Venice!

Just spent 3 days and 2 nights in amazing Venice! What a place! When we sailed in I could not believe my eyes, waterways everywhere. From the port we were able to hop on the shuttle boat that took us to St. Marc’s Square every 20 minutes. I did a tour the first day of St. Mark’s Basilica and Doges Palace, both beautiful spectacles of Venice. Doges Palace is made of gothic arches, delicate marble, and houses the remains of the old palace prison, very interesting! The highlight of the tour was the gondola ride! Usually cost $100 euro per couple for 30 minutes, but I got to go for free, as I was escorting the tour! The gondola took us up and down the small canals and through many waterways, it was gorgeous! There was no serenading however; I guess you have to request to have that. Venice is amazing, as there are no cars, only boats, and many, many bridges. I didn’t have to work until 10 pm that night, so I wandered around town, did a little shopping, and had dinner is a nice Italian restaurant on the waterfront. I ordered pizza, and a glass of wine, and watched the sun go down! Yesterday Chris and I took the water taxi from St. Marc’s sq. to Lido Island, where we met Sarah to go to the beach! Sarah had come back to Venice for a few days after leaving the Queen Mary on August 1 for holiday. The beach was a lot nicer, and quite bigger than I expected, we all ate Panini’s and lied in the sun. Later on, Chris and I got gelato and made our journey back to the ship. I worked my shift for the day (which was one hour embarkation), and then Alex and I headed out for the night in Venice! The Grand Canal was an amazing sight, we watched all the gondola’s carry people from point to point, and had a drink at an outdoor café. Venice is definitely one of the most amazing places I have ever been!

Dubrovnik and Cavtat, Croatia

I think this was one of my favorite stops yet! Croatia is amazingly beautiful! Way more stunning then I ever imagined! I took a tour of the Coast of the Croatian Riviera. First stop was Cavtat, a beautiful seaside resort town where I took a stroll on the promenade and browsed the shops. Next we entered the rural Konavle Valley near the Ljuta river where we all were served wine and Croatian open faced sandwiches. There was a waterfall nearby and all the servers were dressed in traditional clothes. Last stop was Dubrovnik, the walled city! Absolutely amazing! I spent the afternoon with one of the kid’s family from New York. We got ice cream, walked along the wall high above the city below and saw the 2nd oldest synagogue in Europe! It was sweltering hot, but I really enjoyed it all! I cannot wait to go back to Dubrovnik next cruise, the roads were made of marble, and the water was crystal blue with beautiful beaches nearby!

The Greek Island of Corfu!

Spent the day at the beach! It was lovely and I really needed the rest and relaxation! The water was great, but we were told there were nice beaches farther out! There was a hotel on the cliff were the water ran over the edge, it was so nice and had a beautiful view! Later I went into the old town and bought a couple souvenirs. The town was very quaint and had beautiful building and narrow streets. For the first time I was worried about missing the ship, so I hurried back just in case it left earlier than I thought. Better to be safe than sorry!

Messina, Sicily

Messina, Sicily was Alex’s birthday so a group of us went for a really nice Italian lunch in an outdoor café. I had tomato and boccocini salad! There was not much going on in Messina, I think everyone was having siesta, because the shops were closed and it was really quiet! So I relaxed on the upper deck for most of the day!

When in Rome...

Rome was out of this world! I never realized how much there was to see and do! So for this reason I chose the extremely long and detailed tour of the Eternal City! The passengers were paying $320 a person, so I figured it would be good! Saw the Vatican City, Museum and the Sistine Chapel! So crowded but amazing to say the least! We saw St. Peter’s Basilica, which is the largest church in the world. I could not believe the size and the beauty inside. I threw a coin into the famous Trevi fountain, which means someday I shall return to Rome (hope so!). We had lunch in a beautiful restaurant where we had pasta, bread and olive oil, chicken, dessert, and of course wine and espresso! Later in the afternoon we quickly saw Circus Maximus, the Forum, and then spent a long time touring the Coliseum! It was very impressive! So exciting to be there, so much history! I slept the whole way back on the coach, I was exhausted!

Florence, Italy

My first stop in Italy was Livorno in the Tuscany region. I went to the capital, Florence where I did an all day tour. It was a beautiful city! Never got to Pisa, but I will see the leaning tower when we go back next cruise! First we were taken to a lookout high on a cliff where we could see the whole city. We took a tour of Famous Uffizi gallery where the original “David” statue is, and we saw the famous church where Michelangelo, and Machiavelli lay. The cobblestone streets were beautiful and you could smell the pizza and fresh tomatoes coming from the little cafes. Our tour took us to a little restaurant where we were served lasagna, veal, and tiramisu! Yum! Later I met up with Grace, we had a glass of white wine, people watched, and did some shopping! I bought a couple beautiful prints of Tuscany and Florence.

Cannes and Nice, France (Riviera)

I Spent the day in Cannes and Nice today. It was absolutely gorgeous! The weather was the hottest it’s been yet and I was so happy to have some beach and swimming time! My morning started off early as we had to tender into shore on boats from the ship at anchor. There was a big red carpet as you entered the port at Cannes, signifying their famous film festival. The drive to Nice was nice and once there we were given an hour of free time. Irene (tour dept) and I walked around the flower market, went to the famous English promenade and I had a coffee with our tour guide Franc, who showed us the newspaper saying that George Clooney and Cindy Crawford were visiting the French Riviera. We took a little train ride around town and then to the top of Castle Hill park where we had an amazing view of the coast! It was great! Later, once back in Cannes, Irene, Suzanna and I went to the beach and had a very nice swim! I spent my afternoon swimming in the Mediterranean Sea! I also had the best Panini Roma I have ever had! Today was a beautiful, beautiful day!