(click on photos to view a larger image)
I will warn you now, this is going to be one very LONG post instead of many short ones. If you want to know more keep reading, or check back daily as I'll be updating with pictures on the many ports we visited. I took over 1000 pictures on this trip!
Our family just returned from a trip that we had been planning for over a decade or more! We had always talked about taking our three boys to Italy so they could meet their distant relatives (great aunts and uncles, second and third cousins, etc.). We wanted to do it when they would be old enough to really remember and appreciate it. We took a 12-day Mediterranean cruise on the new Carnival Freedom. This vacation was better then I could have imagined! Cruising was the perfect way to visit Italy. We visited Rome, Naples, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Venice, Sicily, Barcelona (Spain), Cannes/Monte Carlo/Nice (France) and Pisa & Florence (Livorno). We arrived in Rome and spent three days pre-cruise visiting family which included seeing the house where Bob was born (that's right - we are talking a tiny hilltop village south of Rome). Bob moved to the States when he was 21 months old so that's why he doesn't have an accent.
Here I am with the Cruise Director of the Carnival Freedom, John Heald. Turns out he also started a blog in 2007. There was a blogger's group meeting on board. You can read John's blog here. Now I know why everybody loves John - he's so friendly and open, and talks to you like a friend even though you just met him.
ROME
On our first day we had to have gelato! There is nothing like it. We ate it practically everyday. The kids learned quickly that in Italy you "eat, walk, eat, walk, shop".
The famous Trevi Fountain - you are supposed to throw 3 coins in the fountain which means you will one day return to Rome.
The Roman Coliseum.
The Pantheon.
Inside the Pantheon.
St. Peter's Square (the Vatican)
Michaelangelo's "The Pieta" is now behind glass in the Vatican since a madman took a sledgehammer to it in the 1970's.
Inside St. Peter's
This is the view you see after walking 360 steps to the top of St. Peter's coupala!
The Spanish Steps
Pizza & Gelato Did you know that pop is expensive in Europe? A 20 oz. bottle of "Coke Light" (they don't use the word 'diet') costs about 2.5 Euros which is about $3.50 US Dollars. Wine is cheaper than pop. A delicious cappucino is only 1 euro (about $1.35).
NAPLES
Standing in the Forum of Pompei - Notice Mt. Vesuvius in the background. The major eruption occured in 79 A.D.
If you look closely you can tell that this person was wearing a belt; that is a sign that he was a "servant."
Bob joked that this was the original "Wrigley Field"
Homes and storefronts were often side by side on the same street.
The Island of Capri
This reminds me of Sausilito by San Francisco.
VENICE
View of San Marco Square from the Carnival Freedom
Street performers
The Rialto Bridge
The Power of Video in San Marco Square!
CROATIA
View through a portal.
Tourists walk the wall around the city, and people actually live inches from the wall.
Do you notice all the satellite dishes?
MESSINA(SICILY) TAORMINA
Notice the snow-capped Mt. Etna in the background...It last showed volanic activity in July 2001, but does continue to let off steam.
Our port was Messina, Sicility but we took a 45-minutes bus ride to the hilltop of Taormina. Taormina is birthplace of the cannoli. Of course we had them for breakfast.
Pizza is baked fresh in a stone-oven .
You must have gelato everyday when in Italy!
Later that evening, the Carnival Freedom cruised by Mt. Stromboli, another active volacano in the area. This is the view we had from our dinner table as I sipped cappuccino. Can you see all the homes at the base of the mountain? Do you think they can get homeowners insurance? LOL
BARCELONA
The Sagrada Familia (which means "Holy Family") Church. You can read the very interesting history of the church by Gaudi.
I didn't care for the Tapas food at all, but the Sangria was excellent!!
This is the symbol for the "public restoom." "wC" stands for "water closet".
Street performers are everywhere!
CANNES/MONTE CARLO/NICE (FRANCE)
This is the only port that we had tender in and out of.
View of Monte Carlo from a mountain top.
The Monaco Castle. When the flag is flying, it means Prince Albert is in residence. Everyone is there for the changing of the guards which happens everyday at 12 noon.
We are standing in front of the Monte Carlo Casino. The parking lot around the casino was full of very expensive cars! Many tourists (including us) were taking pics standing next to these $$$ cars.
For an early Saturday afternoon, there sure were lots of Ferrari's, Lamborghini's and more!
A Greek Orthodox Russian Church
Shopping at Villa DeFrance (walk, eat, walk, shop!)
A wedding couple.
PISA/FLORENCE
The Leaning Tower of Pisa which I'm holding up.


More pizza and gelato!
Smart cars and expensive cars.
In Summary: This was the best vacation ever!! We chose the Carnival Freedom because of its itenerary. We wanted to go to as many Italian cities as possible. The Carnival Freedom cruise experience was awesome! It was great to come back to your room after a long day touring, and find your room all made up. Then you change and go eat a fabulous dinner with people giving you great service. Many times we ordered several appetizers or desserts just to try them. You could order whatever you wanted. Our teenage boys ate like kings. I told them to enjoy because you know I don't cook like that! We saw several Las Vegas style shows after dinner. We did the Piano Bar several nights and the piano man, Ron Pass, even did "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen just for me. Our boys made many friends and had a great club in the O2 Club, doing volleyball, basketball and mini-golf. Justin was happy to do Guitar Hero (a video game), and John came in first in a Texas-Hold em tournament. Joe's first casino experience was on the ship, and he was the Black Jack champion winning $500 (we must have taught him well because he handed it over and asked us to put it in his IRA). We met so many wonderful people while on the cruise from all over the world! It's great fun just to strike up conversations with people. Now, I will start making a Storybook so we can all relive the wonderful memories!