Spain!

Next up on the cruise was a stop in Vigo, Spain! Vigo is part of Galicia region of north-west Spain . Wayne and I left the girls on the ship with Grammy and Pop Pop (thanks guys!) and headed off on a wine tasting tour of the region. Our tour guide pointed out that Vigo is actually quite similar to England in that it is typically cold and rainy...not the sunny Costa del Sol that we visited in April! In fact, we learned that Galicia has Celtic origins  and shares much more in common with Ireland than the parts of Spain we've previously visited! No samba here...in fact, you are more likely to hear someone playing the bagpipes!

The wine tour took us to several different vineyards to try Albariño wines, which are made from white grapes popular in the region. While we weren't huge fans of the wine itself, we loved checking out the vineyards and exploring a quaint little town while stopping for some lunch! 

After the tour, we did some walking around the city of Vigo, checking out the old city and doing a little shopping. Then it was time to reboard the ship and celebrate Halloween with the kids with a fun family disco and trick or treating! Cutest witch and bat in town! Disclaimer: Some of these pics are from a Halloween birthday party a week before the cruise because we forgot to take pics on the cruise!

What a pretty bat! (Her face is not really that red! She needed pink sparkles!)

My little grumpy witch

Those tights!

Really getting into character!

That hat really suits Pop Pop!

Our one authentic cruise pic. Posing with Grammy and Pop Pop and a scary statue!

The next day meant a stop in Gijon, in the Asturias region. Here we all took a shuttle bus into town from the port and walked around, finding a fun local market that the girls loved! Then we walked along the beach checking out the giant waves (and one brave surfer) before we headed into the Old City Center to explore . This area of Spain is famous for its cider and delicious seafood but we were all too full from a big breakfast to eat much, aside from some cheese and pastries at the market! We really liked the feel of Gijon, from its beautiful harbor to its sandy beach and old architecture! 

I love this pic from the shuttle bus!

Grammy, Riley and Pop Pop pose at the harbor

So pretty!

Riley made a friend!

The amazing market we stumbled upon!

Wayne and Riley tried lots of cheese!

The girls posing along the beach

Pretty place for a walk even if it was drizzling!

Pretty girl with a colorful umbrella!

Wayne and Riley are up there...can you spot them?

That's our cruise ship in the background!

Posing with the Gijon sign. I love Lyla's pose here!

Grammy and Pop Pop wanted to pose too!

After a fun day of exploring,  it was back to the ship for a dip in the pool.

My big fish!

My little fish!

The ship made a last stop in Bilbao, where we took exactly zero photos. Oops! We were much too busy relaxing and enjoying the shopping, shows, food and Bingo with Grammy and Pop Pop! We were so sad to say good-bye after we disembarked from the ship and are counting down the days until we can give Grammy and Pop Pop a big hug again!

Normandy

After spending some time checking out England, it was time to see some more of Europe with Grammy and Pop Pop!  We packed everyone into the car like sardines and headed to Southampton, where we boarded the Adventure of the Seas for an eight night cruise around France and Spain!

We boarded just as a giant storm came into England,causing giant waves and threatening to ruin our trip! Luckily, the itinerary was adjusted and we headed to a safe place and spent our first day at sea. This worked out well since the girls were anxious to visit the Kids Club! Sailing was a little bit rocky, but we pulled into Cherbourg on Day 2 bright and early and ready for our Normandy Tour. We were very lucky that I had booked through Royal Caribbean so that tours automatically transferred to the new dates when the itinerary was revised at the last minute...if we had booked independent tours we would have missed them even if we had already paid! We started our tour in the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first village liberated by US troops on D-Day. Wayne took alot of pictures. We saw the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise where a US paratrooper, John Steele, from the 82nd Airborne got stuck on top of in the early hours before the invasion began. You can see a monument to him hanging from the church roof. It is actually on the wrong side of the church, but the monument was installed on the side of the parking lot where all the tourists go. This church is dedicated to the Paratroopers, whom are a constant theme within the church itself.

There was a D-Day Museum adjacent to the church. Riley and Lyla enjoyed posing with the tanks. 

Next it was off to Omaha Beach, which was beautiful and amazing and was definitely on Wayne and my dad's bucket lists. 

Omaha Beach

American Cemetary at Omaha Beach

"This embattled shore. Potal of freedom."

Attack Plans

The famous crosses, all identical and made of granite from Italy. It seems like they go on forever, and their perfect alignment adds to the overwhelming effect.

Riley exploring the cemetery.

What an absolutely beautiful day.

One of the few Jewish star markers in the cemetery.

Medal of Honor winner (1 of 3) and son of President T. Roosevelt. This guy was a hero on D-Day at Utah Beach, and died from a heart attack in July 1944 just before being approved to the rank of Major General.

Riley took a break from taking pictures to pose with Omaha Beach. She was just beginning to grasp the significance of where she was.

A short rain shower brought about a gorgeous rainbow.

They inscriptions list the date of death. This one indicates a D-Day casualty.

Walking through the cemetery, some of the dates were from before D-Day. It is not only D-Day casualties buried in the cemetery, they are all from various stages of WW II. — at Omaha Beach.

We've missed that flag!

After leaving the cemetery, our tour took us to Omaha Beach, where we explored the various monuments that have been placed there. This one was called The Braves.

Everyone, including the girls, had a wonderful day getting a taste for Normandy. While one day could never be enough (and Wayne is already planning our return trip), the tour made excellent use of our short time and left us all feeling a little bit closer to the history we've only read about in books. Unfortunately, this was our only French stop on the cruise after the storm and a dock worker strike sabotaged our stop in Le Havre and my parents first visit to Paris. Guess they'll have to come back next year! We did get to stop in three other Spanish cities so stay tuned for more updates!