Naples and Pompeii

Today I went out alone since Stacey was still feeling the effects of yesterday’s wine tasting.  I decided to walk to the local train station and take the train to see the ruins of Pompeii.  Pompeii was a properous city of 20,000 residents until Mt. Vesuvius errupted and buried the town in 79 A. D.  It was rediscovered in the mid 18th century and now people tour the area every day.  I spent a couple hours exploring all the roads, old houses, kitchens, stadiums, etc.  I was a little disappointed I didn’t see more people, but I may have missed it with the site being so big.  I am glad I saw Pompeii, but not sure it I would go back.  I think once is enough.

To get back to the ship I took the train and walked back through the streets filled with trash and dodging cars and scooters.  The city has a trash problem and it is hard to avoid not noticing that.  Tomorrow is a sea day so we can all rest. Yeah!

Looks like the first Lego mold

Modern Kitchen

Tuscany Tour

Today Stacey and I did a Tuscany tour and went to a small vineyard in the small town of Monte Carlo, Italy.  We learned how to make the grapes into wine and the olives into olive oil.  After the short tour we sat down with the rest of our tour group to sample their assortment of wines.  Along with the wine, bread, olive oil, salami, sundried tomatoes, olives, and cheese was served.  Our tour group sure did get lively after that.  I tried most of the wine, but did not like anything.  Oh well.  Stacey had enough for the both of us.  She even snuck an opened bottle on board the bus back to the ship and proceeded to finish it off.  At our dinner she had to bail on me to pass out in the bed before 8 pm.  The couple next to us (which we did not know) asked if Stacey was coming back.  I told them we went on a wine tour and then chatted them up for a half hour.  After that I got the boys, but they were in the magic show so I took that in too.  Next stop is Naples.  Many things to do, but what will I choose.

Civitavecchia

Today was a interesting day.  The ship docks at a small port town of Civitavecchia which is about 1 and 1/2 hours away from Rome so we decided to stay put and enjoy the boat and the small port town.  We played mini golf again and this time Mason got a whole in one.  I guess I need to make one since the boys already have.  Then came relaxing and taking in the sun before our short visit into town for a gelatto.  The gelatto tasted great on a warm day.  For the evening entertainment Mason and I went to see a comedy show.  It was a fun time seeing Mason laugh at the jokes or was it just the funny noises he made.  Next up is Livorno.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Today Cameron and I got up earlier than the rest so we went and had breakfast together.  After we pigged out the boat was starting to dock in Monte Carlo so we got the camera, snapped a few shots, and took in the views of the city.  On our way back to the room we snuck in a quick few minutes of mini golf.  Before the first shot I wanted to take Cameron’s picture and told him to wait, but Cameron did it anyway and just the way it works sometimes he got a hole in one on his first shot.  See the picture.  

Then it was Camp Carnival time for the boys while Stacey and I took in some of the sights of Monte Carlo.  We walked around the dock where there are some of the biggest yachts I had ever seen.   It is called Lady Moura and is the 24th largest yacht in the world and owned by a Saudi businessman.  We took some pictures of the Grand Casino, Hotel de Paris, and Casino Gardens before heading back to the ship for lunch.  

After lunch Stacey enjoyed a good book while I trekked to see the Prince’s Palace and Princess Grace Rose Garden.  It was not the best time to see roses, but nice to get around and see more sights.

I then took the boys off the boat to see all the yachts in the dock.  They liked the cigarette boats the best and I had to explain why they could not just board any boat they wanted.

To end the wonderful day Stacey and I had a lovely Italian dinner overlooking the city and enjoyed watching the boat pull away.  Monaco check.

Carinval Magic

Our magic started on our 12 night Mediterranean cruise aboard the new Carnival Magic.  Our room was one floor below the Lido Deck and had bunk beds come out of the ceiling for the boys to sleep in.  It was the first cruise for Stacey and the boys.  The boys were excited to say the least.  Just look at them.

Barcelona

Our first destination for our 12 night Mediterranean cruise was Barcelona.  This city has many things to entertain the eyes and we saw sights of old and new.  Our hotel was a stones throw away from La Rambla Street.  We walked to Playa de Catalunya and little did I know there was an active protest going on inside the square.  People had been camping out there for what seemed to be many days. I am not sure what the protest was for, but it looked more like a night after a concert than a tourist attraction.  The boys didn’t even seem to notice since there was a line of rental bikes that they wanted to get on and off of.  We normally would not be thrilled with this, but we try to take advantage of opportunities that entertain the boys (especially free ones).  After seeing the plaza we walked down La Rambla to take in all the tourist sights of pedlers, street performers, animals stands, flowers shops, etc.  We tried to go to the Boqueria Market, but is was too crowed for our taste.  By this time we were all getting hungry so we started to look for a place to eat.  Everything seemed to be the same tapas food and not much for the kids.  After looking at over ten restaurants we found one worth a try and even go a spot by the window to look out onto La Rambla.  We people watched for a bit and then as we were eating some people came by on their bicycles totally nude.  They must have been protesting something, but we couldn’t tell what.  Cameron told us he could see their buts.  I thought it must be hard for a man or woman to ride a bicycle nude.  Interesting views of Barcelona so far. That evening we all went to Hard Rock.  The boys liked it because they play loud music and have cool guitars on the walls.  We liked it . because the food was good.  With our bellies full we were ready to board our cruise.  Carnival Magic here come the Offners

Camp Out

We had a camp out this past weekend and all the kids here in Dostyk were there. We started with dinner which was going to be a picnic but ended up inside due to all the bugs. I set up a snow cone stand and had a line for over an hour. After that we played tag and scooter boards. Since it does not get dark until 10 pm it was a long night before I could get out the glow bands.  Only a few die hard kids actually spent the night and the boys had a good night sleep in their beds.