Oh my. Where to begin? I should probably break this post into several smaller ones, however, I'm just going to do one long super-post. Prepare to be inundated with pictures. My parents took the family on a Mediterranean Cruise in July. My whole family was able to go except for Scott and Rachel because they have a new baby. We missed them like crazy! We left for Europe on July 13th. After several LONG plane rides we landed in....
Venice, Italy:
We were able to spend a day and a half in Venice. Though extremely jet lagged, we managed to still fit in quite a bit. Venice is just as picturesque as you see in the movies. I don't think I saw one car the entire time we were there.
Venice is famous for masks.
Our first morning we headed in St. Mark's plaza where we fed the pigeons. Jordan was just a bit freaked out.
This is the amphitheater where Paul preached to the Ephesians.
After visiting Ephesus, we went to the home where Mary, the mother of Jesus, supposedly spent the last years of her life with her son John. The place was beautiful and had a peaceful feeling to it.
Our next stop was the tomb of St. John. Due to our religious beliefs about John's immortality we had to laugh at this...
Posing in front of Kusadasi. After Kusadasi we left for....
Istanbul, Turkey:
Istanbul was also nothing like I expected. I learned that Istanbul is the only city that spans two continents. One side is in Asia, and across the river is in Europe. Istanbul was such a fascinating city. There are ancient mosques interspersed amongst modern skyscrapers. We went on guided tour of Istanbul as well. The first place we visited was the Blue Mosque. These tiles are still are a brilliant blue after centuries.
Apparently, we were not properly dressed to visit a mosque. Good thing they were able to accommodate us.
Next we attended a demonstration on how to make Turkish rugs and then we went to the Grand Bazaar which is the largest bazaar in the world. Here is the entrance.
Inside the Grand Bazaar. It was HUGE!
After the Grand Bazaar we went on River Cruise to see the beautiful river which cuts through Istanbul. Some of the most expensive real estate in the world lines this river. They served us a delicious lunch of traditional Turkish fare, and then we had Turkish delight for dessert. It was pretty good. After Istanbul we headed back to Greece to see....
The Mykonos Islands:
Mykonos was one of my favorite ports. With its clear, blue water and white washed buildings it looked like something off a movie set. We stopped to eat some awesome Greek food at a little taverna.
After eating, we spent the afternoon at the beach. I didn't take any pictures at the beach, but it was topless, so you're not really missing out. We left Mykonos and then headed to...
Naples, Italy:
Unfortunately I have no pictures of Naples either. I was worried about pick pockets in Naples and my dad took loads of pictures, so I didn't bring my camera. However, I can't access his pictures until he edits them, so I'll just have to leave them off. While in Naples, we went to Herculaneum. Most people have heard of Pompeii, the city destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. However, Herculaneum, another port city was also destroyed by Vesuvius. While Pompeii was buried in ash, Herculaneum was buried by a mudslide. I had read on Trip Advisor that Herculaneum was actually better preserved and better to visit than Pompeii, so we opted to see Herculaneum. We had the most fabulous tour guide named Hector to show us through the ancient city. We could not believe how incredibly well maintained the city was. There was still original frescos, restaurants, mosaic floors, etc. Herculaneum was one of my favorite things I saw on the entire trip. After Herculaneum we stopped to get some pizza. Now Naples is the birthplace of the Margherita pizza, so we were excited to eat some authentic Napoli pizza. When we walked into the restaurant we saw a kid eating what looked like an Italian sausage pizza. Several of us ordered it, but it turned out to be tuna pizza!!! In case you're wondering tuna pizza is NOT good. The next day we were in....
Rome, Italy:
Rome is such a cool city. I wish that I had an entire week to spend there with all of its history. Unfortunately we were in Rome on Sunday, so we were unable to see the Sistine Chapel. We did see some amazing things though. I absolutely loved the Vatican. Can you see the line to get into St. Peter's Basilica? Crazy.
Michelangelo's Pieta inside St. Peter's Basilica.
I have never seen anything as ornate as St. Peter's. It was incredible.
If you want, you climb over 500 stairs to the top of the dome of St. Peter's. It was worth the climb.
The Papal Residence.
A member of the Swiss Guard. These guys aren't fooling around.
Some caprese pizza I had in Rome. I'm still dreaming about the food from this trip.
And of course....gelato!
While this trip was once-in-a-lifetime, it was also exhausting. We were usually up by 5:45 every morning and on our feet all day, so that we could fit in as much sightseeing as possible. I have never been so exhausted in my life. I think this picture of my dad waiting for a train in Rome highlights the fatigue we felt.
Next stop: the Roman Colosseum.
It was amazing to see the place where so many people and animals were killed in the name of entertainment. I couldn't believe how HUGE it was.
