Travels Part 3: Everywhere else!

Since I take forever to post things I'll speed up the traveling with my favorite pictures and places. Sooooooo much beauty and history. I wish I had been taking History of Creativity while on the cruise because it would have been like the magic school bus episodes where you become ant size and travel to what you learn about. Anyways I loved it all! Here are the pics.

Sorrento

HUGE LEMONS!!!

POMPEII

We ported in Naples and drove to Pompeii. It rained on us the whole time but I still loved Pompeii.

This is their version of a McDonalds. They would put stone pots in the holes which would insulate the pot and keep it hot, thus preventing food borne illnesses. Wahlah fast food!

And a Pizza Hut or Brick Oven! Pompeii knew how to cook!

Buffalo Mozarella Pizza! We each had our own pizza.

AMALFI COAST

ROME!

Pantheon

The BEST Gelato EVER!!

PISA

Stairway to Pisa. It feels crazy climbing up a lean tower.

On top of Pisa

Crepes in Nice!

Palace in Monaco (Near the church where Grace Kelly is buried)

This trip wouldn't have been as fun without this little girl keeping us entertained! Thanks Abbey for making us all laugh. Especially when you eat french fries!

The Gang

We had an amazing trip with the family and we wish we lived closer so we could have dinner like this more often!

Travels Part 2: Malta

After two days in Barcelona we hopped onto the Disney Magic! After a day of eating delicious food, we arrived in Malta. The highlight of Malta was the hypogeum of Hal Saflieni. It was very well preserved. Only 10 people are allowed in every hour and tickets have to be purchased well in advanced to be able to get in. In the hypogeum they use to hold dead bodies. I was expecting it to be creepy but it wasn't, I felt like a cavewoman in a cave mansion. Take a look.

Side Fact: They would carve out the rock with antlers. THAT'S CRAZY!

If I had to guess what the animal of Malta is, I would say the gecko. As we were walking around the city we stopped at a park that had little geckos all over. Maybe even thousands! I-Spy geckos.

Here we are on the boat as we are leaving the port. Bye bye malta.

On the trip I was introduced to new foods. I can now say I have tried Cinderella.

But there is no need to worry She is still alive and well.

Travel Bug in Full Action

Asking for two weeks off from work on my first day of work isn't the most ideal situation, but I had to; because there was no way in a bazillion trillion years I was staying home for this trip. And not only a trip, but a cruise. And not only a cruise, but a DISNEY cruise!! Not only a DISNEY cruise, but to the Mediterranean!!

We had planned on going in December with Ben's parents, Justin (brother), Kim (sister-in-law), and Abbey (their banana baby). I was blessed to marry into a family of traveling pants and I love it!! As little kidish as I am I couldn't wait to be across the globe with Mickey and Minnie!! It didn't seem real for a long time that we were actually going to Europe until about a month before. My excitement and anticipation meters were bursting. A couple weeks before we left, both Ben and I would dream of different things on the cruise like Pinocchios Pizzeria, ice cream, Disney movies, crepes, and macaroons!!

We were able to see and do soooooooo many things. Every port we docked at provided us with a different adventure. We soaked in as much of the culture through sight, taste, sound, walk, subway, bus, etc.

First Ben and I flew into Barc(th)elona, Spain. We spent two days in Barcelona before we set sail. Highlights include Ben getting pick-pocketed within the first hour (without knowing it and his wallet being in his front pocket. It's a blessing he only had cash in it).

After getting lost trying to find a restaurant others raved about on trip advisor, we gave up and got on the hop-on, hop-off bus. The bus made getting around and seeing the major highlights SUPER convenient. We love the hop-on, hop-off. It's a no-brainer.

We learned all about Antonio Gaudi--he is the genius and architect of Gruel Park, Casa Batllo (didn't get any pics here) and the Sagrada Familia, three of my favorite sites. The most influential architect of Spain! His work is found all over the city.

Park Guell-This park was constructed in the 20th century. Gaudi's house is here and again the detail is immaculate. Very abstract and colorful.

Sagrada Familia-The detail and carvings in this temple is the most exquisite I have ever seen. Gaudi devoted his whole life to this project until his death, unfortunately he was only able to construct a small part of the temple. The project is still under construction but still follows the plans and models that the famous Antonio Gaudi left.

Gondola ride to a castle.

One of my favorite things to do is walk around and stop at little shops along the street. It is even better when the stops are filled with interesting food. We stopped at a little candy shop and we found the best candy! I don't know why we wanted candy because we never do in Utah, but I guess that's what we do on vacation. We had to try tapas. I had in my mind that tapas were a dish in Spain. But I found out they are equivalent to appetizers. Now I understand why no one could give me a set answer for, "Where are the best tapas?" It's like someone asking me where are the best appetizers?

That's all I can muster out for today. I'll be back with more highlights in the future.