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Mediterranean Cruise and RomeMediterranean Cruise and Rome
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Celebrating my daughter, Sydney, for her graduation and checking off some bucket list items with a Mediterranean cruise with Princess Cruise Lines. Starting in Athens, ending in Rome. Stops in Greece, Montenegro, Spain, Gibraltar, France, and Italy. Read more
  • Darlene Rodillo
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  • Vatican City Vatican City
  • France France
  • Gibraltar Gibraltar
  • Spain Spain
  • Italy Italy
  • Montenegro Montenegro
  • Greece Greece
  • Show all (8)
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Beach, City trip, Cruise ship, Culture, Family, Friendship, Sightseeing, Tours, Vacation
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  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    Walls surrounding the Old TownEntrance to the Old TownA beautiful café that we foundThe town hasn't woken up yetJust up the stairs to hike to the Church of our Lady of Health

    The Old Town - Kotor, Montenegro

    July 19, 2022 in Montenegro ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    One of the most beautiful and scenic cruises into the port city. With mountain villages on both sides, any view from the boat is simply amazing. It’s an easy walk to the Old Town surrounded by huge stone walls used to protect the city. When we first walked in, it was around 7:30 in the morning and the Old Town was very quiet and just starting to open for business. There was something so special about watching store owners getting ready for the day.

    We followed Rick Steves' walking tour guide of the Old Town. His maps and information were spot-on. Since we had about an hour before our boat tour began, we meandered through the cobblestone streets finding a variety of cafés, restaurants, souvenir shops, and artisans. Everything is walkable and the tourist information center provides a large map for walking up the mountain to view some of the other sights.    Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    Our Lady of the Rocks IslandView of PerastThe church and small visitor center with Catholic souvenirs and cold drinksEntrance to the submarine hideoutInside the submarine hideoutThe up and coming high end hotelThe Blue Cave

    Bay of Kotor Fun 🚤

    July 19, 2022 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    After our walk around the Old Town, we met our tour group at Park Slobode which was just to the left down the sidewalk after passing the port exit. We boarded the speedboat and headed our to a popular tourist site, the island of Our Lady of the Rocks where a church was built to honor the sighting of Mary at this location. It is a man made island and on July 22 (we just missed it, but it probably would have been a zoo) many people visit the island to drop rocks at the location. Today, it was busy with tourists coming and going around all sides of the island.

    From here we went into one of the submarine hideouts used in WWII. Today, the hideaway gates are left open and the pseudo rocks are actually pieces of styrofoam that were camouflaged to hide the entrances.

    On the way to the famous Blue Cave, we passed by an old prison which is being revamped into a high end hotel.

    Once arriving at the Blue Cave, we had to maneuver around numerous boats and eventually found a spot alongside the cliff to float around. The water was chilly, clear, and briny.    Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    Dolphin Sighting on our way back to the port

    Views on the bay boat ride

    July 19, 2022 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    The views of the fjord were so beautiful. We saw villages on the coasts as well as houses and churches nestled in the mountains. On the return trip to the port, we even had a dolphin spotting and then hit a wave that slid half the passengers to one side while trying to avoid another boat! 🌊

    We saw many yachts and sailboats enjoying the beautiful day…almost too many!    Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    Scary steps up the mountainBeautiful panoramic view of the Old Town and the Bay of KotorFinding some shadeWe made it safely back to the Old TownOur souvenir from Montenegro

    Strenuous hike up the mountain

    July 19, 2022 in Montenegro ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    After our frolic in the bay, we stopped at a grocery and grabbed some volpi, a fresh loaf of bread, and some random snacks (one we thought were cheese puffs, that ended up being peanut butter puffs) because we only had 8 hours at this port. We were in a rush to get back to the Old Town to hike up to the Church of Our Lady of Health. This hike was no joke, and it was especially hot today, which made the hike almost unbearable. Even in the heat, the views along the way were totally worth it. We saw amazing views of the Old Town and the Bay of Kotor.

    Because we were pressed for time, we didn’t make it to the top of the Town Walls to the Fortress of St. John and just headed back to the Old Town to check out a few local shops. We fell in love with a wooden Santa that had to come home with us. This handmade wooden decoration has such an amazing story behind it, for example, the red and yellow are for the Montenegro flag 🇲🇪, the cherries on Santa’s beard represent the family that created the figurine, the blue represented the blue waters of the Bay of Kotor, especially depicted in the blue eyes, even though it’s a rare find to see a Montenegrin with blue eyes.

    After checking out a few shops, we high tailed it to the port to make it to the last tender back to the ship. Eight hours with a tender was definitely not enough time to explore this port city.    Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome

    Goodbye, Montenegro 👋

    July 19, 2022, Adriatic Sea ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    With only 8 hours at port, the day went by very quickly and we had to run back to the tender port to catch the last tender back to the ship. We left at 3:00 and it was a beautiful sail away leaving the fjord. We spent some time at the pool and then got ready for “Dress to Impress” Night.Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    Astronomical Clock...hate we missed the big show at noonTourist Information BuildingFiat central!Municipal Building24 Hour vending of EVERYTHING!!!1The "bir-maids"Bir-maid staircase

    Livin’ HOT in Messina, Sicily

    July 20, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    To take a break from an organized tour, we decided to walk Messina on our own. The famous Mt. Etna volcano crater was a 2 hour drive away and a suggested town, Taromina, was about an hour and a half away. We used the port guide to find a few key sites, but then made our way to the Tourist Information building to find a map of the city.

