Feliz Pascual!
Easter Break!
--We had a nice morning at the Beach in Nice, before we were off to Rome!
ROME
We landed in Rome, took the train to the city center, and then walked to our hotel, Boscolo Exedra, to meet mom and dad! They were waiting for us on the beautiful terrace of our hotel that looks out to an incredible view! We rushed to change before dinner, and were off! Mom failed to mention we were eating at La Pergola, a Michelin Three Star very fancy restaurant, with the most amazing view of Rome. Needless to say, we were very underdressed in our sneakers and jeans..but that did not stop us from having a really great meal! We loved our four course dinner overlooking the city that ended with a flaming Grand Marnier Soufflé!
After a perfect first night, we woke up and were ready to see the city! A golf cart picked us up and toured us around all day. We first went through a beautiful park, Villa Borghese, and saw many statues (some without heads) and a nice pond. Then we trekked to a local market and bought fresh mango juice and fresh cherry tomatoes! As it was a hot day in Rome, after we walked to see a pretty bridge over the river, we stopped to have a drink in Piazza Navona. And next of course, we tossed a good luck coin into the Trevi Fountain, although we found out after that you are supposed to throw the coin over your shoulder.....we gave em the old football throw. WHOOPS! Our final stop was the Roman Colosseum, we stopped for pictures and then rode back to the hotel!
For only a few hours in Rome, we were able to see a lot!
After one last quick snack on the terrace, our ride picked us up and drove us an hour and a half to the port, to board our Cruise Ship!
Our ship, the MSC Splendida was huge! Our butler, Danny, gave us a quick tour and showed us to our rooms! We had drinks and snacks in the Sky Lounge which quickly became our favorite spot on the trip! We met here three times a day or more! A routine had started! Sky Lounge --> Dinner at 7:00 at L'Olivo --> and then Dad and I went to the Casino and Mom and Taylor went to the show! We seriously did the same thing every night!
PALERMO, Sicily
We spent our first full day in Sicily. Our guide, Alessandra walked us through the old town to show us many historical buildings. We walked through a local market that sold mostly vegetables and fish! We stopped for the most DELICIOUS cannoli we had ever had! It was so fresh and perfectly sweetened! After a slow morning, we drove to the fishing village to have a great lunch on the water! The waiters spoke no english, we ordering, trying to get on the wifi, and asking for a piece of paper were very difficult! Our driver, showed us pictures of his daughter eating "black pasta" and talked to us about food the whole way home!
Tonight was GALA night on the ship, so everyone was very dressed up! We went to dinner at the specialty TEX MEX restaurant to try something new. This restaurant became a big joke for the rest of our trip, because the food was not the best!
MALTA
My favorite port, and the 10th smallest country in the world! The first stop in Malta, was an ancient temple. Our guide, Grace, was very knowledgeable about these ancient structures and it was very interesting to learn about! We watched a 3D film, walked around the ruins, and went through a small museum! Next we went to the Blue Grotto, we hopped on a private little boat to take us around the magnificent caves in the crystal clear water! It was one of the most amazing sights we have ever seen, and easily the best 30 minutes of the trip! Our boat driver was really funny and gave us an extra special ride! We had lunch by the sea at a seafood restaurant that our guide recommended, and then were back to the ship.
AVIGNON, France
Our boat docked in Marseille, and our guide, Melanie picked us up! We rode to Chateuneuf-de-Pape, a famous wine village in the South of France! We zigzagged in and around the many vineyards of wine country, before we stopped at the Castle of the Pope for a great view! Melanie took us to a tasting at the Brotte vineyards and experienced their unique wines! One in particular had a swivel shaped bottle and was filled with a combination of three different years of wine in order to try and make a consistent taste! Very interesting to learn about. After our hour in wine country, we saw the broken bridge and old wall of Avignon. We had free time to eat a delicious cous cous lunch and then shop! We found really cute shoes!
BARCELONA, Spain
Who would have thought that we would be back in Barcelona so soon? We went through Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudi's famous structure. It was fascinating to see, but was SUPER crowded and a bit stressful to get through. The audio tour was really fun and interactive! After the house, we went to Gaudi's most recent creation, Sagrada Familia. When it is finished it will be the tallest and biggest cathedral in the world. It is crazy to see such a significant structure begin built during our lifetime! The detail and size of the building is incredible. After our sightseeing, we had a drink at the W hotel pool. It is a very cool hotel right on the beach! After our drinks, we went right downstairs to have lunch, delicious meat and cheese trays! And back to the ship!
PORTOFINO, Italy
Feliz Pascual, Happy Easter! We arrived in Genoa, Italy and decided to road trip to the Italian Riviera and Portofino! Our taxi ride took a bit longer than expected because of all of the Easter traffic and one lane road! After a beautiful ride through the Italian countryside, we arrived in Portofino. We walked around and tried to find a place to have lunch, which became a task as many tables were reserved on Easter Sunday. We finally found a spot at a little Pizza Cafe on the water which ended up being delicious! We shared a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and a beautiful view. After lunch, we shopped for souvenirs, and stopped for Gelato before our short trip to Portofino came to an end! Our trip home was half as long thank goodness!
Our trip has come to an end! A week full of touring, blackjack, subpar cruise shows, and vodka grapefruits. It was so good having mom and dad here for a week! And only a few short weeks before we go home to see them again! Crazy how time is flying!
