The Trip Of a Lifetime!

All I can say is... France, Italy, Spain... best 10th anniversary celebration EVER!
Thanks mom and dad for taking us along on this amazing trip of a lifetime!

We cruised out of Spain on a Celebrity Ship. This picture was taken from our balcony along with a few other pictures from around the ship.




First stop was Villa Franche, France


We took the bus up to Nice and roamed the markets and downtown before stopping for some Socca (a local speciality) Delicious!


Probably one of my favorite gelato stops of the trip (and there were many!)


The city was just amazing. It seems like forever ago now, but I know we'll make it back here someday.




Next was Genoa, Italy



We took the train over to Cinque Terre (five villages), Italy.


Then we hiked the Via dell'Amore (Path of Love) from one village to another. All along the path people have hung pad locks as a symbol of their eternal love.


Luckily we happened to have one on our back pack. The little green lock is ours. I guess we'll be together forever now. :)



They say the best pesto in the world can be found in these villages. We had to have some before we left and yes, it was excellent.






Then there was Florence, Italy.

And the leaning tower of Pisa. I cant believe how star struck I was when I saw this. It was so emotional to turn the corner and have these beautiful building that you have only read about and seen in pictures all the sudden right in front of your face.




Florence was a lot of fun and a jam packed day of museums and churches. (a little shopping too)
Unfortunately you cant take pictures in the Uffizi Gallery.


The Duomo





The Replica of David out in the courtyard.



Rome, Italy. The busiest day ever!


The Colosseum.



The Roman Forum.





La Bocca della Verità ("the Mouth of Truth"). Travis has been telling the children about this fountain for years and how if you're a dishonest person and you put your arm in its mouth it will bite off your arm. We had to show the children just how honest their parents are.

Grammy too.


The Trevi Fountain. So beautiful!




The Piazza Navona.


The Pantheon.




Saint Peter's Square.



Next Stop Naples, Italy where we headed straight to Pompeii.











Now it's time for the scary, but beautiful, drive up the Amalfi Coast.





Positano, Italy and the place I will someday retire.



Sorento, Italy. Great shopping and some yummy pizza.




Then there was Barcelona, Spain. We got an apartment here and stayed for a few days. It was really nice to be able to come and go as we please without having to worry about missing our ship.
The picture below really does symbolize our stay here. I feel like we were running all over the place trying to fit it all in. What an incredible city with so much to do and see!


My parents in front of the Palacio de la Música Catalana.



The Sagrada Familia. This church was so amazing it almost made me want to convert to Catholicism. Almost. Gaudi was truly an emotional and ingenious architect. Viewing his designs throughout Spain was definitely one of the highlights for the whole trip.











The chains and weights is how he came up with his concept. He took pictures and then turned them over to get the outline for his design.







Of course you can't go to Spain without eating lots of tapas.




One night on our way to catch the metro we saw a parade going on right outside our apartment. It was really cool to see all the kids playing their instruments and the giants all dancing.



Barcelona Cathedral.



This is the kind of hot cocoa you get in Europe. Sure it's good, but you really can't drink a whole cup.


The Barri Gotic.





Park De La Ciutadela.



Park Guell by Gaudi.




More Gaudi architecture.



The Pedrera by Gaudi.




These were the chimneys on the roof.




The Santa Caterina Market.




Our last night in Barelona was spent in the apartment, cooking up some amazing finds from the market, and settling down for a nice home cooked meal.


You know it's funny how I thought we would have to waite until our kids were grown before we would be able to visit these places, but now that we've started, I think it will be a lot easier to keep going. With or without the kids. So Ireland in 2013, here we come.