Christmas Eve, 2014...
This was an incredibly cool port to come into! The walls were reminiscent of Rhodes, but we saw so much more coming in, I guess because of the shape of the port. It was a bright sunny day, and we were eager to explore without an agenda like we did in Rhodes. We did discover once we were off the ship that the weather was deceiving--strong winds were COLD and made us wish we had bundled up more. The cold affected me a lot more than I wanted it to, especially since we got cheap tickets for the hop-on, hop-off bus.
Our first stop was the craftsman's village. Though many places were understandably closed for Christmas Eve, we did get to watch some men heating and shaping glass as well as a man who showed us the beautiful and delicate skill of silver filagree work. Amazing! We puttered around the shops a bit before getting on the bus again. Some of us had to ride up top--brrrr! Beautiful views, though! Prickly pear and rolling vineyards...using the bus gave us a feel for how big the island is--we think of it as a tiny little dot on the map, and yet it's quite expansive, definitely large enough for multiple little cities! We went to Mdina, the "silent city," and walked around the walled streets for awhile looking for a reasonable place for lunch. We gave up and opted for ravioli at 9.50 a plate. Oy! As it turned out, the manager must have cut us a family deal, because he only charged us 50 euro total!
After lunch Tobin begged to see the "dungeon museum," which turned out to be way too disturbing for Arden, so I took him and Zaden outside to wait. It was a very tiny version of what I remember of the London Dungeon--figures set up to recreate some of the medieval horrors and plagues. Sometimes reading history is quite enough! We don't need to bring everything to life! Charis said she wished she hadn't gone in and that she hoped Lucan didn't understand everything he saw. Tobin had been so reluctant and mopey about everything else we had done that day that I hoped he would feel good about getting to do something he really wanted to do, but the experience wasn't what he expected. Still, he at least knew better than to complain since he had asked for it!
We went straight back to the port from there, to everyone's relief. We settled little boys in rooms with Grandma and Charis for naps, put the others in Ted's room with a movie, and then Ted and I went back out (me with my coat this time!). We stayed on foot, taking the lift up to the city of Valetta. We saw the shooting battery where they usually fire the cannons at noon and 4:00, which would have been cool to see, but as it was Christmas Eve, all was silent. We wandered around the streets a bit, looking for a few particular things. We wanted a Christmas treat for our dinner servers, so when we found a specialty treat shop, we got ourselves some wonderful gelato and a box of beautiful Christmas cupcakes for our guys. Then we really focused on finding a Maltese cross for our "cross wall," but it was impossible to find one all by itself! On decorative plates or gaudy shields, yes, but no plain, simple cross! We finally got an unpainted square plaque for our cross wall as close as we could come. Then we headed back to prepare for dinner.
Christmas Eve dinner was wonderful, if a bit sad, because of knowing that our crew friends were serving us instead of being with their families. :-( We tried to express our appreciation when we gave them the cupcakes, but it's a poor substitute, I'm sure.
Crazy kids climbing the walls--but we pinned everyone down in one cabin after dinner to do our advent calendar. It wasn't quite the picturesque setting one would hope for, but hopefully it will stick with them.
May 17, 2015
Mediterranean Cruise: Day 9 (At Sea)
Seanin didn't get the memo about our plans to sleep in! He woke me at 6:30 with a dirty diaper, and I was afraid he'd wake Charis and Zaden, so I whisked him out of the room and went to meet Ted for our usual morning routine. Ted took Seanin, and I went down to check on our room after about a half-hour of finishing my Bible reading and having a light breakfast by myself. Charis and Zaden were just waking. By this point it was around 8:30, and Seanin was ready for a morning nap. Ted took Zaden to join those eating breakfast, and Charis stayed in the room to shower and have her quiet time, so I was able to get a run in. Then Charis and I traded places, so she had breakfast and joined the others who were swimming by that point.
I realized someone needed to attend the disembarkation meeting at 10:30, and the other grown-ups were occupied! So I woke Seanin and ran down to the theater to get the information. We joined the swim crew and discovered a German-style buffet by the pool. Pretzels, sausages, kraut, potato salad--yum!
The afternoon was relaxing: swimming, cards, naps, movies, kids' show, and/or date with hubby, depending! The evening show was a pirate show, so we took everyone except Seanin, who was very ready to sleep by then! The show was pretty good--lots of acrobatics, which we like, and very little dancing, which we didn't (at least, the kind of dancing that seemed prevalent in these shows!).
I realized someone needed to attend the disembarkation meeting at 10:30, and the other grown-ups were occupied! So I woke Seanin and ran down to the theater to get the information. We joined the swim crew and discovered a German-style buffet by the pool. Pretzels, sausages, kraut, potato salad--yum!
