We had such a great time on the cruise and it was a really good way to see more of Europe. Definitely the most fun way to travel! We got on the ship on a Sunday afternoon and had the day to explore the ship, eat lots, and relax. Our rooms were a lot bigger than expected so we were happy about that, and it was also nice to be able to unpack some of our things now that we would be settled here for the week. Jeff and I had never been on a cruise so it was very new to us, and we were over the moon excited! As soon as we got on the ship we were overloaded with food, and not complaining! Food in Europe is not very cheap so it was great to have an endless supply, more than anyone could ever eat.
We really enjoyed the days we were cruising at sea because it finally gave us some time to suntan! There was some pretty sweet entertainment by the pool that we all enjoyed as well, including the Belly Flop and the Sexiest Man competitions. I won't go into detail but we killed ourselves laughing at these! We also loved the free ice cream by the pool, watching the ice carvers, and mini golfing. Dinner was always one of my favorite things because the food was so good. Every night we went to the same place, same table, and same people. The menu was always different though and I loved the excitement of what would be on it each night. We got to know the people at our table very well because we ate with them every night. We met a couple at our first stop of the cruise (Giorgio and Mikaela) and became really good friends. We had 2 empty seats at our table the night before so we told them to switch to our table, which they did. We hung out with them for the rest of the cruise, which was really fun! Sometimes people just click. It was also interesting that Mikaela's birthday was the day before Jeff's so we celebrated both birthdays on the ship. We sang to them at dinnertime and I decorated our room for Jeff. It was so nice of Giorgio and Mikaela to get Jeff a watch from Swatch. He loved it!
Well, I enjoyed every moment on the ship and would definitely go on a cruise again! The ride was very smooth up until the last day when we were heading back. We looked out over the ship and the waves were massive and made the entire ship rock. We all felt like we were drunk! But I didn't get sick, so that's good. All the meals were great and the entertainment good as well. There was always a show every night and we made it to most of them, while some we decided to skip. We watched an ice skating show as well, and really enjoyed this amazing piano man. You could never get bored because there was always something going on, or food to go eat!
Our first port was in Messina (Sicily), Italy. It was a really neat place to see! The ship gave you options of buying excursions which would take you on a bus to see things, but we decided we would explore on our own and find a taxi to take us where we felt like going. This was probably the best decision we could have made because at every port we ended up spending less, but getting a more intimate taxi ride and arriving at our destinations before the bus would, which meant no lines! In Sicily we found a taxi van, and this is where we met Mikaela and Giorgio, who shared the taxi with us. We ended up sticking together for the rest of the day. The taxi took us to Taormina, which is a really cute community where we shopped and visited the Greek Theatre. This is where Jeff bought his "Italia" hat. We were also taken to some amazing views where we took lots of pictures. We stayed in Taormina for a while and then called our taxi to take us back to the port. Before we got on the ship, though, we walked and explored a little further and bought some amazing food. Jeff and I are both in LOVE with the Canoli and the Arrancini. These were probably the best things we had tasted in Italy! We all loved Sicily.
Our second port was Piraeus (Athens), Greece. In Athens we had a great taxi driver that was super friendly and made sure we didn't miss anything we wanted to see. The first place we went was to the Acropolis to see the architectural masterpieces of the Golden Age of Greece, all built in the last part of the 5th century BC. We climbed the winding pathway and about 100 steps that lead to the top of the famous hill. We saw the Propylea Entrance, the Erectheum, the Temple of Wingless Victory, and of course the Parthenon, Greece's largest and most impressive temple. After this, we drove to the Temple of Zeus and to the Olympic Stadium. We also took pictures by the guards and saw the ceremony on the street for the changing of the guard. It was very weird to see these guards swipe their feel across the pavement many times and balance as if they were dancers. In Athens, we also found a delicious place to eat lunch and we tried chestnuts for the first time. This day was also Jeff's birthday, so I asked him where would he rather be than in Greece for his birthday! Of course he didn't have an answer for me. Even though it was fun for us all, I made sure I didn't forget to spoil him!
The third port was Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey. This was the only day we separated from our parents and explored on our own. Jeff wasn't feeling great so we slept in a little longer than they would have and went out later. We found a really good taxi driver who was young like us and told us he loves to drive around people our age because he can joke a lot, which he did. We had a good time with him and he insisted on being in some of our pictures. He even gave Jeff his worry beads, since we had said it was his birthday the day before. We went to see Ephesus and the Statue of Mary. Ephesus was unbelievable! Probably one of the neatest places to see. I'm not going to list all of the things we saw there because it would be too long, but the coolest were actually the library and the Grand Theater. We spent most of our time here and for the rest of the day tried to do some shopping. I say TRIED because it was impossible to walk anywhere without someone pulling you in to tell you to buy something. I was so excited to shop in Turkey, but got so frustrated by how pushy everyone was that I didn't end up buying a thing! ALMOST bought a super expensive leather jacket, but made the right choice and walked away. Despite this, we had a great time together just the two of us...and our driver.
Our last port was Chania, Crete, Greece. This was the day it poured! We got up, were eating breakfast, and asked each other if we should go out or not. My dad was determined to see everything we could and figured the rain would stop after our taxi ride anyways, so we ventured out in the rain with our umbrellas. Right on the port there was a bus that took us to the main part of the island. Once we arrived, we didn't see any taxis and didn't quite know what to do so we went into a market where we saw some pig and cow heads for sale...gross! Then we went into a little shop and bought some hot chocolate to sip on as we discussed our plan. We were able to find some taxi's and we got a great price for the ride, thanks to Mikaela who was great at bargaining prices down for us. We drove a ways up a hill and it was beautiful scenery. When we stopped at the top, there wasn't much to do, but we found a war museum that we took a look at and we walked around a bit. Then our taxi drove us to a beach. It was a beautiful beach and we all wished we could swim, but it was rainy. Then we went back to the main part of the island and walked to a harbour, which was so pretty! It had cute shops and restaurants all around it and I was wishing we could have more time to shop, but our time was almost up. We bought some baklava to eat (which was so delicious!), and took the bus back to our ship.
That pretty much sums up our cruise! What a great time we had!! We made some amazing memories with my parents and really enjoyed their company. They had been to a couple of the places already, but most of it was new for them as well. I had a great time with Jeff... it was so nice to have 2 whole weeks to enjoy together and not worry about work or other things! I've been thanking my parents like crazy but I feel like there's nothing I can do to say thanks enough. It was the trip of a lifetime!
No comments:
Post a Comment