we didn't have to spend hours there (as is the norm).Then to Vatican City. The Vatican has a wall running all the way around it. Inside we went though the Vatican Museum where we had the world's most knowledgeable guide (really- this guy talked and talked and talked-even when we asked him to just show us the stuff. What part of it is hot and we have sick babies, and we really only want to see the Sistine Chapel didn't he get???) But it was cool to hear all about it. We took tons of photos until we went into the actual Sistine Chapel, where photography is prohibited. But not for the reason you think- it is copyrighted! There is a protective film on it so the flash doesn't hurt it, but aghhh you gotta love commerce. Looking up at Michelangelo's most famous work you are in awe. It kinda hurts your head to take it all in (tilting back to see it all doesn't help your neck out any either). It was one of those pinch me moments- I just saw The Sistene Chapel. We also walked through St Paul's Basilica. It was huge. And it was hard to wrap your brain that standing a few feet from you was where this Apostle was buried. Berk was sick that day and it only got worse once we got back to the boat. He did perk up on the way back when we stopped for gelato. He ate most of mine and Rusty's. Our driver was so cool, he even offered to have us all stay at his mom's house on the seaside. He promised she would feed us --sounded pretty good to me...
Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast- Cruise part 5
After another day at sea we woke up once again in Italy. We got to see tons of sights and towns driving the coast line. We ported in Naples, and drove to Pompeii, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Pompeii was one of the destinations I was excited about seeing before we left. There is just something so cool about volcanoes that fascinates me. And to be able to see the remains of a city destroyed by one, even cooler. Right out of the port you can see Pompeii (the mountain not the town) and it is huge. They say before it erupted it was 12 times taller than the base that is left, so when you see the pictures imagine that. While most of us went on a private tour, Bill & Bopy went on a tour through the cruise line. They got to see the museum that houses all the things removed from Pompeii. Those pictures are amazing, but I don't have them yet. We had two small vans and we headed off. Our guide through Pompeii was so cool. She knew everything about everything and more. She is an archaeologist from Naples and loves telling people about Pompeii. She was especially cool about the babies. She would say, "Let them run, they can't hurt anything." And when Berk threw an empty coke bottle into a roped off area she laughed and said something about 'boys being boys' and walked past the ropes and got it. I liked her a lot.
The history you could see there was amazing. It was the place where you could see how advanced people really were there. For examples, you can tell the openings of a shop from a house because there was a trench in the stone left from a gate that would have been pulled across to close it. And one house we saw was so big, so so big. The biggest in Pompeii in fact, she told us it was over 29,000 square feet. Can you imagine? She guesses it would have taken 7 years to build. That home was so big, one room had the most amazing mosaic on the floor, and the room it was in was built solely to showoff that mosaic. The frescoes on the wall in the market were too cool. Above the stalls where vendors sold things were frescoes of what they offered. I got a photo of a baker and a poultry shop with frescoes of bread and a chicken. I could go on and on but this is one of those things you have to see for yourself. We saw them working on areas and asked if the excavation was near finishing, but she said there is a whole other area that hasn't even been started, they are leaving it for the next generation.
After about 3 hours (you need a week to see it all) we got to do some driving through the Italian shore. Naples is where pizza was originated so we had to have some pizza. We ate in Sorrento and had the yummiest pizza I have ever had. We then shopped a while before driving down the Amalfi Coast. It is the prettiest place in Italy. Just stunning. The lemons they grow there are famous, and they are HUGE. I swear in the shopping districts every other shop was dedicated to lemon liquors, lemon soaps, lemon candy- YOU NAME IT. We didn't get to try the limoncello, which is the liquor made from lemons but everyone raved about it.
Today was cool because we got to see a lot of towns and history but it wasn't super tiring. We headed back to the boat to get some sleep before we hit Rome the next day.
The history you could see there was amazing. It was the place where you could see how advanced people really were there. For examples, you can tell the openings of a shop from a house because there was a trench in the stone left from a gate that would have been pulled across to close it. And one house we saw was so big, so so big. The biggest in Pompeii in fact, she told us it was over 29,000 square feet. Can you imagine? She guesses it would have taken 7 years to build. That home was so big, one room had the most amazing mosaic on the floor, and the room it was in was built solely to showoff that mosaic. The frescoes on the wall in the market were too cool. Above the stalls where vendors sold things were frescoes of what they offered. I got a photo of a baker and a poultry shop with frescoes of bread and a chicken. I could go on and on but this is one of those things you have to see for yourself. We saw them working on areas and asked if the excavation was near finishing, but she said there is a whole other area that hasn't even been started, they are leaving it for the next generation.