The afternoon was relaxing: swimming, cards, naps, movies, kids' show, and/or date with hubby, depending! The evening show was a pirate show, so we took everyone except Seanin, who was very ready to sleep by then! The show was pretty good--lots of acrobatics, which we like, and very little dancing, which we didn't (at least, the kind of dancing that seemed prevalent in these shows!).
Mediterranean Cruise: Day 8 (Athens)
Monday, December 22...
We met for an early breakfast at 7:30, the time we pulled into port, thinking the rush would be over by the time our food was downed and we had collected all of our items. But there was a hold-up from the Greek port authorities, so we actually had to wait a few minutes before disembarking--not too long of a wait, so at least we didn't miss any action! We stubbornly decided we could make our way to the metro station on foot and get to the Acropolis from there, so we hoofed it nearly an HOUR to get to the station. Ugh! The kids were troopers, really. We had Zaden in the stroller and Seanin in the backpack. Poor Grandma had some problems with dizziness, but she felt much better after resting on the train and rehydrating.
From the metro stop it was a few minutes' walk to the Acropolis entrance--up the same road I had ridden on my Segway tour a month earlier! We purchased entrance tickets, hit the restrooms, and checked in the stroller--the Acropolis is NOT stroller-friendly!
It was a beautiful sunny day, if windy--the cold breeze, actually, was quite nippy during our long walk earlier, but in the sun at the top of the city it wasn't bad, especially with all the hiking. We read a little from Rick Steves' guide but mostly puttered around at our own pace.
Next was climbing Mars Hill. Seanin was asleep in the backpack by this point. We were definitely ready for lunch, but we were not ready to pay 9 euro for one gyro, so we took the metro to the stop near the National Archaeological Museum and found a reasonable restaurant for lunch. The fries and gyros were wonderful! Then we began walking again, and I found the place where we had eaten lunch during our girls' trip to Athens the month before, the same day our group had visited that same museum, in fact! But more importantly, across from the cafe is a specialty sweets shop where we purchased our baklava treats. :-) We let the kids each choose a goodie from the Christmas specialties on display, and then we cleared out their stash of baklava (850g, not quite a kilo!).
Onward to the museum! The kids were tired by the time we arrived, but we figured that would be the case and tried to make the most of it. As it turned out, many of the rooms were closed off. But we did go through all the ones that were open, which was great for me, too, since I hadn't seen most of those rooms before. Seanin got pretty frantic, having only napped a short time in the backpack earlier, so it got a bit difficult, but at least it was not very crowded inside. Ted was disappointed not to see so much, but at least we did get to see everything possible.
We sucked it up and paid 60 euro for 2 taxis to drive us directly to the port. Seanin was loudly unhappy about 2/3 of the drive, but at least we weren't retracing the many steps from the morning. We had 45-minute naps, just enough for Seanin to be completely unhappy during most of dinner. Sigh. He went straight to bed afterward, with Charis offering to babysit so I could see the show, an Italian music showcase that I actually really enjoyed. We all went to sleep with the happy thought that we would have no agenda the next day, an at-sea day after 5 very full days in a row!
We met for an early breakfast at 7:30, the time we pulled into port, thinking the rush would be over by the time our food was downed and we had collected all of our items. But there was a hold-up from the Greek port authorities, so we actually had to wait a few minutes before disembarking--not too long of a wait, so at least we didn't miss any action! We stubbornly decided we could make our way to the metro station on foot and get to the Acropolis from there, so we hoofed it nearly an HOUR to get to the station. Ugh! The kids were troopers, really. We had Zaden in the stroller and Seanin in the backpack. Poor Grandma had some problems with dizziness, but she felt much better after resting on the train and rehydrating.
From the metro stop it was a few minutes' walk to the Acropolis entrance--up the same road I had ridden on my Segway tour a month earlier! We purchased entrance tickets, hit the restrooms, and checked in the stroller--the Acropolis is NOT stroller-friendly!
It was a beautiful sunny day, if windy--the cold breeze, actually, was quite nippy during our long walk earlier, but in the sun at the top of the city it wasn't bad, especially with all the hiking. We read a little from Rick Steves' guide but mostly puttered around at our own pace.
Next was climbing Mars Hill. Seanin was asleep in the backpack by this point. We were definitely ready for lunch, but we were not ready to pay 9 euro for one gyro, so we took the metro to the stop near the National Archaeological Museum and found a reasonable restaurant for lunch. The fries and gyros were wonderful! Then we began walking again, and I found the place where we had eaten lunch during our girls' trip to Athens the month before, the same day our group had visited that same museum, in fact! But more importantly, across from the cafe is a specialty sweets shop where we purchased our baklava treats. :-) We let the kids each choose a goodie from the Christmas specialties on display, and then we cleared out their stash of baklava (850g, not quite a kilo!).
