Europe - Passports Overloaded

Lisbon, Portugal

June 11, 2019

Today we got a really good taxi driver named Carlos Manuel who spoke perfect English and showed us a great time. We visited the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Mary Major. At first, we visited Sintra which was a really nice town we got a chance to take a tour of the Palace of Pena and the next stop was Cascais and Estoril where all the rich and famous have homes. Cascais was a really nice beachside town.

Afterward, Carlos dropped us off about a block away from the ship where there was a festival in the town.

June 12, 2019

Today Carlos picked us up again and drove us to Fatima. It’s equivalent to St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. The pope visits Fatima once a year.

after visiting the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima make sure to stop by Store #37 which is owned by Mr. Sergio. He has great prices for souvenirs.

Fatima

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima

Joyce, James, John, Maria, Jennifer, Honey (Dotty), Mason & Colleen

Seville (Cadiz), Spain

June 10, 2019

Today we decided to take a Taxi to Seville and visited the horse training school called the Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art. We saw the Andalusian horses with their trainers getting ready for a show. These horses are amazing and very talented.

Afterwards, the driver took us back to the ship where we met up with our friend who is the Food and Beverage Director for Oceania luckily the ship he was on which was the Riviera and both ships happened to be at the same port together.

If you would like to see where and what we ate while visiting Cadiz.

Valencia, Spain

June 8, 2019

Today we took the shuttle bus into the downtown area. Valencia is really pretty and the people are really nice. After walking around for a few hours we took the shuttle back to the ship to grab some lunch.

After lunch, we decided to walk to the science center which was about 30 minutes away. The science center consists of three modern buildings which are really cool and unique. It reminded us of buildings that we saw in Dubai.

Damien (General Manager), John, Maria & Randall

Barcelona, Spain 2019

June 7, 2019

Today we ended up taking a pedicab to meet up with our friend Jake and one of his friend’s whose name was Nacho. We grabbed a drink at this cool bar and then after that, we grabbed a bite to eat at this amazing spot called Bar Canete. We had so much fun that we missed our pre-scheduled appointment to see the inside of Sagrada Familia which is the world-famous Gaudi Basilica.

If you would like to see where and what we ate while visiting Barcelona.

Monte Carlo, Monaco 2019 (2nd time there)

June 6, 2019

Today we just walked off the ship and went and got our passports stamped since we just spent 4 days there we had seen and done enough.

If you would like to know what and where we ate while in Monte Carlo.

The pretty flowers in Hotel De Paris

Lucca, Italy

June 5, 2019

We took a taxi to Lucca which was about 30 minutes away. We had a great time walking around and had a nice tour with a horse and carriage.

Afterward, we had a great lunch at this place called Buca Di Santantonio.

John and I both agree that we could see ourselves renting an Air BnB for 2 weeks in that town.

If you would like to see where and what we ate while visiting Lucca.

Bell Tower

Waldorf Rome Cavalieri Hotel

June 2, 2019 – June 4, 2019

Waldorf Rome Cavalieri

The spa is amazing!

Rome, Italy 2019

June 2, 2019

Today we left our friends house and picked up a rental car and drove to Rome and checked into the Waldorf Astoria. Once we checked in we decided to take a stroll around Rome. We took a taxi to the city center walked around a bit and then went back to the hotel and got ready to meet up with our relatives for dinner. We always have a great time with them so we were looking forward to a fun night.

June 3, 2019

Today we walked around Rome again which we love to do and decided to have our relatives met us at our favorite lunch spot which is facing the pantheon. We love to imagine life as it was back then. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to relax and get ready to have dinner once again with our relatives. Our aunt is 90 years old so we try and see her as much as we can. Family is really important to us.

June 4, 2019

Today w drove to Civitavecchia, Rome to board our ship for the 37-day cruise. We love to cruise because you unpack once and you get to see different parts of the world and it isn’t a hassle.

If you would like to see where and what we ate while visiting Rome.

Alessandra, Gloria, Laura, Giovanina, John & Maria

Ritz Carlton Lobby

Florence, Italy 2019

May 30, 2019

Today we checked out of Eze and got a taxi to pick up our rental car in Nice so that we could drive to Florence. Once we got settled in we walked to this cool spot with a bottle of wine and some appetizers to watch the sunset. It was such a great welcoming. Afterward, we walked to their favorite spot for some pasta and boy was it GREAT!!!

May 31, 2019

Today we did all the things tourists do. We visited the beautiful church and the bell tower and the palace. We walked up and down 2,524 steps in one day. The Bell tower has 413 steps, The Dome has 469 steps and Palazzo Vecchio has 389 steps. We got a chance to see Michelangelo’s David again which was really cool and this time we were able to take a picture of the statue. Afterward, we all went out for dinner to this amazing steakhouse called Regina Bistecca.

June 1, 2019

Today John and I walked around and did some shopping. There’s nothing like retail therapy to soothe yourself. John wanted to purchase some new sports jackets to wear on the cruise we would be on in a few days. For dinner, we decided to lay low and Avin and Lindsey purchased some cold cuts and cheese and we had some nice sandwiches and wine. We got a chance to enjoy the last few hours with them and their amazing kids Lefa & Luca.

If you would like to see where and what we ate while visiting Florence.

The crypt in the Santa Maria del Fiore

The Dome

Nice, France

May 29, 2019

Today we checked into our hotel in Nice. We got settled in and decided to take a walk along the pretty beach and have a glass of Rose by the beach.

Afterward, we went back to the hotel and got ready to have dinner with a couple we just happened to run into who was with us at the Grand Prix in Monte Carlo. Kyle and Lindsey were a lot of fun so it was nice to get another chance to hang out and have a bunch of laughs.

If you would like to see where and what we ate while visiting Nice.

Alphabetic Links of Where We’ve Been