After about 3 hours (you need a week to see it all) we got to do some driving through the Italian shore. Naples is where pizza was originated so we had to have some pizza. We ate in Sorrento and had the yummiest pizza I have ever had. We then shopped a while before driving down the Amalfi Coast. It is the prettiest place in Italy. Just stunning. The lemons they grow there are famous, and they are HUGE. I swear in the shopping districts every other shop was dedicated to lemon liquors, lemon soaps, lemon candy- YOU NAME IT. We didn't get to try the limoncello, which is the liquor made from lemons but everyone raved about it.
Today was cool because we got to see a lot of towns and history but it wasn't super tiring. We headed back to the boat to get some sleep before we hit Rome the next day.
7.28.2008
Athens & Corinth, Greece- Cruise Part 4
By the end of this day, my head hurt from the history I had seen. I loved art history in college and by this point in the trip I was really wishing I had found my three inch thick textbook and hauled it along with me. Not to let us down after Santorini, Piraeus, Corinth & Athens Greece were beautiful. We were once again spoiled with a private tour and guide. That lady loved to talk! It was a long ride from the port to Corinth but Berk slept for a large part of it and that made it easier to handle. Along the way we stopped to see the famous Corinth Canal. Wait, you have never heard of it? Us either. But apparently it is a big deal there, so if you want to read about it, click here. We got drinks at a gas station along the way. I will try to forget about the adorable little snow globe of the Acropolis I didn't buy, assuming I would see many more later. Never assume and please don't point out the blank spot on my shelf next to the other 9 snow globes I brought home.... Remember these wise words we heard at the end of our trip... "If you see it and like it BUY IT. You may not come back."
It was hot hot hot in Corinth. There is so much history there, especially about the Apostle Paul. The Epistle of the Romans form the Bible was written there. We got to go in a cool museum and then we headed back on the bus to head into Athens.
Athens downtown was so cool. All the government buildings are amazing. There are so many places related to the Olympics, we only could see a few. Right in the middle of it all are the remains of the Temple of Zeus. Whenever the guides would thrown around names like Aphrodite and Zeus I would have to think they mean Zeus, Zeus.
We ate lunch in the Plaka at a little cafe where we had to ask for our water 'flat' and you could get your drinks with or without gas (carbonation). The food was weird but good for the most part. After the tiniest bit of shopping we ran down to the Hard Rock to get a t shirt and then headed to the Acropolis.
It sits right in the city, you just turn a corner and there it is. So amazing. It was a steep walk, slippery from the thousands or feet that walk the steps each day. They are in the middle of a new preservation project where they are putting titanium rods into replace the iron ones that are worn or rusting. So the scaffolding was not so pretty to see, but it is worth it if the structures are around for thousands more years, right? We spent some time at the top admiring the view. You could see forever, so it was no wonder that this place was chosen to build the city on. I was happy to head back to the boat, since this day was such a hot one, and I was happy I got to check something off my Bucket List.
It was hot hot hot in Corinth. There is so much history there, especially about the Apostle Paul. The Epistle of the Romans form the Bible was written there. We got to go in a cool museum and then we headed back on the bus to head into Athens.
Athens downtown was so cool. All the government buildings are amazing. There are so many places related to the Olympics, we only could see a few. Right in the middle of it all are the remains of the Temple of Zeus. Whenever the guides would thrown around names like Aphrodite and Zeus I would have to think they mean Zeus, Zeus.
We ate lunch in the Plaka at a little cafe where we had to ask for our water 'flat' and you could get your drinks with or without gas (carbonation). The food was weird but good for the most part. After the tiniest bit of shopping we ran down to the Hard Rock to get a t shirt and then headed to the Acropolis.
It sits right in the city, you just turn a corner and there it is. So amazing. It was a steep walk, slippery from the thousands or feet that walk the steps each day. They are in the middle of a new preservation project where they are putting titanium rods into replace the iron ones that are worn or rusting. So the scaffolding was not so pretty to see, but it is worth it if the structures are around for thousands more years, right? We spent some time at the top admiring the view. You could see forever, so it was no wonder that this place was chosen to build the city on. I was happy to head back to the boat, since this day was such a hot one, and I was happy I got to check something off my Bucket List.