Onward to the museum! The kids were tired by the time we arrived, but we figured that would be the case and tried to make the most of it. As it turned out, many of the rooms were closed off. But we did go through all the ones that were open, which was great for me, too, since I hadn't seen most of those rooms before. Seanin got pretty frantic, having only napped a short time in the backpack earlier, so it got a bit difficult, but at least it was not very crowded inside. Ted was disappointed not to see so much, but at least we did get to see everything possible.
We sucked it up and paid 60 euro for 2 taxis to drive us directly to the port. Seanin was loudly unhappy about 2/3 of the drive, but at least we weren't retracing the many steps from the morning. We had 45-minute naps, just enough for Seanin to be completely unhappy during most of dinner. Sigh. He went straight to bed afterward, with Charis offering to babysit so I could see the show, an Italian music showcase that I actually really enjoyed. We all went to sleep with the happy thought that we would have no agenda the next day, an at-sea day after 5 very full days in a row!
Mediterranean Cruise: Day 7 (Izmir/Ephesus)
Our morning was pretty stressful--the ONE morning we had a set agenda, the sit-down breakfast service was a disaster! We waited forever for a high chair for Seanin, and we never got menus--which was fine, as we had our orders prepared, but we had to keep asking for our orders to be TAKEN! We were half an hour late meeting our tour guide, which meant that we didn't get to see a Turkish carpet-making demo at the end. So disappointing.
BUT! Our tour was amazing! Our tour guide "G" was fantastic...I can't remember her real name, as she told us to call her Rosie, since the G word means "rosebud." She was so good with the kids. Her informative talk made the 1-hour drive to Ephesus just fly by. We rode in a nice, comfortable van, and it was wonderful to have our own private tour guide and driver. Rose told us where the less expensive shops were and where NOT to buy Turkish delight, plus she was very aware of our interests, time constraints, and the needs of the little ones. We shopped a bit first, since the stores at the beginning point were cheaper than at the main gate where we exited. Then, it was on to exploring the ancient city of Ephesus! So, so amazing!! This was definitely one of those dream-come-true adventures for me. I'm trying to fix the details in my mind of our walk from upper to lower Ephesus--the higher points, where the officials and upper classes would meet and have privileges, down the main roads toward the library and the famous theater where Paul caused rioting as the Ephesians chanted about their goddess Artemis for two hours! Though the forecast for Izmir was rainy, Ephesus remained sunny and beautiful. The wind was chilly, but there were points I just had on my t-shirt.
We left for a quick lunch then at a kebab house, which was good--but I think Ted and I would have really appreciated more of a sit-down, traditional spread; however, given the circumstances (pressed for time, tiring kids), it was fine. From lunch we went to the Archaeological Museum of Ephesus, which had just opened 9 days previously after extensive updates and additions. There was saw one of the actual little Artemis statues that the metalworkers were so worked up about in Paul's day--he was threatening their businesses! We flew through the museum, hitting the highlights with our guide, leaving just enough time to see the very underwhelming remains of the Temple of Artemis. Thankfully we were warned to keep our expectations low, ha! One column out of 127 is all that's left standing, with a smattering of pieces left scattered about. I guess that's what happens when someone decides to make himself infamous and burns down the structure! The wood burned first, heating the lead that had been poured into the holes of the column pieces and melting the "rods" that had kept the structure intact.
During our brief time at the temple remains, we heard the haunting call for Muslim prayers. So sad--centuries later, people still worship false gods...
We only had time for a very short nap before dinner; you could tell it had been a full few days in a row, as Seanin was not very happy during dinner and Zaden had a meltdown regarding carrots! We opted to skip the show so we could get a decent rest in preparation for another very full day in Athens, our longest day in any of the ports.
BUT! Our tour was amazing! Our tour guide "G" was fantastic...I can't remember her real name, as she told us to call her Rosie, since the G word means "rosebud." She was so good with the kids. Her informative talk made the 1-hour drive to Ephesus just fly by. We rode in a nice, comfortable van, and it was wonderful to have our own private tour guide and driver. Rose told us where the less expensive shops were and where NOT to buy Turkish delight, plus she was very aware of our interests, time constraints, and the needs of the little ones. We shopped a bit first, since the stores at the beginning point were cheaper than at the main gate where we exited. Then, it was on to exploring the ancient city of Ephesus! So, so amazing!! This was definitely one of those dream-come-true adventures for me. I'm trying to fix the details in my mind of our walk from upper to lower Ephesus--the higher points, where the officials and upper classes would meet and have privileges, down the main roads toward the library and the famous theater where Paul caused rioting as the Ephesians chanted about their goddess Artemis for two hours! Though the forecast for Izmir was rainy, Ephesus remained sunny and beautiful. The wind was chilly, but there were points I just had on my t-shirt.