Here is a government building in Rome that I thought was beautiful. As I said before, I wish I had more time in Rome. But alas, it was time to move onto....
Florence and Pisa, Italy:
Florence was one of my favorite places in Italy. The food was fantastic, it was less crowded, and there was so much to see. We first went to the Duomo, or cathedral.
Though not nearly as impressive as St. Peter's, it was beautiful in its own right.
Florence is where the statue of David is located. However, since we were there on a Monday, we were only able to see the replica outside the museum. Sigh.
After we left Florence we took the train to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. Of course we had to get the classic shot that everyone goes to Pisa to take.
Yep, it's really leaning. We said good bye to Italy and hello to.....
Monte Carlo, Monaco:
Monaco is it's own little country that is surrounded by France. None of us were particularly interested in seeing the casinos or more churches. Instead we took a 40 minute bus ride to Nice, France to a beautiful pebble beach.
We spent the afternoon swimming, grabbed some delicious French pastries and then got back on the boat for our last port....
Barcelona, Spain:
Oh, I loved Barcelona. This is another place I could spend a whole week. We said good bye to the cruise ship, dropped our bags at our hotel, and then bought tickets for this hop on, hop off bus. We were able to see most of the city on this bus ride. The architecture in Barcelona is so unique and beautiful.
Of course we stopped at the F.C. Barcelona soccer stadium for our rabid sport's enthusiasts. Jordan was in heaven at the retail store next to the stadium.
Isn't the architecture fabulous?
That night we went to a Flamenco show. They served us delicious Spanish appetizers and then we watched the dancers perform. I must admit it was one of the coolest performances I have ever seen in my entire life. These dancers personified passion. It was amazing.
After the show we sat on the steps of a building taking in the night air. What an amazing trip. However, we were also so excited to come home to our kids.
Venice, Italy:
We were able to spend a day and a half in Venice. Though extremely jet lagged, we managed to still fit in quite a bit. Venice is just as picturesque as you see in the movies. I don't think I saw one car the entire time we were there.
Venice is famous for masks.
Our first morning we headed in St. Mark's plaza where we fed the pigeons. Jordan was just a bit freaked out.
For lunch we grabbed Margherita pizzas off the street. Oh so good.
This is the famous bell tower in St. Mark's Plaza.
Jordan bought a fedora while we were in Venice, and wore it the whole cruise. I thought he rocked the fedora.
We climbed to the top of the bell tower and the view of Venice was spectacular.
Seriously?
That night we went for a gondola ride. While touristy and expensive, it really was a magical experience. Check out our gondolier. Perfect, right?
I love this picture of Steve and Kalli.
The next morning we went to the Doge's Palace. It is an incredible structure. Annie, Kalli and I spent some time in the prison.
That afternoon we boarded our cruise ship--The Ruby Princess. It was a relief to get on the boat and get settled.
Our next stop was...
Athens, Greece:
Notice how there are no pictures of Athens. Want to know why? Because the S.T.U.P.I.D. taxi drivers in Athens decided to strike on the day we were there. They parked amongst all the tourist buses, so that none of the tourists could make it the sites. For our safety, we weren't even allowed off the boat. Of course the one day in my entire life that I'm in Athens and there is a strike. I was so close to the Parthenon, the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus......and I didn't get to see it. Major disappointment. Moving onto....
Kusadasi, Turkey:
I really had no idea what to expect in Turkey. To be honest, I thought it would be a small, third world country. Wrong! Kusadasi was beautiful. It is home to the ancient city of Ephesus. We went on a guided tour while in Kusadasi and our first stop was Ephesus.
Jordan posing in front of a carving of the goddess Nike. This is where the Nike swoosh comes from.
This is the very street that the Apostle Paul walked.
Ancient toilets.
More beautiful ruins.
This is the amphitheater where Paul preached to the Ephesians.
After visiting Ephesus, we went to the home where Mary, the mother of Jesus, supposedly spent the last years of her life with her son John. The place was beautiful and had a peaceful feeling to it.
Our next stop was the tomb of St. John. Due to our religious beliefs about John's immortality we had to laugh at this...
Posing in front of Kusadasi. After Kusadasi we left for....
Istanbul, Turkey:
Istanbul was also nothing like I expected. I learned that Istanbul is the only city that spans two continents. One side is in Asia, and across the river is in Europe. Istanbul was such a fascinating city. There are ancient mosques interspersed amongst modern skyscrapers. We went on guided tour of Istanbul as well. The first place we visited was the Blue Mosque. These tiles are still are a brilliant blue after centuries.
Apparently, we were not properly dressed to visit a mosque. Good thing they were able to accommodate us.
Next we attended a demonstration on how to make Turkish rugs and then we went to the Grand Bazaar which is the largest bazaar in the world. Here is the entrance.
Inside the Grand Bazaar. It was HUGE!
