at sea: part 1

it's been nearly two months since g and i went on our mediterranean cruise.  with the passing of emerson and everything else that has gone on since then, i actually forgot to post about our amazing trip!

our cruise started in barcelona.  it's not super easy to get there (flying standby), so g and i opted to fly into london and then buy a cheap fare on an intra-europe airline.  g flew to london a day earlier than me, but we both took the day flights to london and were both surprised at an upgrade to business class!  it made for an enjoyable flight!  once we met up in london, we went to see pam ann, a hysterical air hostess comedienne.  the next morning we took easyjet from london to barcelona. 

later that day we boarded our ship, the norweigan jade, and set sale for monaco and the surrounding french riviera.  we visted nice, eze, and monte carlo.  nice is a beautiful city on the french riviera. 

ever since studying french in high school, i had always dreamed of visiting nice.  while we didn't get to spend a lot of time there, i definitely got a taste of southern france and hope to return there in the future.  eze is a small town near nice, in the cote d'azur, built into the cliffs looking out at the mediterranean.  we walked all the way up the cobblestone pathways to the top of the small village and were given a spectacular view as our reward!  finally we made our way to monaco.  in monte carlo, we visited the famous le grand casino, enjoyed a cold beverage at the cafe de paris outside of the casino, and walked along the streets window shopping at some of the high end retail shops.   lastly we visited the cathedral where princess grace is buried and walked along the grimaldi palace. 

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the next day we cruised into the port of livorno.  initially hoping to spend the day in the tuscan countryside, i reluctantly agreed to take a tour to the cinque terre.  i'm extremely glad that i succumbed to g's suggestion!  five villages built into the hillsides of the coastline, the views are beyond gorgeous and simply breathtaking.  we were able to visit four of the five villages.  we had the most wonderful lunch consisting of regionally renowned pasta with pesto and chianti to wash it down.  we walked along the via dell'amore (the love walk) between two villages and listened to the waves crash while sipping more chianti and eating gelato.  spending more time in the cinque terre is definitely on my 'must do' list.  it's truly amazing.

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arriving in rome the following day, we opted to visit the eternal city on our own.  as we took the motorcoach from the port into the city, we learned that it was the day that the pope had his audience at 11am in st. peter's square.  it was sure to be crowded and one of the busiest days of the week for tourists inside the vatican walls.  when we were dropped off, we quickly headed to the vatican museum, hoping to beat the crowds who were ending their audience with the pope.  surprisingly we were successful and were in the vatican museum within ten minutes.  we were forced to rush through most of the museum in order to reach the sistine chapel, located at the end of the museum tour.  once inside the sistine chapel, it wasn't exactly what i expected.  i think i was imagining a large, magnificent  room.  large, no.  magnificent, yes.  the frescos painted by michelangelo, raphael, bernini, and botticelli were amazing.  eyes gazed all around and heads were skyward to capture every view in the small rectangular room.  we then went into st. peter's basilica.  even seeing pictures inside the holy catholic church, you cannot imagine just how impressive it truly is until you're standing within it's massive walls.  after walking around the basilica, we stepped out into st. peter's square.  again, it's splendor was unimaginable.  the piazza is massive, allowing for thousands of followers to stand in the middle of the square to catch a glimpse of the pope.  after visiting the vatican city, we quickly made our way to trevi fountain where i threw a coin, with my right hand over my left shoulder, into the fountain in the hope that i would return to rome again some day.  we passed the spanish steps on our way to the colosseum.  as we stepped out onto the street from the metro station, we were immediately standing face-to-face with the large amphitheater.  once inside, we walked around the walls of the colosseum, imagining the fights of the gladiators and the animal hunts.  unfortunately our day in rome was coming to an end as we had to make our way back to the meeting point to catch our bus back to the ship.  before we got on the bus, g and i sat outside and enjoyed a delicious piece of margarita pizza.  we were extremely exhausted from our five-hour sprinting tour of roma, but it was worth every fast-paced step!

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part two to come tomorrow...