a bundle of thoughts

I didn't sleep well last night, mainly because I am in a hotel. It's a great hotel, The Davenport, but strange sounds and a different bed prevent the deep slumber I am used to. We came up last night because of the weather. This morning the girls have doctor appointments and with the snow and ice we thought it was safer to arrive yesterday. And looking out the window right now, I think we made a good decision. It is snowing...Again.

Last night we rented a movie on the TV, Mama Mia, and all enjoyed it. But I cried, couldn't stop crying. When the daughter asked her mom to walk help her get ready on her wedding day and then walk her down the aisle it got me thinking - about everything. I was trying to hide my tears during the movie so the girls wouldn't see. I guess I felt silly crying, but then I wondered, why do I care if they see me cry? Sarah, the keen, observant one noticed. She hugged me and told me she loved me. It's weird though because I am wondering why I got so emotional over a movie, and a movie that was supposed to be a comedy.

I think it's because I want that kind of relationship with my own daughters and afraid it won't be that way. Things have definitely improved over the past year with all my children and for that I'm grateful. I am prayerful that things will continue even more.

Now that Jake and Kristin are in college, things are different - in a good way. I talk to Kristin on average once a week and Jake about the same, maybe a bit more. I am thoroughly enjoying time with Sarah. She has never had Jim or I one-on-one before and it's nice for all of us. Kristin says she spoiled because of it....I'm not sure that's the right word. But as parents we are somewhat more lax with Sarah, I think because we are stronger in our beliefs as to what matters and what doesn't and what rules we want to enforce. With Jake and Kristin - things were very much trial and error...typical of many parents when parenting their eldest. Also, they are different individual people and to be the best parent I can be things may be different from one child to another. I don't think that's bad at all, I think it's positive because they are each different, with different needs and challenges as they mature.

Even though Mama Mia made me cry and think for a long time about the relationship I have with my kids, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although Pierce Brosnan CAN NOT sing, he was awful! But so awful it was entertaining!

I like movies that make me cry because they make me think and reflect about my life. And how I can be an even better parent. I feel I am a great parent and I will not let anyone tell me otherwise. Although no one has told me I'm not so I'm not worrying. Quite the contrary, I have had several friends all comment as to how good a job Jim and I have done. It's a nice compliment because I take my parenting seriously. I am lucky that Jim has a good job that allows me to stay home - that was something VERY important to both of us, that ONE of us stay home and raise the kids. I did start working part time (during tax season) when Sarah was in 1st grade. I was home when they come home from school and only worked 4 months a year. It was a great situation. I don't take all the credit for their upbringing. Jim was my partner and then relatives played a very important roll as well. Jim's parents, my parents, my sister and her family and my grandparents and the many close friends we have. It truly does take a village.

I am proud to say that they are doing well so far at the ages of 18, 18 and 16. They all have different personalities, different learning styles, different aspirations and goals - and I wouldn't want it any other way! I know that much of their temperament is innate, but I know that Jim and I have done a good job showing them and being role models for things that are important to us. We both volunteer and spend a great deal of time helping others, whether it be for the school, church or state organizations. We are only a small piece of the big puzzle, the world is such a greater place and I want the them to know that.

This year for Christmas we really scaled back and it was wonderful! We selected a family from Pullman Child Welfare and purchased gifts for them. We did not know the family or even if all the recipients we had were from the same family. We went shopping for the gifts as a family and had a lot of fun. Kristin had a 5 year old girl - and purchased some nice clothes at Old Navy. Sarah selected some pretty tops at Pac Sun for her 16 year old girl. Jake had a 12 year old boy who wanted a sweat outfit and shirts, Jake found success at Old Navy. The parents we had wanted a gas gift card and a pancake griddle. We supplemented it with a mixing bowl, whisk, spatula, pancake mix and syrup! It feels so good to give, especially to those who need it! We then went out to lunch and stomped around a Christmas tree farm to select a tree for our family. This past Saturday Jim helped distribute the gifts at the Whelan Grange. So many appreciative families!!! The original intent was for our entire family to distribute gifts but Kristin and Jake were recuperating from surgeries (Jake - shoulder repair, Kristin - bone spur removal on foot) and I was home taking care of them. Sarah was sleeping, feigning exhaustion from all her activities of being a high school junior. Jim wasn't thrilled with being the only one to go, but he went and as I said previously, so many families were appreciative of his help!

Our family gets their needs met and that's ample. I am grateful we had clothes, food and shelter. It's an eye opener how many people don't have these things. This was the start of a new tradition for us, we are already thinking of other ways we can help next year. Christmas is about Jesus birth and to celebrate his birth I do not need to receive gifts to acknowledge it. Jesus died for us and because of him we have salvation. That is what is to be celebrated. Helping others is how I want to celebrate Jesus Christ! Christmas is a blessed time of year and I am truly humbled to be part of a great family and a Christian.

wonder, worry and wait

The past few weeks have been somewhat hectic around our house. Jake is getting ready to head off to college, actually I should say "thinking" about getting ready to head off to college. He is able to officially move in on Sunday 8/17. He WILL NOT BE READY and I WORRY!

When we were at the lake at the end of July we had a good (at least at the time I thought it was good) talk with Jake about what he needed to do to get ready/organized for college. He had some lists, some prepare for college guidebooks so we thought he was going to take charge and get things done. He told us he handled everything and asked if he could go to his girlfriends cabin for the rest of the week. I should have realized he couldn't have possibly done all his planning and organizing in 1 1/2 days. But being the nice mother I am, I took his word for it and he dashed off to be with his girlfriend. He comes home to work one day, fiddle with his new computer and then goes back up to her cabin for 3 more days. Other than folding and refolding a few of his t-shirts, he has done nothing by this point. I WONDER what is he thinking?

On Tuesday night we had a good discussion (or so I thought) about getting organized, packed and ready for college. Wednesday started off well, with Jake and I spending almost 5 hours together...bank (new account), Wal-Mart (supplies), Staples (supplies), Bed Bath & Beyond (more stuff), WSU Fiscal Services (tuition information/website help), Crimson & Grey (books), Bookie (more books), CUB (activate Cougar Card).....if I hadn't insisted we do this stuff...would it have EVER gotten done? Yes, I could have taken the tough love approach and said "you are now an adult...you do this on your own or pay the consequences", but I would rather help him, empower him and help guide him with what needs to be done. But it's as frustrating as hell, because I thought he got this message the first time we talked about things 3 weeks ago. Does he not give a damn?

So, now I guess I just have to WAIT and see if he will learn from this and how he will handle things in the future. We will take him to the dorm on Sunday morning so he can pick out his bed and assess the room for space as to what else he will need/not need (aside from typical college stuff that he will hopefully pack). He works on Sunday afternoon and on Monday morning we'll move him in.

The drawback of living so close to campus is that he will undoubtedly call for me to bring him something that he forgot. I will do so, however, not at his convenience, but at mine. He needs to learn to be better organized and accountable. He is 18 after all.

Yes, this is a bit of a rant, but it's how I feel now. I am tired of the procrastination and laziness. Someone recently told me it's because 'he is a guy'...that's total crap. I'm not going to rationalize this type of behavior based on one's gender.

Oh well. He will learn, perhaps the hard way. I have given him the tools the past 18 years and I know he's a good kid and CAN DO WELL and SUCCEED...but he has to make the choice to do so.

Once he gets settled in his dorm, I will most likely wonder and worry if he'll even set his alarm for class....

technology

So I finally figured out how to post from my iphone. Yay

what has happened to gratitude?

I am frustrated by the general lack of gratitude these days. Why can't people be grateful for the kindness of others, things done for them, given to them and acknowledge it? Sometimes a simple 'thank you' is all it takes. Is it because people feel they are entitled to these things and therefore acknowledgment is unnecessary? This line of thinking perplexes me.

I was raised that you say 'thank you' to those that have done something for you or given you something. Saying thank you engenders good feeling and mutual respect. I think it's like a slap in the face when kindness and/or generosity has been bestowed upon someone else and no gratitude is expressed. In situations like this it makes me question why I did something in the first place. I do not expect someone to reciprocate in the same way I do (not everyone has the same financial means, values and morals) however a 'thank you' is universal and is recognition that you appreciated what was given/done to you.

