Okay...let's continue Spring Cruise 2016!
Day 4 - Naples, Italy. Day 4 had us arriving in Naples, Italy and I had planned a half day tour of Ancient Pompeii. I have learned that my kids can handle about a half day of touring (meaning listening and learning) and then they are done. This tour was particularly great because it was geared towards kids. Our guide, Dr. Lavinia (she has a doctorate in history) created this tour with some friends. It had specific activities for children that they had to complete as we toured the grounds. And, we had beautiful weather - so the day was fantastic! We spent the afternoon on the boat - drinking yummy beverages! (And yes, our kids became very good friends with the bartenders! I think it started on the first day when Grayson asked the head bartender if he knew how to make a Shirley Temple with the utmost sincerity.)
Here are pix from Day 4: https://goo.gl/photos/hZsdBrXMUQLAjv579
Day 5 - Messina, Italy. Day 5 brought us to Messina, Italy where we were scheduled for a full day tour to visit Mt. Etna and Taormina. (Yes, this was the only day that I broke the half-day tour rule.) Michele was our guide for the day and, once again, the weather was great. We arrived at a smoking Mt. Etna mid-morning and had fun climbing up several of the craters and taking pics and enjoying the weather. We then drove to Taormina where we had a few hours to shop and eat lunch. We found a great little restaurant with some very yummy pizzas and calzones, although Grayson declared that Caleb's pizza was "not as good as the all cheese pizza at Pizza Ranch." Gotta love him! Seriously!?! Pizza in Italy not as good as Pizza Ranch?!? Then we did a quick tour of Messina where we had a chance to see their beautiful church - which has the most amazing clock tower. Of course, by then my kids were well over touring (as it is they think that Europe only has "Old Towns" and "Churches") and we headed back to the ship.
Here are pix from Day 5: https://goo.gl/photos/peaDYCk9CCpEaLtd6
Day 6 - Valletta, Malta. Oh, I don't know what to say about Malta except that it may be one of the most gorgeous places I've been. Truly stunning. When the ship pulled into the port, you could not help but be wowed by how beautiful Malta is. Today we had a half day tour of the walled city of Mdina and Valletta booked. Flora was a our guide for the day and she did an excellent job. The walled city of Mdina is amazing - with 300 people still living within the walls. She showed us where many television shows/movies had filmed within the walls and we loved exploring the area. Late morning brought us back to Valletta where we witnessed the canons being shot and got a glimpse of the Maltese Prime Minister as he was leaving one of the government buildings. Just a nice day exploring. We spent the afternoon on the boat where we made some new friends - Carey and Tracey - who have spent the last year touring the world with their kids. Carey works for the Canadian government and had been putting aside 20% of his paycheck for the last 4 years so that they could take the 5th year off and travel. Very fun to hang out with them in the pool for the afternoon. The evening brought on karaoke - which Caleb participated in - along with our tablemates, Tammy and John. I give Caleb big props for getting up there and doing that - that's something his mom will never do! (No matter how much she's had to drink!)
Here are pix from Day 6: https://goo.gl/photos/c66GLddQwJUjwUSi9
Okay...so there's three more days covered! Just three more to go!
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