We left for a quick lunch then at a kebab house, which was good--but I think Ted and I would have really appreciated more of a sit-down, traditional spread; however, given the circumstances (pressed for time, tiring kids), it was fine. From lunch we went to the Archaeological Museum of Ephesus, which had just opened 9 days previously after extensive updates and additions. There was saw one of the actual little Artemis statues that the metalworkers were so worked up about in Paul's day--he was threatening their businesses! We flew through the museum, hitting the highlights with our guide, leaving just enough time to see the very underwhelming remains of the Temple of Artemis. Thankfully we were warned to keep our expectations low, ha! One column out of 127 is all that's left standing, with a smattering of pieces left scattered about. I guess that's what happens when someone decides to make himself infamous and burns down the structure! The wood burned first, heating the lead that had been poured into the holes of the column pieces and melting the "rods" that had kept the structure intact.
During our brief time at the temple remains, we heard the haunting call for Muslim prayers. So sad--centuries later, people still worship false gods...
We only had time for a very short nap before dinner; you could tell it had been a full few days in a row, as Seanin was not very happy during dinner and Zaden had a meltdown regarding carrots! We opted to skip the show so we could get a decent rest in preparation for another very full day in Athens, our longest day in any of the ports.
Mediterranean Cruise: Day 6 (Rhodes)
Sigh. I doubt I will ever get caught up on this blog!! Continuing from my journal of our cruise adventures over the 2014 Christmas holiday...but oh, we have had SO many adventures since then that I would like to chronicle!! But...pressing on to finish what I've started...
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Ted and I were together for our now-routine morning coffee/quiet time date when we pulled into the port of Rhodes, and we fell in love immediately! The medieval, walled portion of the city sprawled out before us, inviting us to come and explore. The sun was shining, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. Sadly, Tobin wasn't feeling well at breakfast and opted to stay in the cabin and rest and read. It was a shame--I think he really would have enjoyed this stop!
We first went to a museum housed in a 14th-century hospital--the building itself was so beautifully gothic and fun to explore, let alone all the cool things we saw inside! Arden asked to be our photographer, so we turned him loose with the camera for much of the tour. The kids got squirrelly by the end, but we saw everything that was open before walking up the "Street of Knights" to the palace. We decided to feed the kids before tackling that, rather to their chagrin (since we met up with friends who were going into the palace at that moment), but the half-sandwiches did tide us over, and we got a bit of shopping done to boot.
The palace was VERY cool! I loved the iron torch holders and the huge rooms. It didn't take long to see everything there was to see, so we had plenty of time to amble our way down the row of shops and make some purchases before getting back on board. We were able to put Seanin down for a much-needed nap and grab a late lunch, where Tobin joined us for his SECOND lunch looking much perkier. Grandma and Zaden rested in Grandma's cabin while Charis and I took turns with sleeping Seanin and the older kids swam.
Dinner was another formal affair, and quite yummy as usual. We gave a box of baklava to our server, letting Zaden (his favorite!) hand it to him. Edwin and Zaden are definitely special buddies!
Grandma took a turn with our little 2 boys so Ted and I could see the evening show with Arden, Charis, and Kenna. Tobin babysat Lucan, which was just as well--the show was a huge disappointment with only glimmers of appropriate family entertainment. We were more than ready for it to end!
[I'll have to post pics later...I'm using Ted's laptop because my screen is broken!]
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Ted and I were together for our now-routine morning coffee/quiet time date when we pulled into the port of Rhodes, and we fell in love immediately! The medieval, walled portion of the city sprawled out before us, inviting us to come and explore. The sun was shining, and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. Sadly, Tobin wasn't feeling well at breakfast and opted to stay in the cabin and rest and read. It was a shame--I think he really would have enjoyed this stop!
We first went to a museum housed in a 14th-century hospital--the building itself was so beautifully gothic and fun to explore, let alone all the cool things we saw inside! Arden asked to be our photographer, so we turned him loose with the camera for much of the tour. The kids got squirrelly by the end, but we saw everything that was open before walking up the "Street of Knights" to the palace. We decided to feed the kids before tackling that, rather to their chagrin (since we met up with friends who were going into the palace at that moment), but the half-sandwiches did tide us over, and we got a bit of shopping done to boot.
The palace was VERY cool! I loved the iron torch holders and the huge rooms. It didn't take long to see everything there was to see, so we had plenty of time to amble our way down the row of shops and make some purchases before getting back on board. We were able to put Seanin down for a much-needed nap and grab a late lunch, where Tobin joined us for his SECOND lunch looking much perkier. Grandma and Zaden rested in Grandma's cabin while Charis and I took turns with sleeping Seanin and the older kids swam.
Dinner was another formal affair, and quite yummy as usual. We gave a box of baklava to our server, letting Zaden (his favorite!) hand it to him. Edwin and Zaden are definitely special buddies!