Maybe I shouldn't do nice things anymore for people. I like giving and I like doing nice things but for people to assume I will do these things for all time to come and that they are entitled to these things is sad. It makes me not want to do nice things anymore. I am grateful that I have time and money to do nice things for people, perhaps it's time I focus my gifts on a different set of people and organizations, focus them on people that appreciate them.

Here is one example from the home front. I recently purchased a family member a new cell phone. There were some problems with the ordering and delivery of it, so it took multiple phone calls and trips to the store. I spent 2 extra hours dealing with it and all I got was snappy responses in the car ride to Moscow. No thank you, no expression of gratitude....why? I have always expected my children to write or say thank you's where appropriate. How come with family members it's different? Do they think because they are family a thank you isn't necessary? My time is valuable, I didn't want to make an extra trip to Moscow to resolve the phone issue, but I did. Next time I probably won't. I am not going to let people take advantage of me and abuse my generosity. This is only one example...there are others. I'm frustrated by all this, can you tell? Oh, by the way...it's never to late to say Thank You.

"Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing."

~ Zig Ziglar

music

I've been listening to music all morning while working and I just love Dar Williams. It's relaxing, feel good music. I think she's probably billed as a folk singer but has some pop style tunes. Closer to Me has to be one of the best songs ever. I am about to get a new iPhone 3G (it's on backorder right now) and since I have more than 16GB of music I will need to make a playlist for my iPhone. Dar Williams, Simon & Garfunkle, James Blunt, Vivaldi and Maroon 5 will make the cut for sure. Perhaps Dixie Chicks and She Daisy too.... It's amazing how music can effect your mood! And right now...Dar Williams has got me in a happy space. :)

the bike ride

Before heading to Moscow. :)

Kristin made me this fabulous cake. Sarah is all smiles because she is so excited to get a huge piece for herself. :)

I'm now 44 and loving it!

my birthday

I had a really nice birthday. Kristin made me a delicious chocolate cake and we had a very nice evening. The gifts they got me were very special. They had picked up various gifts in different cities we had visited on our trip. They were each individually wrapped in Christmas paper. It had been a relaxing day for me, Jake and Kristin each worked as did Jim. We had a very late dinner due to work schedules but it was very, very enjoyable. Grilled hamburgers, chocolate cake, reminiscing about the trip and being surrounded the best people in the entire world...who could ask for more?!?!

I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Betsy, Bri brought over a lovely bouquet of flowers as well. Kathy and Becca made chocolate mousse which we ate outside with real napkins and silverware at starbucks...it was so much fun. I got numerous cards and phone calls from friends. It's nice to know that others remembered and thought enough of me to wish me well on my birthday. I had a great phone conversation with my mom and my sister. The whole day felt like I was wrapped up in a giant blanket of love. I am blessed to be part of a great family and I love everyone in it with all my heart.

We make a good team

I love my husband. He is a good father and a good man. We've had a lot of ups and downs but we've weathered them and become stronger through the process. We are a team in our marriage and in raising our children. We are team together through life. We haven't had magical sparks in a long time, but that's not what love is. We probably all define love differently but in a way that suits our particular needs. To me love is such a deep care and concern for the other persons well being. I can tell my husband anything. I probably share more with my sister than my husband, not out of disrespect but because my sister is another female and she 'gets me'. My husband loves me but he doesn't always 'get me'. I'm alright with that because I know he cares and it's the little things he does that shows his depth of love. He does a lot of big things too, like providing for the family, being encouraging and supportive of our kids' endeavors. But the little things, sweet and tender that make my heart melt. He rubs my feet and night, rubs my lower back when it aches, he makes me coffee (even though he doesn't drink it) in the morning, he makes me breakfast on the weekends... but best of all, he lets me be who I am and doesn't dictate my thoughts, beliefs and desires.

He is very politically minded, something which doesn't interest me. But it's something he enjoys and he is actively involved at various levels in our local community and his optometric profession. Love is letting the other person pursue his interests and dreams. We have different hobbies, different passions but we've made a choice to make it work. There is great satisfaction is making it work. His idea of humor (among many other things) is very different from mine, but I truly believe if we thought and acted the same it would be boring. Thankfully we are mature enough to know this and be supportive of each other...like the vows we made almost 22 years ago....I promise to love you through good times and bad....we were very young, but we stuck by each other and there is much comfort in that, much joy, respect and out of that is a deepening love each day for the other person.

We support each other through life and to me that's the best definition of love. Because actions speak louder than words. We make a good team and although the sparks and passion on a day to day basis are not always there, that's okay...there is a deep respect and care for each other that makes life all the better.

a sunny Saturday

This morning Kristin and I set out on our bikes and road to the farmers market in Moscow. I have a nice bike but its old. A few years ago I had new wheels put on, new seat and new handle bars. I think I road it all of a mile after that. It's been sitting in the garage unused until now.

Kristin and I set out at 10:30 am and made it the farmers market by 11:15. I thought we made good time since I had not been on my bike in over 3 years. I had to stop once at the 4 mile mark on the chipman trail, not because my legs hurt but because of the burn (and not a good one) in my crotch from the bicycle seat. I think I need a better seat and some decent bicycle shorts. But after a few minutes rest (off the bike!) I felt better and we set off again. We got some fresh vegetables and fruit and enjoyed each other's company. We also got a bear claw and chocolate filled croissant from Sage bakery...all that biking made us hungry! It was great to see Kristin smiling and happy given the crappy week she had.

She's had a rough week and we've all been rallying around her providing lots of love and support. She still has lots of ups and downs, and probably will for a while. She loved him very much and the breakup wasn't her idea, heck she didn't even see it coming. But she knows we love her with all our hearts (and always will) and she knows she a wonderful young woman; smart, talented, kind, thoughtful, beautiful, ambitious...and she knows she is not at fault. But it's tough and painful in the process. She still doesn't understand "why". As a mother I wish I could take her pain away because it's heartbreaking to see your child(ren) suffer.

name change

After much thought I have decided that I like journaling and will continue in this format. This blog is not public per say, however, if you know the address you can access it. I originally only gave it out to a hand full of folks. This blog originally started out as a way to keep track of our trip to Europe.

If you would like to continue reading this blog, feel free. If you are new to this blog...welcome. I do like feedback so if you read it, feel free to comment. I like to know what other people think and perhaps it can spark some thought provoking conversation. I intend to write what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling. My intent is not to hurt anyone, piss anyone off, but it's my blog and if you don't like it...DO NOT READ IT. The choice is yours.

Under the Tuscan Sun

I wrote this the evening of our day in Tuscany but due to a lack of internet could not post it until now…..enjoy…Tuscany is surreal.

Today was absolutely fabulous. We were up at 7 and off the ship at 8. We met Paolo Bennito of Unforgettable Tuscany right on the pier. We headed towards Florence but took a wonderful detour to see the Tuscan countryside. We drove on small winding roads and through small villages amidst beautiful vineyards and olive groves. The hills were green and lush dotted with old (very old) homes. The sun was shining and it was a gorgeous day. We took lots of pictures enroute. We stopped at Castello di Montegufoni, ( a castle in the middle ages) and now it’s a fancy bed and breakfast but for stays of a week or more. As we strolled around the grounds we were in awe of the lemon trees, the foliage and flowers and the scenery. Paolo knows the owner of the castle which allowed us the opportunity to roam the property. The whole area is peaceful and calm. We saw laundry swaying in the wind and people working their farms.

We then drove to Florence and saw so many wonderful things. Florence is a beautiful city. We first went to a look out above the city and then down into the city. At noon we had reservations to the Academia museum and we saw “the david”. It was so cool!!!!!! I know it’s just a statue, but it was so grand and I’m so glad we saw it. We only spent about 45 minutes in the museum and that was fine with us. We’ve been in so many museums and churches we were kind of ‘museumed’ out.

