Beautiful Napoli

Naples was a fun port to visit, even more so because we had decided to take a slow leisurely look at what this city had to offer. We were still pretty tired from running around Rome the day before. Our main agenda was to walk along the side streets and try to see the real Napoli apart from what was set up for the tourists.

The center of the city a short cab ride from the port which meant we had more time to find the hidden gems of Naples.

This is the view from the port.


After taking a short cab ride into the city we walked around and talked to several of the local street artists. We started walking down the main roads that were covered with men selling knock off hand bags. We soon found a few interesting side streets and left the masses.

What we explored.



The architecture.






Since Naples is the birthplace of pizza we were in search of the best Naples had to offer. After asking around we were told that Sobillo restaurant served the best pizza in the city. It was a tiny little restaurant on a side street. If you are ever in Naples it is a must.


Pepsi Light cheers.


I love that a personal pizza feeds four in Europe.

It was AMAZING. The pizza was good in Florence but did not compare to what Naples had to offer. We were really glad that we got there early because the restaurant filled up quickly and when we left there was a line down the street.

Another gelato stop.


Watching kids play with a soda bottle. There were several groups of kids playing in the center square with bottles and boxes for goals.


After walking off that delicious pizza and taking in all of the beautiful buildings we decided to head back to the boat just in time for dinner.

When in Roma

It was so exciting to wake up and look out the window to see our boat sitting in Civitavecchia, Italy. After grabbing a quick breakfast from the buffet we headed out to try to see as much as possible before having to get back on the boat by 6pm.

We figured out the train system and took the hour long ride into Rome. There was so much that we wanted to see but new that we would probably only be able to see our top three attractions. Since once again we decided to self tour we would not have the advantage of cutting lines and had to navigate the city on our own.

Our first stop was to see the Roman Forum on our way to the Coliseum. The ancient Roman Forum is a huge area of ruined temples, basilicas and arches.





After a long walk we had reached the Coliseum.




A view from the top


And of course, tossing the frisbee in front.


On our way to Vatican City we passed the Arch of Septimius Severus


Reaching Vatican City






The line to get into the Apolostic Palace was about 3 hours long so we decided to go to the Vatican museum which houses the Sistine chapel. The Coliseum and the Sistine chapel were the top two things that I wanted to see.

The museum was gorgeous








Sistine chapel (they are a little dark since you are not allowed to use a flash)


Before we knew it it was time to leave the museum and head down the spiral staircase.


We had hoped to see the Pantheon before leaving but we were afraid of cutting it close and missing the boat so we headed back. It was a great day of seeing things that I never thought I would actually see in real life.

We were exhausted by the time we made it onto the boat. We had a delicious dinner and called it an early night since we had a full day of exploring the birth place of pizza, Napoli, a head of us.

Fun in Firenze

After a great day at sea we reached our first port, Florence, Italy. We had decided not to pay for the organized tours and search each port on our own.

After an hour and a half train ride we had arrived in the center of Florence. First stop gelato.




The next stop was the Piazza della Signoria, the heart of the historic center. It is also the home of a copy of Michelangelo's David.









The Duomo




Then it was on to see the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge built in 1345 over the Arno River.




After walking all around the city we decided to take a pizza break. The four of us split two margarita pizzas and let me tell you, they were incredible.





After eating it was time to catch the next train and get back on the boat. We were all very excited about our next port, Rome. Having only 6 hours in Rome made things a little hectic but we managed to see alot of that gorgeous city.

Good bye Firenze

Our Epic Adventure

We are finally back home after an incredible trip with great friends. Since my only cruise experience had been a 3 day Carnival funship about 10 years ago, I was REALLY looking forward to our 7 day cruise on the Norwegian Epic.

Since I could write a small book on all of the aspects that I would like to share, I will divide the posts up into The Epic, Florence, Rome, Naples, Mallorca and Barcelona.

The Epic.


We decided to get on the boat as early as possible so that we could start exploring the ship.

Our friends Kevin and Alisa flew in from Charlotte to join us.


Getting excited


We were greeted in true Barcelona fashion


Once inside the ship....

One of the bowling alleys


I now realize that I took very few pictures when we were first walking around. I think that we were all just trying to take it all in.

