Vacation of a Lifetime

Scott and I spent the last 10 days in Europe. What a dream vacation it was. We truly were able to relax and spend some quality time together. We flew into Rome, Italy and from there got on a Mediterranean cruise that ported in Sicily, Italy. Athens, Greece. Ephesus,Turkey, Chania, Crete and then back to Rome. All I can say is WOW! There is so much history and culture to see in this BIG, BIG world of ours.

This is a picture of our ship "NAVIGATOR OF THE SEAS" from a hill top church in Sicily.

This is one of the 2 astrinomical bell clock towers in the world. The other being in Germany. Every day at high noon is chimes 12 times and then the rest of the clock comes alive with animated characters. It last 10 minutes and then rings music through the square for another 10 minutes. It is truly remarkable and quite a work of art.


Scott and I having a little fun and we were walking up some grassy, stoned stairs to a hilltop church.


Enjoying a little bit of heaven. REAL italian pizza, creamy almond gelato and we washed it all down with a coke light. The food and atmosphere were excellent.

Sneaking in a little SMOOCH on one of the formal nights of our cruise!

What would a visit to Athens be without going to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon? And still people ask me why the Parthenon is so important. Its because it was the most perfect building built by the world's most advanced civilization and even though we have been studying it for centuries we are still not sure how they did it.

Below the Acropolis is the theater of Herod Atticus built by the Romans in 161 AD and still used today for classical concerts, ballet, performances of high cultural value and Yanni. Simply amazing.


Temple of Athena Nike

Changing of the Guards

The two guards guarding the front of the Parliament building are replaced every hour, and you see them shout out their orders in Greek, shuffle their rifles, and head off, leaving two fresh guards in place.
They wear really quirky pom-poms on their shoes. It looks so silly and it's funny to think such tough, armed men have to wear such comical shoes.
Traditionally, men from a certain part of Greece are chosen for this duty, and the dress is representative of that place.

Standing in front of the original Olympic Oval


We were treated to an authentic greek lunch. It was super yummy or we were super hungry. We have not decided on that one yet. The lunch consisted of: Fresh Greek salad, fresh homemade pitta bread, chicken, pork, baby veal, lamb, a potato dish, and yummy Tzatziki - Cucumber Yogurt Dip and a traditional greek desert that we were not to fond of. All in All is was great.

Scotty and I heading out to our night on the town!

Ephesus is located in Turkey. Ephesus Was an Important Political and Religious Center in the Ancient World


Scott and I standing in front of an old library in Ephesus, Turkey.




Crete, Greece. We were able to enjoy a day at the beach in Crete. It was beautiful. The water was blue and Scott braved the cold temps of the water, while I sunbathed on a lawn chair and enjoyed the sites.




Scott and I relaxing on a 75 degree sunny day on the ship! Gotta love it.



The Roman Colosseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, was commisioned in AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian. It was completed by his son, Titus, in 80, with later improvements by Domitian.
The Colosseum was built to a practical design, with its 80 arched entrances allowing easy access to 55,000 spectators, who were seated according to rank. The Coliseum is huge, an ellipse 188m long and 156 wide.
Roman gladiators were usually slaves, prisoners of war or condemned criminals. Most were men, but there were a few female gladiators. These combats were attended by the poor, the rich, and frequently the emperor himself. As gladiators fought, vicious cries and curses were heard from the audience around the Roman Colosseum. One contest after another was staged in the course of a single day. Should the ground become too soaked with blood, it was covered over with a fresh layer of sand and the performance went on. The gladiatorial games continued until Christianity progressively put an end to those parts of them which included the death of humans


FOOD, FOOD and MORE FOOD! There were little cafe's on every street corner offering all sorts of pastries. Our favorite being the Cannoli. I can't lie, we tasted quite a few of these bad boys. The pizza was super yummy too. And we can't forget the yummy Gelatos.



The Vatican was an amazing site to see. It's size alone is incredible. The details are amazing and to go in and see Michelangelo's famous Sistine Chapel frescoes was undescribable. There was so much detail these pictures don't do it justice.










The Spanish Steps. The staircase has been constructed using 138 steps. Designed in 1723 by Francesco De Sanctis. These steps are a mix of curves, straight flights, vistas, and terraces.

Scott taking a little breather on the Spanish Steps.

The Trevi Fountain. I loved this. It was so beautiful and the detail was simply amazing. We even tossed in a lucky coin for GOOD LUCK and LOVE.


Scott and I sharing a little Italian Pasta. It was super, uber YUMMY!

All an All this was an amazing vacation. We relaxed and laughed and fell in love all over again. We had a fantastic time and made some great memories that will last a lifetime. We hope we can continue to tour the world together in the future.