We then went to a wonderful tratatorria for lunch. We were enjoying Paolo’s company so much we invited him to join us. He knew the owners of the place we went and did all the ordering for us. We shared 3 appetizers; caprese (mozzarella, basil and tomatoes), crostini with chicken livers and cheese, and melon and proscutio. It was all heavenly. Then we all shared 3 pasta dishes; (all homemade pasta), ravioli with spinach and ricotta, fettucini with fresh mushrooms and penne with bolognase. This was scrumptious…we had delicious homemade bread, a bottle of Chianti and savored every bite.

After lunch we had about 1 ½ hours to explore Florence. All the leather, the silk in the market was a shoppers paradise. We really just meandered and people watched! We met up with Paolo and then went to St. Croce..a beautiful church made with pink, white and green marble. The kids all went to get gelato while Jim and I did some wine tasting. We were on the road by 4 and back in Livorno by 5. It was just a perfect day. Paolo’s hospitality and knowledge of the area was amazing.

I took oodles of pictures today…..Tuscany is indescribable. When I get home I will post pictures from the past few days. I really hope to get back to Tuscany sometime and spend time just reflecting and relaxing…it is one of the prettiest places I’ve ever been.

Once back on board we packed…and oh what an awful chore that was….all our suitcases are out in the hall (except for a few select bags) and we will be off the ship by 8 am tomorrow. We had high hopes of relaxing at dinner but the waves/swells of the sea were so intense that it made Kristin and me a bit nauseous. I’ve been on 6 cruises and never felt anything like this. Everyone was holding on to door ways, railings, chairs…you name it…just to steady themselves. We all looked like a bunch of drunks just trying to walk. When you looked out the windows at dinner you could see the huge swells (Jim was guessing 20 feet a minimum) and the glasses and silverware slid off the tables, the food servers had a hard time serving dinner. Kristin ate a few bites and decided she’d better stop. So she and I came back to the room and I got her some bonine for motion sickness. She is now sleeping soundly! Thankfully she was all packed before dinner. The large swells have calmed down now but I’m so tired I’m hitting the sack. Jim is writing in his journal, Mike and Kristin are asleep and Jake and Sarah are hanging with friends.

We have so many memories and this blog has been a great way for me/us to remember them. A few funny things have come to mind that I must jot down so I don’t forget…you probably won’t understand them all but that’s ok….

Vini and Pompeii referred to us as “familee”…so the rest of the trip if I wanted to get someone’s attention I said “familee” just a Vini said it and everyone would turn around! “Squeeze the boys” – our funny photographer, “4 more inches of chest”, the gayness factor….

This has been a vacation of a life time, the sights, the laughs, the friendships, the fun but most importantly being with family…the people in my life I care about the most has made it such a memorable time.

The French Riviera!

This place is all about luxury. From the huge yachts anchored in the bay to the fancy hotels this is a place to see and be seen. We tendered off shore and the views of the coast were stunning from our ship. If I ever pictured the French Riviera in my head this is the image I had. And now I was seeing it

We were about 40 minutes late in arriving at Cannes due to 55 mph headwinds during the night. It was raining at about 6 am so we were all a bit worried that our day on the French Riviera would be a wet one. Thankfully though the rain stopped and the clouds were breaking so we knew it was going to be a glorious day.

We were off the ship at 9 am and off the tender by 9:25. Perfect timing to meet our driver, Lucien, at 9:30. We started out by heading east along the coastline and he pointed out some fancy places (hotels/casinos) in Cannes, then we meandered through Juan Les Pins and Antibes. Beautiful beaches dotted the coastline and very few were public. Most were private and charged an exorbitant fee just for the privilege of walking on the sandy beach. Most of this area has rocky beaches but the little bit of sandy area was a luxury and one you must pay for. Approx 50 euros per person per day…

Our first stop on the day was Eze, a midevil town built high on a hill and surrounded by walls. It is totally a walking city and no cars allowed. The roads are very narrow, maybe 8 feet across at the widest. Beautiful buildings, lush flowers on balconies and window sills and a very peaceful. We looked around in the small shops but mostly took in the glorious views of the ocean. We entered a beautiful garden on the west side of the city that had more trails and fun places to explore than you imaginable and lots of statues.

After Eze we went to Nice and sat down to a nice lunch. I had salad nicoise, one of my favorites and a specialty of the region. Others had fish, pasta with pesto and steak….it was yummy! We did some shopping and found an olive oil store and oh my gosh….the olive oil was so good. I know you are thinking, it’s just olive oil, but holy cow, you could really taste the flavors in the different oils.

After Nice we went to St. Paul de Vence, another mid-evil town surrounded by walls with no cars allowed. This place was similar to Eze, only bigger and many people actually lived in this town. There were several hotels and many restaurants here also. There was something to look at around ever corner. It reminded me much of Venice, but without the canals. We did some shopping and more meandering. It was a relaxing stop.

We then dozed off and on the one hour car drive back to the ship. We are really tired from all the activity, (but be assured we are having lots of fun!). We arrived back to the dock at 6 pm and the tender ride was quite an experience. The swells were at least 10 feet high and it made for an unpleasant ride, the tender went extremely slow to navigate through the rough water safely so this awful experience lasted over 30 minutes. But finally we made it back to the ship and of course with the ship being so huge, we do not feel the movement at all.

We all showered and relaxed in the room for about 1 hour before going to dinner. Our dinner time is 8:15 so we were really pooped when it was over at 9:45, so Jim, Kristin, Mike and I hit the sack by 10 pm. Jake and Sarah were out until after 2 am (yet again). Thankfully they get up each morning without complaints. But they are having fun, and that’s what vacation is all about!

We are now in Livorno, the gateway port to Florence and Tuscany. I’m off…breakfast is calling and we are meeting our driver in 50 minutes! Ciao!

one of Spain's finest cities!!! BARCELONA!

Barcelona is one of the neatest cities so far. It has 1.5 million in the city proper and 4 million people in the main city and surrounding suburbs. It’s beautiful, it’s clean and there is so much to see.

We were off the ship at 8:30 am. We were due to dock at 7 am but didn’t arrive until 8 am. When we had to turn back the night before to let the sick person off we lost some time. But we weren’t due to meet our driver until 8:30 am anyway so it was all good. Jose Soler was recommended highly on several internet travel sites and guidebooks. He did not disappoint. He is a native of Barcelona, is a lawyer but has never practiced law. In Spain one has to be very knowledgeable to be a certified tour guide. He studied for some time and passed the guide test and has been doing it for 5 years. He has a great command of the English language, having lived in Boston for 3 years with his wife.

He picked us up in a very large mini-bus (could hold 15 people) and it was nicely air conditioned. He was the guide while Esperanza drove us. He first took us by the statue of Christopher Columbus and the modern area of the city which was built in the early 1920’s for the 1929 world’s fair. The modern part of the city has very wide streets, large side walks and is laid out in a grid. Because it was a Sunday there was very little traffic and saw a lot of things in a short amount of time. We saw two modern style buildings by Gaudi, which are very strange as they are curved, colorful and very fluid in their lines. It was unconventional architecture at the time (it still is!). Wealthy people who owned the buildings commissioned Gaudi to redesign the façade and interior of the buildings and are named after the buildings originals owners. These buildings are really over the top and hopefully my pictures will show the coolness and detail of them. After seeing several Gaudi buildings in the modern area of Barcelona we went to Montjuic to see the view of the city. Much of Montjuic was originally a Jewish cemetery. The Jewish population was quite large in Barcelona in the 1800’s. We drove by the buildings from the 1992 Olympic games, which are all still in use as public pools, tracks and the large stadium is used for concerts and events. The area sits high up on a hill adjacent to Montjuic and provides wonderful views of the city.

We then went through the ‘eixample’ (expansion) part of the city – early 1800’s. Barcelona was originally a small walled city but as the city grew it tore down the walls and expanded outward. The original part of Barcelona is very gothic…not neo-gothic but original gothic from the 1200’s. It’s called the ‘old town’ and has very small winding streets and passageways many of which are for walking only. We saw many historic sites as we strolled through the gothic area and enjoyed the beauty of the old buildings, bricks and columns. Reminded me much of Rome.