--We had a nice morning at the Beach in Nice, before we were off to Rome!
ROME
We landed in Rome, took the train to the city center, and then walked to our hotel, Boscolo Exedra, to meet mom and dad! They were waiting for us on the beautiful terrace of our hotel that looks out to an incredible view! We rushed to change before dinner, and were off! Mom failed to mention we were eating at La Pergola, a Michelin Three Star very fancy restaurant, with the most amazing view of Rome. Needless to say, we were very underdressed in our sneakers and jeans..but that did not stop us from having a really great meal! We loved our four course dinner overlooking the city that ended with a flaming Grand Marnier Soufflé!
After a perfect first night, we woke up and were ready to see the city! A golf cart picked us up and toured us around all day. We first went through a beautiful park, Villa Borghese, and saw many statues (some without heads) and a nice pond. Then we trekked to a local market and bought fresh mango juice and fresh cherry tomatoes! As it was a hot day in Rome, after we walked to see a pretty bridge over the river, we stopped to have a drink in Piazza Navona. And next of course, we tossed a good luck coin into the Trevi Fountain, although we found out after that you are supposed to throw the coin over your shoulder.....we gave em the old football throw. WHOOPS! Our final stop was the Roman Colosseum, we stopped for pictures and then rode back to the hotel!
After one last quick snack on the terrace, our ride picked us up and drove us an hour and a half to the port, to board our Cruise Ship!
Our ship, the MSC Splendida was huge! Our butler, Danny, gave us a quick tour and showed us to our rooms! We had drinks and snacks in the Sky Lounge which quickly became our favorite spot on the trip! We met here three times a day or more! A routine had started! Sky Lounge --> Dinner at 7:00 at L'Olivo --> and then Dad and I went to the Casino and Mom and Taylor went to the show! We seriously did the same thing every night!
We spent our first full day in Sicily. Our guide, Alessandra walked us through the old town to show us many historical buildings. We walked through a local market that sold mostly vegetables and fish! We stopped for the most DELICIOUS cannoli we had ever had! It was so fresh and perfectly sweetened! After a slow morning, we drove to the fishing village to have a great lunch on the water! The waiters spoke no english, we ordering, trying to get on the wifi, and asking for a piece of paper were very difficult! Our driver, showed us pictures of his daughter eating "black pasta" and talked to us about food the whole way home!
Tonight was GALA night on the ship, so everyone was very dressed up! We went to dinner at the specialty TEX MEX restaurant to try something new. This restaurant became a big joke for the rest of our trip, because the food was not the best!
MALTA
My favorite port, and the 10th smallest country in the world! The first stop in Malta, was an ancient temple. Our guide, Grace, was very knowledgeable about these ancient structures and it was very interesting to learn about! We watched a 3D film, walked around the ruins, and went through a small museum! Next we went to the Blue Grotto, we hopped on a private little boat to take us around the magnificent caves in the crystal clear water! It was one of the most amazing sights we have ever seen, and easily the best 30 minutes of the trip! Our boat driver was really funny and gave us an extra special ride! We had lunch by the sea at a seafood restaurant that our guide recommended, and then were back to the ship.
AVIGNON, France
Our boat docked in Marseille, and our guide, Melanie picked us up! We rode to Chateuneuf-de-Pape, a famous wine village in the South of France! We zigzagged in and around the many vineyards of wine country, before we stopped at the Castle of the Pope for a great view! Melanie took us to a tasting at the Brotte vineyards and experienced their unique wines! One in particular had a swivel shaped bottle and was filled with a combination of three different years of wine in order to try and make a consistent taste! Very interesting to learn about. After our hour in wine country, we saw the broken bridge and old wall of Avignon. We had free time to eat a delicious cous cous lunch and then shop! We found really cute shoes!BARCELONA, Spain
Who would have thought that we would be back in Barcelona so soon? We went through Casa Batlló, Antoni Gaudi's famous structure. It was fascinating to see, but was SUPER crowded and a bit stressful to get through. The audio tour was really fun and interactive! After the house, we went to Gaudi's most recent creation, Sagrada Familia. When it is finished it will be the tallest and biggest cathedral in the world. It is crazy to see such a significant structure begin built during our lifetime! The detail and size of the building is incredible. After our sightseeing, we had a drink at the W hotel pool. It is a very cool hotel right on the beach! After our drinks, we went right downstairs to have lunch, delicious meat and cheese trays! And back to the ship!
PORTOFINO, Italy
Feliz Pascual, Happy Easter! We arrived in Genoa, Italy and decided to road trip to the Italian Riviera and Portofino! Our taxi ride took a bit longer than expected because of all of the Easter traffic and one lane road! After a beautiful ride through the Italian countryside, we arrived in Portofino. We walked around and tried to find a place to have lunch, which became a task as many tables were reserved on Easter Sunday. We finally found a spot at a little Pizza Cafe on the water which ended up being delicious! We shared a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and a beautiful view. After lunch, we shopped for souvenirs, and stopped for Gelato before our short trip to Portofino came to an end! Our trip home was half as long thank goodness!
Our trip has come to an end! A week full of touring, blackjack, subpar cruise shows, and vodka grapefruits. It was so good having mom and dad here for a week! And only a few short weeks before we go home to see them again! Crazy how time is flying!
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