Mediterranean Cruise (Celebrating Boomer's 40th & Our 15th Anniversary!)

Just a little over a year ago, I wrote a blog post about a "once in a lifetime trip" to England. And now, here I am using the same phrase to describe the past week. The last eight days brought so many memories and unforgettable experiences. Boomer and I are still in awe of all that we got to see and do. This trip was a joint celebration of Boomer turning 40 and our 15th anniversary. We decided to go 'big!' with a Mediterranean cruise. Here is a recap of our (second) once-in-a-lifetime vacation!

Day 1 (Saturday, September 27th): Traveling to Barcelona

We began our travels on Saturday with my parents picking us up around 12PM for the drive to the airport. Originally Emmy was supposed to have a softball game at 10AM and Eli at 12PM, but both games were cancelled due to a field conflict and then rainy weather. It was a blessing in disguise, because it would have been quite complicated to attempt any games while also preparing for an international trip. Instead we used the morning to pack the last of our things in our suitcase and wait for Mom and Dad to pick us up. We said our goodbyes at the airport with lots of waves and kisses after we went through security. This trip was the longest we had ever been away from Emmy and Eli, and certainly the farthest! We flew out of Greensboro at 2:30PM and arrived in Atlanta around 4PM. We had a short layover, and we boarded our plane for Barcelona at 6:05PM. Then it was wheels up for a long 8 1/2 hour flight!

Day 2 (Sunday, September 28th): Boarding the Cruise

Boomer and I tried our best to sleep on the plane to Barcelona, but it isn't so comfortable when you are back in the main cabin. (Maybe we will splurge for first class next time!) We were served dinner and breakfast while on the plane, and we tried to catch some zzzz's in between. Our plane touched down right as scheduled around 9AM on Sunday morning. It took some time to get through customs in the Barcelona airport, but then we were greeted by a Royal Caribbean staff member as soon as we got to baggage claim. They escorted us to the bus where we met up with other cruise guests heading to the port. It could not have been easier! We were on board around 12PM noon, which was two hours earlier than our original entry time. Our room was ready at 1PM, so after grabbing a slice of pizza for lunch, we headed to our room for a nap. For our bodies, it still felt like the middle of the night! We felt rejuvenated after our nap, and we freshened up for our first dinner on board. We had the 5:30PM dinner time, with Danisha and Meriche as our servers. They made dinner enjoyable every night. On the first night, Boomer had three appetizers! Caesar salad, a crab cake, and cocktail shrimp. For dinner, he had the New York Strip with a baked potato. I had a modest two appetizers: escargot in a delicious butter garlic sauce and the spinach artichoke dip. For dinner, I had the prime rib with mashed potatoes and key lime pie for dessert. After dinner, we went to the Aqua Theater, which is the open-air theater on the back of the ship. That night's performance featured a water show with synchronized swimming, high diving, and trampolines. It was impressive! (The picture of Boomer napping is before the show started, not during!)  

Day 3 (Monday, September 29th): Palma de Mallorca, Spain

On Monday morning, we arrived at our first port around 8:30AM. Boomer and I had the buffet breakfast in the Windjammer Marketplace (which included made-to-order omelets), and then we disembarked around 10AM. With no planned excursions on this day, we were free to make our own adventure in Palma de Mallorca. We walked around the port area and to a commercial district. Then we saw a military fort that has been converted into a museum, called Castillo Museo San Carlos. After a little bit of exploring, we were glad to go back to the boat for a little bit of downtime before dinner. We had still not quite adjusted to the new time zone. That evening, it was the first of the two dress-up nights, and it was neat to see other cruise guests in their best attire. For our appetizers at dinner, we again ordered the escargot - it was so delicious the first night! We both also ordered the French onion soup, plus a Caesar salad for Boomer. For the main course, Boomer had jumbo shrimp with mashed potatoes, and I had the cheese tortellini in a cream sauce with olive oil. For dessert, Boomer had the baked Alaska, and I had the red velvet cake. We ended the evening by going to the show in the Amber Theater. This show was a singing and dancing performance called Blue Earth. We felt fancy watching the show while we enjoyed some fun drinks - a toasted marshmallow old-fashioned for Boomer and a pina colada for me :) 