We then went to Park Guell which is a garden city that never happened. The Guell family originally intended for a gated community to be built with numerous homes but only two were built. The family sold it to the city and it’s been a park ever since. This park is extremely unusual and unlike any park you have probably ever seen because it was designed by Gaudi. The roads, two existing homes, entrance to the community all look like something out of Disney Land. Very odd for something built in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s.

We then went to the Sagrada Familia or temple of the Sacred Family. Construction of this Temple began in 1882 and Gaudi worked as project director until his death in 1926. Gaudi was very religious and his intent was to have a large church for the Catholic population to convene. He used innovative geometrical shapes, numerous towers, belfries to make this a very grand place. Construction has been going on ever since and is expected to be done in another 20 years or so. The construction is financed only by donations and that’s why it’s taking so long. But to be inside, see the construction, the odd shapes are an amazing sight. It will be lovely when it’s done!

Jose dropped us off at 12:30 at a wonderful tapas bar and we had great sandwiches, shrimp, veal and calamari. Tapas style means small meals to be shared, like appetizers. We then walked down Las Ramblas (fancy stores on each side of a large street with small booths in the center with people selling everything from crafts, food to books and jewelry).

It was a delightful day! Barcelona is a city I would like to return to and spend more time exploring, eating and relaxing in. The weather topped out at about 85 and was not too humid and no bugs!

Don’t have time to upload pictures now. Hopefully later tonight.

almost forgot to mention..the towel animals

Yesterday the towel folding demonstration was a highlight! I posted some more pictures to my picasa website to the sea day album...check them out!

Also, the sunrise in Barcelona this morning was amazing. Pictures of that too straight from our balcony.

Enjoy!

recap of a fun day at Sea

Today was wonderful and very relaxing. The cruise ship is going quite fast to get to Barcelona, at dinner tonight the wine glasses were really sloshing. We didn't feel it that much, but the silverware and liquids sure vibrated. We had an unexpected stop at 4:30 am to let off a sick passenger, Since a helicopter couldn't land on the ship we had to stop in Sardinia. We don't know the details but obviously the passenger was quite ill to be taken off. We all hope he or she is going to be ok. The stop must have put us behind a little because the cruise director said we had to make up time to get to Barcelona at the scheduled time of 7 am tomorrow morning. It's been a very fast trip today, but the breeze feels really good. We are all getting very tan as the sun is strong and intense. Jim and I played a game of scrabble and spent time on deck reading. Mike, Kristin, Jim and I played bingo again...today there were 10 games in a row with the pot starting at $100 and increasing by $10 until the final game of $200. We were so close a few times...Mike is really addicted to bingo. Jake, Kristin, Mike and Jim played trivia and won! The received a lovely gold plastic ship for their victory. The trivia was trademark icons and they got 20 out of 20 (Nike, Coke, Fendi, etc). We had been playing trivia all week but never won...until now! We didn't see Sarah until 5 pm today, as she was hanging out with friends again. She got a manicure this afternoon and her nails are a lovely shade of dark purple. Jake and I hung out by the pool, then wandered around the ship. It's really a huge ship and there is quite a bit to explore. We are still uncovering new places. There are 10 decks for passengers which include over a dozen lounges, a gym, a spa, 3 pools, 4 hot tubs, 4 dining rooms, a huge buffet area, a running track, a basketball court, ping pong, shuffleboard...you name it.. it's here on this ship.

Dinner tonight was formal and we all dressed up and looked quite spiffy. We enjoyed a meal of Chateaubriand with Bearnaise sauce, shrimp, escargot, and a wonderful broccoli soup. The girls still don't like seafood and won't touch it, but that's okay, they have had wonderful selections of beef to choose from. No one has gone hungry.

After dinner Jim and I went to the big show in the main lounge. It was a tribute to the Beatles and was quite good. At the end they passed out glow sticks and when 'hey jude' came on, we all stood up and waved our glow sticks. Everyone was singing along to the songs. It was a great repetoire of the Beatles best songs.

Tonight is the grand gala buffet with pictures from 11:15 - 12 and then from 12:30 am until 1:30 it's a feast. I'm not hungry and I"m going to bed, but Mike, Kristin, Sarah and Jake are all planning on feasting.

Tomorrow morning we are going to Barcelona so we'll be up by 7 am. The next three days will be busy..Barcelona, then Cannes, then Livorno (the port for Pisa and Florence).

Hope everyone is well. We are getting nice and tan and having a very relaxing time. :)

on the open sea & Messina, Sicily

Thursday was a Sea Day and yesterday was spent in Messina, Sicily, Italy. It has been a great past two days. On the Sea Day, I was up enjoying time on our balcony with coffee and journaling for my blog. We all spent quite a bit of time on the lido deck (pool time in the sun!). The warm breeze off the ocean made it just delightful. The weather has been very warm with temperatures between 85 and 100 depending on where we are and what city we are in. Kristin enjoyed tea-time and met an alum from UW! They had a nice visit while savoring tea and sweet delights. I participated in the pool Olympics (only 8 folks on the lido deck were selected) and we were divided into two team so of 4. The first person on each team started out by putting on a t-shirt, swimming to the other side of the pool, taking off the t-shirt and wringing out the water, then put the shirt back on and swim back and give the shirt to the next person…we had to repeat this until the bucket of water was filled. We were close but the other team beat us to a full bucket of water so they continued on to pool Olympic victory. Although our team didn’t win, I had a lot of fun and earned a lovely carnival medal for my participation! We played several games of bingo and trivia. It was just a fun relaxing day. At 5 pm, Mike, Kristin, Jim and I went to a past guest party and were treated to free drinks and appetizers. The captain spoke a few words welcoming all past guests, blah blah blah…but it was fun. I don’t know where Jake and Sarah were. (Mike used Jake’s invitation since he didn’t show up!) We were sailed close to the coast of Italy on the way to Messina so we were treated to some lovely sights along the way. There was a deck party at 10 pm which music and food, Sarah and Jake stayed until after 2 dancing, having fun and hanging out with new friends. I opted for bed at 11 as it had been a full day and I was tired and we had to get up early for our day in Messina. Jim played some poker and claims he is up about $20 overall, but I think he is mistaken, but oh well…we are on vacation…

We arrived in Messina at 7 am and our cabin is on the port side and the way we docked allowed us beautiful views of Messina and the surrounding hillside right from our balcony. We met up with Debbie, Nick and Sasha (a mother and two children, ages 15 and 18 from Moorpark California) for our day in Messina. We rented a 9 seat mini-van. It was really quite a bit bigger than a mini-van, more like a mini-bus, and was stick-shift. Jim drove us to Taormina, a beautiful hillside town about 40 km away from Messina. We wandered the small village, at the best canoli ever. My taste buds enjoyed every morsel, apparently canoli’s originated in Sicily and we were not disappointed. The creamy goodness was utterly delightful!!! I could have eaten 5, but had restraint and just ate 1! We then enjoyed the beautiful views from the large Greek theater in the center of town. We only spent about 20 minutes there and had to pay 6 euros a piece to enter and although the views were beautiful it was quite a bit of money for a short amount of time. (6 euros is approx 10 US $). So on our way out, we found an English speaking family and just gave them our tickets to enter the Greek theater. We felt we had done a good deed for the day! J