Once we had walked around for a while we headed over to sign up for the shows that we wanted to catch during the week. We made reservations to see the Blue Man Group, a singing comedian, Legonds in concert, Cirque Dreams and dinner and a fantastic Beatles tribute band.

Blue Man....amazing


Cirque tent


The food.

The food was great and consistent throughout the cruise. We enjoyed several formal nights, celebrated Phil's birthday and sampled all of the desserts.






We had two days at sea and we spent most of that time reading by the pool, attending shows and playing games........and of course, eating.

We had a great time. It is hard not to start thinking about where we would like to go next.

Our bags are packed

Our summer travel tour has officially begun and we start it off with a trip to Spain. Only one more day until we leave for Barcelona. Friends of ours from the States are celebrating their 5 year wedding anniversary by sailing the Mediterranean and invited us along. We will be spending two days in Barcelona before meeting up with our friends and then taking an NCL cruise that will stop in Florence, Rome, Naples and Palma. This will be our first time exploring southern Italy and we plan on trying to take in as much as we can before heading back to sea each night.

Even though we are only spending 12 hours at each port I plan on taking as many pictures as I can since this will probably be our only shot at seeing these amazing cities. I will post on each stop once we get back to Germany.

See you in 10 days! Bon Voyage!

Filming complete and time with family

The filming is now complete for our show on HGTV and we are excited to find out when it will air. We are even more excited to receive our dvd since we are not able to get the network over here. They have told us it will most likely air in 2 to 3 months so I will update the blog when I hear something.

It was a lot of fun to be able to travel back to Charlotte for a few days and see friends. This trip however was more than just stocking up on goods and having lunches with old friends. My grandfather passed away after we had set up this flight. The dates that I was going to be home just so happened to line up with his memorial service in Philadelphia. This made it possible for me to be able to drive up to Philadelphia with my mom, dad, sister, brother and sister in law while I was home. It was such a blessing to be able to be with family and see extended family members that I had not seen in over 5 years. It was a sad time but also a wonderful time as we focused on the man that he was and the fact that he is now with his Savior.

What a wonderful time of laughter, tears and family togetherness. I should also add that I returned to my husband in Germany with 5 jars of peanut butter and a backpack full of pancake and muffin mixes. All in all a great trip.

Weddings, Festivals and Flea Markets

This weekends events included watching the royal wedding, hiking up to Walberla Fest and another flea market. It was really nice to spend time with friends, enjoy the beautiful weather and get some exercise walking around Erlangen.

Friday, as everyone knows, was the day of the Royal Wedding. A few girlfriends of mine and I had decided to watch all of the hats and tiaras with a group of English speaking expats in town. While reading an expat blog I came across an invite from a wonderful Australian woman names Moira. Her husband had no interest in watching the wedding so she decided to host a party in a 500 year old cellar beneath her jewelry shop. There was a small cover that went toward purchasing children's English books at the local library. The cover included a beautiful Mediterranean lunch, a glass of prosecco, games and a slice of wedding cake. We were also awarded gift certificates for Moira's jewelry store for making the best wedding dress out of toilette paper. Needless to say I had a wonderful time watching the wedding projected on the cellar wall and enjoying a few laughs with the girls.

Our beautiful hosts.

The starters at every table


The menu


The toilette paper brides


On Saturday we hiked up a mountain outside of Forcheim to Walberla Fest. We had a great time enjoying the sun and eating chicken legs,chocolate covered fruit, and cotton candy.



We ended up spending a lot of time relaxing in the grass and taking in the beautiful views.


On the hike down the mountain and into town we came across a few beautiful Easter displays.


On Sunday Phil and I had a great time leading worship at church. Afterwards we joined a few friends and headed to another flea market. We had attended this particular flea market last year and came across a few treasures. This year I walked away with two 1970's dresses for 3 euro.

Since it was May Day the whole town was outside enjoying the weather and attending the local festivals. Since we were not yet ready to go inside we headed back up to Erlangen to walk around the spring festival one more time. We ended the day with a scoop of gelato before heading home.

It was a great way to enjoy the last weekend in Germany before heading back to the States for awhile.