Day 4 (Tuesday, September 30th): Provence (Marseille), France

Finally by Tuesday, we felt like our bodies had recovered from the travel and the time difference. We set foot in France with a renewed energy. Once off the boat, we took the shuttle bus to the Cathedrale Sainte Marie Majeure, also known as the Marseille Cathedral. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral and also a French national landmark. Visitors could light candles or, like us, simply take in the beauty of the architecture. After touring the cathedral, we set off to find Palaise Longchamp. My cousin Kristin recommended that we see this palace with its beautiful multi-level fountain. I knew to trust her advice since she took this same trip with her family a few months ago and was my travel agent for our trip. Using our phones to help us navigate, we made our way through the city of Marseille to the Palaise Longchamp. Once there, we walked around and went into the museum in one of the palace wings. I did find it challenging not speaking the French language. On this day, Boomer and I noticed just how diverse the people and languages were around us. It was very interesting to be some of the few Americans. We did our best not to stick out too much! We arrived back on board in time for dinner, which was a "Taste of Italy" with main course options of lasagna (for Boomer) and chicken parmesan (for me), with tiramisu and Italian hazelnut cake for dessert. About midway through dinner, an announcement from the captain came over the boat's intercom system. Due to a concerning weather system developing off of the coast of Italy, we would have to alter our course and go directly to Civitavecchia. Civitavecchia/Rome is one of the stops where passengers disembark and embark, so it was necessary that we make it to that port, even if it meant arriving there a day early on Wednesday instead of as planned on Thursday morning. The altered route meant skipping our stop in Florence and Pisa and sadly missing our planned excursion to see the Leaning Tower. We were disappointed by the news, but we tried to stay positive about the change. We ended the evening with a stroll on the upper deck to see the sunset and then with the magic show in the theater. 

Day 5 (Wednesday, October 1st): Florence & Pisa, Italy  Early Arrival to Civitavecchia

With the change in itinerary, what was once going to be an early wake-up call turned into a relaxing morning with no alarm. We decided to go to the main dining room for breakfast, rather than the buffet, and we ordered off the menu an omelet and French toast. Since the day was partly a 'day at sea' with no morning port, we explored some of the ship. We headed to the upper deck and played a round of mini golf, and I even talked Boomer into going down the 10-story slide that starts on the 16th deck and ends in the Boardwalk on Deck 6. Around 2:30PM, we got off the ship and took the complimentary shuttle into the city of Civitavecchia. The port city had restaurants and shops along the water, with historic walls and military structures too. We were back on board for dinner and enjoyed the ice skating show that evening. Even though we were still bummed about the change in plans, we made the most of our day at sea and in Civitavecchia. 

Day 6 (Thursday, October 2nd): Rome, Italy

We were up bright and early on Thursday for our full day excursion to Rome. I booked this excursion several months ago, and it promised the "Top 10 Sights of Rome." It certainly delivered! Rome was about a 90 minute bus ride from Civitavecchia, and once we arrived, we were off on a walking tour with our guide Corina. Corina explained that this year is the year of the Jubilee, an event that happens every 25 years, with pilgrims of the Catholic faith coming to Rome to visit the Vatican. It was certainly very crowded, and there were large groups moving together from place to place. We started our tour in the north of Rome and saw (1) St. Peter's Square, (2) Castel Sant-Angelo, (3) Navona Square, (4) Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers, (5) the Pantheon, and (6) the Trevi Fountain. After tossing our coins into the fountain for good luck in returning to Rome, we had free time for lunch by the Trevi Fountain. We ate at Roby in Trevi and split a pizza and a dish of fettuccini Alfredo. After lunch, we continued our tour to see (7) the Roman Forum and (8) the Colosseum. We boarded the bus to see the final two sights: (9) The Pyramid of Caius Cestius, and (10) the Basilica of St. Paul. It was a full 10-hour tour, and our guide Corina was so thorough and entertaining. We covered over 3 miles of the city and still didn't quite see it all. We were left in awe of all the old architecture and history in this ancient city. 

