What started as me wanting to revisit where I went to university turned into a great week of touring through Toronto, Kingston, and Ottawa. A real walk down memory lane, plus some new adventures!
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Category Archives: Travel
Greece and Turkey 2025
Once again, I did all my real-time blogging on Facebook. Here’s the collection of posts for posterity:
June 15 – ATHENS, GREECE
Welcome to our latest adventure: a cruise of Greece and Turkey. Iβm a huge history buff but have never been to Athens or the Aegean area before, so this is awesome.
Naturally, we started with the Acropolis, where the Parthenon has stood for close to 2,500 years. Itβs been damaged partly by time, but mostly by a Venetian siege in the late 17th century and the pillaging of a British lord in the early 19th century. Restoration work is ongoing. The place does look amazing all lit up at night!
We also made our way to the former royal palace turned Greek Parliament. The Evzones in traditional uniform guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier just in front of the building. They perform a ceremonial changing of the guard each hour; we caught a few minutes of it.
Our final stop was the Panathenaic Stadium. This is where the Olympic flame gets handed over to the host nation. Fun fact: itβs the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble.
I love, love, love the food (and the prices) here in Athens! We have seriously never had a bad meal in Greece, and weβre coming in way under my food budget.
Tomorrow we board our ship!
June 16 – ATHENS
I havenβt seen too much of the ship yet, but the staterooms certainly are beautiful (padded balcony chairsβ¦what a luxury!) Our cabin seems incredibly spacious, but that may just be because a) weβre minimalist packers and b) weβre used to squeezing four people in a room.
We have reservations at the specialty Italian restaurant tonight, but Chris has a tender tummy after a bout of food poisoning last night (shortly after I raved about how weβve never had a bad meal in Greece). So we wonβt be getting our moneyβs worth, but Iβll do my best!
Getting ready to sailβ¦
June 17 – METEORA, GREECE
Back in the 1300s, a group of monks wanted an isolated place to hide from waves of invading Turks, so they built monasteries high on the rocks of Meteora. It would have been hard to find a more inaccessible location: the only way to get people, building materials, or anything else up to the top was via removable ladders or hoisting ropes. Today there are stone steps, but you still have to work at it. We toured a couple of the monasteries and admired the spectacular views.
Our first Turkish port tomorrow!
June 18 – EPHESUS, TURKEY
Ephesus is one of the largest archaeological sites in the eastern Mediterranean. The ancient city in present-day Turkey came to prominence under the Roman Empire as the capital of Asia Minor. (Now Iβve stood on every continent except Antarcticaβso cool!)
The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, once stood here. The Gospel of John was written here. Cleopatra briefly lived here. The significance of this place just goes on and on.
It was hot and there were plenty of people, but we were there early and our guide did a great job avoiding the worst of the crowds. By the time we finished, the buses were literally lined up for miles just waiting to get into the parking lot. (!)
Overall, I actually liked Ephesus better than Pompeii, which is really saying something.
In other newsβ¦Chris finally had a few bites last night after two days of eating absolutely nothing, so things are looking up there.
Tomorrow is the port Iβve been looking forward to most: Istanbul!
June 19 – ISTANBUL, TURKEY
The only city in the world that straddles two continents, Istanbul has a long history as the capital of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. Itβs been on my bucket list for a long time, and Iβm so stoked to be here!
A brief overview: Founded as Byzantium in 656 BC, the city was renamed Constantinople in 330 AD and became the capital of the Roman Empire. When the western part of the empire collapsed in 476, Constantinople remained the capital of the eastern part (AKA the Byzantine Empire). Then in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II conquered the city and declared it the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The name was officially changed to Istanbul in 1930 when the Republic of Turkey was formed.
The Bosphorus Strait connects the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea and divides the city between Europe and Asia. We took a day cruise along its shores to see some very cool highlights.
The ship is in port overnight, so we get another full day to explore tomorrow!
June 20 – ISTANBUL, TURKEY
While Turkey is officially a secular state, 99% of the population is Muslim, and the call to prayer echoes across Istanbul five times a day. I heard it at 4:30 this morning and couldnβt get back to sleep, but seize the day, right?
Our main goal for today was to see Topkapi Palace. This was the home of the Ottoman sultans for 400 years. The main attraction is the harem, where the female members of the sultanβs family (his mother, wives, concubines, and children) lived with their servants/guards (eunuchs). Fun fact: Since Islam does not allow the enslavement of Muslim women, most of the concubines were Jews or Christians, given to the sultans as gifts.