I purchased some gifts for my nephews (Alex and Ryan) and a lovely handmade shawl. The shops were filled with local artisan wares; fine lace, beautiful ceramics, and beads. We didn’t really need anything so we just window shopped and enjoyed the quaint, small streets, flower filled window baskets and slow paced life of Sicily. We left Sicily at about 11:30 am. Although the town is small, the map fairly straightforward, we got lost and went in a few circles and with the tiny streets, scooters everywhere and our large mini-bus…it was a fun experience finding out way to the road back towards Messina. We stopped at a small town right outside Messina along the beach. We had the best meal so far on this trip in a small restaurant with a thatched roof right on the beach. Sarah, Sasha, Jake, Nick and I all went swimming in the sea. It was pleasantly warm and so refreshing after walking around Taormina and the Greek theater in the hot sun. But back to the meal….we ordered bruschetta, caprese salad (buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and olive oil), spaghetti with clams and an amazing assortment of freshly fried fish. To say it was fried in the American sense wouldn’t do it justice. It was really sautéed fish, but oh so fabulous…fresh squid and octopus, clams and sardines….perfectly seasoned and utterly delicious. To quote Mike “this is the best meal ever”. I think the clams and seafood was swimming just moments before they were cooked for us. I’m serious; it was that good, that fresh….yum yum!!! We headed back to Messina at 2 and were on the ship by 3. What a fun day……. Once onboard, Mike took a long nap, Kristin, Jake, Jim and I relaxed on the lido deck with a book and visited. Sarah met up with her friends so we didn’t see her until dinner. At about 7:30 pm, we sailed past Stromboli, an active volcano and the captain slowed the ship down…what a site!! Smoke was pouring out of it and it’s HUGE. I think almost everyone on board was on the port side of the ship as we sailed past. Apparently Stromboli erupted last week and they are expecting a large eruption soon…similar to how Mt. St Helens had several small eruptions before the large one that fateful day in May of 1980.

After dinner, Mike, Jim and Kristin went to bingo…we are all addicted, it’s quite fun! The prize was $1000 and it was a blackout game so you needed all 25 squares filled…Mike only needed 2 more and someone shouted out bingo. His heart was pounding because he was so close to winning. After bingo they all went to play craps and gamble. They had a great time and were back in the room by 1 am. I had gone to bed again by 10:30 so I missed the bingo and craps but I got an earful this morning. I started a great book yesterday, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, and wanted to enjoy some quite on the balcony and read my book. It is so peaceful sitting on the balcony, you hear the rush of the waves and ocean and the air is so fresh and clean. I was asleep by 11 pm!

This morning, I got up early for a massage, this time a hot stone one and it was heavenly. After the massage I met up with Mike and Kristin for breakfast in the main dining room and had eggs benedict, while they had pancakes and waffles. We played more bingo…the prize this morning was a 7 day cruise for 2 anywhere carnival sails… I was so close!!!! But no cigar… Now everyone is up at the pool relaxing as this is another day at sea as we are enroute to Barcelona. We are about halfway there and in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It’s a beautiful day, no clouds in the sky. There is bingo this afternoon, tea time, trivia…so much to do….but I think I’m going to sit and read my book. But I will probably get up and go to the lounge for bingo…it’s so much fun!

The boys are happy because today will be HBS free. Every port we have been in has been hotter than heck and they have all suffered from HBS (heinous ball sweat)! They are considering coming up with a device to conquer HBS (similar to deodorant but with a specially designed applicator) and make millions. In Taormina it was so hot; the HBS was visible through their shorts. But us women had HBS (heinous boob sweat) so we didn’t have much sympathy for them! Well, maybe a little, because they seemed so uncomfortable!!!!

The food is fabulous and so plentiful. Buffets are frequent, room service 24/7, pizza and burgers 24/7…scrumptious 4 course meals in the dining room each evening…no one is going hungry! We haven’t had anything bad yet. It’s all been absolutely wonderful. The biggest dilemma is deciding WHAT to eat! The molten chocolate lava cake is out of this world and something we are enjoying each night! Our bartender each night is names Tomislav and he is from Croatia…he is tall and handsome and has a thing for Sarah. But when he found out she was 16 he said he had to wait a few more years for her. Sarah was beaming with the attention. So he brings her a shot glass filled with ice and says “to cool you down”….we were in hysterics.

My book is calling, so I must close this lengthy blog for today. Oh and please don’t be sad but I won’t be able to post many pictures (if any at all) because our internet minutes are rapidly being used up and I’d rather spend the time cutting and pasting my blog from a word document into the website for you all to enjoy. But be assured I will post pictures upon our return!

Everyone is getting along very well. Mike and Jake are like two brothers; they laugh at everything, say the funniest things and are just a delight to be around. Mike and Kristin are getting along very well also and are confident enough in their relationship to both do their own thing when they want to, be it bingo, swimming, reading, napping etc. Sarah is the comedian of the group saying the most funny, off the wall things, she keeps us in stitches! Kristin has been social and kind and very pleasant to be around as well (which for me is a huge change and I’m enjoying every moment of it!)

Oh, almost forget to mention, but the other day when we were eating lunch (on a sea day), the captain made an announcement about the large school of dolphins on the starboard side of the ship…there were over 50…swimming next to the ship…it was surreal. J

Ciao from a beautiful part of the world…the Mediterranean!

Venice!

It is now 8:50 am and I just got up, put my iPod into the mini speakers we brought and am sitting on our balcony sipping my coffee and listening to Vivaldi as we cruise from Venice to Sicily. Today is our sea day so we are somewhere in the Adriatic Sea heading south. It is warm and the sound of the water is so peaceful and relaxing. Jim went for a run this morning and the kids are still sleeping. Today is starting out to be a fantastic day. The last two days in Venice were wonderful (despite a marschino cherry incident which frustrated me and a shoe problem that frustrated Sarah – more on that later).

So back to Venice…..we started sailing through the channels of Venice at 11:15 am and arrived into our port on the west side of Venice at 12:30 pm. Although we have a very nice balcony on the starboard side, we opted to be on deck to get the 360 degree views of Venice. On the big outdoor screen on the lido deck they played one of Pavarotti’s concerts. It was such a wonderful way to sail into Venice, the views, the music…oh my…several people were very moved and had tears. One older couple never thought they would live long enough to see Venice and were crying and dancing on the deck as we sailed in. It was hard not to be affected by the surroundings. It was surreal. It seemed like our ship would barely fit through the main canal (not the Grand Canal, it’s not that big!) and we towered over the buildings on each side, but it was breathtaking and afforded some wonderful views of Venice that you don’t get walking through it. We had come through a storm out at Sea earlier in the morning and Venice was a bit overcast when we arrived, but by 3 pm it was hotter than heck and sunny.

We were off the ship by 1:30. We took a carnival provided shuttle to Piazzale Roma and then a vaparetto to St. Marks Square. Once at St. Marks, we took it all in, it was a feast for the eyes. We wandered around St. Marks Square and listened to Rick Steve’s audio tour which we had downloaded onto our iPod’s. He gave a very good tour and explained everything we were seeing in St. Marks. The Basilica, Doge’s Palace, the Piazza, the Old Offices, built in about 1500 in Renaissance style, the ‘new’ offices, built in high renaissance style c. 1600. Napoleon’s wing is Neoclassical c. 1800. Somehow, all the styles work together and are just beautiful to look at. St. Mark’s is a crazy mix of Roman style, Byzantine mosaics, French Gothic. It even has bronze horses on the front that were stolen from Constantinople a very long time ago. Then there is the clock tower, which is the world’s first digital clock in roman numerals. I took a picture of it and 8:55 and again at 9 am. It was cool to watch it change, which it does every 5 minutes. There are lions everywhere, not real ones, but stations, bronze, marble, mosaic, they are the symbol of St. Mark.

After St. Mark’s we headed down one of the many small streets towards the Rialto Bridge and did some shopping along the way. Jim was on a quest for black Italian shoes and he was successful! We meandered in and out of shops, navigated through the hoards of people on the tiny streets, admired the beautiful architecture, just took it all in. We saw beautiful murano glass, handmade lace, scarfs and silk ties. Everyone did a bit of shopping. Jake was particularly pleased because he found a Ferrari store and bought a very cool polo shirt and deodorant…all for a whopping 125 euros…but it was his money and that’s what he had been looking for. Designer labels are everywhere! Prices are better than they are in the US but still very expensive. So we just window shopped at those places.

