My Dearest Evan,
We got back a week ago from our biggest trip yet! We spent two weeks traveling to: Tuscany (Siena area), Rome, cruised to Santorini, Mykonos, Crete and Pompeii and then ended back in Rome! It was lovely and amazing and quite the excursion. Here's a summary:
We started flying into Rome (through London) and you didn't think flying economy was all that bad - you enjoyed it. We rented a car and took the Tuscany scenic route to our off-the-beaten path castle hotel in Tuscany. This included a stop at some thermal pools which were lovely and us getting lost in Viterbo where I wrongly guided Dad to drive into a Piazza where the Pope once lived! That was embarrassing and stressful and probably illegal but we were lost and followed someone out of there quickly. I think Dad lost years off his life that day. But man! When we arrived at our room in the castle (Castle Banfi), it was breath-taking. You and Avery had your own room and bathroom and it was so spacious and luxurious. You worked out outside with me and we went to Siena for a day. There, we ran into a random neighborhood parade where they were wearing medieval costumes and banging drums and everyone was wearing a scarf representing the neighborhood (so of course we got some for ourselves - and of course you got one representing a different neighborhood). They stopped in the middle of the parade to throw flags and drink wine before continuing!
On the way back to Rome, we stopped in a little town for lunch and found out our restaurant had a cave in the basement! We were loving all the little unique surprises we stumbled upon! Back in Rome, we stayed at Corso 281, right in the center of everything and did the Trevi Fountain, the outside of the Pantheon and Piazza de Navona. We got an early morning guided tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum (where you made a friend from El Paso who also plays hockey and likes outdoor sports) and then visited the Vatican which I thought would be cool because it allowed you to visit another country but you weren't impressed. We also happened by the Spanish Steps which also failed to impress you - "they're just steps, Mom". Tough crowd!
We got onto the Disney Dream cruise ship and had a great experience enjoying all the things they offer. You especially loved the kids club, especially when it was open to both sides so you had more area to roam. You liked the big raft slide and swimming and lounging by the pool, you loved the ice cream and also the shows. You did not like all the pictures I made you take because I got the photo package but you loved wearing your Captain Mickey outfit for almost every dinner because it brought you a lot of attention.
For our port excursions here's what we did:
1. Santorini: We did a small villages tour which I thought would be more intimate and less crowded, and it was. But it was steep and the restaurant where we stopped wasn't that happy to have us visit. The tour guide was lovely and described the Greek isle and culture well. We also stopped for some shopping and lunch in Fira before heading back to the ship. You flirted with the tour guide by showing her your magic tricks (which impressed her but not the bus driver).
2. Mykonos: I really enjoyed this one. We booked a short tour at the last minute and hopped a boat to Delos Island, where Zeus left his two daughters. The ruins there were pristine and massive! It was such a lovely surprise. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable but I got the sense she was on there to feed the cats (she carried a bag of cat food around with her and put some out everywhere we stopped - all the cats followed her around). She's a school teacher on summer break. We had plenty of time to explore Mykonos on our own too so we ate at a nice cafe (Dad and I had the red snapper) and shopped a little. We also put our feet in the water for a bit but it was pretty cold, although it was super clear. It was gorgeous with the stunning white Greek houses in the background.
3. Crete: We did a tour with several stops included: first was a site of some Greek ruins, modified by the Romans. Then we stopped at a lake with clear water for a dip. Then we stopped at a small town with a bunch of restaurants and waterfalls before heading back. Our guide here was fine but it did feel somewhat like they were just trying to figure out what to do with all the tourists that come to Greece :) It was still fun and the Greek food was amazing!
4. Pompeii: We did a Pompeii and Naples city tour. Pompeii was just amazingly big - they had SIX MILLION people living there at the time of the eruption! It was breathtaking and hot so I'm glad you didn't fuss too much since it was really important to your sister that we go there (it was also her belated birthday gift).
We spent one more day in Rome before heading home, where we shopped a little and made sure to finish by eating as much pizza as we could possibly handle before heading back! You got a license plate from each place we went, which is now your tradition!
Here's the trip in pictures:
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| Thermal pools (you saw your first boobies here - my goodness, Europeans!) |
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| Viterbo (enough said) |
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| View from our Castle! |
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| Luxury dinner at the castle |
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| You enjoyed all the amenities you could at the castle |
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| Siena's famous piazza |
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| random parade! |
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| first taste of true Italian pizza! with your new scarf from a rival neighborhood |
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| gelato! of course! |
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| Siena! |
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| castle |
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| random cave in a restaurant we ate at in Tuscany |
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| Pantheon |
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| pedestrian light! |
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| Piazza de Navona |
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| Trevi Fountain |
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| Colosseum! |
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| You found some Red Bull gear! |
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| Rome Lego store |
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| Vatican |
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| Vatican guards! |
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| Disney Dream! |
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| Daisy was welcoming us on board! |
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| Checking out the kids club, making your own avatar to fight bad guys |
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| We went on this trip because Whitney invited us to go with her! |
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| Your Aunt Susan! |
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| Santorini |
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| Delos Island |
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| Crazy Cat Lady tour guide |
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| Mykonos! |
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| Dance party with Mickey and Minnie! |
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| Tuckered out after prepping for Pirate Night! |
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| Crete! |
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| You taking a picture of Avery and me....see how that's working?! |
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| Yummy Greek food! |
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| Cretan waterfalls! |
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| I mean, it's a must do! |
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| Swoon! My little captain! |
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| Riding the slide with Dad! (although I'm pretty sure I went with you more than he did) |
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| Prepping for our last tour! |
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| On our last day, we went to a F1 store and they had a Red Bull car in the store! It usually costs money to get near but since you had a Red Bull hat on, she let you get some pics for free! |
And that's a wrap on our longest adventure yet! You fought with Avery too much for my liking but we still had some magical memories on an epic trip! I love you and I love traveling with you!
All My Love,
Mom