Grandma took a turn with our little 2 boys so Ted and I could see the evening show with Arden, Charis, and Kenna. Tobin babysat Lucan, which was just as well--the show was a huge disappointment with only glimmers of appropriate family entertainment. We were more than ready for it to end!
[I'll have to post pics later...I'm using Ted's laptop because my screen is broken!]
April 10, 2015
Mediterranean Cruise: Day 5 (Heraklion)
Another early morning coffee and quiet time in the cafeteria with Ted. I usually get a 3-5 hour stretch of sleep--blissful--and then wake about once an hour the rest of the night, usually because of Seanin's noises. I guess I should just wear ear plugs!
We didn't have to rush anywhere today, and to avoid the chaos of the cafeteria, we tried the sit-down, full-service restaurant. Oh, my! I don't think we will go back! SOOO nice not to be scrambling for places to sit together, then rushing all over the buffet areas to get food for everyone. It was delightful.
We had to load onto shuttle buses to get off the docking area, per the regulations of the isle of Crete, so we had a bit of a wait but not too bad. We took the bus to the Knossos Palace. At 1.50 euro per ticket (6 and under were free), it was an inexpensive and easy way to travel. Maybe the ride was about 40 minutes or so? At the site, we hired a private guide, joining with another family, also military (Army) and also on our cruise ship. The cost was only 30 euro per FAMILY. I can't believe the company I researched before leaving for our vacation quoted me a tour price of 720 euro!! Good grief!
The tour was wonderful. We got so much more out of it with having the guide. I posed the kids for some pictures with their Sonlight books. :-) The tour was about an hour long, and then we took the bus to the city square and got lunch as we were all so hungry. (It was about 2pm by this time.) The food was great, but unfortunately the museum we planned to see afterward--with all the original items from the palace we had just heard about--closed at 3pm! Our waitress told us about 6 or 7:00 was the closing time. Clearly we should have checked. That was a big disappointment, but it did give us plenty of time to wander and shop our way back to the port! Seanin was more than ready for a nap, poor baby, but he was such a trooper all day. Ted's back may be in agony, though, after carrying him in the backpack all day!
Now as I write this it's nearly dinnertime--hooray! I'm so very hungry, even though we had a late lunch. Ted and I shared a Greek salad and a chicken kebab plate...guess it's gone after all that walking! The show tonight is a Frank Sinatra tribute, so we will skip and go to bed early again, since it's not particularly something we'd be interested in.
We didn't have to rush anywhere today, and to avoid the chaos of the cafeteria, we tried the sit-down, full-service restaurant. Oh, my! I don't think we will go back! SOOO nice not to be scrambling for places to sit together, then rushing all over the buffet areas to get food for everyone. It was delightful.
We had to load onto shuttle buses to get off the docking area, per the regulations of the isle of Crete, so we had a bit of a wait but not too bad. We took the bus to the Knossos Palace. At 1.50 euro per ticket (6 and under were free), it was an inexpensive and easy way to travel. Maybe the ride was about 40 minutes or so? At the site, we hired a private guide, joining with another family, also military (Army) and also on our cruise ship. The cost was only 30 euro per FAMILY. I can't believe the company I researched before leaving for our vacation quoted me a tour price of 720 euro!! Good grief!
The tour was wonderful. We got so much more out of it with having the guide. I posed the kids for some pictures with their Sonlight books. :-) The tour was about an hour long, and then we took the bus to the city square and got lunch as we were all so hungry. (It was about 2pm by this time.) The food was great, but unfortunately the museum we planned to see afterward--with all the original items from the palace we had just heard about--closed at 3pm! Our waitress told us about 6 or 7:00 was the closing time. Clearly we should have checked. That was a big disappointment, but it did give us plenty of time to wander and shop our way back to the port! Seanin was more than ready for a nap, poor baby, but he was such a trooper all day. Ted's back may be in agony, though, after carrying him in the backpack all day!
Now as I write this it's nearly dinnertime--hooray! I'm so very hungry, even though we had a late lunch. Ted and I shared a Greek salad and a chicken kebab plate...guess it's gone after all that walking! The show tonight is a Frank Sinatra tribute, so we will skip and go to bed early again, since it's not particularly something we'd be interested in.
Mediterranean Cruise: Day 4 (Katakolon)
Early morning date with my hubby! Cappuccino and quiet time in the cafeteria while everyone else slept. This time, though, Seanin came with us for breakfast! Since we were to be at our port from noon to 6pm, we decided to try to give Seanin a chance to nap in the morning. So the 3 of us had breakfast together before the craziness started. Ted took Seanin to the play room so I could help Zaden get some breakfast. Then we switched boys, and I spent awhile in our cabin bathroom so that Seanin would fall asleep for a morning nap. I T-Tapped in that tiny bathroom, then showered, then sat and prayed awhile! I'm not sure Seanin actually got a whole lot of sleep despite my efforts! Some of the kids ate a late breakfast so didn't want lunch. I think some of them may have gone swimming, too.