7.27.2008
Santorini, Greece -Cruise part 3
Not that the entire trip wasn't just amazing, but I have to say, my hands down favorite port was the island of Santorini, Greece. When we woke up the boat was in the middle of the caldera of an ancient volcano that exploded thousands of years ago and the islands inhabitants basically live on the upper ring of what's left of the rim. It was breathtaking. Once we took the tender to shore we had to choose one of three way to get up to where the actual city of Fira was. 1. By cable car 2. walk (about 45 minutes up) 3. By Donkey. We chose to take the cable car. Actually, coming back down Kelcie, Jill & Bopy took the mules down but the night before our Matri'D had warned us that if you took it up you would smell of donkey the whole day, so it was better to just ride it down and come back to the ship and shower. Wise, wise man.
This was also the first port where Russ had aranged a private tour. Our guide met us at the top of the cable car and we took a walking tour of the main city. We stopped for some refreshments (shaved ice, drinks, ect---by the way when I ordered a watermelon shaved ice, it was literally watermelon puree, not the artificial kind of flavoring...) and headed to our small bus that took us all over the island. We went to the other 'big' town called Oia. It was on the other end of the island and when we were traveling there we got to this point where the island is so narrow you can see the ocean on both sides of you. We drove back to another area on the back of the island to eat lunch on a black sand beach. The 'sand' was more like smallish smooth stones, but once you got into the water you could find granulated sand.
Lunch was great. The view was amazing, unless you looked directly at the semi nude sunbathers. Tell me this, why is it that those who should not be topless are always the ones you catch a glimpse of??? Moving on...They had fresh seafood. Of course, I hate seafood, so I got an awesome salad. Luckily they have enough American tourists that we were able to get the boys chicken nuggets-however, when they came out, Braden refused to eat them, because "they don't look like Wendy's." Kelcie ordered the friend calamari, and was more than a little shocked when a full sized fried squid was brought out to her! Luckily, Bopy switched her plates so she didn't starve. After lunch we did some more sight seeing. Our guide took us to a ton of great lookout points. She showed us where they filmed scenes from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1 &2) as well as a scnene from Lara Croft Tomb Raider. I can't begin to tell you the beauty of this isalnd. I want to go back one day and spend a week. It is the most laid back town. The hotels and houses are build into the pumice stone of the volcano and life there just feels relaxed.
We ended the day back in Fira and got to do our shopping along the main street called Odos Ipapantis- which means Gold Street. The shop owners were all so nice, I got a ton of cute souvenirs. The one thing I will say is that the Greek people are dirty. Not unclean dirty, dirrrty dirty. I will leave it at that.
The last thing that is kinda cool, is that from an archaeological view, Santorini is believed to be the Lost City of Atlantis. I found a little blurb about why they think that, you can read it here. I was quite sad when our day was over, but after climbing up and down all the narrow steep streets with babies and strollers we were so tired! The next day it was on to the main country of Greece!
This was also the first port where Russ had aranged a private tour. Our guide met us at the top of the cable car and we took a walking tour of the main city. We stopped for some refreshments (shaved ice, drinks, ect---by the way when I ordered a watermelon shaved ice, it was literally watermelon puree, not the artificial kind of flavoring...) and headed to our small bus that took us all over the island. We went to the other 'big' town called Oia. It was on the other end of the island and when we were traveling there we got to this point where the island is so narrow you can see the ocean on both sides of you. We drove back to another area on the back of the island to eat lunch on a black sand beach. The 'sand' was more like smallish smooth stones, but once you got into the water you could find granulated sand.
Lunch was great. The view was amazing, unless you looked directly at the semi nude sunbathers. Tell me this, why is it that those who should not be topless are always the ones you catch a glimpse of??? Moving on...They had fresh seafood. Of course, I hate seafood, so I got an awesome salad. Luckily they have enough American tourists that we were able to get the boys chicken nuggets-however, when they came out, Braden refused to eat them, because "they don't look like Wendy's." Kelcie ordered the friend calamari, and was more than a little shocked when a full sized fried squid was brought out to her! Luckily, Bopy switched her plates so she didn't starve. After lunch we did some more sight seeing. Our guide took us to a ton of great lookout points. She showed us where they filmed scenes from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1 &2) as well as a scnene from Lara Croft Tomb Raider. I can't begin to tell you the beauty of this isalnd. I want to go back one day and spend a week. It is the most laid back town. The hotels and houses are build into the pumice stone of the volcano and life there just feels relaxed.
