I have a bit of a problem. You see, this year in lieu of a traditional scrapbook, I’m trying my hand at a Shutterfly photo book. I’m really enjoying the fact that I don’t have to cover my dining room table with a ton of supplies in order to compile my photos, that I’m doing it for a fraction of the price of my normal scrapbooks, and (this is the biggie) that my toddler isn’t having a heyday with all my supplies. I’m a big fan. In January I chose my book- a big 12″x12″ album with space for up to 100 pages. It seemed big at the time, but it’s now September and I’m sweatin’ whether or not I’m going to run out of room. It’s almost as if traveling once a month is producing more pictures than usual! Imagine that! Our September adventure was a 2 week cruise on the Carnival Magic. The trip was particularly special because my parents joined us! Before I tell you about the ports we visited (amazing!) I need to mention our ship. Incredible. So fun. So kid friendly! The Magic has a waterpark on board, complete with sprayers, sprinklers, dumping buckets, slides for big kids (like Eric, Dad, and I), and slides for little kids (like Abbi…and Eric, Dad, and I.) There’s a ropes course on board, as well as a 9 hole putt-putt course. The food was incredible, the service was phenomenal, and days at sea were anything but boring. We loved our days at sea!
The Carnival Magic
water park
playtime with Daddy
Behind that splash is Eric and Abbi
deep in discussion
Whee!
ropes course
It was awesome to be on a ropes course 12 stories off the surface of the ocean!
a natural at putt-putt
Abbi takes on her Daddy in fooseball.
Our first port was the Monte Carlo, Monaco. (As a fun fact, Monaco is the second smallest country in the world. The entire country is contained in the one city. Monte Carlo IS Monaco and Monaco IS Monte Carlo. So there you go.) Residents of Monaco pay no taxes, which has made it a haven for some of the richest people in the world. The marina was full of absolutely jaw-droppingly huge yachts, and we were told that a 400 sq. ft. apartment would be quickly scooped up for a bargain price of a couple million dollars. Wow. While there we walked to the Casino from the James Bond films, and Eric pointed out the ridiculously expensive cars that were a dime a dozen on the streets of Monaco.
Welcome to Monaco!
The Monte Carlo Casino
The next day was Marseilles, France. Honestly, Eric and I didn’t get off the ship that day. We had a lazy morning with Abbi, and by the time we were getting ready to leave the ship, it was getting close to naptime. We knew that the next day was Rome, and that we were going to be asking a lot of our little one, so we wanted her to be as rested as she could be. Mom and Dad went ashore, though, and reported back that we probably made the right decision. There was beauty there, they said, but you had to look a bit harder to find it. For me, I got the best of both worlds- lovely pictures of Marselles AND a well-rested baby! On our way out of port we passed the Chateau d’If, the famous prison/fortress from the Count of Monte Cristo.
Chateau d'If
Then came Rome, Italy. Rome was actually about an hour and a half from our port, so we signed up for a charter bus to drop us off and pick us up, giving us 7 hours to explore Rome on our own. 10 hours, ladies and gentlemen. 10 hours…in the heat…walking around…with a toddler…in a stroller…with no nap. And you know what? She was FANTASTIC! We walked to Vatican City first thing (Another fun fact- Remember how I said Monaco was the second smallest country in the world? Vatican City is the first.) and I was worried. It was hot, hot, hot, and Abbi wanted nothing to do with her stroller. We were stopping every few feet for snacks or drinks that she’d promptly throw to the ground. I was thinking, “Oh no. This is going to be miserable.” Once we got inside the Vatican, though, she perked right up and then was happy and ready to go for the rest of the day. Maybe somebody blessed her in there without us knowing it! We left the Vatican and rode the subway to the Coliseum, and then worked our way back, passing the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, and the Trevi Fountain. We then had to speed-walk back to the bus in order to just barely make it on time. If we would have had just a couple more hours, I think we could have seen it all. It was a great day, but, whew!, were we tired by the end of it!
The Vatican
The Coliseum
a sobering reminder that NO empire is too big to fall
dinner at the Pantheon
On such a hot day, we made good use of the public fountains!
Next was Pisa, Italy. Before we left I had been told, “Eh, don’t bother with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You see it. It leans. You’re done. It’s not really worth it.” I’m so glad we didn’t listen. It was so cool! Yes, the tower leans, but until you see it, you don’t really get it. It REALLY leans. It leans so much that it really is remarkable that it hasn’t fallen over yet. It leans so much that I was happy to pass on the opportunity to walk to the top. Yes, it’s just a leaning tower, but it really is something to see. After taking the classic tourist pictures we headed off to the beach. You know how we feel about the beach. Any day at the beach is a good day by us.
