I'll begin with the packing process. Oh, men and women, how different we are! I started packing a week before we left, which - in my world - was procrastinating! Sam had no interest in gathering his belongings until the night before our trip. I tested out luggage, wondering which would be less cumbersome, which would hold more clothing, etc. Again, Sam didn't really get involved in this process. I planned out what I thought I would want to wear each day, which shoes would be best with that "outfit," when I'd straighten my hair, how much of each soap, shampoo, lotion, etc. I'd need, and how we'd keep our things together while out and about in each port or city. I went shopping for the little travel-sized everything: band-aids, ponchos, hand sanitizer wipes, Tylenol, contact solution, you name it. I printed off maps and itineraries, and I even made little signs for pictures to help us remember where we'd been. Sam poked fun here and there, but mostly I think he was glad that we had what we had once on the trip. Of course, all of these items were packed and put in luggage long before Sam had given any thought to what he was taking with him. Guys are just so different - willing to rewear dirty clothes, to put the same pair of shoes with any given concoction of clothing, dressy or not. I practically planned to wear (at least) 2 different outfits each day, and Sam did not have any understanding of why I needed to do that.
The day after Sam finished his "packing," we were ready to head to the airport first thing in the morning. Our flights went well, and we were ready to board the cruise ship in Barcelona so many hours later! We had a nice day at sea the first day, then we were in Naples, Italy on the second day. We had decided to do an excursion through the cruise line: Hiking Mt. Vesuvius and Exploring Pompeii. This was by far our favorite day of the vacation. What an amazing experience! We learned a lot about the volcano and the ruins; we also learned not to be afraid of this intimidating experience, as we had previously been a little worried about it. Both of us did great. We also marveled at the fact that Sam was hiking one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Europe only 2 weeks after bleeding out of his ears in an ER due to a scary accident.
After Naples, we woke up in Civitavechia, a port right outside of Rome. Now, this was an incredible day, but one in which I started to feel like we were in the movie Just Married with Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy. Our day started off great: train ride into Rome, Vatican Museum, Colosseum. Then, we had to make some game-time decisions to figure out how we wanted to spend our short time in Rome. He wanted to see the Roman Forum & the Pantheon. . . so did I. I just also wanted to see Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, eat lunch and enjoy some gelato, and get back to St. Peter's Square before we had to get back on the train to the ship. The thing is I knew this day was going to be the most hectic because we had so many places to see in such a short time on our own. We also had to figure out how to get to these places quickly and without spending a lot of money. I had been researching and planning (for the entire honeymoon) for months. I really tried my best to plan this day, and obviously, I had to be flexible when plans either didn't pan out, or when it just wasn't what I thought it was going to be. What also bugged me was when Sam decided that he would start trying to figure things out THAT DAY: not my idea of helpful when I'd asked him long before to help me. Given that Trevi and Spanish steps wouldn't take as long, we opted for these sights - but getting there on foot took a lot of time and energy. We talked it out, figured out our way, and managed to make the most of our time - even though we may have started to do so in a frustrated, short-tempered way. Low blood sugar and tired feet do not make me happy, so I'm sure I wasn't the easiest to hang out with that mid-day. Luckily, we came upon the Trevi Fountain in about the time I desperately needed some pizza to make me happy! Roman pizza and gelato was yummy!! A quick visit to the (disappointing-to-Sam) Spanish Steps, and then we were headed back on the metro to St. Peter's Square. St. Peter's Basilica was well worth the time - absolutely beautiful. . . pictures and video do not do it any form of justice. Of course, I wanted a lot more time here, but Sam was keeping a close watch on the time and nudged me along to get out of the church all too soon. Oh, and then, there was the navigation back to the train station. . . if you could have been a fly following us! "Where are you going!?" Sam shouts to me as I cross a street without him. "The station is this way!" I demand. "No, it's not. You're going the wrong way!" he responds. "It's this way!" I say. We both look at our map, dumbfounded. I finally suggest that we ask for directions - a novel idea! Of course, that's not an option to my husband, so he insists that we follow his path. I go with it, knowing we could have gone the direction I originally wanted. I thought it would be kind of "funny" to watch him eat his words and miss the train back to the ship because he was too smart to ask anyone for directions. Luckily, we did find the station - either of our paths would have been right - and we made it with PLENTY of time (enough to have stayed in St. Peter's Basilica a little longer!), but the mere frustration of arguing over our timing and the best route to the station was somewhat reminiscent of Just Married. No one held a grudge, though, and we were headed back to the ship for a nice evening together.
The following day, we woke up in Livorno, a port outside of Florence. After a drive through the countryside of Tuscany, we spent all day in Florence on an excursion that introduced us to Accademia Museum (where David is - absolutely beautiful!), Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Signoria Square, Santa Croce Church, and an amazingly delicious Florentine lunch. We had a great time in Florence! The lunch and David were our favorites. While in Florence, right before lunch, we had some time to shop and explore on our own. . . this is the only part of the day I regret because we bought some prints from a street vendor and got completely taken advantage of. He was GOOD at what he did, and before we knew it, we had bought 2 prints even though I only wanted one, and later we saw him and his "friends" hiding their prints from the police. As the police would wander down the street, someone would alert the vendors, and they would sweep up their widely-spread prints in about 3 seconds flat. As soon as the police would pass, they would lay out their prints as if nothing had happened. Oh, that just ticked me off and I kept getting annoyed about it - not just the fact that we had bought from this guy but that we had bought impulsively and got "taken." It was our one buying mistake, but at least it was only one - so I got over it... kinda... it still gets to me a little!
The following day, we were in Villafranche, a port near Nice, France. We opted for a Monaco/Monte Carlo excursion and spent the morning in beautiful, quiet, safe, clean Monaco. We loved it there! I really could have stayed longer shopping at the souvenir shops here because no one haggled with you, no one tried to sell you anything, no one bombarded you when you entered a little shop. . . it was very peaceful. Again, Sam kept nudging me to hurry up so we could get a good spot in front of the Prince's Palace to see the changing of the guards. I told him to go on and that I would meet him there (I was literally on the 2-seconds away outskirts of the palace courtyard). So, a few minutes later, I met him there with plenty of time to spare - in the empty courtyard! No one really cared about the changing of the guards, so we had lots of space to record it, photograph it, and watch with only a couple other people nearby. Monte Carlo was also nice - but kind of overrated. . . just lots of rich people with rich shops along the way.
June 26th was my birthday, and we awoke overlooking Toulon, France. We decided not to get off the ship on that day. We needed a day to soak in some sun, to let our feet rest, to just be together, and to celebrate ME! :) We ate at Johnny Rocket's on the ship, we read and sat on the top deck looking out over France and the Mediterranean. Sam surprised me with half-a-dozen red roses waiting on our dining room table, the waiters sang to me, we saw a great evening farewell show, and I got a card from Sam and a surprise one from my mom early that morning. It was a great birthday! I was a little emotional, too, that evening - just knowing the cruise was over, our honeymoon was, therefore, half-way over. I love cruising, and I highly recommend it to anyone, but at the end, I get a little sad to leave - just having to go back to reality. Luckily, we still had another 6 days left together in Europe, so I focused on that!
Part 2 coming soon!
Here are a few pictures from the first week of our honeymoon:
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