We also saw the other sights in the historic centre, like Hagia Sophia. Completed during the Byzantine era in 537 AD, it was originally a Christian cathedral. When the Ottomans took over, they converted it to a mosque. It was turned into a museum in 1935 and (controversially) turned back into a mosque in 2020. The lines were long and the entry fee was high, so we took a few pictures of the exterior and moved on.
The nearby Sultanahmet Mosque is an Ottoman-era mosque from the 17th century. Itβs popularly known as the Blue Mosque because of the 20,000 blue tiles that decorate the interior (which unfortunately we didnβt get to see). 
Legend has it that the builder misheard the sultanβs request for “altΔ±n minareler” (gold minarets) as “altΔ± minare” (six minarets), but only the mosque in Mecca was supposed to have that many. To make up for the error, the sultan ordered a seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca mosque.
Thankfully the public tram system is cheap and efficientβthere are 20 million people in this city and Iβve seen how most of them drive. 
Day at sea tomorrowβ¦
June 21 – AT SEA
A full day at sea gave us a chance to relax on this beautiful ship. We joined a couple trivia games, watched an interesting Q&A with the captain and chief engineer, and checked out the action on the shipβs go-kart track. Might catch a show in the theatre tonight, but weβll see.
Tomorrow: Mykonos!
June 22 – MYKONOS, GREECE
To be honest, I could have happily skipped Mykonos. The island is renowned for its beaches and nightlife, but neither of those things appeal to us. There *is* a significant archeological site nearby, but it requires a ferry ride that can be rough, and I have motion sickness issues. So we wandered through the maze of streets (purposely designed to confuse attacking pirates) and toured the tiny Aegean Maritime Museum, which was full of cool historical artifacts.
Next up: Santorini!
June 23 – SANTORINI, GREECE
Santorini is actually a group of islands that were formed by intensive volcanic activity; each violent eruption caused the collapse of the volcanoβs central part, creating a large crater (caldera). Cruise ships now park in the caldera; itβs so deep that they canβt actually anchor, so they have to use their engines and thrusters to stay in place. (!)
We started at the archeological site of Akrotiri, known as the Pompeii of the Aegean. Akrotiri was a Bronze Age settlement inhabited by the Minoans of Crete. It got destroyed in a catastrophic volcanic eruption around 1600 BC and was buried in volcanic ash, which preserved many objects and artworks. Unlike at Pompeii, no human remains were found, which suggests people had time to evacuate. The site was unearthed in 1967 and excavations are still going on.
From there we went to Pyrgos, the highest village on Santorini. Its βcastleβ was built in 1580 and offers panoramic views of the island.
Oia (pronounced EE-ah) is where youβll find the blue domes that adorn every postcard of Greece. *Everyone* wants a photo there, so itβs a tourist madhouse. We snapped a few pics and then ducked into a gelateria for a snack while we waited for the rest of the group.
Tomorrow: Rhodes!
June 24 – RHODES, GREECE
Over the centuries, Rhodes has been controlled by the Romans, Ottomans, Italians, and others. But it was the Knights of St. John who fortified the old city and gave it much of its medieval character. Also known as the Knights Hospitaller, this Catholic military order occupied Rhodes from 1309 to 1523. The old city they created is now a UNESCO World Heritage siteβand our ship docked right next to it!
We began at the Archeological Museum, which is housed in the former hospital of the knights. It has displays of pottery, mosaics, funerary monuments, and more. It also has some pretty gardens.
The knights were organized into seven βtonguesβ based on where they were from: England, Germany, Italy, France, Provence, Auvergne or Aragon. Each tongue had its own βauberge” or “inn” – a communal building that served as residence, meeting place, and dining hall. Walking along the Street of the Knights, you can still see the inscriptions on the walls that indicate which tongue of the knights lived there.
That led us to the Palace of the Grand Master. Itβs super impressive on the outside, but sorely lacking on signage inside. There was lots of info on the floor mosaics, but nothing to tell us about what room we were in or how it was used. A bit of a disappointment.
A final highlight was along the waterfront. Youβve probably heard of the Colossus of Rhodes, another one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was a 30-metre-high bronze statue dedicated to the sun god Helios that experts believe stood at the entrance to Rhodes harbor. It was destroyed in an earthquake in 226 BC, but two statues now mark where it was believed to have been.
