"When in Rome"- and Pisa, Florence, Barcelona, Cannes, Nice,.....

Magnet #25

When "travel friend" Kristin asked for ideas about how to spend her birthday in 2014, it didn’t take long to decide on a western Mediterranean cruise itinerary beginning with a few days in Rome. Still unsure about how to plan such an ambitious trip, we asked for help from Debbie Bush at Avenue Two Travel located in Bryn Mawr, PA.

Debbie created a seamless travel package that suited us perfectly. With her help, we eliminated one potential stresser from the get go—

Traveler’s Tip: To increase your chances of meeting your ship on time, plan to arrive close to your port city at least one day before your voyage’s departure. Weather, unexpected travel delays, lost luggage, etc., can severely impact your trip even before you’ve had a chance to board the gangway.

We took Debbie’s advice and arrived in Rome two days before our Cunard cruise departed from the port of Civitavecchia, an hour's drive from Rome.

Two “hot mamas” in Rome alone?? Where to go and what to do?

Traveler’s Tip: Private tours are worth the extra money! On our first afternoon in Rome, we used a tour company like Romeconnection.com for a privately guided tour of the Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museum. Our lovely English speaking tour guide seamlessly guided us past the long lines and to “behind the scenes” places of interest at the Vatican.

Now THAT'S what I call a man in uniform!

A particular highlight; filling our water bottles from an ancient water fountain just outside the Vatican.

"Filling up" at the Vatican

Peter's Chains - on exhibit below the main altar in the basilica.

Jet lag can be a real killjoy for any start to a trip. Having heard this, we hit the ground running that first day and never stopped.

Traveler’s Tip: Try adjusting to your new time zone immediately. For us, it meant that even though it was six hours ahead for our body clocks, we kept moving until Rome time = our usual bedtime. If you must nap, keep it short! Limiting shut eye to 20 minutes or less helps ensure you’ll have a better chance of sleeping through the first night of your faraway vaca.

Our Rome travel guide company also arranged for a private ½ day tour for our second day of sightseeing. Kristin and I loved being met in our lobby by a handsome chauffeur/driver/tour guide who quickly whisked us away in a gorgeous black Mercedes sedan. In his knowledgeable driving hands, we saw more of Rome in 6 hours than we could have ever seen managing on our own or with a big tour group.

By tea time, Kristin and I visited the Coliseum, Parthenon, Forum, Circus Maximus, and stood on the FIRST road built in Rome. Our driver parked right outside a magical “keyhole” (the Knights of Malta headquarters), where through it, we spied the three beautiful Italian countries of Malta, Vatican City and Rome in a single glance.

Taking a stand on "the" original Roman road

Angelo also stopped our car at a particularly gorgeous fountain; its pipes date back to a still functioning aqueduct built during Augustus’ reign around 19 B.C.E.

When it started to rain a bit, our Angelo muttered aloud, “Where to take you in the rain?”. Suddenly, we were off for a quick pit stop at the Gladiator School of Rome, still in operation in 2023. We met Angelo’s friend who gave us our own personal tour of the grounds and museum. VERY FUN!

Looking online today, Viator (Trip Advisor) offers a full tour and gladiator instruction at the school which I definitely recommend for interested tourists.

Kristin and I did encounter one annoying hiccough on our first day when we almost became victims of an unscrupulous taxi driver.

After I paid our fare after our Vatican tour, our driver started yelling at us that we owed twice the amount for two people. “Duo, duo”, he yelled at us. Thankfully, we were parked in front of our hotel. “Kristin, go get the manager!”, I said, becoming increasingly annoyed at being screamed at by our angry driver. Kris rushed off as the driver continued to demand that I give him more money. Within a minute, our hotel manager appeared and settled the matter quickly with a hearty mix of strong words in Italian and a flurry of hand gestures.

Traveler’s Tip: Carry small bills when taking the taxis in Rome and remain extra vigilant in regards to the meter’s fare. Be advised, in most cases, taxi fare is not “per person”.

Wary of future incidents, we chose to avoid taxis for the rest of our Rome visit. Kristin and I walked to restaurants for dinner, enjoying the exercise and window shopping instead.

In fact, you can find anything in Rome. Forget your underwear? No worries - there are vending machines with all the latest styles.

Underwear Vending Machine???!!!

Traveler’s Recommendation: Hotel Savoy Roma. This hotel is wonderfully located and the welcoming staff made us feel “at home” immediately. Our room looked like it had been pulled from the pages of a French chateau brochure. Best yet, after our two long days of touring, our evenings spent sitting at the hotel’s rooftop bar made us feel pampered and relaxed (the delicious Limoncello probably helped too).

Our view from the top of the Savoy - Roma

Feeling well rested, Kristin and I couldn’t wait to start our western Mediterranean Cruise on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth on Sept 26th, 2014. Because I had “cruised” with Cunard before, we were offered a free upgrade on the Britannica Level. What does this mean?

Traveler’s Tip: Like airlines, cruise lines give perks and offer an extra level of service to say thanks for loyalty to their brand. For us on this cruise, the upgrade to Britannica deck 8 included a private dining room, a private outdoor space, plus more.

The list goes on and on for what you can do while onboard a big ship. Kristin and I paid the reasonable $125 fee to enjoy the spa amenities including: the private pool and hot tub, and saunas. Best yet, we discovered the tiled warming beds which felt particularly great after a full day of touring, fencing, dancing, playing tournament ping pong, or singing during one forgettable evening in a karaoke bar (that video shall stay hidden forever).

Pisa

We chose four excursions during our 6 night cruise. They included: a fast paced tour of Florence (hello David), savoring biscotti by the Leaning Tower of Pisa, shopping with beach time at Nice and Cannes (not sure what the draw is to either city), and wandering on a rainy day around Aix En Provence. Our final “Highlights City Tour” turned out to be my favorite of the cruise - visiting amazing Barcelona.

Sagrada Familia

My notes remind me how taken I was with this Spanish city, literally dripping with provocative architecture. Antoni Gaudi left his mark all over Barcelona; however, his most notable work to date is the Sagrada Familia, under construction since 1882. It remains the largest unfinished Catholic cathedral in the world. As we glided throughout the city by bus, my senses became overloaded with the colors, shapes and design (the beautiful and bizarre) that literally fuse the city together.

Barcelona is definitely on my short list of cities I hope to return to visit.

Too soon it became time to fly home from Rome. Kristin and I enjoyed every aspect of our trip (well, except the Rome cabbie), and couldn’t wait to figure out where to go next. Putting these two itineraries together worked well for us. Our trip home was uneventful thanks to some quick thinking on Kristin’s part.

Traveler’s Tip: If you have a connection for an international flight, don’t assume that the line “everyone else” stands in is the correct one for you. We would have missed our connection if Kristin hadn’t asked a gate agent who redirected us to an entirely different part of the airport. We made our plane, but just barely.

An amazing trip!!

Hmmmm…..where to next???