We ended the day back in Fira and got to do our shopping along the main street called Odos Ipapantis- which means Gold Street. The shop owners were all so nice, I got a ton of cute souvenirs. The one thing I will say is that the Greek people are dirty. Not unclean dirty, dirrrty dirty. I will leave it at that.
The last thing that is kinda cool, is that from an archaeological view, Santorini is believed to be the Lost City of Atlantis. I found a little blurb about why they think that, you can read it here. I was quite sad when our day was over, but after climbing up and down all the narrow steep streets with babies and strollers we were so tired! The next day it was on to the main country of Greece!
7.26.2008
Dubrovnik, Croatia- Cruise post part 2
After two days in Venezia (Venice) we woke up to the beautiful shore of Croatia. We had to wait a while (hours) to take the tender (a boat that transfers you to shore) but once we were ashore the real fun began. Since our time was shot in this port we headed to the main attraction, a medieval wall that encircles the town. The only stop where the Euro was not the main currency, we had fun converting dollars to Euros to Kuna. We walked around Old Town, starting at the Pile Gate, and Onofrio Fountain, then to the wall. The fountain was a blessed thing, such cold water on such a hot and humid day. We wanted to walk the wall, but strollers and backpacks were not allowed and the boys wouldn't have made the walk so we called it a day and headed back to swim. That night we had our first of three formal nights. So we got to get all fancy, get photos taken and have a nice dinner in the main dining room. By this time our waiter Aldo and our assistant waiter Remy knew our names and were the best wait staff ever. So patient with the kids (the babies they called all three of them) and always remembering to bring their food first. We miss those guys. The next day was our first day entirely at sea as we sailed to Santorini, Greece. I will do once slide show off all the on board days later...
The Trip Begins...
Ok, I know I have been home for a few days, but this jet lag thing is no joke! The nights are the worst, the boys wake up at 4 am and think it is play time! I will post a few posts a day for the next little while until I have the whole trip done..
On to Venice!
First of all, thank you is not even a big enough phrase to let the Beck's know how much we appreciate going on this trip. It was incredible. But let's start at the beginning. The night before we left, I was packed and ready. Berk had just gotten an ear infection and Braden had some little flu bug so I knew we were gonna have a fun time. We left our house at 4:30 am on Wed. the 9th. We flew from here to Philly and had a three hour layover. It worked out well because the kids were able to stretch their legs before the long trip. The flight over was long, almost 9 hours but the boys slept off and on and were super fliers.
Once we landed in Venice, cleared customs and got our bags we headed to our ship. It was really wired that our taxi was a boat, and that along the way we passed all kinds of other boats. A DHL boat even went past. Once we got on the ship, ate lunch and got settled in our state rooms it was time for a nap. While the wiser ones of us (Russ & Bill) explored Venice, we chose to sleep. But we did get up in time for dinner and headed into Venice that night. We did a little shopping but didn't stay long because we had left Braden aboard in the kid zone. The next day we spent the entire day out and about in the city. The St Mark's Square was were all the action was. Tons of shops, gelato (yum), shops, gelato, shops--ok you get the picture. By evening we were back on the boat and headed to Croatia.
5.28.2008
My World is Caving in!!!
Ok, not really, but I am starting to feel the pressure! I have spent hours and hours reading everything I can find online about traveling abroad with kids, cruising with kids, travel accessories... you name it I am researching it! The count down is on for our upcoming cruise this summer to the Mediterranean (see previous post) and I am feeling very un prepared! I have never cruised before, I have never been anywhere requiring a passport before and I have never tried to deal with my rambunctious kids on a 22 hour flight (twice) before..The biggest concerns I have right now are as follows...
- Do I schlep along an umbrella stroller for Berk, or not? Will I want it,or need it on the boat? Will the cobblestone roads in Europe be practical with it? Will it fit on our taxis? What would I do with it when we climb the steps at the Acropolis? And what about Braden... Have you seen these?
- If I don't take a stroller, (or even if I do) will I want a baby carrier of some sort? Is a sling better, a side (hip) carrier, or a small hiker style backpack? And will Berk even sit in it? Check out my options here and here.
- How am I going to pack for 15 days in ONE suitcase each. Dang new airline rules! The boys will be easier, and I will have built in room coming home with less diapers coming back (duh). But will that be enough? Where can I get two huge duffel bags for them?
