After a whirlwind trip to Greece, Italy, France and Spain, I am finally home and have managed to wade through my seven loads of laundry and mountain of mail.
The trip was fantastic! We stopped in the Orlando area to pick up my daughter, Jamie, and my grandson James. We then flew to Athens, Greece, where we met my other daughter, Tracy. The five of us spent several days in an absolutely gorgeous villa at the foot of the Acropolis. A walk out our back door took us to the heart of Plaka, the quaint shopping and restaurant center of the Athens area. And a glance from our rooftop terrace gave us a some great views.
The photo to the left is of my daughter Tracy sitting outside in our very private patio area of the villa, surrounded by lemon trees, an orange tree, an olive tree and many flowering plants. It was so peaceful and so beautiful! Great place to sip a glass of wine at the end of the day!
We hated to leave Greece and the wonderful food and people, but our itinerary demanded we fly to Rome where we boarded our cruise ship, the Norwegian Epic, for a seven day cruise up the western coast of Italy, over to southern France and to Barcelona before heading back to Naples and to Rome.
We had one major mishap on our ship. A very sad situation. It seems that a female passenger was missing and suspected to have gone overboard. The ship turned around and we spent many hours searching for her. Passengers left whatever they were doing to assist in looking for her. Spain sent helicopters and search planes and numerous boats. Unfortunately, she was not found. The search was called off and we continued on our journey, although my heart was left there, in the middle of the sea, with the family whose loved one was lost.
We eventually ended our cruise at the Port of Civitavecchia near Rome. A few more days in Rome topped off our trip!
Among all the places we visited, including the flower market in Sorrento, the Collisium in Rome, the ruins of Pompeii, and so much more, I think my favorite was in Vatican City. The grandeur and awe-inspiring beauty of the Sistine Chappel and St. Peter's Basilica went straight to my inner soul. A photo can't capture the intense beauty of it all.
Oh! And the coffee! Europeans really know how to drink coffee.
And yes, hubby and I tossed a coin into Trevi Fountain to ensure that we will indeed return to Rome one day!
After getting home, unpacking my bags and doing some hefty laundry, I am now re-packing my bags and preparing to head out again!
This time I am heading to the Cape Canaveral area. I will be on my way to the Space Coast Book Lovers Convention!
There will be over 70 (or is it 80 now?) fabulous authors and all kinds of reader activities! This is a well-planned event that I thoroughly enjoy attending each year. Will I see you there?
For more information, go to https://www.spacecoastbooklovers.com/
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