Wow, what a whirlwind! We just returned from a 12 day cruise that was quite exhausting but full of history, laughter and tons of photo opps. CJ and I had a blast with our cameras! What’s not to love about the leaning tower of Pisa, a Greek Island, Istanbul Mosques, Pompeii, the Amalfi coast, Sorrento, Ephesus with its Pergamon, the intellectual center of Aisa Minor with the greatest libraray of antiquity… The temples of Tragan and Dionisus, the Alter of Zeus , the Asclepion ( an ancient healing center)? That did not even count Athens with the Acropolis. Throw in a beginning in Barcelona, an end in Venice and a first stop in Toulon, France for sunshine and a picnic with a lovely French wine, bread and cheese and one asks why are we so lucky? It was definitely a time of indulgence.
For the first time in our European tour we were able to leave babies in a safe loving environment and really hit the pavement, so to speak. Gloria and Liam joined us in Mykonos to feed the birds and eat Greek food. They came along to Athens and of course spent time in Barcelona and window shopping and boat riding in Venice. But during other port stops they were given the choice of staying on board with Charlie’s Child care or touring with us. The pull for snacks, face painting and other creative projects was a bigger draw than touring with Mom and Dad through some old churches, ruins and sights.
Double win for us! When returning to the boat we felt invigorated and ready for pool time, a fun dinner and evening entertainment. Every day was a fun day, even the sailing days. We exercised, played as a family in the pool, brought our walkie talkies and played hide and seek. All and all it was a great trip. When asked what our favorite sights or places were it makes for a difficult answer. I loved Greece and would go back in a minute. I felt our time in Florence, Italy was much too short and of course one cannot do Rome in a day so I was glad we had already been there and done that, so to speak. Istanbul was amazing but busy and I was happy to return to the Norwegian Spirit. Our day at Pompeii and on the Amalfi coast was superb. The people, the coast line, the food, the history- all magnificent!
So without any more chattering on I will let you take a tour through a sampling of photos. Some were taken by Liam, Gloria or CJ and a few are my pictures too. See if you can guess who took what photos?
was just the degustation portion. Then you add to that the beaches, the ocean and the stunning Plitvice Lakes. This UNESCO sight http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/98 is so eye popping gorgeous. Every bend in the path leads to another waterfall or crystal clear lake teaming with fishes and ducks and birds. Croatia was the sort of place you know you would go every year if you could. It recalibrates the mind and body, bringing one back to nature and at the same time spoiling you with abundance!