Day 7 (Friday, October 3rd): Naples, Italy 

We docked in Naples on Friday, and Boomer and I had an excursion called "The Taste of Sorrento & Pompeii." We boarded a bus from Naples with our guide Rafaele, and we drove about 1.5 hours to the Sorrento coast. Along the ride, we could see Mount Vesuvius in the distance, as well as beautiful views of the coast line as we winded up and down the mountainside. We stopped along a scenic overlook for some pictures. It was interesting to drive in the Sorrento traffic; there were mopeds everywhere, darting in and out among the cars and buses, on these tiny roads barely big enough for two cars. Once we arrived in Sorrento, we did a mozzarella and limoncello tasting at Giardini di Cataldo. Both of these products are well known for their origination in Sorrento. After the tasting, we had free time for lunch in the Sorrento square, and we went to Ristorante Tasso, on recommendation from Rafaele. We had a pizza to share and then as we were walking along the streets, we got a cannoli and lemon gelato. After meeting back up with Rafaele and the group, we boarded the bus for the second half of our day, a visit to Pompeii. It was sobering to walk along the streets of this once bustling city. Boomer and I were blown away by how much has already been excavated and how much is still buried in the ash of Mount Vesuvius.  After our guided tour of Pompeii, we boarded the boat again and set sail for Spain. Ciao, Italy! 

Day 8 (Saturday, October 4th): Celebrating Boomer's Birthday at Sea

We enjoyed a day at sea as we made our way back west across the Mediterranean to Barcelona. After several days of sightseeing, it was a wonderful way to end our trip. And the perfect way to celebrate the birthday boy. Boomer turned 40 while on international waters somewhere across the Mediterranean Sea! We had a leisurely morning, getting (our now daily) made-to-order omelets from the Windjammer Marketplace. Then we found a spot in the Solarium, the adults-only area at the back of the boat. The weather was mild, with a steady breeze. While there were many cruise guests in bathing suits, it was a little too chilly for that, and we stayed in our gym clothes as we rested for the afternoon. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for our last dinner in the Silk Dining Room. Boomer had the rack of lamp with a bright green mint sauce, while I had steak, cooked a perfect medium rare. Our waitresses Danisha and Meriche brought an extra dessert to celebrate the birthday boy. After dinner, we took our nightly stroll around the boat and then watched the on-board Broadway production of Mamma Mia. Boomer nor I knew the storyline, and it was a very entertaining and impressive performance. When the show ended, it was close to 10:30PM, and knowing we had an early morning ahead of us, we headed to our cabin to get some sleep. It was a perfect last day aboard the Allure of the Seas!

Day 9 (Sunday, October 5th): Traveling Home

On Sunday, we traced our steps in reverse of the previous Saturday: traveling by bus from the port to the BCN airport, flying from Barcelona to Atlanta, and then the final flight from Atlanta to Greensboro. I used up the last of our euros at the Barcelona Starbucks on a caramel macchiato and a cake pop. Now that we were out of money, it was time to head back to the United States. The travel day was a smooth one, but also very long. We were glad to see my dad waiting for us at the GSO airport. By the time we pulled into our driveway, it was around 8PM, and we had been awake for almost 24 hours. We were glad to see our kiddos. They welcomed us with big hugs and with a homemade sign. There wasn't much time left in the evening, so we got the kids to bed and did our best to unpack. I am finishing this blog in between the school day and a Senior Info Night at Forbush this evening. Our vacation is already a memory - real life has resumed! 

While we were away, life continued in Kernersville. There were ball games, Awana, practices, gymnastics, school pictures, flu shots, and even a field trip to the Charlotte Motor Speedway. We are so thankful to our village at home for keeping everything afloat in our absence. Especially Grammy, who spent the night at our house and orchestrated all the many pieces of life, and Grandpa who texted us updates and helped with transportation. We are so very grateful for this time away to adventure just the two of us. We are already looking forward to the next milestones and hopefully another once-in-a-lifetime vacation! :)