...The Rest of the Story!

With Barcelona covered I can now move on and talk about other great memories we made on this trip. Our time in Rome was very busy and memorable, with Katelyn studying the map to figure out where we were and where the dang Spanish Steps got moved to (I swear they moved them)! In our "walk about" we climbed the hills of ancient Rome, stopped by the Trevi Fountain where the girls threw coins and made wishes, had a snack at Piazza Navona, and toured the Pantheon (all while under the influence of jet-lag)! Finding the quaint bridge at sunset lifted everyone's spirits and then finding the cute Ristorante complete with checkered tablecloths where we had our first official Italian dinner was the perfect end to our first day. The next day was fun-filled with a double-decker hop on/hop off bus which took us all over Rome (didn't see the Spanish Steps)! We visited the Colosseum and tried, in vain, to avoid the parasol vendors who literally chased the girls about until Rich finally bought a parasol!! Last, but not least, we visited Vatican City where we toured the museums and Sistine Chapel (led by the best guide of all our vacation tours...Adam). It was non-stop, exhausting, and fabulous!

Sunday afternoon we boarded our cruise ship...Navigator of the Seas. We had a great week cruising the Mediterranean, but we definitely had our favorites...such as Monaco and Palma de Mallorca. Monaco was unbelievably beautiful and flower-filled and actually rather quaint. After a very scenic drive along the coastline of the Mediterranean, we left the bus and walked through the village, stopping at the cathedral where Grace Kelly was both married and is now buried. We saw the royal palace (but no royals) and explored by ourselves a bit ending with the gardens that overlooked the sea. It was a magical place. Monte Carlo, by comparison, was much more energetic...with more people(and probably all those people were hyped up waiting for the casino to open, hence the energy)... had very upscale shopping...and chic sidewalk cafes. It was interesting to travel the roads of the Grand Prix race (confession time...I've never even seen that race). For me the real gem was the little town of Villefranche where our ship was tendered just off the coast. It was a beautiful little village with cobblestoned streets filled with great clothing boutiques, home decor shops, and cute gift shops! We ate lunch there in an outdoor cafe thinking how nice it would be if we really could eat outdoors in Florida in the summer (and not sweat)! After lunch we decided to do some shopping and, in my defense, I will tell you that it was the only time we actually did any shopping during the trip(other than for postcards or pringles)! At the end of the afternoon we found ourselves at yet another sidewalk cafe where we had a cold drink, read a newspaper (Rich and Chelsea) and people watched (Kate and I). Finally, we bid France farewell and headed back to the ship. Maybe, someday I can return and do some more exploring...

Palma de Mallorca is an island off the coast of Spain and I think it was Rich's favorite stop. Burnt out on excursions (Barcelona was the day before) we opted for something different and rented segways and rode around Palma for the afternoon. It was a lot of fun and not without its comical moments...Rich trying to go up the hill...me taking a picture of Shrek and donkey (he quickly turned his back and pointed at the collection cup...oops)...segwaying (is that even a word) through very crowded streets with motorbikes and pedestrians and cars. None of us crashed or took out anyone so we considered the day a big success!! Our visit there was short so maybe Rich and I will have to go back someday and spend more time there...

The most amusing day had to be our day at Poetta beach on the coast of Sardinia! This was suggested to us as a must-do...so we did! We sunscreened and gathered hats, sunglasses, novels, beach towels and took a cab to this very popular destination. We rented our chairs and umbrellas got all settled at which point Rich leans over and says..."Is that what I think that is?" "What," I say looking about...the middle-age-very-tan-why-aren't-you-at-work-on-a-Friday Italian men in speedos...who were rubbing oil on each others' backs? The Italian family from the cruise ship (I know this because they had towels that said Royal Caribbean) who were changing clothes OUTSIDE (albeit underneath the towels...but honestly, there were changing cabanas about 20 yards away)? No no...I see what you are talking about and yes, that is a topless woman lounging on a chair...talking to her much older boyfriend/husband!! Oh and look there's another and another and some more over there!! To say that my very conservative southern gentleman husband was slightly scarred doesn't even describe. But let me explain it this way...Rich can't sit still for more than 10 minutes...he likes to do and see and is not opposed to getting lost for a short period of time (he is Mary Dodd's son)...but he didn't move from that chair for an hour, and read his book with great interest (I am certain he was too afraid of what he might happen upon). The girls were with us on this adventure and the only comment I heard was when some topless girls came bobbing out of the water and one of my girls remarked..."seriously"...

On the ship we always found things to do to have fun...ping pong games (Rich and I always won)...shuffle board...pac man...eating at Johnny Rockets (singing and dancing waiters)...daily sudoku challenges (Kate always won!)...mystery dinner theater (loads of fun)...watching world cup soccer in the sports bar and the Metropolis theater with people from all over the world (Chelsea loved every minute of it)...hanging out by the pool reading, playing solitaire, and people watching...trying the "drink of the day"...movies at the Metropolis...visits to the coffee bar and Ben and Jerry's...You get the idea...there was always something to do!!

So...the vacation is over...the reliving it...over...next at the Dodd house...senior portraits...summer reading (Kate saved the best for last Ha Ha)...moving in plans for Auburn...No. Wait, summer isn't over yet!! So I am off to enjoy some summer fun right here in my hometown.

Ciao~