After the Grand Bazaar we went on River Cruise to see the beautiful river which cuts through Istanbul. Some of the most expensive real estate in the world lines this river. They served us a delicious lunch of traditional Turkish fare, and then we had Turkish delight for dessert. It was pretty good. After Istanbul we headed back to Greece to see....
The Mykonos Islands:
Mykonos was one of my favorite ports. With its clear, blue water and white washed buildings it looked like something off a movie set. We stopped to eat some awesome Greek food at a little taverna.
After eating, we spent the afternoon at the beach. I didn't take any pictures at the beach, but it was topless, so you're not really missing out. We left Mykonos and then headed to...
Naples, Italy:
Unfortunately I have no pictures of Naples either. I was worried about pick pockets in Naples and my dad took loads of pictures, so I didn't bring my camera. However, I can't access his pictures until he edits them, so I'll just have to leave them off. While in Naples, we went to Herculaneum. Most people have heard of Pompeii, the city destroyed when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. However, Herculaneum, another port city was also destroyed by Vesuvius. While Pompeii was buried in ash, Herculaneum was buried by a mudslide. I had read on Trip Advisor that Herculaneum was actually better preserved and better to visit than Pompeii, so we opted to see Herculaneum. We had the most fabulous tour guide named Hector to show us through the ancient city. We could not believe how incredibly well maintained the city was. There was still original frescos, restaurants, mosaic floors, etc. Herculaneum was one of my favorite things I saw on the entire trip. After Herculaneum we stopped to get some pizza. Now Naples is the birthplace of the Margherita pizza, so we were excited to eat some authentic Napoli pizza. When we walked into the restaurant we saw a kid eating what looked like an Italian sausage pizza. Several of us ordered it, but it turned out to be tuna pizza!!! In case you're wondering tuna pizza is NOT good. The next day we were in....
Rome, Italy:
Rome is such a cool city. I wish that I had an entire week to spend there with all of its history. Unfortunately we were in Rome on Sunday, so we were unable to see the Sistine Chapel. We did see some amazing things though. I absolutely loved the Vatican. Can you see the line to get into St. Peter's Basilica? Crazy.
Michelangelo's Pieta inside St. Peter's Basilica.
I have never seen anything as ornate as St. Peter's. It was incredible.
If you want, you climb over 500 stairs to the top of the dome of St. Peter's. It was worth the climb.
The Papal Residence.
A member of the Swiss Guard. These guys aren't fooling around.
Some caprese pizza I had in Rome. I'm still dreaming about the food from this trip.
And of course....gelato!
While this trip was once-in-a-lifetime, it was also exhausting. We were usually up by 5:45 every morning and on our feet all day, so that we could fit in as much sightseeing as possible. I have never been so exhausted in my life. I think this picture of my dad waiting for a train in Rome highlights the fatigue we felt.
Next stop: the Roman Colosseum.
It was amazing to see the place where so many people and animals were killed in the name of entertainment. I couldn't believe how HUGE it was.
Here is a government building in Rome that I thought was beautiful. As I said before, I wish I had more time in Rome. But alas, it was time to move onto....
Florence and Pisa, Italy:
Florence was one of my favorite places in Italy. The food was fantastic, it was less crowded, and there was so much to see. We first went to the Duomo, or cathedral.
Though not nearly as impressive as St. Peter's, it was beautiful in its own right.
Florence is where the statue of David is located. However, since we were there on a Monday, we were only able to see the replica outside the museum. Sigh.
After we left Florence we took the train to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. Of course we had to get the classic shot that everyone goes to Pisa to take.
Yep, it's really leaning. We said good bye to Italy and hello to.....
Monte Carlo, Monaco:
Monaco is it's own little country that is surrounded by France. None of us were particularly interested in seeing the casinos or more churches. Instead we took a 40 minute bus ride to Nice, France to a beautiful pebble beach.
We spent the afternoon swimming, grabbed some delicious French pastries and then got back on the boat for our last port....
Barcelona, Spain:
Oh, I loved Barcelona. This is another place I could spend a whole week. We said good bye to the cruise ship, dropped our bags at our hotel, and then bought tickets for this hop on, hop off bus. We were able to see most of the city on this bus ride. The architecture in Barcelona is so unique and beautiful.
Of course we stopped at the F.C. Barcelona soccer stadium for our rabid sport's enthusiasts. Jordan was in heaven at the retail store next to the stadium.
Isn't the architecture fabulous?
That night we went to a Flamenco show. They served us delicious Spanish appetizers and then we watched the dancers perform. I must admit it was one of the coolest performances I have ever seen in my entire life. These dancers personified passion. It was amazing.
After the show we sat on the steps of a building taking in the night air. What an amazing trip. However, we were also so excited to come home to our kids.