We crossed the Rialto Bridge and then decided it was time for a beverage break. We found a wonderful little spot along the grand canal towards the fish market and had beer, proseco and water. We watched the gondoliers and daily life on the grand canal as we sipped our beverages in the shade. It was a very relaxing 30 minutes. We then meandered down more streets and had a great time. I felt like we were rats in a maze, going left, then right and then left again, having no idea where we were going. But it was so much fun! We then made our way down towards the grand canal again and found a gondolier and took a very, very nice 40 minute ride through the Canals. He stopped to point out the Friar church, and many other interesting facts and pieces of information about Venice along the way. We had purchased a bottle of proseco (Italian sparkling wine, very much like champagne) and we opened it on the gondola ride and all shared it, directly out of the bottle because we didn’t have glasses! It was nearly 8:30 pm after the gondola ride and we then went looking for dinner. We found a great spot on the grand canal with view of the Rialto bridge and feasted on seafood, home made pasta and buffalo mozzarella…

After dinner we decided to head back to the ship, Kristin, Mike and Jim took a vaparetto and Jake, Sarah and I walked. It took about 30 minutes to get to Piazzale Roma (was delightful to wander down the small streets, over the little bridges and take it all in) and then we took the short 5 minute shuttle back to the ship. James Bond’s Casino Royal was playing on the big screen on the lido deck so Jake, Sarah and Jim went up to watch it outside under the stars. Mike, Kristin and I went to bed…we were tired!

The second day in Venice, we were up and out early. We were at St. Mark’s square by 9 am for a ‘secret itineraries tour’ of Doge’s Palace. Doge’s Palace housed the government of the rich and powerful Venetian Empire. For 4 centuries it was the most powerful half-acre in Europe. The doge’s (dukes) were very powerful and and wealthy. The secret itineraries tour took us through the doge’s footsteps through rooms not seen by many as it’s not part of the regular tour. We saw the prisons, the hall of the Council of Ten, the secret doors where the Grand Council made its way to the various chambers, the prison where Casanova spent 5 years before escaping to France. The tour was really neat, filled with history and secret passage ways, we saw lots of original swords, guns, armor…all very well preserved. The Senate Hall was HUGE, and I mean HUGE (and hot). It was as big as a football field and must have been 50 or 60 feet high. Because of the Fresco’s we couldn’t take pictures, but I was able to take pictures in the prison area, the golden staircase and the bridge of sighs.

After Doge’s Palace we stopped for a quick drink and some chocolate. We meandered some more and did more shopping along the way. Sarah found a beautiful cotton dress (casual) and a pair of leather sandals. Jake, Mike and Kristin headed back to the ship via Vaparetto. Sarah, Jim and I decided to walk, despite the heat because Jim hadn’t seen all the small little ‘not so touristy’ places in Venice. We saw people (locals) doing laundry, grocery shopping and tending to Venetian life. We were just about back to Piazzale Roma when Sarah’s new sandal broke. She was very sad and rightfully so. For the price she paid for the sandals, we decided to head back to the shop (another 20 minutes back towards the Rialto bridge). The woman remembered us, but said she couldn’t refund Sarah’s money but that she could exchange them. Sarah was fine with that, until the woman said, ‘we don’t have black or your size, so take a size bigger in silver’. For obvious reasons, that wasn’t acceptable. Sarah was quite sad and upset because she spent 45 euros on these shoes…well, Jim took over and told the lady that was unacceptable. Hell, Sarah paid her cash just 30 minutes prior. After a phone call to the boss and some quick chatter in Italian, she grumpily handed Sarah her 45 euros. We left and had to walk back through the hot sticky heat to the ship…another 20 minutes…we didn’t want to take the carnival shuttle because we didn’t want to wait or pay for it, so it took us another 20 minutes from that point to get to the ship…oh my….the whole day was an aerobic work out…..the 90 minutes was at a quick pace and we were hot and sweaty and when we got back to the ship by 3 pm…it was pool time!!!

We were all on deck, relaxing and enjoying cocktails for the afternoon. The ship sailed at 5 pm and it was magical. Especially having walked the streets we were now seeing from above. It was even more meaningful and special than the first time we saw it. Dinner (delicious yet again), bingo and the evening show, which was hilarious! The entertainer was Steve Rawlings from the UK. He did physical comedy and had amazing talents. Jake, Jim and I watched him and about nearly peed our pants. He had us in stitches the entire time! Sarah met up with her friends after dinner and Mike and Kristin were exhausted and went to bed, so they all missed the comedian. Jim and I hit the sack after the show, Jake met up with Sarah and her friends and didn’t make it back to the room until after 2! Everyone is having fun, eating well and doing what they want. That’s the beauty of a cruise ship…something for everyone!

My coffee is now cold, time to refill!!! I am glad that Nanny and Shelley are enjoying these blogs! Thanks for the nice comments. :) PS - for future reference....if a marashino cherry is in the bottom of a glass with ice...it is NOT that hard to get it out if someone wants it...

Venice

Venice...WOW! This will be a short and sweet post until later as we are off to Doge's Palace Secret Itinerary Tour. Little passage ways, lots of people, lots of shopping, beautiful sights, fabulous food, orchestras at St. Mark's square, Proseco and a gondola ride through the canals....yesterday was amazing... :) (I am a total romantic so this place was a highlight for me!)

Glorious Dubrovnik!

I got up at 6:30 and watched us sail into Dubrovnik. We had beautiful views from our cabin balcony. Although it was light out because the sun officially rose around 6 am, it almost looked like a sunset. Watching the sun come up over the mountains was just surreal. We were off the ship at 8:15 am for our day in Dubrovnik. It was very clear it was going to be a HOT day. It was over 80 degree at 8 am and the humidity was very high…over 70%....we were wet and sticky before the day even began.

But it was all worth it…Dubrovnik is the most picturesque city I have ever seen. We took a short shuttle bus from the port to the downtown area. Then we entered the ‘old town’ which is a walled city. It is like a fairy tale, 500 years ago Dubrovnik was a major maritime power, and it is truly the pearl of the Adriatic. Dubrovnik was hit hard in 1991 when it violently separated from Yugoslavia. The devastation was widespread and many people lost their lives.

In a short 16 years the city has rebuilt/reinvented itself. The majority of buildings are still intact from the 15^th century. In my pictures you will see a lot of red roofed buildings, those are new roofs, and the brown roofs are original roofs. The buildings are all original but many of the roofs were destroyed and parts of the building in the war in the early 1990’s.

The old town is surrounded by a large wall and we were able to walk that wall. We had gorgeous views of the sea, the mountains and down at the interior of the city. I took a ridiculous amount of pictures, but it was so beautiful I couldn’t resist. To walk the perimeter of the old town, we had to hike up 65 steps and pay a guard an entrance fee. It was only 1 ½ miles (up and down some steps and a small incline) but it took us about an hour because of all the stops for pictures and sightseeing. It wasn’t too crowded yet but it was hot. The sun shone down on us and the rock wall absorbed lots of heat and then radiated it back on us, so we cooked from above and below. We did have lots of water which was a good thing.

Once we were done walking the walls we ventured into the old town and found our way to the Buza bar. One of two famous places on the exterior of the wall on the edge of the sea. We had some very good Croatian and Slovenian beer. We went swimming in the warm Adriatic Sea. It was warm enough to not make us shudder but cool enough to provide relief from the heat. The water was so clear you could see down to the bottom for quite a distance.

After our respite of beer and swimming we wandered the small streets of the Old town and ate lunch at a wonderful place. We had grilled vegetables (Mediterrean style), shrimp and mozzarella and fresh bread. Then we did some shopping, found some beautiful linens and a pink silk tie for Jake. He had wanted a silk tie and the Croatians invented/created the tie many, many years ago. When Croatia introduced the tie to France they (with their fashion powers) introduced it to the world, but the tie was invented in Croatia. Cool, huh?

We had some delicious lemon and raspberry gelato before getting back on the ship at 2:30 pm.

Then rest of the day was spent swimming, napping and relaxing on board. We had another fabulous evening meal in the dining room: duck dumplings, cioppino (seafood stew), steak and swordfish! We then went to watch karaoke for about an hour before the main show started at 10:30 pm. The entertainer was a big band style singer and although he was good and sang quite well, it was not our style. The audience was mostly filled with older folks. We then wandered the ship, it was so warm on deck in the evening…peaceful and relaxing.