- Do I want to bother getting a new video camera and having to learn all the settings. Or should I just take the older, kinda heavy, but compact one we have. And, my final option, just use the video camera on my digital camera and risk not having enough space on my flash card?!
- Besides Mario Cart, what other Nintendo DS games should I get for Braden, I don't know what kids his age are able to play (Ami I need your input!)
- Should I try to get Berk of his much adored "Baba" before we go? I know he is 19 months, but he is so dependent on it to fall asleep. Scenario 1. I take it away and have to re-deal with his sleep issues from now till we go. Scenario 2. I don't worry about his still using it, and have to pack bottles, nipples and find milk wherever we go.
- Should we get house sitter to take care of the fish (Jaymee I will decide soon I promise!), or just set the alarm and buy new fish when we get back (poor Larry...). My sweet neighbors always watch our house, but I am such a worrier with the pool, the heat-agh!
- Will I need a car seat in our taxi's? Cause I am NOT bringing one more heavy thing.
So, please, PLEASE, leave my any cruise advice, travel advice, packing, cool things I should take, things I don't need to (are there hairdryers on board or do I need mine?). I don't care if I know you or if you are a blog hopper, I need advice!
1.05.2008
I love getting gifts...
Well, I love getting gifts. Braden likes to call them prizes. Rusty calls them "hand over the credit card" and Berk doesn't really care- unless it is round and bounces. But, I especially love when I get a gift and the occasion has nothing to do with me...
We got our passport ready and our shopping shoes on, 'cause we're going to
We got our passport ready and our shopping shoes on, 'cause we're going tothe Mediterranean!
Rusty's parents Russ & Cindi try to take us on a big family vacation every other year or so in addition to our annual Powell trips. In the past we have been to Disneyworld for Christmas and most recently we went to Hawaii. (Ok, so the day before I ended up not going, bags packed and everything...funny story about being 5 weeks pregers with Berk and so stinkin sick my Mom had to stay with me for the whole week cause I couldn't get up the stairs without help...) Anyhow. We always have a great time. This last week on Dec 29th they celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. Kelcie graduated last year and hasn't taken her senior trip yet and once the ball got rolling not only were Kelcie, Russ & Cindi going, but Ryan, Jill's Family, us and our Nana & Bopy.
This summer we are taking a 15 day trip (a 12 day cruise) throughout the Mediteranian! I have never been on a cruise, or out of the US (Mexico doesn't count). Nor have I ever been super fond of the 18 or so hour plane ride that will get me there (22 coming back). Most of our Christmas gifts were cruise oriented. That's why Braden got the IPod, I got a new camera and Rusty got this nifty thing to weigh the luggage! I am so excited! We are forgoing our annual Rasmussen trip to our condo at Snowbird and our annual long Lake Powell trip in order to save up the vacation time were gonna need!
I am so excited. I will be super curious to see how Berk does, he will be 18 months or so when we go. Braden loves flying. he slept the entire 6 hours to Oahu and then some. He is old enough to listen to music, watch the movies or sleep. Berk is gonna need some kid ambien! At least we are gonna have lots of hands to help us. Jill's hubby Bill served his mission in Italy so we can get the insiders scoop there. And we hear if you speak Spanish (Rusty & Russ) they can understand you in most places. So, here's where we are going...
Venice, Italy
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Santorini, Greece
Athens (Piraeus), Greece
Athens, Greece
Naples/Capri, Italy
Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
Rome, Italy
Florence, Italy
Pisa, Italy
Nice (Villefranche), France
Nice, France
Barcelona, Spain
I Know, couldn't you just die??? I never ever though I would go to Europe. I have serious flying issues but I have gotten more comfortable now that I have kids to distract me and of course the lovely prozac/dramamine effect helps too... But now I am excited at the idea. We will only be at each place a day or so, so it is a good peek into where we would like to go back and spend more time later(and without the kids). I would love to go to England someday with my parents. My Dad served his mission there and even brought a VW Bug home on the boat with him. Yes, I said boat, he is pretty old after all! Teasing Dad. So I can't wait for this adventure to start. I am already making lists and storing away things to take.
So, all you cruise pro's, what do I need to take, not need (hairdryer?) and does anyone know if they sell diapers on board(that question keeps me up at night)?!? I will hopefully have lots of fun stamps in my passport when we get back, as well as thousands of photos to remember this trip of a lifetime!
Happy Anniversary Noni & Pops!
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