Honeymoon

A 11-day adventure by Mike and Carole Read more

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Trip start
October 22, 2016
Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Monte Carlo
October 22, 2016 in Monaco ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Our honeymoon began with flying into Nice, France on the morning of October 22th. We took a bus to Monte Carlo, located our cruise ship (Marina from Oceania Cruise Lines), and dropped our luggage off in our very nice home for the next 10 days. Despite being tired and clammy from hours of traveling, we still opted to document the moment by taking a selfie on the balcony.

After getting settled into our room, we met up with three other couples with whom we would be sharing excursions over the course of the trip. Then we had dinner at one of the five star restaurants on board, "Jacques'"(named after "famous" French chef Jacques Pepin). The food was great! It was the first of many meals on board in five star restaurants—and what a delicious adventure!Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Florence, Italy
October 23, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Our first port after setting sail was Livorno, Italy. We used the first of four complimentary ship excursions to take a bus from the port to Florence, where we explored on our own. Two of our stops in Florence included the Basilica of Santa Croce—built at the close of the 13th century, and known as the largest Franciscan church in the world—and La Accademia Gallery, which has what is arguably the most famous sculpture in the world, Michelangelo's "David". Completed in 1504, "David" was originally placed just outside the Piazza della Signoria, but was later moved to the museum for better protection.

Inside the Accademia we also saw two of Michelangelo's incomplete sculptures known as "The Prisoners". Down the hallway, we saw the museum's section on musical instruments, which included pianos by the inventor of the piano, Bartolomeo Cristofori, and a viola by Antonio Stradivari.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Florence Uffizi Gallery
October 23, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Our next stop in Florence was the Uffizi Gallery, which houses perhaps the best collection of Italian Renaissance art in the world. Mike had made reservations before we went on the trip which meant we could walk by the long lines waiting to get in to the gallery.

Our pictures include "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli, "Doni Tondo" ("The Holy Family") by Michelangelo, "The Annunciation" by Leonardo Da Vinci and "Madonna of the Goldfinch" by Raphael. We also snapped a picture of the Ponte Vecchio bridge over the Arno River.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
The Vatican Museum
October 24, 2016 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Overnight we travelled to Rome, Italy. Our first stop on arrival was the Vatican Museum. We could have spent all day there and still have not seen everything—it's huge! From centuries of amazing art, to various pope-mobiles, to the breathtaking Sistine Chapel, there was so much to see. The biggest picture shown here is the ceiling in the Gallery of Tapestries; there is also a photo of a tapestry depicting the Last Supper.

The highlight of the Vatican was, of course, the Sistine Chapel (where we weren't allowed to take pictures.) The walls are covered with frescoes of the life of Moses and Jesus, while the ceiling features the Book of Genesis. The ceiling, painted by Michelangelo over two separate periods in the first half of the 16th century, is considered to have changed the course of Western art and is one of the most important artistic accomplishments in human history. It is an amazing sight to behold.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Vatican City
October 24, 2016 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Our guide for the tour of Rome was great, and he told us a lot of interesting stories about the area. As he pointed out, and as depicted here, Vatican City is a separate country from Italy (Carole is pictured straddling one of the Italian borders.) The Pontifical Swiss Guard, whose origins date back to the 15th century, is charged with protecting the pope (while looking like jesters!)

Pictures shown here include the ceiling of the Gallery of Maps (created from 1580-1583). This gallery contains a series of painted topographical maps of Italy, which are based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti. It also contains the tapestry "Resurrection of Christ", one of the best examples of moving perspective in the history of art. Finally, it includes an early 20th century pope-mobile, and one of the world's holy water stoups.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
St. Peter's Basilica
October 24, 2016 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
St. Peter's Basilica is a world-famous church that houses Michelangelo's "La Pieta" and a copy of Raphael's "Transfiguration". Other pictures included here are of the Chapel of St. Sebastian, which houses the tomb of Pope John Paul II, the altar of St. Jerome, and the Papal Altar where the tomb of St. Peter is located.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
St. Peter's Basilica and Square
October 24, 2016 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Today was a beautiful October day in Rome and the square was set for a papal address. We happened to be visiting during a Roman Catholic pilgrimage, so the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica were more crowded than normal. We were glad we had a good tour guide!Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Piazza Navona
October 24, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
We moved on to what was supposed to be a quick stop at Piazza Navona, where Bernini's "Fountain of the Four Rivers" is located. As you can see, there was a heavy police presence, given the recent terrorism in Europe.