The classic tourist picture
I didn't realize how beautiful the tower actually was till I saw it in person.
Any day at the beach is a fine day by me!
Pesto and pizza for lunch? Yes, please!
Abbi required her OWN Italian gelato...or else she ate all of ours!
Our next port was Dubrovnik, Croatia. Honestly, this port was a big part of why we booked this cruise. We’ve had a ton of people over here tell us, “You have to go to Croatia. It’s gorgeous! You’ll love it!” but we didn’t really know what that meant. Here’s what it means: We’re so glad we went to Croatia. It’s gorgeous! We loved it! Mom and Dad took Abbi to the beach, and Eric and I spent the day wandering around old town Dubrovnik by ourselves. Mom and Dad loved their alone time with Abbi, and Eric and I loved having a little “honeymoon afternoon” where we were reminded how much fun we have, just the two of us! The people in Dubrovnik were really friendly, and the city was simply gorgeous. We’re hoping to return to Croatia one more time before we leave Europe, because one day was simply not enough for us.
Abbi went with Mom and Dad to the beach
The tiny bird enthusiast LOVED this!
Eric and I enjoying "baby free" time for an afternoon.
Dubrovnik was BEAUTIFUL.
Each orange roof is a building that was damaged during the Serbian War. Super sobering.
And then there was Venice, Italy. What can I say about Venice? It’s such a lovely city…I’m not even sure how to describe it! I knew that it was a city made up of small islands, with canals instead of streets, but I didn’t really know how to envision that. I think I’ll let my pictures do the work, instead of my faulty words. Eric, Dad, Abbi, and I headed out the first day for a scouting trip. We figured out the public transportation (boats as public buses) and wandered around the twisty roads of Venice saying, “Oooh, look at this! Ahh, look how pretty!” all day. We stopped at a lovely cafe for a caprese salad snack which was nothing less than an celebration of fresh deliciousness with every bite. So good…so expensive!, but so good. The next day Mom came with us and we visited Murano, the island that houses all the glass-blowing factories of Venice. Honestly, Eric and I went along with it just because Mom wanted to do it, but it ended up being incredibly, incredibly cool! If we ever find a money tree, we’re replacing all our glassware with Venetian glass. It was gorgeous. We ended our time in Venice with a gondola ride. Yes, it is a must do tourist activity. If you have the opportunity to see Venice someday, do it. It was wonderful.
public transportation in Venice
I have a TON of pictures like this of Venice. Everywhere we looked was just so lovely!
Venice is a fine place to meander aimlessly.
the cafe where we had a snack
at the glass blowing factory in Murano
Ride a gondola in Venice? Check!
overlooking Venice
one last Venice shot for the road, er, canal
Our last port was Messina, Sicily. In the spirit of total honesty, Messina was my least favorite port. We found a beach, but we also figured out why the beach trips sponsored by the cruise line were about half an hour away. The beach in Messina was absolutely strewn with litter! We found a relatively clean place to hang out and swim. When the tide changed, though, the trash that we had been avoiding came floating right up. I’m not going to tell you what floated by me in the water, but I will say this- it was the end of our beach day. It didn’t stop us from getting some good pictures, though!
finding the best of Messina
two beach girls
Our cruise concluded in Barcelona, Spain. We had visited Barcelona before (on our cruise in June, remember?) but it was Mom and Dad’s first visit. We took Abbi to the Barcelona Zoo where we saw a dolphin show. (Side note: Abbi has now been to zoos in FOUR countries. We’re becoming something of zoo experts.) Barcelona was one of the nicest zoos we’ve seen (I think Columbus is still in first place overall, though.) We then took another stroll down Las Ramblas, where we introduced Mom and Dad to tapas and paella.
soaking up quality time with Grandma and Grandpa
very cool dolphin show
checking out the giraffes
Instead of taking her in and out of the stroller, Eric found an easier way. Just LIFT.
Once again, Las Ramblas wore Abbi out!
Final thoughts? Man, we’re having a good time during our season of travel! We realize that this is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we’re having a great time trying to make the most of it! I may have to go back and consolidate some early pages of our 2011 photo book in order to make it to the end of the year, but man!, is that going to be a good looking scrapbook!
