Barcelona Spain

My father in Spain picked me up at the end of my cruise contract in Barcelona! I had 4 days to visit with my Spanish Family which was wonderful! I love Barcelona, it's my second home!!!

My dad and Aunt in Spain growing up! Love this picture....
La Ramblas
Gaudi Architecture

At the top of Tibidabo, looking down over Barcelona
A day on the Costa Brava, then Paella Lunch with Family

Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia
A day in Sitges at the beach!

Marseille, France

Marseille was a very pretty old French port town! I took the little tourist train to the top of the mountain over looking the harbor. The famous church "La Basilique Notre Dame de la Garge" sat at the top. The views were amazing! Later I had French cuisine with the girls, and shopped around the Sunday market!

PISA!!!

Finally got to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa! The drive there was beautiful as we drove through the Tuscany region where we traveled windy roads lined with trees, and passed over beautiful rivers. Pisa was really cool! Irene and I were on the same tour again so we got so many great pictures posing all sorts of ways in front of the tower. We also got to see the inside of the Cathedral Duomo, which was beautiful! Pisa was really fun, and I enjoyed souvenir shopping and walking around, although very tired from the night before. When we were leaving it started to rain, thank goodness for the timing! The drive back to Livorno was really pretty as we got to see the Tuscan countryside, with many olive trees and farms. I spent the afternoon on the ship napping, and starting to pack my stuff. I think I have bought too much!

A relaxing day in Civitavecchia, It.

I didn’t have enough time to go back into Rome today. There was a crew drill so I had to cover for Paul in the morning. It’s okay because Nikki and I went to the beach. A shuttle took us from the ship to the main city center of Civitavecchia. The beach was nothing special, but nice enough, and the sun was super hot! I also did a little bit of shopping and bought some really cute Italia red polka dot shoes. I had a Panini, and suntanned all afternoon then had the night off at work, so I went to the spa for a facial, which was amazing and so relaxing, and then met the tour girls for dinner in the Lido. At night, went to the White Star party-bbq which was a blast once again!!

Taormina, Sicily

From the port of Messina I took a tour that took us one hour away to Taormina, perched high above the sea on the slopes of Mt. Tauro, a town that has entertained celebrities and artists since the days of the Caesars. It was gorgeous! The view is amazing, you can see the ocean, beaches, and coastline below, and the active volcano Mt. Etna is close by. Our tour took us to the 3rd century Greco-Roman theatre with picturesque views of the blue Ionian Sea below. You could see the smoke coming from the volcano in the distance. Later I grabbed a Pistachio Gelato and wandered the streets lined with little shops and a few cafes. Taormina was a really nice place, and a great place to enjoy a holiday!