At any rate, we got off the ship and walked to the train station, not too far of a walk, to catch the 1:15 train to Olympia (which left late, sigh). It was about a 40-minute ride, a bit tedious with Seanin crawling on my lap, but he wasn't too bad. The village of Olympia was cute and easy to navigate. We stopped and spent about a half-hour in the Archimedes museum, where an enthusiastic curator showed us some fascinating inventions and told us about some of the mathematical and scientific principles discovered by Archimedes. Since the older boys had read about him earlier in the school year, it was really extra special to see their excitement. But we were left with little time in Ancient Olympia itself, as the train left at 3:45 and we had to allow 15 minutes to walk to it!
All told, we only had about 1.5 hours to see stuff...BUT...we saw stuff! We did kind of have to rush around, and without a guide, it was harder to really appreciate what we were looking at, but hey. Been there, done that, right?! Ancient Olympia, check! Thankfully, too, it was a beautiful, sunny day--evidence of much rain recently was obvious, and we were thankful for such nice weather.
The train ride back was uneventful, and we had a bit of time to enjoy cappuccinos and ice cream and do a bit of shopping before heading back to the ship for dinner. We were so glad Ted was feeling hungry again, since his stomach had been bothering him so badly the evening before! It was a great dinner, and we were relieved that Seanin made it with so little sleep all day. He ate and ate and ATE at dinnertime! We couldn't fill him up!
Since our following day's plan was pretty full, we opted to put everyone to bed (or quietly read) right after dinner. Ted and I sneaked out for a walk together and some uninterrupted conversation. Such a bummer to not be able to be in the same cabin! Maybe for our 25th anniversary we will take a Baltic cruise ALONE! :-)
At any rate, we got off the ship and walked to the train station, not too far of a walk, to catch the 1:15 train to Olympia (which left late, sigh). It was about a 40-minute ride, a bit tedious with Seanin crawling on my lap, but he wasn't too bad. The village of Olympia was cute and easy to navigate. We stopped and spent about a half-hour in the Archimedes museum, where an enthusiastic curator showed us some fascinating inventions and told us about some of the mathematical and scientific principles discovered by Archimedes. Since the older boys had read about him earlier in the school year, it was really extra special to see their excitement. But we were left with little time in Ancient Olympia itself, as the train left at 3:45 and we had to allow 15 minutes to walk to it!
All told, we only had about 1.5 hours to see stuff...BUT...we saw stuff! We did kind of have to rush around, and without a guide, it was harder to really appreciate what we were looking at, but hey. Been there, done that, right?! Ancient Olympia, check! Thankfully, too, it was a beautiful, sunny day--evidence of much rain recently was obvious, and we were thankful for such nice weather.
The train ride back was uneventful, and we had a bit of time to enjoy cappuccinos and ice cream and do a bit of shopping before heading back to the ship for dinner. We were so glad Ted was feeling hungry again, since his stomach had been bothering him so badly the evening before! It was a great dinner, and we were relieved that Seanin made it with so little sleep all day. He ate and ate and ATE at dinnertime! We couldn't fill him up!
Since our following day's plan was pretty full, we opted to put everyone to bed (or quietly read) right after dinner. Ted and I sneaked out for a walk together and some uninterrupted conversation. Such a bummer to not be able to be in the same cabin! Maybe for our 25th anniversary we will take a Baltic cruise ALONE! :-)
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| Tobin loved the Archimedes museum! |
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| Ted, Lucan, and Seanin by the remains of the Temple of Zeus, once one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. |
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| I do believe my boys could have spent a lot longer in this place... |
Mediterranean Cruise: Day 3 (At Sea)
Our cabins:
Grandma J, Arden, and Kenna on deck 10
Ted, Tobin, and Lucan on deck 8
Beverly, Charis, Zaden, and Seanin on deck 8 (opposite side of the ship from the boys)
It was good to have a day to finish figuring things out on the ship--it was chaos trying to coordinate everyone, running around looking for "lost" people and "lost" cruise cards (one found, one really lost).
At least the day started a bit better--Ted and I met early for cappuccinos and quiet time. I went running in the fitness center 25 minutes (until the treadmill kicked me off) and then about 15 minutes on the jogging deck. It was sunny and cool and windy--I loved it! I was the only one running up there, and it was beautiful. I helped shuffle kids around a bit before showering and breakfasting.
The kids swam, explored the ship some more, played with their new friends, and who knows what else. I was desperate for Seanin to nap, which he did very little of!