Overall, this definitely ranks among my favorite ports!
Tomorrow is our final stop: Crete!
June 25 – CRETE, GREECE
Our guide claimed Crete is the only place in the world that is within 200 miles of three continents: Asia (Turkey), Africa (Libya), and Europe (mainland Greece). Not sure what continent he thinks Crete is actually in, but that is a cool way to look at it.
Our destination today was the Palace of Knossos, which dates from 2000 BC and was the centre of Minoan civilization and culture. Itβs particularly associated with the myth of the minotaur. Like all Greek mythology, the story is long and complicated, but here it is in a nutshell:
King Minos of Crete prayed to Poseidon for a sign of his divine right to rule. The god sent a magnificent white bull from the sea. Minos was supposed to sacrifice the bull, but he kept it out of greed. As punishment, Poseidon cursed Minosβ wife, Pasiphae, to fall in love with the bull. Their union resulted in the birth of the minotaurβa creature that was half man and half bull. Enraged, Minos ordered a craftsman to build a massive maze-like structure (labyrinth) at Knossos to imprison the beast.
The cataclysmic volcanic eruption at nearby Santorini in 1600 BC (did I forget to mention that it was one of the largest eruptions in human history, with the force of 250 nuclear bombs?) hastened the decline of Minoan civilization, and Knossos was abandoned by 1350 BC.
Tomorrow we disembark in Athens and begin the long journey home. Itβs been an outstanding cruiseβone of the best.
And thatβs a wrap!
Mediterranean Cruise 2024
This time I did my real-time blogging on Facebook. Here’s the collection of posts:
August 20 β TRIESTE, ITALY
Buon giorno! With the boys getting older and developing lives that don’t include us, I decided to plan one last major family trip: a Mediterranean cruise. I’ve been planning and looking forward to it for well over a year, so I was none too happy when Westjet started randomly cancelling flights in the days leading up to our departure…but the stars aligned and we made it to Trieste with only minor delays.
The most nerve-wracking part was actually the taxi ride from the airport to our pre-cruise hotel. The cabbie blithely drove 145 kph on a winding highway, ignored all road markings, and weaved around any car not doing double the speed limit. While I was gripping the seat and quietly chanting “ohmyf-inggod”, Brayden leaned over and whispered, “I like this guy.” (!)
The story gets better: I mistakenly thought we’d left my bag in the taxi, so I chased it for two blocks yelling and screaming, finally catching up to the guy at a red light…only to discover Brayden had had it the whole time. My actions were so insane that my family didn’t even feel they could mock me; they clearly thought I was coming unhinged. Not my finest moment.
On a more serious note…today we took a sobering tour of a former rice mill that was used as a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. The prisoner cells remain much as they were, while the crematorium was destroyed by fleeing Nazis to cover up their crimes. The museum also houses photos, documents, and objects given by camp survivors. It was really well done, and a very moving experience.
Tomorrow we sail!
August 21 β SETTING SAIL
And…we’re off!
August 22 β SPLIT, CROATIA
The plan today was rafting on the Cetina River. Chris had a sore neck, so he skipped rafting in favour of a (crazy expensive) massage on the ship. The kids and I went ahead, though, and I can unequivocally say Chris made the right choiceβno one with a sore neck would’ve survived the rafting experience.
It was three to a raft, with the strongest person (Brayden) assigned as captain. So he was in charge of steering while Justin and I paddled for momentum. It didn’t always go wellβwe ploughed through branches, got stuck on rocks, and argued constantly about what each of us was doing wrong. Some of the rapids were fun, and B says he genuinely enjoyed it, but we were mighty tired and sore by the end.
On to Dubrovnik!
August 23 β DUBROVNIK, CROATIA
Game of Thrones fans, eat your heart out: here be Dubrovnik, otherwise known as King’s Landing and capital of the seven kingdoms. I only vaguely remember the show, but certain locations were instantly recognizable, like Fort Lovrijenac (the Red Keep) and the inside of the Rector’s Palace (the Spice King’s Mansion).
The medieval city walls that encircle the old town are 20 feet thick in some places and as high as 80 feet tall. We walked the full circuit, or at least I did (the others bailed about 3/4 of the way through due to heat). You get amazing views of the homes, shops, churches, etc in the city centreβwe even saw a couple of modern sports courts that looked really out of place among the ancient buildings. It was awesome, but damn it was hot, and *so many stairs*. We were glad we did the wall walk as soon as it openedβby the time we finished it was noticeably hotter and the crowds were noticeably larger.
