Scenic French Riviera

This excursion takes you on a wonderful scenic drive along the coastal road from Villefranche towards the village of La Turbie. You will drive by Monaco and the cliff-top village of Eze. There are many memorable sights along the way, making a couple of stops along the way to admire the breathtaking views.

Villefranche, France

Monte Carlo Casino

On your way back to Villefranche, you will also enjoy a drive through Nice. Casino de Monte Carlo opens its Salles Americaines (free admission) at noon, with slot machines only. Salles Publiques (fee of 10 Euros in cash) is open at 12:00 noon for Roulette, 2:00 pm for slot machines.

Friday, June 27th - Tuscany!

Our next stop is at Florence/Pisa (Livorno) where our shore excursion is:

Combine two of the most famous Tuscan towns: Lucca with a colorful history that stretches back to the days of the ancient Etruscans and see Pisa's famous "Field of Miracles," where you have an opportunity to photograph the cathedral, the baptistery, and of course, the Leaning Tower.

Duomo & Leaning Tower, Pisa

Arriving in Lucca, take a guided walk through the old town, which retains its Renaissance-vintage fortified walls. Stroll from piazza to piazza and learn the city's history through its architecture.

Piazza Anfiteatro, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy

The Duomo, Lucca's Romanesque cathedral dates from the 12th century and features a facade with elaborate relieves and columns. The Gothic interior features an image of Christ on the cross, supposedly carved by Nicodemus, a purported witness of the crucifixion. The Duomo also boasts Tintoretto's magnificent painting of the Last Supper. Once a powerful maritime republic and a rival to Genoa and Venice, Pisa offers Renaissance splendor of its own. A short guided walk leads to the "Field of Miracles," where you receive a brief orientation on Pisan history before enjoying time to explore on your own and grab a bite to eat at one of the many local restaurants. The Piazza is the site of Pisa's Duomo, Baptistery, Campo Santo, and of course, the campanile - the famous Leaning Tower. Galileo is said to have used the 180-foot campanile during his experiments with gravity. The tower began leaning during construction, the foundation settling unevenly as builders reached the fourth story. Today, the tower leans 14-degrees from perpendicular. Recently reopened, admittance to the tower is limited. The cathedral - Pisa's Duomo is built in an amalgam of Tuscan and Romanesque styles. The black and white interior marble arches are thought to have been inspired by Islamic architecture. You will have plenty of photo and shopping opportunities on this tour.

Next Stop... Rome!

Here are our plans for visiting the Eternal City. We had really wanted to do the tour that spent a good deal of time at the Vatican, but it was already booked, so we went with the next best thing.

This overview of Rome's classical era starts with an outside visit of the Colosseum, the symbol of the power of Imperial Rome. Proceed on foot to see the Roman Forum and the Capitonline Hill. Spend some time soaking up the history and enjoy the opportunity to take some memorable photos.

After lunch, you will head by coach towards St. Peter's Basilica. Your guide will lead you towards the vast square in front of St. Peter's. After a visit of the Basilica, you will have some free time to explore the area on your own.

2nd Port of Call - Naples/Pompeii

This is what we are planning for this stop:

The coastal road, winding along breathtaking curves, takes you to Sorrento, perched high above the Bay of Naples. After visiting the historic center you will have some time to browse in shops where local artisans display beautiful handcrafts.


This is a picture of Sorrento.

I know we're looking forward to the "browsing in shops" part! :-)

This will be a fairly long day - the tour is scheduled for 9 hours.

What the cruise holds in store for us - 1st Port of Call

We are booked on the Norwegian Gem leaving Barcelona on June 22. We stop in Valletta, Naples, Rome, Florence/Pisa, and Nice. We have shore excursions booked in each location; but I'm not sure they are the best choices. Some of what I wanted to do was no longer available (like the Vatican in Rome).

We've reserved a mini-suite. Remarkably it was only about $300 more than a balcony room. The ship has a rock climbing wall and a bowling alley so it should prove fairly easy to keep my 13 year old son busy during our down time.




Ok, let's talk about the ports of call. The first one - Valletta. Here is the description of the shore excursion we've picked.

"As you head to Mosta, you'll see one of the largest domes in Europe. The church was nearly destroyed during World War II when an Axis Bomb pierced the Dome but failed to explode. The detonator was removed and a replica of the bomb is now displayed as a memorial. Then drive to one of the local vineyards where some of Malta's most delicate wines are produced. A wine tasting session accompanied by local specialties will follow. Afterward, visit a number of local artisans at work producing typical Maltese ware. Here, you'll enjoy some free time for shopping. Visit San Anton Gardens which surround the Palace built in 1623, and today is the residence of the President of the Republic of Malta. The garden as we know today was open to the public in 1882."



This is a picture of the inside of the Dome in Mosta.

What we're planning...

What we're planning for Barcelona...

I've been studying Modern Architecture and Design this semester and one of the most original and memorable architects we learned about was Antonio Gaudi. He exemplified the Art Nouveau movement with extremely asymmetrical buildings, lots of curves and he basically made it so nothing matched in his architecture. He was very prominent in Barcelona with buildings such as the Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family - pictured) and Park Guell. A friend said that his buildings kind of looked like Dr. Seuss decided to become an architect! I'm very excited about being able to see his marvels in person. Other than taking in the rich architecture, we plan on doing a day of the jump on/jump off bus tours and just seeing where we end up. I like those kind of vacations - you know the ones at a very leisurely pace! Does anyone have any other suggestions of "can't miss" items?

We're staying at the Aparthotel Mariano Cubí which according to their website is a 4-star facility. I'm anxious to see how spacious the rooms are - I know when Lindsay and I went to Paris in 2001, the room we had was about the same size as what you get on a cruise ship. Can you say "tiny"? Speaking of cruise ships - that will be my next post.

77 Days to go!

I have 77 days left before I join the ranks of the 'gainfully' unemployed. After more than 24 years with one company, it's a little weird to think about. But with the morale and constant outlook for more layoffs; I actually feel really lucky to be getting out now. Besides the fact that I am going to get a year severance pay and they announced after I got the package that it was getting cut in half. You remember the old commercials they used to do after the superbowl... hey Joe you just won the Super Bowl... what are you going to do? And they would respond with "I'm going to Disneyland". Well, I have my own version - hey Barb, you just got laid off what are you going to do? "I'm going on an almost 3 week European vacation!" Can you think of a better way to celebrate? :-)

My mom, Travis & I (Ed can't go - he has stuff going on at work that he can't get away from ... besides, someone has to stay home to feed the dogs, right?) are leaving June 18th for Barcelona Spain. We are spending 3 nights in Barcelona before we hop on a cruise ship where we stop in places like Rome, Florence/Pisa, and Naples. Next we catch a flight to Paris where we spend 3 glorious nights exploring! The Louve, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame - maybe a quick trip to the French countryside. We will actually be in Paris for Mom's birthday! Next we catch a plane back to the US; but we're not coming home yet. We're going to spend 3 nights in the Big Apple. We have tickets to see Wicked on Broadway on the 3rd of July and are planning to spend the 4th of July watching the fireworks near the Statue of Liberty. Next... surprisingly enough, we're not catching another plane - but a train to Washington, DC. We are going to spend another 3 nights in our nation's capital - exploring the monuments, maybe going to the Smithsonian.

After that, I'm probably going to *have* to go back to work! Oh well, I figure this is a once in a lifetime vacation - when else am I going to get Motorola to pay for it?