We only needed about 10-15 minutes here, but one of our group members was busy snapping hundreds of pictures in order to get "just the right angle". In fact, we ended up waiting for that guy at most of our stops in Rome. Our tour guide nicknamed him "National Geographic". The name stuck!Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
The Pantheon
October 24, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
The Pantheon was originally a Roman temple to honor "all gods", and it was built by Marcus Agrippa between 27 BC and 14 AD. Although burned and later rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian (126 AD), the dome is unique in Roman architecture and was a technology lost for hundreds of years before it was "reinvented" during the Renaissance. While it is one of the most well preserved ancient Roman buildings, Carole was quite taken with the more modern horse and carriage.Read more
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Trevi/PopePaulV Fountains/HadriansMarket
October 24, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
While we could have lived without seeing another fountain, Trevi Fountain is a landmark and must-see. We also stopped at Pope Paul V Fountain on our way into town, and drove by Hadrian's Market (considered the world's first shopping mall).Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
The Colosseum
October 24, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
We hustled around the Colosseum, and given time constraints, were unable to go inside. Thankfully, we got some good pictures from outside. There is so much to see in Rome and one day is just not enough. We will have to come back for a tour of the Forum and other sites we missed.

The Colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, was constructed from 72 to 80 AD. Construction began under Emperor Vespasian and was completed under Emperor Titus. The Colosseum could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators, with an average audience of some 65,000. It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Rome
October 24, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
These are some random photographs from around Rome. The coolest is probably the Knights of Malta keyhole on Aventine Hill, where Carole snapped a nice picture through the keyhole. There's also a shot of the Circus Maximus, the Pyramid of Cestius (built between 18 BC-12 BC and remains particularly well preserved, likely because it became part of the city's fortifications), and both sides of the Arch of Constantine.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
St. Paul's Basilica
October 24, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
Our last stop was St. Paul's Basilica. We got there late in the day and the tour guide said we had 30 minutes to walk around. Unfortunately, the line was over 30 minutes long because there were so many Catholic pilgrims there to visit. Disappointed, we decided to walk around the Basilica and then head back to the car. When we got around to the other side of the church, we saw another entrance with nobody waiting in line. After patching together a conversation in Italian and Spanish, the lonely security guard let us in. We zoomed through and got a few great pictures from inside before heading back to the car.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
St. Paul's Basilica Rome
October 24, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Inside the basilica, we saw Paul's tomb and the chapel of St. Lawrence. Although we didn't have a lot of time to take it all in, we were happy to get to see what we did. After that it was time to head back to Civitavecchia and hop on the ship headed to Sorrento.

The Basilica was founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of St. Paul, where it was said that, after the Apostle's execution, his followers erected a memorial. A much larger basilica was built in 386 AD and underwent numerous additions and renovations in the centuries that followed.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Sorrento and Amalfi Coast
October 25, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Upon arrival in Sorrento, we stopped by a Limoncello factory where we bought a couple of small bottles to take home. Along the drive, we snapped a picture of "The Virgin Mary", a rock formation located along the coast. We also saw a miniature village scene built along the road to Amalfi. The other shots included here are near dusk back in Sorrento and from the cruise ship leaving Sorrento at sunset. Beautiful scenery!Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Positano
October 25, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
We joined three other couples for this excursion with Joe Banana limo tours. They took us to Positano, Amalfi, Pompeii, and the aforementioned limoncello shop. Positano is a beautiful city on the Amalfi coast. We parked about midway down the slope and walked down to the beach for some of the beautiful views that you see here.

