I didn't want Brenna's birthday to get lost in the move, so we had a small get together with her friends before we left. While I offered to do the usual party themed celebration, she preferred it to be nothing more than just a fun hangout, no decorations, no cake, no fuss. There was a lot going on during that time. Our furniture departed for the journey to Scotland long before we did and since we sold the house, we were forced out earlier than we expected and had to live in a hotel for the final week in Houston. Given everything else I was dealing with at the time I was especially grateful for Brenna's understanding. Knowing that her birthday would fall shortly after we got to Britain and I didn't expect we'd know anyone, we decided to plan our summer vacation as Brenna's birthday celebration. Brenna loves cruising as much as we do and she helped me plan everything. On her actual birthday she and I enjoyed a spa day where we got facials, manicures, and pedicures in preparation for our cruise vacation.
The pre-birthday hangout
Birthday beautification!
We left Edinburgh bright and early that morning headed to Barcelona, Spain. We stayed overnight at the beautiful Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and some time at the pool. We had a lovely relaxed stay before departing on what would be a fast and furious seven days!
Embarkation with a lovely view of the Sagrada Família from our balcony.
The first stop was the port of Naples, Italy. It was beautiful built up onto the hill. We took the day and toured Pompeii, which was incredible. Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of volcanic ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The excavation began in 1748 and currently only 3/4 of Pompeii's 165 acres has been cleared and 1,150 bodies have been recovered. It was surreal to walk through the city and imagine what it must have been like so long ago, but also to view the bodies that are encased in molten ash and think of what the day must have been like.
Port of Naples.
Ready for a day at Pompeii
Even the gift shops are beautiful!
Our first views of Pompeii.
Mount Vesuvius in the background.
Temple of Jupiter
Stop off for some authentic Sicilian pizza!
Our next stop was Rome, Italy and it's like nowhere I've ever seen before. I really can't put into words what it's like to walk around this beautiful, history filled city as it's simply breathtaking. We were fortunate and had a beautiful clear day, although it was hot at about 94 F. We walked nearly seven miles as we slowly made our way through the city to the Trevi Fountain, the Roman Ruins, and the Colosseum. We finished our day at The Vatican with a tour of St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica.
First view of the Trevi Fountain
Walking through the city.
The Roman ruins
The Colosseum
St. Peter's Square in Vatican City
The Swiss Guard standing guard at their post in protection of The Pope
St. Peter's Basilica was built on the grave of Peter himself, who is considered by the catholic to be the first Pope. The church was beautiful, massive, intricate, and a little unnerving with the bodies of past Popes encased in wax and displayed in glass coffins. Based on the current price of gold, St. Peter’s Basilica would be estimated at $5.4 billion to reconstruct.
The next stop on our voyage was Pisa, Italy. We visited the Piazza dei Miracoli, or the Square of Miracles, which originated with the construction of the cathedral in 1064, followed by the baptistery in 1152 and the bell tower, which we all know as the Leaning Tower of Pisa in 1172. Adjustments have been made to tower over the years, but more for stabilization rather correction. We climbed the 286 worn marble steps all the way to the top through the narrow winding corridor with people coming and going. It was a tight squeeze!
Beautiful view of the Square of Miracles from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The following day we ported in Cannes, France on the beautiful French Riviera. Our primary objective for this port was to just enjoy the food and shopping. We walked the bay and enjoyed the sights of the multimillion dollar yachts before heading to Jean-Luc Pelé chocolatier and pâtissier for some of their famous french macarons. It was fortunate for us that Brenna loosely speaks french because while the woman behind the counter smiled very kindly, she either didn't know how or didn't care to speak english. Brenna stepped in and sufficiently interpreted our request and walked away with a delicious selection of sweet treats. We wandered along the high-end shops as Maseratis and Lamborghinis passed us by on the street. You can clearly see why this is known as the playground of the rich and famous.
Our final port was Palma de Mallorca, Spain, but since the previous days had been so labor intensive we decided to spend our final day onboard skipping this last port and getting some much needed rest before departing the following day. It did look like a lovely city from the balcony though!
While we had very little free time to enjoy the ship itself, we did manage to fit in some our favorites activities. We had a nice family dinner every night, and even though Brenna didn't spend any time at the pool or on the slides, she didn't miss out on the climbing walls and trampoline jump. She also enjoyed her favorite part of every cruise by spending each afternoon in the kids club and taking part in the Splashtacular Celebration on the last evening.
It was one of my favorite vacations so far. We've been on so many cruises that I get asked a lot which is my favorite. My favorite overall cruise will always be Bermuda. I love the slow journeying sea days over to the island and then three straight days docked at port to come and go as you please without feeling rushed. However, in terms of port destinations I would have said that my favorite cruise destination was Alaska, until now. I think the Mediterranean has won me over and I'd love to do it again!
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