It was a formal night, so we all dressed up for dinner. Zaden managed to break a glass in our cabin while I was drying my hair. Never a dull moment...
Dinner was good, except that Ted's stomach was not doing well. I don't know if he got what we all had last week [we were hit with a stomach bug that floored me during Rhonda's arrival...thank the Lord for a friend who was able to go pick her up from their airport!] or something different, but he didn't eat much. Seanin held off his big poop until after dinner this time, ha! Zaden was manic after drinking some Sprite, running around the table and hugging on Mr. Molina, our server, who obviously adores Zaden. Zaden had recognized him earlier in the day at the cafeteria, lighting up when he saw Edwin, which I think made him feel good! My heart hurts for Edwin and his family, though, as he is away from home 9 months at a time. He has a 4-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl.
Since Ted wasn't feeling well, he rested in our cabin with the little boys, who were more than ready for bedtime, while the rest of us went to see the "Zorro" show. Great acrobatics! The kids really enjoyed it, and it was so fun to see their faces and reactions. Lucan liked the fake sword fights! I enjoyed the African pole climbing team.
Grandma J, Arden, and Kenna on deck 10
Ted, Tobin, and Lucan on deck 8
Beverly, Charis, Zaden, and Seanin on deck 8 (opposite side of the ship from the boys)
It was good to have a day to finish figuring things out on the ship--it was chaos trying to coordinate everyone, running around looking for "lost" people and "lost" cruise cards (one found, one really lost).
At least the day started a bit better--Ted and I met early for cappuccinos and quiet time. I went running in the fitness center 25 minutes (until the treadmill kicked me off) and then about 15 minutes on the jogging deck. It was sunny and cool and windy--I loved it! I was the only one running up there, and it was beautiful. I helped shuffle kids around a bit before showering and breakfasting.
The kids swam, explored the ship some more, played with their new friends, and who knows what else. I was desperate for Seanin to nap, which he did very little of!
It was a formal night, so we all dressed up for dinner. Zaden managed to break a glass in our cabin while I was drying my hair. Never a dull moment...
Dinner was good, except that Ted's stomach was not doing well. I don't know if he got what we all had last week [we were hit with a stomach bug that floored me during Rhonda's arrival...thank the Lord for a friend who was able to go pick her up from their airport!] or something different, but he didn't eat much. Seanin held off his big poop until after dinner this time, ha! Zaden was manic after drinking some Sprite, running around the table and hugging on Mr. Molina, our server, who obviously adores Zaden. Zaden had recognized him earlier in the day at the cafeteria, lighting up when he saw Edwin, which I think made him feel good! My heart hurts for Edwin and his family, though, as he is away from home 9 months at a time. He has a 4-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl.
Since Ted wasn't feeling well, he rested in our cabin with the little boys, who were more than ready for bedtime, while the rest of us went to see the "Zorro" show. Great acrobatics! The kids really enjoyed it, and it was so fun to see their faces and reactions. Lucan liked the fake sword fights! I enjoyed the African pole climbing team.
Mediterranean Cruise: Day 2 (Genoa)
This day was kind of a wash. After an exhausting day, Seanin really needed to nap. It was cold, windy, and rainy in Genoa, and we weren't sure what to do in the city anyway, so we ended u wandering around and exploring the ship a bit. We let the kids swim before lunch while Seanin napped in the stroller (took awhile to get him to sleep!), and then we did lunch at the buffet. I took the little boys back to our room to nap, but Zaden is the only one who actually slept. Multiple interruptions kept our overstimulated Seanin very much awake!
Rhonda and Charis tried venturing off the ship but didn't get far and came back. The other kids swam some more with new friends Ben and Anna (Arden and Kenna's ages, roughly).
We made it for our 6:00 seating for dinner and had a lovely dining experience--IF you don't count the major poop blowout that Seanin had, resulting in both Ted and me carrying him back to the cabin for a bath and change of clothes in the middle of mealtime!! Considering his lack of sleep, Seanin did fairly well during dinner, but he was definitely ready for dinner afterward! I put him down while the other kids swam, and then Ted came to relieve me so I could go to the piano concert with Rhonda, Arden, and Charis. Unfortunately, it took me awhile to find the theater, so I was 15 minutes late and had no idea where they were sitting. But the pianist was amazing! I enjoyed the music anyway and did find the others afterward. We got gelato from a chintzy scooper and then called it a night.
Rhonda and Charis tried venturing off the ship but didn't get far and came back. The other kids swam some more with new friends Ben and Anna (Arden and Kenna's ages, roughly).
