Off We Go! Spain, France, Italy, Malta
1 maja 2024, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F
Our flight got changed to a much earlier one with two layovers. I was nervous about a one hour layover at O'Hare but our first two flights both got in early! Yay for small blessings!
Éowyn and I Czytaj więcej
Hotel Penninsular
2 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F
Our hotel for the night is older and not the fanciest, but check out the most amazing inner courtyard I've seen.
Folks are nice, it's clean and quiet, and about 2 min off La Rambla. Near the cruise Czytaj więcej
La Rambla
2 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
We got in at 9:00 and have a day to fill before we can sleep! Had the nicest driver from the airport and he'll come back to take us to the airport tomorrow.
We're staying right off of La Rambla. Went Czytaj więcej
Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar
2 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
We saw this church built by the people before, but this time we went in. I'm so glad we did. It's a stunning example of gothic architecture and so peaceful.
It's so touching that the people that Czytaj więcej
Caganer
2 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
Just...read up.
I especially found King Tut's golden contribution amusing.
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The caganer is one of Catalonia’s most peculiar and beloved Christmas traditions, offering a cheeky contrast to the Czytaj więcej
I Can't Stop Taking Pics of Streets
2 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
Willow got a hand painted fan, and almost got a really amazing pair of Alice in Wonderland type shoes.
Cathedral of Santa Eulalia
2 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
A little bummed that the antiques market in this plaza is gone now. Still a beautiful church!
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The Barcelona Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, Czytaj więcej
Temple d'August
2 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
This is the highest point and one of the oldest points in Barcelona. It gives me chills to actually be able to put my hands on something that Romans were standing on to lecture in the forum at the Czytaj więcej
Mercat de Sant Josep - La Boqueria
2 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
It was sooooo crowded at dinner that we ended up just shoving through crowds, but I love the hustle and bustle of this place. Had some fresh juice, street tacos, salmon roll, gelato, and Czytaj więcej
Embarkation on the MSC World Europa
3 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F
Embarkation was so simple! One of the bonuses of a European itinterary on MSC is that people embark and disembark at nearly every port - the ship just makes a perpetual circuit (Malta being an Czytaj więcej
Heading on the cruise ship
3 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F
Dinners in the Main Dining Room
3 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
You are assigned a time and table to eat in the main dining room included in the base fare. Each night, you have the same waiter who gets to know your preferences. For example, they are bringing Dad Czytaj więcej
Family Photos
3 maja 2024, Iberian Sea ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
Chocolate Shop on the Ship
3 maja 2024, Hiszpania ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
Unfortunately this isn't included, but the chocolates look amazing.
I really want to eat one of those holey spheres.
Sunset on the Costa Brava
3 maja 2024, Iberian Sea ⋅ 🌬 63 °F
What a beautiful evening heading north out of Barcelona! It was lovely to see all of the little seaside towns lit up at night.
I think I managed to spot Tossa de Mar where we'll be staying for the Czytaj więcej
Exploring the MSC World Europa
3 maja 2024, Iberian Sea ⋅ 🌬 63 °F
This ship is HUGE. Very stable, and the Mediterranean is so smooth right now. If you are prone to seasickness, try a megaship! The Promenade in the center of the ship is so fun - like a little city Czytaj więcej
MSC Photos - Willow's Goth Photo Shoot
3 maja 2024, Iberian Sea ⋅ 🌬 63 °F
We've never done a photo package before but I'm so glad we decided to for this trip. The photographer really loved Willow (obviously) and took a ton of pictures of her.
Bellissima!
MSC Photos - Éowyn's Stitch Dress
3 maja 2024, Iberian Sea ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
This was Éowyn's end of school year present and she was excited to bring it. They got such cute pictures of her.
Refueling the Ship
4 maja 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
This was kind of fun to watch. They were directly outside of our window so we ended up closing the curtains.
Ancient Greek City Center
4 maja 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
Marseilles is one of the oldest settlements in France. There are ruins left at what used to be the shore, but the city has been built out since then. The natural harbor (protected from the wind) made Czytaj więcej
Marseille Walking Tour
4 maja 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
Cathédrale La Major
4 maja 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
This cathedral was stunning. So much that it can be seen from the sea. The mosaic floor is completely hand cut and took over 8 years to create.
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Cathedral La Major, formally known as Marseille Czytaj więcej
A little bit more of Marseilles, France
4 maja 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
The old forts just reopened, and we saw churches that were over 1000 years old!
Our tour guide also filled us in on what to look for if we wanted to buy the famous soap - it should be green as it's Czytaj więcej
Leaving Marseilles
4 maja 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
I want to come back here someday and go to all of the islands!
Sunset from the Promenade
4 maja 2024, Western Mediterranean ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
I really love this feature on a ship!
There are also promenade balcony cabins which seem pretty cool for someone who maybe doesn't want to be on the ocean *cough*willow*cough* but still wants some Czytaj więcej












































































































































































































































