Magnifica

Paige had her class trip to France before we left on our cruise. She spent 2 nights and 3 days in La Petite Pierre. She seemed to have a great time. Then we whisked her off to Venice, Italy for our 7 day cruise. We spent an afternoon and part of the next day in St. Marco square before we had to go to the port. We didn't have a lot of time there, but we did enjoy a gondola ride and some sight seeing. The kids got to climb on the back and help row. What a cool experience for the kiddos.

We boarded our ship around 3 and left for Bari, Italy. We spent the first day on the boat because the weather was so nice and the kids wanted to swim and play. Dan ended up getting his legs burnt while reading his book. Poor Dan. He also got his first massage of many. Poor Dan.

The second day we went to Olympia,Greece. We took a tour of Olympia were they held the first Olympic games. We saw the temples for Zeus and Hera. This was one of Christian's favorite stops. We had a little time for shopping too. I found I can shop all over the world, everyone speaks credit card. During our evening suppers we sat with a couple from Amsterdam. They spoke Dutch and some English. We were able to talk, but it was exhausting with all the hand gestures we used.

Day three was Izmir,Turkey formerly know as Smyrna. We visited St. John's Monastery. This was the church of St. John the apostle. What a feeling to be standing where an apostle had his church. We also got to visit the Virgin Mary's house. It's recognized as a holy place of the Christian church. Mary lived there after the death and ascension of her son, Jesus. During her life time, she had carefully tried to stay concealed leaving the apostles to present Christ. I can't even express that day in words. The whole day was amazing.

Day four was Istanbul, Turkey. Christian was sick that day so he stayed on the boat. I ended up taking him to the doctor on the boat. Strep throat. Shocking, since we have been passing it back and forth since October. We saw the Blue Mosque built in the 17Th century and a Basilica that was built in 532 AD. It was built in five years. Later it too was turned into a Mosque. We finished the tour with a visit to a carpet factory and a bizarre. Back to the boat for sun and books. That night the water was so clear on the boat that we saw dolphins swimming and jumping by our boat.


Day five on the boat all day. Massages for Dan and myself. The kids and I played cards and Dan relaxed with a book.

Our final day was in Dubrovnik. It was a very clean little town. We walked their famous wall. The sea was amazing. We only wished we had a little more time there.

Saturday we ended our trip and headed back home to Germany. All together the kids have seen 12 different countries in their short lives. Dan unfortunately had to repack at the airport and head to the far East for more business. Without him working and traveling so much we wouldn't be able to do all the wonderful things we have done so far. Thanks Dan for working so hard, and being a great husband and Dad.
Tschau, Arrivederci!
Many blessings,
Ange