Positano's history goes back to ancient times and had numerous Roman villas that were destroyed along with everything else when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The city flourished from Middle East trade in the 16th and 17th centuries and many of the Baroque style homes with their beautiful terraces overlooking the Mediterranean were built during the 18th century period of economic independence that resulted.Read more
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Amalfi
October 25, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Our next stop was the little town of Amalfi, a town known for its nativity scenes. We also came across some cute drinking fountains, as pictured here. We, however, stuck with bottled water.
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Amalfi Cathedral
October 25, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
The Amalfi cathedral is a 9th century cathedral that holds the relics of the Apostle Andrew. A "newer" version built in the 13th century is connected to it and seen in the picture of Carole on the steps. We walked up the 62 steep steps and took a look inside to get a few photographs.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Pompeii
October 25, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Our last sightseeing stop was a visit to Pompeii, an ancient Roman city buried by volcanic ash with Mt. Vesuvius's eruption in 79 AD. Although we had a very knowledgeable guide, we only got to see about 10 percent of the ruins. We will certainly need to go back someday! We got pictures of a fresco inside a Pompeii home, a cast of a baby who died in the hot winds of Vesuvius, a picture of us in front of Vesuvius, as well as photos of the city's forum, a bath house, and a public restroom.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Messina, Sicily
October 26, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Our next port was supposed to be Taormina, Sicily which is a quaint, ancient Sicilian town with a lot of Roman and Greek ruins. Unfortunately, the sea was too choppy for us to anchor in the Mediterranean and take boats to shore, so we docked in Messina, Sicily instead. Messina is covered in graffiti and is much more modern, but the area is naturally beautiful. We managed to find some interesting sights as we walked around town.

Pics include Tempio Votivo di Cristo Re, which is a War Memorial with a promenade below it that has beautiful views of the city and harbor. Duomo di Messina was originally built in the 12th century and accidentally burnt to the ground in 1254, the cathedral was destroyed again in the earthquakes of 1783 and 1908, as well as by an incendiary WWII bomb in 1943. And guarding Messina's harbour is the golden statue of the Madonna della Lettera visible in front of the sunrise as we docked.Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Savoca, Sicily
October 26, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Our ship excursion in Sicily was entitled "Land of The Godfather". (This selection was entirely Mike's idea!) We saw many of the places where "The Godfather" (parts I and II) was filmed, including the bar where Michael Corleone asked Apollonia's father if he could court her. Mike enjoyed pretending he was Fabrizio, the traitor who eventually killed Apollonia with a car bomb. Carole played along, though she was pretty bored!Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Forza d'agro
October 26, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
The next stop in our tour of the "Land of the Godfather" was Forza d'agro. The wedding of Michael and Apollonia (from the movie) was filmed at a church here (see the picture of Mike in the doorway); another picture shows the church from Godfather II where Vito Andolini rode by while being smuggled out of town. The views were great from up there!Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Inside Sicilian Churches
October 26, 2016 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
We got another few pictures from stopping by several churches in Savoca and Forza d'agro. Most places were closed that day, so we had the streets to ourselves.
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Palaiokastritsa, Greece
October 27, 2016 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We moved on to Greece the next day, and while the weather was just about perfect every other day of our trip, our stop in Corfu was very rainy. After docking outside of the town of Corfu at noon, we took a ship excursion that drove us across the island to Palaiokastritsa, a famously beautiful town. Although the rain marred the view, Carole found solace in a latte and authentic Greek baklava made at a family-owned restaurant—delicious!Read more
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Honeymoon Mike and Carole
Orthodox Church/Makrades/Acharavi
October 27, 2016 in Greece ⋅ 🌧 18 °C
Our next stop was a little Greek Orthodox church that was several centuries old. We bought a small handmade Christmas ornament from the resident nuns there. Afterward, we stopped at a little bakery/cafe that had an old fashioned olive press. We had a glass of wine and a snack, and headed on to Acharavi, where they served us an early dinner at an authentic Greek restaurant. We ate with Carole's friend from undergraduate at Vanderbilt, Erin Benson, whom she ran into on the ship—what a small world! Finally, we included a picture of the small dent in the front of the bus caused by a crazy Greek driver who came around a blind corner on the windy, wet mountain road, going way too fast; as expected, he ran into the bus. He followed us to our next destination and exchanged his information with the bus driver while we walked around. It finally stopped raining!Read more
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