3376 nautical miles
994 miles driving
91 tunnels (one way)
13 days
8 countries
3 continents
2 time zones
994 miles driving
91 tunnels (one way)
13 days
8 countries
3 continents
2 time zones
Whew! What a great trip! (Although at this point, we are back to the grind and are reminissing while looking forward to the next one.) We had a fabulous time cruising the Med. The highlights were Ephesus in Turkey, and the pyramids of Giza in Egypt. There were other places in between, but those were the ones we loved most.
We left out of Savona, Italy and headed toward Greece. We stopped at Athens. Funny thing, last year, I remember thinking, ah, this will be the last time in this city. We saw some sights we hadn't seen the past couple of times, and of course, stopped at our favorites. I love the Plaka, although it's tough to shop with throngs of people and kids in tow. Turkey was mah-velous! Ephesus was awe inspiring....and to think the whole thing isn't excavated. Google it. You won't regret it. I asked Mark... any chance you can get a job here? No such luck. But, crazier things have happened, right? We sailed on to Cypress, which didnt' leave much of an impression on Mark and me. Now, Egypt was quite an experience. We had to take a 3 hour bus ride to get to the pyramids. It looked as though buildings were either going up or derelict. I am not sure which. Either way, nothing seemed complete. It was a looooong drive and we saw palm trees and green. Don't get me wrong, it certainly isn't lush, but I guess I was thinking there would be this expanse of desert and the pyramids would be rising up out of the sand. Ah, no. (You would think I would know better, as Mark and I both take Niagara Falls for granted, being so close.) So, Mark spots them. And way in the distance, past the smoke, sand, smog (or combination of all 3), there they are. We pull up in a line with the other 40 buses and file out. We had such a short time to marvel at them. I thought, how lucky am I to be married to a man that can take his family on this trip? We got the guys on a camel. Henry first, and then Mark was hoisted up (unbeknownst to him!) while carrying Owen. Great pictures. If I ever figure how to post them, you can see them too. I can go on and on about this dirty, polluted, traffic crazed place. Even though it's all those adjectives, I loved it! The Egypt Starbucks mug illuded us though. (We are trying to get mugs from all the places we visit. This is actually quite a popular thing. There were a few other folks on the same mission. No one was lucky in Egypt. I think it's because they can't stop the armed guarded buses except for the itinerary. But, what do I know?) The family finished up in Rome. It is one spectacular place! I am so glad that we took the train in and saw it. We walked so much that day, and saw all of the usual sights. It was great to share them with the boys.
We are starting to think about our next Spring Break already.
Yes, I know it's almost June and this happened months ago. I really need to get back in the blogging spirit!
We left out of Savona, Italy and headed toward Greece. We stopped at Athens. Funny thing, last year, I remember thinking, ah, this will be the last time in this city. We saw some sights we hadn't seen the past couple of times, and of course, stopped at our favorites. I love the Plaka, although it's tough to shop with throngs of people and kids in tow. Turkey was mah-velous! Ephesus was awe inspiring....and to think the whole thing isn't excavated. Google it. You won't regret it. I asked Mark... any chance you can get a job here? No such luck. But, crazier things have happened, right? We sailed on to Cypress, which didnt' leave much of an impression on Mark and me. Now, Egypt was quite an experience. We had to take a 3 hour bus ride to get to the pyramids. It looked as though buildings were either going up or derelict. I am not sure which. Either way, nothing seemed complete. It was a looooong drive and we saw palm trees and green. Don't get me wrong, it certainly isn't lush, but I guess I was thinking there would be this expanse of desert and the pyramids would be rising up out of the sand. Ah, no. (You would think I would know better, as Mark and I both take Niagara Falls for granted, being so close.) So, Mark spots them. And way in the distance, past the smoke, sand, smog (or combination of all 3), there they are. We pull up in a line with the other 40 buses and file out. We had such a short time to marvel at them. I thought, how lucky am I to be married to a man that can take his family on this trip? We got the guys on a camel. Henry first, and then Mark was hoisted up (unbeknownst to him!) while carrying Owen. Great pictures. If I ever figure how to post them, you can see them too. I can go on and on about this dirty, polluted, traffic crazed place. Even though it's all those adjectives, I loved it! The Egypt Starbucks mug illuded us though. (We are trying to get mugs from all the places we visit. This is actually quite a popular thing. There were a few other folks on the same mission. No one was lucky in Egypt. I think it's because they can't stop the armed guarded buses except for the itinerary. But, what do I know?) The family finished up in Rome. It is one spectacular place! I am so glad that we took the train in and saw it. We walked so much that day, and saw all of the usual sights. It was great to share them with the boys.
We are starting to think about our next Spring Break already.
Yes, I know it's almost June and this happened months ago. I really need to get back in the blogging spirit!