We made it for our 6:00 seating for dinner and had a lovely dining experience--IF you don't count the major poop blowout that Seanin had, resulting in both Ted and me carrying him back to the cabin for a bath and change of clothes in the middle of mealtime!! Considering his lack of sleep, Seanin did fairly well during dinner, but he was definitely ready for dinner afterward! I put him down while the other kids swam, and then Ted came to relieve me so I could go to the piano concert with Rhonda, Arden, and Charis. Unfortunately, it took me awhile to find the theater, so I was 15 minutes late and had no idea where they were sitting. But the pianist was amazing! I enjoyed the music anyway and did find the others afterward. We got gelato from a chintzy scooper and then called it a night.
 |
| Seanin FINALLY fell asleep in the stroller...for about a 45-minute nap...his only nap in two days! |
Our Mediterranean Cruise Adventure--Day 1
For Christmas 2014 our family booked an eastern Mediterranean cruise, something that had been on our wish list since arriving in Italy! Grandma Rhonda J willingly obliged us by flying to Naples for her third Italian visit in order to accompany us on our cruise. A hardship, I know, but sacrifices have to be made for the family, ha! Seriously, if she hadn't come, we would not have been able to go as a family, as we needed to book 3 cabins, and there had to be an adult in each cabin.
I wrote in my journal about each day of our cruise, so even though I am posting these updates very, very late, the script was written when everything was fresh in my mind! So without further ado, here we go...traveling back in time to Monday, December 15.
We finally left the house around 10:45am. Not bad, considering! We piled all 10 of us into the Suburban and made a quick stop to drop off keys with Joyce, and then we were on our way. Our GPS wasn't terribly helpful, but following signs we made it to the port and found a parking area. Total: 110 euro for the duration--not bad. We took a shuttle to the ship dropoff point--got off one stop too soon--and walked to the right place. No one bothered to point out the luggage drop off area, so we lugged all our bags inside the "holding area," where we were accosted by "buy a drink package" reps and were dismayed to learn that all drinks on board are not included in the cost of the cruise! When we tried to find out about checking in, we learned about the luggage, so Ted, Rhonda, and Tobin hauled our stuff back outside and got it all checked, and THEN we received our boarding group number--17--which could have been 14 or so if we had known. Grrr.
We waited 1.5 hours before we could actually go through the check-in line, by which point Seanin was frantic and Zaden and Lucan were sprawled on the floor because they were so tired. We got our cruise cards, went through security, and finally onto the ship, reaching our rooms by 5:40pm. I was hoping to get Seanin a nap before dinner, but there was no crib set up (despite our request!), so we had to get that taken care of plus find Kenna and Arden's missing suitcase (held up because we had packed an iron, a big no-no!).
We thought dinner seating was at 7pm, based on the web sites I had viewed beforehand. So we waited and then went to the dining room, where the host told us rather rudely that it started at 6:00 and we were too late. So we went up to the buffet--at that point we were just hungry and exhausted. The ship pulled out as we were eating, causing Charis to feel seasick, so she went back to our room to lie down and get her sea bands on.
It wasn't a moment too soon before we got settled in bed for the night! Mamma mia, not a wonderful way to start off our vacation!!
I wrote in my journal about each day of our cruise, so even though I am posting these updates very, very late, the script was written when everything was fresh in my mind! So without further ado, here we go...traveling back in time to Monday, December 15.
We finally left the house around 10:45am. Not bad, considering! We piled all 10 of us into the Suburban and made a quick stop to drop off keys with Joyce, and then we were on our way. Our GPS wasn't terribly helpful, but following signs we made it to the port and found a parking area. Total: 110 euro for the duration--not bad. We took a shuttle to the ship dropoff point--got off one stop too soon--and walked to the right place. No one bothered to point out the luggage drop off area, so we lugged all our bags inside the "holding area," where we were accosted by "buy a drink package" reps and were dismayed to learn that all drinks on board are not included in the cost of the cruise! When we tried to find out about checking in, we learned about the luggage, so Ted, Rhonda, and Tobin hauled our stuff back outside and got it all checked, and THEN we received our boarding group number--17--which could have been 14 or so if we had known. Grrr.
We waited 1.5 hours before we could actually go through the check-in line, by which point Seanin was frantic and Zaden and Lucan were sprawled on the floor because they were so tired. We got our cruise cards, went through security, and finally onto the ship, reaching our rooms by 5:40pm. I was hoping to get Seanin a nap before dinner, but there was no crib set up (despite our request!), so we had to get that taken care of plus find Kenna and Arden's missing suitcase (held up because we had packed an iron, a big no-no!).
We thought dinner seating was at 7pm, based on the web sites I had viewed beforehand. So we waited and then went to the dining room, where the host told us rather rudely that it started at 6:00 and we were too late. So we went up to the buffet--at that point we were just hungry and exhausted. The ship pulled out as we were eating, causing Charis to feel seasick, so she went back to our room to lie down and get her sea bands on.
It wasn't a moment too soon before we got settled in bed for the night! Mamma mia, not a wonderful way to start off our vacation!!
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