Mediterranean Cruise 2007

The Med was having record heat when we were there until we hit Florence. I packed for "normal" weather and I was fortunate to find a gauzy pair of pants and a skirt in Santorini that I wore to death. I'm normally not that big of a shopper in the ports, but I was on a mission to find something gauzy & cool. While digital cameras were now out, the photo quality still isn't what it is today. It did allow us to take lots of photos which I should go through and delete a bunch, but I never seem to find the time to do that.

Also, early on in our cruising years, (pre-internet) we booked the ship's excursions. In the Med I started booking private tours. Wow, lots of money saved and a much more personal experience. Also, we met some great people that joined the tours and some of us have remained friends through the years. Special shout out to Bob & Pat. Their friends, Sandy & John traveled with them and unfortunately Sandy has passed and John has Alzheimer's.

We also posed and bought a lot of the ships' photographer photos, which we don't do anymore. Our focus eventually shifted from going on vacation to traveling with more focus on where we were visiting than the need to capture the ship moments. Not all of course, as the ship experience is important as well. (Food & Entertainment etc.)

Celebrity Millennium 2007

1st formal night

2nd formal night

Piazza San Marco

Campanile in Piazza San Marco

Feeding pigeons in Piazza San Marco - they don't allow that any more

Rialto Bridge

Our gondola ride - the gondolier couldn't take a non blurry shot?

This guy talked non-stop and kind of ruined the experience. We repeated the gondola experience years later and our gondolier was perfect. Talked just enough and let us soak it all in.

Bridge of Sighs - taken from a window on the Doge's Palace tour

Grand Canal

Toasting Venice with Bellinis while listening to the dueling orchestras

Murano, Italy

Burano, Italy

sail away past Venice

Dubrovnik - a guy on the walls was taking photos if you wanted and we bought one

Dubrovnik from the walls

we walked all the way around on the walls

chilling with a cold drink, since it was hot that day and I wasn't dressed for it

views from the wall

walking around the walled city

Our lunch Yummm! Black squid ink risotto and fish with shrimp sauce

Ocean's 13 ad in Croatian

donkey trail to top of Caldera on Santorini

of course I had to ride the donkeys to the top (there are gondolas if you prefer, we took them at the end of the day back to the ship)

Greg waiting for his dismount

what a cute donkey

garden view at the restaurant where we had lunch - the roasting meats in the window lured us in

famous blue domed church in Oia

cute hotel in Fira

Oia

sunset back in Fira - instead of cocktails we had hot fudge sundaes

Odeon of Herodes Atticus at the Acropolis - Athens

Erechelon at the Acropolis

Parthenon

changing of the guard - Athens

we drove down the coast to Sounion and we ate in a dining room with a view of the ocean and the food is carried from across the street where they prepare the food

view from the restaurant

Temple of Poseidon, Sounion

back in Athens on Ermou Street

Ermou Street

Naples, Italy

gardens outside of Pompeii

Pompei

brothel

each room at the brothel had a picture of what was offered in it

real bodies that were found

pregnant woman found

Gully in Sorrento

Sorrento

limoncello shop in Sorrento

lunch in Sorrento

Amalfi Coast

ceramic shop in Positano

Positano

beach at Positano

me shopping

Positano

Our private driver Alonzo from Benvenuto Limos

Getting ready to tour Rome

Coliseum

Palazzo Nueovo on Capitol Hill

the Forum

Trevi Fountain

throwing in our coins to insure return to Rome

street performers

before entering the Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel

St Peter's Cathedral

St Peter's Cathedral - Bob & Pat, Sandy, Annette & Greg (John was sick and missed Athens)

Swiss Guard - St Peter's Square

St Peter's Square

Our private driver Fabio saying chow!

Pisa

climbing the tower - steps are worn as the lean forces you to one side or the other

huge bell in the tower

at the top of Pisa

The Bapistry at Pisa

Florence and Arno River

Michelangelos' David in a park - not us in the photo. We did tour the museum, but no photos were allowed and enforced

Florence

Ponte Vecchio Bridge - Florence

Duomo from inside Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

Nice, France

drive to Antibes

walking around Antibes

me shopping - the spices smelled heavenly - Antibes

spices

passing a pasta shop

marina at Antibes yes those are helicopters on the yacht - yes 2 helicopters

topless beach Antibes

St Paul de Vence - walled city

lunch of escargot & French Onion Soup St Paul de Vence

St Paul de Vence

don't know what I was doing

drive to Monte Carlo

Where Princess Grace was killed in car accident

entering Monte Carlo area

Monte Carlo Casino

Palace Square area

Cathedral where Princess Grace is buried

Princess Grace's grave

Prince Rainier's Grave

walking around Monaco

Nice

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona

La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia ceiling inside

La Sagrada Familia views from window

walking to Park Guell - Barcelona

gift shop in Park Guell

benches in Park Guell

Greg (not the one with the trumpet...lol)

Casa Battlo

chimneys on roof of Casa Batllo

statue by bus stop

Columbus Monument at the lower end of Las Ramblas

performers setting up on Las Ramblas

lobby of Hotel Continental Palacete - we took the train to Montserrat from Barcelona

funicular to Montserrat monastery

views from the funicular

views from the funicular of a cable car

walk to the Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery

Black Madonna

Santa Maria de Montserrat monastery

taking the funicular back down

steep incline and the funiculars pass each other where the track splits

art in street in front of our hotel

I climbed inside the head of this one

Erotica Museum

Barri Gòtic area - Gotic Cathedral

walking some of the side streets from Las Ramblas to the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc

fish market

Magic Fountain in daylight

Magic Fountains set to grand music

back on Las Ramblas - street performer

In Venice we didn't use any tour guides. We bought Vaporetto passes to get from hotel to the Grand canal and to Murano and Burano. We did do the Doges Palace Secret Itineraries Tour. Otherwise, we just wandered the streets and ate lots of gelato.

We had no guide in Dubrovnik as it is easy to walk the walls and wander the walled city on your own.

We had no guide in Santorini either as we wandered Fira on our own and then took the local bus to Oia and wandered.

In Athens we used Spiros Taxi. Spiros was very informative while in the vehicle, but not being a guide we could do the sites on our own at our own pace.

In the Italian ports we used Benvenuto Limos and they were also drivers that gave us lots of info on the car rides and then we could tour at our own pace. The drivers hired us guides for Pompeii and at the Sistine Chapel & Museums. Very good choice.

In the French Riviera we used Dream Tours and the driver gave us lots of info and we could tour on our own.

In Barcelona we used the Hop On Hop Off bus for the first day. After that, we found the subway to be a better way to get between places. One day we took the train to Montserrat and toured on our own.

Links to the photo albums:

Venice 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/pivSLYYB4cedhm2HA

Dubrovnik 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/kb1zZ93t9pCHT966A

Naples 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/q1EFbb26GxsPUomW6

Santorini 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/kkTgy7DCLgw5nukh6

Athens 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/4n2bPNzwKBwnXKuE8

Naples 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/q1EFbb26GxsPUomW6

Rome 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/JJsNycsyMfCVxq7i9

Florence/Pisa 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/LMUUqdAE5oqf3zrk9

French Riviera 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/dH6XpYsafBwAti3z6

Barcelona 1 2007 https://photos.app.goo.gl/oDmeQfTFKtWAaEXU6

Barcelona 2 2007 ttps://photos.app.goo.gl/5EmgbXNbwUpNjWVM9