Adventures in the Mediterranean

For our anniversary this year, we took a cruise in the Mediterranean.  It’s been a dream of mine (CB) to go to Venice.  So much of a dream, in fact, that when John proposed to me in Las Vegas, he did so at the Venetian.  Before he asked me to marry him, he handed me a map and asked me to stand up to read it.  I stood, opened it– it was a map of Venice.  Written in Sharpie on the map was “I wanted to go to Venice this weekend, but we’ll have to save this for the honeymoon.”  When I put down the map, he was on one knee and proposed.  When it came time for our honeymoon, we were a mere six weeks away from a move to Asia, so John (he planned a surprise honeymoon) decided–correctly–that Costa Rica at a few hours away was a better choice than flying across the Atlantic.

Now, we live closer to Italy which makes a trip to Venice a possibility.  So, for our anniversary this year, John planned a Mediterranean cruise that spent two days in Venice.  We had a really amazing time.  We left London from London City Airport, which is off of the Docklands Light Railway and not far from where we live.  We arrived in Barcelona and headed straight to the ship.

Our first stop was Cannes in the south of France, home of the film festival.  It was definitely a playground for the rich and famous.

Next, onto Italy!  We docked at a port not far from Pisa, so we hopped a train to see the leaning tower.  We were amazed when we got to Pisa, the leaning tower is just one part of the beautiful architecture there.  We explored a gorgeous cathedral, baptistry, and a couple of related museums.  The leaning tower, however, is definitely the jewel of Pisa.  I was amazed by how much it actually leans–it is incredible that it has leaned for so long and still stands (albeit, with some recent restoration work).

 

The next day, we had a relaxing day on the boat!

Next stop, Naples!  Originally, we were going to dock in Sorrento, but the night before we were to arrive, authorities found an unexploded shell in the water from the Second World War!  Needless to say, the closed to the port to all traffic, and we ended up a few kilometres north in Naples.  Upon arriving in Naples, we took a ferry to the gorgeous island of Capri.

 

After our boat tour, we grabbed some gelato and headed up the hill to take in the gorgeous views.  So so beautiful!

Back in Naples, we knew we had to get some pizza since it is the birthplace of pizza.  It was a great success!

 

Back on the boat, we’re enroute to VENICE!!!!!  To get to the port in Venice, the cruise ship actually had to go through one of the canals.   What an amazing introduction to the city!

We spent our first night in Venice wandering the canals and getting lost.  It was, truly, amazing.  Venice is one of those rare cities that is as beautiful in person as it is in photographs.  Like a storybook.  Definitely worth the wait.

 

The next day we spent doing “touristy” things like exploring the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) complete with the Bridge of Sighs, the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge), and some assorted cathedrals.

 

Our next stop was Koper, Slovenia.  The people of Slovenia were amazingly kind.  They don’t get a lot of ships in Koper, so they were very welcoming to us.  We explored the old town and had glasses of wine for 1 Euro each!  They also had fabulous olive oil.

Our final port was Split, Croatia.  Split is a unique town as it’s built in the ancient ruins of the palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.  Modern storefronts peak out of ancient palace walls.  Even the roads are worn and original.  It was an incredible city, built on the coast below gorgeous limestone mountains.  While there, we explored the ruins, grabbed a drink, and enjoyed on of our final days of warm summer weather.

 

After two more days at sea, we returned to Barcelona where we caught a flight back home to London.  What an amazing adventure this was!  I’m so grateful for my sweet husband who planned the whole adventure–I’m such a lucky girl!!! 🙂