Barcelona

Our cruise ended with a stop in Barcelona, where we spent the night before flying back to the UK. What an amazing city! We made the most of our 24 hours by staying in an awesome apartment with great views of the Sagrada Familia. Highly recommend! We checked out most of the city via a Hop On/Hop Off Tour, which we found really helpful given our limited time and how tired we all were after the busy cruise. It was an amazing end to an amazing trip, complete with a date night for Wayne and I that included the most delicious Sangria ever! Yum! Definitely a place we would like to return to and explore further! Want to join us?

Riley and Wayne posing at Park Güell 

Awww....

Our view of the Sagrada Familia

On the bus...front row!

Travelling in style...

Coolest lampposts with built in benches!

Yum!

Cruisin' the Mediterranean!

We boarded the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas in Civitavecchia (just outside of Rome) and set off on a 6 night long adventure! Boarding was easy as pie and, as the ship sailed off, I realized this was the kind of vacation I could get used to! ( : All you can eat buffets, waiters performing magic tricks, nightly shows and entertainment, a casino on board and a kids club where Riley could drop in and play whenever she wanted. Heaven!

We are having some trouble uploading pictures but we did create a Photobook of Our Trip! that you can view by clicking the link.

The boat stopped first in Livorno, Italy, about 90 minutes outside of Florence. While Florence is supposed to be amazing, the tours were all about 9 hours and we thought it was a bit much for the girls. Instead, we took a half day trip to Pisa, which was much closer. Riley was very excited to try out the ship's Kids Club so she stayed onboard while Grammy, Pop Pop, Wayne, Lyla and I visited the Leaning Tower and enjoyed a nice coffee and cannoli. Yum!

It was definitely leaning!

Pop Pop being a tourist!

So cute!

Day #2 meant a stop in Genoa, Italy (the birthplace of Christopher Columbus). We skipped the ship's official excursions (thanks to the advice of Rick Steves!) and instead took a taxi to the Old Port for a little shopping and exploring ! The weather was yucky but we enjoyed checking out the San Lorenzo Cathedral, a very cool zebra striped church. The church was closed until later that afternoon but Wayne was able to sneak inside for a quick picture on the cell phone. What a rebel!

Wayne sampling the local cuisine

Day #3 was meant to be a stop in Nice, France but there was a big storm and the Captain decided to stay at sea. We felt a bit of rocking at sea but didn't realize what a big storm it was...luckily the ship was so big that it was barely affected! There was a bit of insanity when they first decided to spend the day at sea and turned the ship though...Wayne and I were in the cafe and all of the plates fell to the floor and the Ben & Jerry's display fell, spilling sprinkles everywhere! Pop Pop was outside on the deck and the pool actually emptied and chased all of the smokers back inside. Oops!

By Day #4 the storm had passed and we were able to dock in Toulon, France. We decided to do a half day excursion to Aix-en-Provence, an amazing little town with outdoor markets, cute shops and lovely cafes. I definitely want to go back....girls weekend, perhaps?

Taking pictures with her walking tour headset...

Day #5 was a day at sea and we enjoyed some rock climbing, "sunbathing" (it was much too cold for real sunbathing, although there were some crazy people swimming!), Bingo, and shows.

Bathing beauty

Rock climber extraordinaire!

Day #6 was basically disembarking and then it was 24 hours in Barcelona...stay tuned for a separate Barcelona post!

A cruise was truly a great way to see lots of places without having to move to different hotel rooms. I would definitely do one again, although I think having adjoining rooms with my parents definitely helped alot and we would have been pretty cramped in one room with both girls. If we were to do it again, Lyla would be old enough to enjoy the Kids Club and to forego the pack and play, which would definitely make the cruise even more appealing. Not having to think and plan every moment's activities was very nice and the ship's excursions, while expensive, proved easy and not terribly stressful, even though we were often the only family with kids. Lyla definitely made the Aix-en-Provence trip a bit difficult....guided walking tours are not easy with two year olds! We feel very lucky to have been able to take such an amazing trip and build some very special memories...this is why we moved to Europe afterall!

