Barsalona, Spain
We arrived in Barsalona, Spain the night before the cruise, giving us very little time to see this beautiful city - known for its unusual architecture by Antoni Gaudi. Here we see Jennifer, Addie, Danielle, and Patty next to a picture of La Pedrera.
Monte Carlo & Nice, France
Our first port was Monte Carlo, where we took this shot of the harbor. Then there is this traditional shot of the palace.
Our tour took us to nearby Nice, France.
The girls all enjoyed wandering the shops to stock up for???
This narrow alleyway contrasts with the wide plazas and boulevards found throughout Nice.
Florence & Livorno, Italy
Next, we docked in Livorno, Italy and took a train to Florence.
In Florence, we walked through this giant, central square to the narrow, winding streets where merchant stalls dominated the pedestrian traffic flow.
Continuing, we found this cathederal, just outside the square where the famous statue of David, by Leonardo da Vinci, is located. This area was undergoing considerable construction repair and we could get no pictures of David without the surrounding construction beams and supports.
Travelling back to Livorno, we again found the large central square theme - here we see tiny Craig in front of a church structure.
Below is the entrance to an ancient castle.
As warm as it sometimes gets, business and shopping are often done in large, enclosed spaces. Here we see a large indoor meeting area in Livorno.
After this long day traveling by train from Livorno to Florence, wandering the city, taking the train back, and sighseeing around the port area of Livorno, we boarded the Golden Princess for our next stop in Naples, Italy.
Herculaneum, Italy (ancient ruins)
In Naples, we took a tour of Herculaneum - one of the two ancient Roman cities buried by the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in AD 79 - Pompeii was also destroyed.
The top two pictures show an overall view of the old city and the new city that has grown up alongside the ruins buried for many centuries.
Patty and Addie are shown in the excavation that has revealed a great deal of how people lived in those ancient times.
We also can see a central room, with many colors still preserved, giving us more information about architecture in the Roman empire.
Finally, we see a young girl wondering whether these openings were used for cooking, or just what???....
Athens, Greece
The Acropolis in Athens. Here we see the Parthenon, atop the Acropolis, from the base of the path we are going to climb.
We did reach this famous site and the picture of Patty and Danielle would seem to prove we were there.
Of course, this area too, was under reconstruction to maintain such an old treasure.
Once atop the Acropolis, the city of Athens spread out below us. Above we see the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an open air theater that is still in use today, as shown by the modern speakers that have been installed.
Patty & Craig posed by the Temple of Athena Nike
Well below the Acropolis, we could see the Temple of Hephaestus
Theatre of Dionysus, or what's left of it, can also be seen from our high perch.
On our way off the Acropolis, Patty posed with this Greek guide.
Kusadasi & Ephesus, Turkey
The modern port of Kusadasi was our next stop. Here we see our entrance and the port as seen from our ship. Once off the ship, we visited this bazaar, where the shopping commenced.
The tour we signed up for was a visit to the really ancient city of Ephesus, a central distribution point for goods travelling between Greece and the Middle East.
We entered the city on the eastern side, from a high plain. There was an amphitheatre near this entrance that we spent quite a bit of time walking through.
The first picture shows the buildings - what's left of them - as we approach. The second picture is from inside the amphitheatre, showing the stage and the main road leading down the slope to the main part of the city.
The third and fourth pictures show the amphitheatre in more detail and the girls carefully moving down the stairs to visit different parts of the structure.
From the amphitheatre, we walked down the main street into the central city. The first thing we noticed was the way the street was constructed - with an intricate inlaid design - not at all like the generic, plain surfaces we are used to. Next we observed the houses built off the street. No front yards here; your rooms simply fronted the street.
At the base of the slope stood the main city library, a two story affair. Since most people didn't own their own books - just a tad expensive - this was a primary gathering place for all citizens.
Patty is seen here in a small alcove.
The girls are shown here in what might be the shopping area of the city.
To the west of the city is a second main amphitheatre. This actually appears to be the largest open air theatre in all the surrounding area. We see a central view of it below, with the girls all taking seats in different areas.
With everything whizzing by so fast, we got no usable pictures of the countryside on our return journey. However, we did get this shot of the Golden Princess as we returned to our ship.
Istanbul, Turkey
As you sail to Istanbul, you travel up the Aegean Sea and turn into the Dardanelles, a very narrow passageway between the Gallipoli peninsula (European Turkey) and the Middle Eastern mainland portion of Turkey. Then you cross the Sea of Marmara (entirely contained by Turkey) to enter the harbor of Istanbul - the meeting place of Europe and the Middle East.
Touring a university was our first stop in Instnbul. The grounds were beautiful and each university had it's own mosque.
One of the most famous mosques in the world is the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Of course we didn't take the picture above, but the one on the right was our view of this famous place. Jennifer & Patty are seen on the sidewalk near the mosque. Visitors are welcome when there are no services, but cameras are not allowed - we have included a public shot is below.
Before we left Istanbul, we shopped at several rug merchants and we did pick up a rug that occupies a central place in our living room.
From this point along the city coastline you can see the famous East-West bridge that connects Europe with the Middle East right in the middle of Istanbul.
Venice, Italy
Our final port was Venice and we all wanted to see the ship enter the harbor. Obviously mountains, or even hills, are not expected in this city so our first view is of the seawalls that protect her. As we negotiated the waterways the Grand Canal appeared in front of us.
St. Marks Square is a must for anyone who visits Venice. Here we have a shot from the ship, from inside the square, and all four women in front of the cathederal.
Here - the Rio de Palazzo de Canonica Canal, next to St. Marks Square - a popular photo shoot.
The Grand Canal always sees the most traffic and we simply had to view it from a number of different places.
The Rialto Bridge crosses the Grand Canal. Phots of us are too small to identify, but we tried.
The gondola ride was simply a must - even though they charged through the nose for the privilege.
Here we see Patty, Addie, Danielle, and Jennifer facing Craig - taking the picture.
Here Patty & Craig are seen along the canal on the neighboring island of Murano - where the glass of Venice is blown.
Our final image is a rough outline of the various areas describing the city of Venice, Italy
The end of a really fun family vacation, this is the only cruise Addie ever took with Patty and it was chock full of unforgettable events and precious memories.
Final family photo - Jennifer, Danielle, Addie, Craig, Patty