Rome Wasn't Built in a Day...

But it was toured by the Pages in less than 24 hours!

When we found out we were moving to France, top on my "Must Visit" list was Rome.  Isn't it on everyone's?  You read about it in the the history books and you see it in movies like Gladiator (well, for me, part of movies like Gladiator.. you all know I can't stay awake for an entire film).  It is a bazillion years old and the likes of Paul, Leonardo di Vinci and Michelangelo have walked it's streets.  Freddie and I were very excited about this opportunity but with only one day in Rome on our cruise we had to plan our day carefully.

Since it was going to be a long day full of train rides and sight seeing, we decided to take advantage of Camp Carnival and keep the children on the ship for a day of play.  Freddie and I took the train into Rome and visited the Vatican City and went inside the Sistine Chapel where we saw the gorgeous ceiling frescoes, depicting scenes from the Bible, painted by Michelangelo.  It was difficult to wrap your mind around how old everything was and the intricacy and difficulty of painting the biblical scenes on a ceiling.  I found the history of the paintings to be fascinating, as well.  You can read more about it on wikipedia if you follow the link earlier in the paragraph.

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We went out to lunch and had some delicious authentic Italian pasta and then caught a cab to the Colosseum.  It was surreal to see this famous and ancient landmark come into our view.  To it's right we saw the Arch of Constantine and the ruins of the Roman Forum.  Simply magnificent.

 The Roman Forum

 The Colosseum

 The Arch of Constantine

Barcelona, Rome and Capri - Oh my!

If you had asked me ten years ago if I thought I would ever visit Europe, this South Georgia girl would have dreamily said "Hopefully one day... "  Never would have I ever imagined I would not only visit Europe but live here and cruise around the Mediterranean Sea visiting places like Monaco, Livorno, Rome, Capri and Sicily.  It was a dream vacation, no doubt.

In the beginning of this year, our good friends, Matthew and Kim Cabe, invited us to go on a cruise with them.  It sounded like a great idea but, being that it was our first cruise, I really didn't know what to expect.  When you talk to people who have been on cruises... they either usually love it or hate it.  I wasn't sure where I would fall on that spectrum. 

As you will see, we all loved it.  The children say it was their best vacation ever.  And, I think Freddie and I would have to agree.  Sun, water slides, unlimited delicious food, housekeeping twice a day, pretty drinks with umbrellas, ancient ruins, azure blue water, exceptionally fun and safe childcare, family activities, consecutive date nights and days with the hubs, hot tubs and real Italian pizza and wine.. what more can you ask for? 

Thank you so much Matthew and Kim for inviting us to join your sweet family on a vacation of a lifetime... so many wonderful memories made.

 A little pre-cruise excitement..  Freddie went to park and the kids and I hung out outside the Barcelona cruise terminal.  It was a lot like an airport terminal.. I had no idea.  Such an exciting time full of anticipation!

 Our friends.. The Cabes!

 The ship was setting sail.. what a strange sensation to start to see and feel the ship move away from the dock. 

Our little dancing stars after the Camp Carnival dance competition.. which our little J-man won!! 

 Monte Carlo, Monaco.. gorgeous city.  Sophia and I visited here last summer when we vacationed in St. Raphael, France so the kids and I stayed on the ship and enjoyed the scenery and the water slides.  Freddie and Matthew went into the city to visit Casino Royale and play a little blackjack.

 Sophia hanging out on the side of one of the two salt water pools on the ship.

 Ahh.. bellissimo!  My favorite part of the entire trip - Capri, Italy!

 We took a private boat tour around Italy with Capri Boat Tours.  We cruised around in this adorable little boat with an Italian tour guide who spoke great English.  I really cannot put into words how beautiful this island and it's surrounding waters are... the pictures are great but don't do it justice.  There were moments where I was simply speechless.  We pulled into a cove about halfway through our tour and were able to dive into the gorgeous aqua green/blue water.  Matthew, Freddie and I climbed up on the rocks and jumped about 15 feet into the cool sea then dove down to swim through an under water arch with all these adorable little fish.  Fabulous.

 Aunt Kim and sweet baby Jacob.

 

 Formal Night on the ship

 Our sweet babies - Sophia, 5, Joshua, 6 and Emily, 3

And, next, stay tuned for...  Roma!

Just a Taste of Italy..

I am super busy packing and cleaning for our trip to the US tomorrow.. but I am dying to share a few of our pictures from our cruise up and down the coast of Italy last week.  It was a dream vacation... family, sun, pool, sea, Italy, friends, quality supervised "as needed" child care, unlimited good food... need I say much more?