First stop on the cruise is the island nation of Malta. It’s a tiny brown speck on the map located between Sicily and north Africa. The island had a lot of British flavor to it, but the culture is a melting pot of Arabic, Greek, Italian, British, Spanish - and no doubt others. Apparently none of these cultures or conquerors brought traffic signs with them. We did not see a stop sign or a traffic light, and were later told that the island had none. None. No stop signs, no traffic lights. Driving (and therefore crossing the street) was an absolute [View Full Entry]

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The cruise has started off really well. The only glitch so far was having to wait out a rainstorm in Barcelona yesterday. We sat in the Barcelona airport for a couple of hours until we knew we’d be able to board the ship. Sea day is off to a great start. Ellie already loves the things to do and people she’s meeting the Kids Club, and Anna is warming up to it. They each spent an hour or two on those activities and all went well. The temperature is still a bit low for swimming, but we braved it for about [View Full Entry]

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Hey, it's Ellie: After 8 straight hours on the plane, we are finally on solid ground! Sadly, it is raining outside, so we can't go to Las Ramblas as planned. That is why I am writing this entry in the airport. We are stuck here until noon(I think!), which is when we can first get on the cruise ship. The ear drops I used for the pressure are now stuck in my ear! Whenever I talk, it sounds to me like I am underwater. Ugh! Peace Out!!!!! [View Full Entry]

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This could only happen to me (Lisa). Vacation has officially started, as have the mishaps. Sitting next to the ever entertaining Anna, a mere one hour into our trip, she spilled (oh no she didn't) her glass of apple juice. It landed all over me, my shoes, my bag....quite refreshing! And being the prepared parent that I try to be, I packed extra clothes in our carry-on for the girls, thinking that I would be fine until we arrive in Barcelona 12+ hours from now. I knew I would get to shop on this trip, just didn't think it would be [View Full Entry]

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Two days until departure. This is the point in the travel planning process where we are overwhelmed with that "what in the hell were we thinking?" feeling. 25 days together as a family, practically joined at the hip, playing Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (and Ships) in countries where we don't speak the language? And with the value of the US dollar being at a historic low? Despite all that, we can't help being excited. The girls finished the school year today and seem like they are ready for an adventure. Ready or not, here it comes. While we are generally pretty [View Full Entry]

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