Thankful

Today I celebrate Thanksgiving as an American living in England. Oddly enough, they talk about Thanksgiving here too, both with Riley's Rainbow troop and in Lyla's preschool. They don't get into the Pilgrims or the Colonies or the pumpkin pie but they do discuss the most important part--gratitude. The idea of taking a day to give thanks for all you have resonates everywhere and motivates me to stop vacuuming and cooking (who are we kidding....you know that's Wayne's job!) and picking up toys for ten minutes to reflect on my blessings.

I am thankful that I have a husband who loves to entertain and doesn't know the definition of relaxation. I am thankful that Riley has grown into such a confident little lady who knows that she's smart and beautiful and is always kind to others. I am thankful for her sense of empathy and that she probably won't eat turkey tonight because she is not a carnivore. I am thankful for her responsible nature and the fact that she will always be at the front of the stage or classroom, participating, following the rules and smiling. I am thankful that Lyla keeps me laughing everyday. She is headstrong and determined and knows what she wants at all times. I am thankful that she loves intensely and worships her friends and told me yesterday that she has the best family EVER. I am thankful that she enjoys each and every experience and has taught me to take time to breathe and enjoy each day.

So, despite the fact that I am behind on the blog, I am thankful that I have the time to blog, which would not have happened two years ago. I am thankful that I love to write and that my parents nurtured that love with creative writing classes and a very noisy typewriter. I miss my friends and family back home immensely, especially today, but I am thankful that I have made a wonderful set of friends here to celebrate with for the next few years. I am thankful that I have so much to blog about...this experience of living overseas and exploring the world with my family.

Rome!

This half-term break meant a much anticipated trip for our family...a Mediterranean cruise! The cruise departed from Civitavecchia Port so we decided to meet up with my parents in Rome for a few days of pre-cruise exploring! We stayed in a small apartment in Trastevere, a great neighborhood with  lots of nightlife and amazing restaurants. 

The road outside our apartment gave Grammy a heart attack...super narrow with traffic and no sidewalks!

We were able to walk everywhere from our apartment by crossing these cute bridges.

 We arrived in Rome on Thursday night and explored Trastevere and had a yummy dinner of gnocchi, lasagna, fettuchini and antipasta. I think Wayne is still dreaming about the fresh mozarella! Then we were up early on Friday and headed to the market at Campo_de'_Fiori for some fresh fruit, shopping and souvenirs!

The girls showing off their spending money

Some of the pretty things they sold at the market

After the market, the girls got some gelato

Is that the kids' size?!?

Eating while walking home

 On the walk home, we heard someone yelling our name....Grammy & Pop Pop were early! We gave them no time to recover from jet lag and dragged them right out to visit Saint Peters Basilica and the Vatican Museum. We had pre-booked tickets to the museum for night entry, which meant no waiting in line and fewer crowds! Definitely a good choice, but apparently the museum is only open on Friday nights during certain months of the year. Lucky us! We even got to sit and relax in the Sistine Chapel!

Happy to see Grammy & Pop Pop!

Posing outside St Peter's Basilica!

Outside St Peter's Basilica

Riley took lots of pictures on my iphone in the Basilica

Lyla coming up with a plan for the Vatican Museum

My favorite room in the Vatican Museum....amazing!

Riley has been learning about mosaics in school and was excited to see so many!

It was pouring when we left the Vatican Museum!

A soggy but smiling Lyla!

 The next day it was off on a long walk to see the Forum and Colosseum.

Taking in the sights on the way to the Forum

Lucky girls

Wayne goofing off

Playing among the ruins. The world is literally their playground! What a life!

Beautiful weather for the Colosseum

Family Portrait

 After a very long day of walking, we found a teeny tiny street with a cafe and stopped for a much deserved lunch of pizzas and pasta. Apparently all of the walking was making Pop Pop a little crazy.

After lunch it was time to head back to the apartment and rest up for dinner and a night out in Trastevere. The area was hopping and the girls enjoyed eating more gelato and checking out the street performers.

This fire dancer worried Riley

This lasagna gets the thumbs up!

 The next day is was time to head to the port and board the ship for the next phase of our adventure! While we were busy the entire three days in Rome, we only got to see a fraction of the things on our list! Guess that means another visit in necessary! Want to come?

Rome through Lyla's eyes: She spotted a potty seat, a changing table, a giant bathtub, animals and a train. ( :