All of us came back to bed around midnight, except for Sarah, who stayed out with her friends until 2:30 am!

We were up this morning at 8 am. I sat on the balcony, drank my coffee (I have been ordering room service every morning – just coffee – while I get ready) and watched us cruise through the Adriatic on the way to Venice. We are due to arrive in Venice at 2 pm, but at around 11:30 am will start our way the entrance to Venice so I’ll be up on deck taking pictures, enjoying the view. Mike and Kristin are getting a massage right now and Sarah is having her facial. We are off soon to enjoy our day!!! Life is wonderful here on the Med.

So, that’s it for our day in Dubrovnik yesterday……hope you enjoyed it!

relaxing day at Sea

Yesterday we had a relaxing day at Sea. We all got up around 9:00 am, ate some breakfast and went to the pool. The sun was shining, the wind warm as the ship cruised from Naples, Italy to Dubrovnik Croatia. On the lido deck they had a hairy man contest which was hysterical. 3 woman of very different ages were the judges and as the men danced and strutted their stuff showing off their large volumes of chest/back hair the women had to feel the hair. We were laughing so hard. The pictures i just posted show all these people jammed into the pool area. In the end, a very deserving middle aged man won the contest. He looked like an ape so it was a good thing he won!

I had a massage and Kristin got a facial. Sarah was originally scheduled for a facial but she had met some people her age the night before and she met up with them again yesterday She spent the entire day hanging out with new friends, swimming, hot tubbing, eating and sun bathing. We didn't see her until dinner time!

Last night's dinner was the first formal night and we all dressed up. Lobster, duck and new york steaks were on the menu and it was quite good. We had high hopes to stay up for the broadway dance show last night but we were all exhausted and went to bed at 11:30 pm.

We gambled a bit before dinner and lost. Black jack was not our game last night. Mike and I played bingo in the afternoon and were so close to winning the $100 jackpots....but just when we were one ball away..someone would shout out BINGO dashing our dreams of winning. After gambling and before dinner we went to the captains cocktail party where we had appetizers and free drinks. Mike and Jake found that they like whiskey sours, Kristin thought the dacquiri's were fairly tasty and I enjoyed the champagne. Chocolate molten lava cake again for dessert.

It was definitely a good day of relaxation, people watching, good food and drink!

We hit Croatia today but I'm so tired I'll write about it in the morning.

Cruising

We made it on the cruise ship at 12:30 pm on Friday the 27th. Embarkation was easy and we immediately headed to the cabins, dropped off stuff, met the cabin steward and then headed to lunch on the lido deck and went exploring. We got the drink of the day, yummy rum punch with a pineapple wedge and an umbrella! Sarah enjoyed her mango dacquiri (her first alcoholic drink). Everyone went swimming and I did two loads of laundry (we had a stinky batch of clothes from 5 days of sightseeing in Rome). I enjoyed the time to myself in the cabin, I unpacked and got settled in. Our cabins are quite large and each have balconies. We had the cabin steward open the partition on the balcony and we have adjoining doors inside which make the space feel even larger. When the laundry was done, everyone was involved with folding it (didn't take long with 6 people!). Then we had the muster drill (where we figure don our life preservers and head to our muster station for an emergency evacuation drill). We watched the ship sail away from Rome and then got dressed for dinner. We got really lucky with our dining room table spot. We are at table 529 and Zuzzanah from Slovakia is our head waitress. Our table is located in the upper dining room in the back by the windows. In the middle of the action and with a good view of everyone! We enjoyed a fabulous meal! Jake and Sarah watched gladiator on the big screen theater on the pool deck, Jim went gambling in the casino. Kristin, Mike and I went to bed.
This morning we got up at 6:30. I watched us pull into port in Naples, then we had a good breakfast and got off the ship to meet Francesco at 8 am. He took us on a wonderful tour for the day. We first went to Pompeii, where he arranged a private guide for us (Vini) for 2 hours. Pompeii was really amazing. The city is virtually intact because it was buried under mountains of ash during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. I took a lot of pictures (as usual!). We are so glad we went to Pompeii first because it was really hot out. After Pompeii Francesco took us over a small mountain range to Ravello where we had a splendid lunch, with beer and proseco and then topped it off with lemoncello...which is basically lemons fermented in sugar and water to make a very potent after dinner drink. After Ravello we drove through the towns of Atrani and Amalfi. The rounds were high on a cliff on the edge of the sea, it was beautiful and scary all at the same time. Italian drivers are an interesting bunch...so glad we did not rent a car in this area! Francesco was a pro and his air conditioned mercedes mini van was roomy and provided us a wonderful view of the surroundings. We made our way to Positano for about an hour. We walked down to the beach, did some shopping, had lemon granitas (it was ridiculously hot) which were so refreshing. We were back at the ship by 4:45 pm.
The kids are all swimming and I'm chilling in the room typing this blog and loading pictures. It has been a fabulous two days so far. Tonight we will be eating in the dining room again and then going to the first big show on the cruise ship. We have a sea day tomorrow so we'll be taking it easy and probably sunbathing and maybe even play a game of scrabble (I brought the travel game I have). I have a massage at 10:30. Sarah has a facial at 2:45. I am looking forward to tomorrow!
This is it for now. I'm going to relax on the balcony with a glass of wine, then take a shower and get ready for dinner.

Great day in Orvieto

Today was another great day. We went to Orvieto via train. It was a nice ride up and took about an hour. Once we got off the train we had to take a funicular (tram) to the top and then a mini-shuttle bus to the Duomo. What a quaint, quite, charming small city. This is how I think of Italy. Little shops, tiny streets, beautiful buildings, lots of spots to sit and take in the beautiful view while sipping wine/beer. And the Duomo (church)...oh my goodness, so grand, so beautiful, truly breathtaking. We met some friends from Pullman outside the Duomo at 3 pm. (Craig and Kay Morris and their daughters Elizabeth and Anna - they are vacationing in Europe for a month). Sarah is best friends with Elizabeth so it was quite fun for all of us. Kay and I went inside the Duomo, saw some beautiful fresco's by Signorelli. It was interesting to note that Michaelangelo admired the athletic build of males in the fresco's and he did some sketching and used the similar style in Signorelli's fresco's at the Sistene chapel. It was just a wonderful relaxing day. Jake got some wonderful new leather shoes (young man Italian style...very chic) and a new leather wallet. Mike purchased a leather messenger bag. They purchased the wallet and the messenger bag at a small leather shop and met the 'maker' of the leather goods and saw him in action. How exciting to purchase such a neat item of excellent quality and meet the maker. I purchased several wonderful pieces of ceramics that the town is known for. They have been shipped back home so I don't have to worry about lugging them through the airport. (Several are gifts so I won't divulge the details). Sarah purchased a beautiful scarf and some clothes, Kristin purchased a very attractive dress and a handmade silk purse. Before heading back to Rome we walked around the perimeter of Orvieto and talk about stunning views....the city is built high on a hill with castle type walls to keep out intruders, you can see for miles and miles. It was hot again, but such a wonderful day we couldn't complain. Once we got back to Rome we went to dinner around the corner from our apartment. Had good seafood, proseco, yummy chocolate dessert...now we are ready to hit the sack. It's been a long day and we are heading to the cruise ship at 10:30 am tomorrow.
Ciao!

bidets and computers

I have decided that I really like the bidet, but not for it's intended purpose. It functions extremely well as a great place to shave legs. The shower is tiny and not much room to manuever but the bidet is a perfect height and since the temperature is changeable it works quite well. :)

Sadly, I can't upload pictures just yet. I have not been able to use my laptop because of connectivity issues with the cat5 cable. Why, I don't know. But, on the cruise ship we will have wireless internet so it should all work out fine. So, if you can hang on a bit longer, I should have some pictures posted tomorrow evening.

Off to Orvieto!

bidet

We all know what a bidet is for but we have discovered a new use...a foot bath! Turn it hot, pop your foot in, and it's instantly clean!