Chris and Justin then sat down by a fountain while Brayden and I wandered around the old town. We ended up inside the Rector’s Palace, former seat of the rulers of Dubrovnik and current home of the cultural history museum. Brayden was completely fascinated by the place, and we spent an hour exploring the exhibits. One room even had air conditioning (!) so we took our time there.
Later on Brayden and I also checked out a museum near the port that detailed the history of communism in Yugoslavia. It had immersive and interactive exhibits, but no air conditioningβthe guy at the desk handed us cardboard fans and wished us luck. We could only stand it for about 20 minutes before we gave up and headed back to the ship.
August 24 β CORFU, GREECE
What stood out most about our day in Corfu, Greece was the unholy temperature and oppressive humidity. As I write, it’s currently 34 degrees with a humidex of 42. And while the Greeks have given the world many things (democracy, philosophy, etc), they do not seem to have discovered air conditioning. No matter where we wentβshops, restaurants, museumsβthere was not the slightest whiff of cool air. We walked over 8K while marinating in our own sweat. Whew.
We started at Mon Repos, the now-slightly-derelict villa where Prince Philip was born in 1921. We didn’t go inside, but we did enjoy the (shaded!) walk through the surrounding park.
We then walked 30 minutes back to the old town. At this point we were seriously dehydrated, so we stopped at a roadside kiosk, where 3L of water cost only 2 euro (roughly $3 Canadian). I had to ask them to repeat the price cause I couldn’t believe it was so cheap. Wow.
Next, Brayden and I explored the Old Fortress, originally built by the Venetians and added to by the French and British who followed. The fortifications were really interesting and we got some amazing views!
After a tasty souvlaki lunch at a cute little taverna, we wandered around the old town, did some souvenir shopping, and dragged our sweaty asses back to the ship.
Day at sea tomorrow!
August 25 β AT SEA
Sea days have never been my favourite, but I have no complaints about this one. The great thing about a cruise is that everyone can do their own thing. I played some Yahtzee and mini golf with Justin, cooled off in the ship’s awesome grotto waterfall feature. and then enjoyed a special family meal at the Brazilian steakhouse.
Next up: Malta!
August 26 β VALLETTA, MALTA
The early morning sail-in to Valletta, Malta, was easily the most impressive one we’ve seen. It really felt like we were stepping into the Middle Ages. (I got a video, but it’s long and slow and I won’t subject anyone to that.)
We docked early but had to be back on the ship by noon, so we were determined to make the most of our limited time. We walked around town long before anything was open, and it was neat to see so many monuments and historical sites with few people around.
Due to the time crunch, we split into two groups: Chris and Brayden went off to the war rooms while Justin and I toured the Grand Master’s Palace. Built in the late 16th century by the Order of the Knights of St. John, the palace now houses the office of the president of Malta. We saw the state rooms and the armoury. The palace had been closed for renovations for five years and only reopened this past January, so I felt fortunate we were able to see it.
By the time we finished, the streets were mobbed with people (damn those cruise day trippers, hey?) so we made our way back to the ship. After lunch three of us joined in a game of trivia in the ship’s atriumβI came in second out of 30 people!
Italian ports for the next three days…
August 27 β NAPLES, ITALY
Our day in Naples got off to a bit of a rocky start: Brayden’s had a cold for the past few days and really didn’t feel great this morning, so we did a quick pharmacy run and left him to chill on the ship.
The rest of us toured the royal palace, once used by the Spanish viceroys as well as the Bourbon and Savoy kings. It was far more opulent than I was expectingβwell worth the price of admission!
Our main adventure today was a pasta cooking class at a local restaurant. Along with a British couple and a young Mexican woman, we donned plastic aprons and prepared fettuccine and ravioli from scratch. The chef was both entertaining and understandingβwe had *no idea* what we were doing, but the meal still turned out great. An awesome experience!
B recovered enough to go souvenir shopping this afternoon (he’s collecting flags) so hopefully he’ll be good to go for the rest of the cruise.
August 28 β CIVITAVECCHIA, ITALY
Most people use the port of Civitavecchia as a launching point for Rome, 75 minutes away. But we’ve already seen the Eternal City, so instead I booked us a private tour to a lakeside castle and an ancient necropolis.
