Remember Spring Break?

Spring Break seems so long ago! I realized today that I failed to update about our great vacation. I will make it short and sweet....
We cruised with our great friends to the Black Sea. Mark and I have cruised on this line before and weren't to impressed with it. We had low expectations....as long as we got from point A to point B, everything in between was a bonus; the ports were the lure.

We started out in Genoa, Italy and after spending a night in Milan with friends we boarded. The ship was small. And clientele, very geriatric. Needless to say, our group's 4 kids were the majority of the Kid's Club. So from Genoa, we sailed to Rome. How I love that city!!

O eating gelato in Piazza Navona

Then on to Athens. Every time we go there, I think it's our last, and inevitably, we go back.

Plaka in Athens

Then, on to Istanbul, Turkey. Mark had been here before, but the rest of us were new. We hired a private tour guide and I didn't regret it. What an amazing city! And the Grand Bazaar...I think that I could spend days there. Although, I started to see the same thing over an over. Then on to the Ukraine; Yalta first, then Odessa. It was a really beautiful country! I really liked Odessa- it reminded me of St. Petersburg. (Odessa was Catherine the Great's summer getaway or something like that.) Big, colorful buildings and it helped that the weather was nice!

Church in Yalta


Boys in Odessa

Then finishing up in Sorrento...

and then to Taormina. I remember when I studied in Italy, 2 friends went to Taormina for their mid-term trip and talked about how much they loved it. I understand why. Back to Genoa then, and a long drive home.

Sweet mother of pearl, I can not find a way to upload Turkey pictures!