Pope, Sunburn, Coloseum and smiles

Today starts out bright and early, the alarm went off at 7:30. I hit the snooze button 3 times and finally got up at 7:45. I was tired, but thankfully am sleeping better. Only woke up at 4 am for about 25 minutes and then fell back asleep. I am absolutely exhausted right now so I am sure I will sleep well tonight.

We hurried out the door at 9:15 for the Vatican. We had tickets to the papal audience and along with 50,000 other people we saw the POPE! The place was jam packed with people but we saw the Pope drive by in a little golf cart thing with his red hat on (I am sure there is an official name for it, but not being Catholic I dont know). He then went up to a center and spoke for about 15 minutes in Italian (I have no idea what he said). Then an offical representative for each country spoke announcing the special visitors in the audience that country. The Pope then spoke for about 4 minutes after each representative. He said the same thing in 5 different languages. Italian, French, English, Spanish and Russian. At the end he did a blessing in Italian. The blessing was sung and although it was printed on the back of our tickets it was hard to follow along because none of us know Italian. This blessing was where the Pope blessed us, anything we brought, our families and those near and dear to us. Mike had something special for his sister, his grandmothers cross and something from his mother. Jake had a special box from Bri's mom and a rosary of Bri's. It was very moving. But honestly, it was long. It was hotter than heck and we were in the direct sun. Although we had tickets for seats, we did not sit in seats because we got there with no time to spare. We arrived at the Vatican at 10 am and it took us 30 minutes to go through security (which was a joke because people beeped and they just waved you through). The Pope came out promptly at 10:30 am despite thousands of people still outside. It finished a little after 11:30 am. We all sunscreened up beforehand, but as the day went on and we reapplied sunscreen, it still didn't matter.

Temperatures were crazy hot today, over 100 and we were parched, sunburnt and tired by this evening.

After the Papal Audience we took the underground to the Coloseum and got a nice bite to eat of pizza, paninis and beer. Then we met Nicki from Through Eternity Tours for a Coloseum, Palantine Hill and Roman Forum Tour including the newly opened Augustus Ceasar private house. It started at 1:30 and ended at 7 pm. We had a stop for gelato and water midway. This was phenomenal. We got the history of Rome, Emperors, you name it we learned about it. But it was done in such a wonderful way that the time flew by and Nicki was full of antecdotes and facts. The only way the day could have been better was if it was 20 degrees cooler. We probably walked 10 miles today went through an 8 oz tube of sunscreen, 6 bandaids and 3 gallons of liquids. Yet we only peed twice all day! We must have refilled our waterbottles a dozen times in the fountains throughout the area. Fresh, cold water...that was FREE!

After our tour ended we took a bus toward the Pantheon and ate dinner at Macharroni...it was delicous..I had a glass of proseco with my fresh buffalo mozzarella and was in heaven.
I will be able to post pictures tomorrow because we found a small internet cafe by the apartment that will let me bring in my laptop. So, barring any difficulties I should have some wonderful pictures for you all to see. One in particular that I think you will all enjoy is from the Coloseum, there was a gentlemen dressed us in gladiator attire. He had all of us pose in fun ways...We had a great time.
Tomorrow we are off to Orvieto by train!
Ciao!

blisters, trams, trains and beer

The scavi tour under St. Peters Basilica was truly an experience of a lifetime. It was the 3rd century pagan burial ground and when Constantine took over he took all the roofs off and took the rubble and filled it in. He then built the first basilica over the burial ground. We saw were St. Peters grave was, where his bones were found and walked on the same ground Romans did almost 1800 years ago. In 1939 this area was discovered and it was excavated secretly during the war. The history and details are fascinating. Anyway, after 90 minutes of secret doorways, chambers, strange smells and we came to where St. Peters bones lay. It gave me goose bumps, truly a moving experience, a pilgrimage if you will.

After the tour, we made our wandered down Via Nazionale. Of all things, Jim forgot a bathing suit! Can you believe it? We are going on cruise and he didnt bring a suit! Before Jim found one, Jake and Mike had a great time finding some James Bond style suits (like the blue one Daniel Craig wore in Casino Royal). They eached purchased one! I got some fun pictures of them modeling them when they tried them on. They will look so fashionable and European on our cruise.

We were very hot and thirsty by then so we stopped for a pizza and beer. Jim, Mike and I ordered a large beer... and large is an understatement. We each got these HUGE, and I mean HUGE pitchers of beer. We then walked to the Sacred Area (where Julius Caesar was murdered).

We were told that the travestere area was a fun place on the other side of the Tiber river with small streets, fun restaurants and lively. Finding the tram to get there was a hoot. We walked in circles and all over, but finally found it. Then we wandered around the St. Maria area of Travesterre and used a map to find a small restaurant that Rick Steves (tour guide extraordinare) recommended. It was like a treasure hunt on these tiny streets. Kristin and Mike were the map navigators. These streets were only about 10 feet wide, scooters and motor cycles are very popular here.

After a great dinner of home made pasta, veal and potatoes, a meat roll (dont recall what it was called) and wine we headed back to the apartment. Another bus, another train and a taxi we made it back.

Here is a brief list of things we have found to be true:
1. There are a lot of beautiful people in Italy
2. Italians smell (could be the horrible heat but sharing a bus or train with thousands of people makes a potent experience)
3. Even though tennis shoes are touristy, they are an absolute necessity when walking great distances. I have blisters on the balls of my feet...ouch!
4. The wine and beer is good and welcome in this heat!
5. Italians are very nice and helpful to wayward, lost Americans
6. The city is filled with OLD things...and so much history..

We are having a blast, very tired already, but enjoying the culture, the history, the people of Rome!

Today we are off to the papal audience, then have a tour of the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palantine Hill.

Ciao!

body clock is all off and early morning jaunts

I went to bed at midnight and was eager for good sound sleep. Sadly that didnt happen. I feel asleep hard but woke up promptly at 315 am. I layed in bed for a bit and decided that I would get up and read in hopes it would make me sleepy. At 530 the sandman still didnt come. Sarah woke up shortly thereafter. We both showered and ventured out into Rome at 630 am. The city was busstling with people, mostly people going to work at this early hour. We went to termini (train station) to look for a Roma Pass (3 day pass with entrance to Colosseum and Forum). Our lack of Italian made this task difficult! We asked numerous people and they all kept sending us somewhere else. The tabacchi shops were out of them so we decided to get a snack. I had the best chocolate brioche and espresso, Sarah fresh squeezed OJ and a chocolate muffin. We then went by underground to the Colosseum to look for the Roma Pass. It was so beautiful in the early morning light that we took many pictures but still did not find where to buy a Roma Pass. So, we walked back to the apartment (about 1 mile).
Sarah has now decided she is tired! She is back in bed, I am fading fast and I think a quick nap is in order. Carola (our apartment host) has made a lovely breakfast of fresh juice, fruit, yogurt and warm croissants. She is so kind and helpful and visiting with her is a delight. Jake, Mike and Kristin are awake (but not fully!). They cant believe Sarah and I got up so early. Jim has been up early too, but has been reading, he decided to hold down the apartment while Sarah and I ventured out.
Soon, we are going to the Pantheon, then over to St Peters for our Scavi tour. Then we are going to sight see and wander whereever the mood strikes us!
Mike says hello to Alyssa, Jake says hi to Bri!
PS I have to use the apartment computer so cant load pictures. Should be able to by end of week though.

MISS YOU ALL..BUT WE ARE HAVING FUN!

PS Using an italian keyboard is challenging. :)

hello!

Everyone just got gelato and we have had a splendid day. Internet at apartment is weird so I am using an internet cafe. anyway, went to the Vatican today and had the most incredible tour. Saw the Vatican, Sistene Chapel, hiked the dome of St. Peters and went inside St. Peters. Everything is so grand, so huge and SO OLD. I have taken hundreds of pics and as soon as I can figure out how to load them, I will send you all links. Life is good, wine is good, sights are good, company is good. This is just truly an amazing place.