    We enjoyed learning about the various buildings, parks, fountains, and churches on our self-guided walking tour. After getting the map from the tourist information booth, we followed the red path and easily found the various historical sites. We came across a 24-hour vending machine vestibule that sold snacks, coffee, drinks, and BEER!!! You had to scan your ID (I guess to ensure you were of drinking age) to make a beer purchase.

    One of the oddest sights was the staircase with the “bir-maids” aka bird heads with mermaid tails. Not sure what this was about, but I think it also was an area for homeless people.    Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    Bellini's - our favorite bar

    Top of Messina 🍺 ⛪️

    July 20, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We continued to follow the map and didn’t even realize that the Red Path we chose ended at a beautiful photo spot at the top where we saw the Sacrario Cristo Re and the amazing view of the port leading to the Strait of Messina. At the top we found a random cafe and of course I had to try a Sicilian beer called Birra Messina. We got a little lost on the way back to the port, so we found a piece of mail, delivered on the doorstep, so that we could find what street we were on.

    After getting our bearings, we found the Irish Bar and the cannoli place we had passed earlier in the day. We arrived at the ship with 8 minutes to spare and had some celebratory drinks at one of our favorite bars, called Bellini’s. 🥂    Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    View from the shipOlive tree growing on the side of the roadLimoncello FactoryWalking to the beach in PositanoThe Lemon Lady - handmaking bagsShopping in PositanoThe Gulf of Napoli with a few watchtowers

    It starts with a Mt. Vesuvius sunrise

    July 21, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    Early morning sunrise from the ship over the beautiful Mt. Vesuvius. Upon arriving at the port, we meet Priscilla, our guide who will be leading our tour to Positano, Sorrento, and the Pompeii Ruins.

    Our first stop was on the way to Positano to take in a view of the Gulf of Napoli. Along the way, we see olive, lemon, and orange trees. We also see many vineyards, even along the city streets. One of the top alcoholic products is Limoncello, so we made a quick stop at the factory where they sold everything lemon and we were able to taste the different versions of Limoncello.

    We continued along the switchback road down to the coastal town of Positano which we learned is the most expensive place to live on the Amalfi Coast. There are various hikes up the mountain. Along the Amalfi Coast, there are 45 watch towers which were used to watch out for pirates long ago.

    There is only one narrow road going into Positano from the main road. Once on this road, there is no turning back. Once parked, it’s shopping central. The first thing I noticed were the vibrant colors of the fabrics and I knew I wanted a blue and yellow dress with lemons on it as a way to remember this beautiful place. I was captured by a store where I peeped around the corner to find a lady, who I assume is the “Lemon Lady”, as written on the bags, hand making the bags being sold in the store. There was another lady who was responsible for painting the designs on the bags. I wanted to take home every single one!

    We continued walking down the narrow pedestrian area and made it to the beach. We didn’t have much time so we popped into the church there and enjoyed the views of the water and up the mountain. After leaving Positano with a few new bags and dresses, we circled through the town and made our way to the main road for the next stop in Sorrento. From the van, I was able to snap a picture of the Gulf of Napoli which was bustling with lots of boats.    Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    The Human Head rock formation

    Winding our way to Sorrento

    July 21, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    We continued along the winding road to another picturesque coastal town, Sorrento. Along the way, I was able to catch a shot of the “human head” rock formation along the cliffside.

    In the middle of the town square is a monument for Torquato Tasso, a very rich man in this area responsible for the growth of Sorrento. From this monument, there are pedestrian streets filled with food vendors, leather goods, and cafés. I tried my first Limoncello sorbet and it was like heaven.

    We were mesmerized by how reasonably priced the leather goods were and had to bring a few new, unique leather bags home. The bright colors in the fabrics were also in Sorrento and I finally found my blue and yellow lemon patterned dress 👗!!! The narrow streets were bustling with people and every so often the smell of lemon or pizza would fill the air. We had limited time and by this point had not eaten, so we walked into a random sandwich shop and had them make “whatever” for us. This whatever turned into an artisanal loaf with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella cheese drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. Delish!    Read more

  • Darlene RodilloTravelerMediterranean Cruise and Rome
    Pregnant ladyThis was the beginning of the city and their version of the Statue of Liberty

    Fascinated by the history of Pompeii🌋

    July 21, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    We were mesmerized learning about the history of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption and how it destroyed the flourishing city of Pompeii. Today, it is the 7th most dangerous volcano in the world. Our guide, Luca, provided us with listening devices as he walked us through the museum and a small part of Pompeii. We spent about an hour on the tour, but it could have taken close to half a day to cover all the grounds.

    Looking at the plaster molds of the bodies was bone chilling. The ones that shook me the most were the mother trying to cover her child and the plaster casting of the pregnant lady. Imagining an ash storm lasting for 2 days is unimaginable. The people of the town had no idea that Mt. Vesuvius was a volcano, and perished as the ash continued to fall on them.

    From the museum we began touring the city. Luca compared Pompeii to New York in terms of it being a large, flourishing city. Similar to any large city, there was a city-center with government buildings, places of entertainment, and parks, surrounded by homes.    Read more

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