The driver picked us up right next to our ship (in an air conditioned van no less!) and took us to Anguillara, a lovely little town on Lake Bracciano. We had a few minutes to walk around and take pictures before heading to what I considered the main attraction: Odescalchi Castle.
The castle was built in the 15th century and is one of the largest in Italy; it’s also famous as the setting for the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in 2006. We walked through a bunch of impressive interior rooms, but it was the outside of the castle and the views over the lake that really stole the show. Absolutely gorgeous.
After lunch we explored the Cerveteri necropolis, an Etruscan city of the dead. It contains hundreds of tombs dating back to the 9th century BC; some are shaped like huts or small houses while others are dug into the rock underground. As history nerds, Brayden and I both found it extremely interesting (albeit hot; at one point we were literally just chilling inside a tomb to get out of the heat.)
Tomorrow: Tuscany!
August 29 β LIVORNO, ITALY
The port of Livorno is the gateway to Tuscany, and most cruisers who dock here head for Florence or Pisa. But I wanted to zig while others zagged, so after doing some research I booked a private tour to a place I’d never previously heard of: Volterra.
This hilltop town was one of the main city-states of ancient Etruria and is still surrounded by both Etruscan and Roman ruins. It’s also somewhat off the beaten path, so crowds really aren’t an issue. Score!
Brayden and I started by exploring the 13th-century town hall. It’s the oldest in Tuscany and is still used for city council meetings. Loved the views from the top of the tower!
We also checked out the Etruscan museum that holds hundreds of elaborately carved funerary urns made between the 4th and 1st century BC. It’s incredible to think of the effort ancient people put into having a place for their ashes.
Other highlights of the day included the ruins of a Roman theatre and the Etruscan arch from the 4th century BCβyou can see how the three stone heads on the arch have eroded away after being outside for more than 2,000 years.
Only two trip reports left, I promise!
August 30 β CANNES, FRANCE
After days of private tours and independent exploration, it was kind of annoying to join a ship excursion with 40 other people. But Cannes is a tender port (meaning the ship anchors offshore and ferries people in on lifeboats) and tendering is way easier when you’re part of a ship tour; also, I had no interest in Cannes and wanted to go to Monaco, which is a bit of a drive. So we sucked it up and did the group bus thing.
Our first stop was in old Monaco. We walked through a beautiful garden with a statue of Princess Grace, toured the cathedral containing the royal tombs, and saw the outside of the Prince’s Palace. We didn’t have time to go into the palace cause we took 20 minutes to shop for souvenirs and wolf down a sandwich (@#$ restrictions of a group tour!)
The bus then dropped us near the Grand Casino. Even peasants like us are welcome to take pictures of the foyer, so we did that, and then we found the famous hairpin turn of the F1 circuit. That meant nothing to me on my first trip here in 1998, but I’m a Drive to Survive fan now, so it was pretty cool.
One more day!
August 31 β PALMA DE MALLORCA, SPAIN
What a great way to end a cruise. We didn’t arrive in Palma until noon, so for once we didn’t have to be out the door first thing in the morning. Justin and I played some games and even joined in a speed trivia session in the atriumβhe came in third and won a deck of cards, so that was pretty cool.
This afternoon we took a ship tour that was basically just a ride to Palmanova beach. None of us are really beach people, but I’d heard about an awesome mini golf place near there, and that’s something we all enjoy. We played 36 holes in a lush setting and then relaxed with some slushies. Brayden even bought a little pack of seed to feed the fish in the course’s water feature.
Tomorrow we fly home from Barcelona. Sad to see the end of our latest family adventure!
Fitting It All In
With only one full day in London, we had a lot of ground to cover. But this being day 10, we were pretty tired, so we did one big attraction (the Tower of London) and then wandered around just looking at the classic sites: Big Ben, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace. Then we dragged our sorry asses back to the hotel for a nice long nap.
Itβs been an awesome trip, and Iβve loved opening my kidsβ eyes to the world beyond North America, but weβre all ready to go home tomorrow. (Going back to work is another storyβ¦)
Crossing Under the Channel
I gotta say, it felt good to get out of Paris. We were nowhere near the protests last night, but the disruptions (and the mountains of garbage piled on the streets) were unpleasant, to say the least. And Iβm still bummed that we couldnβt get to Versaillesβ¦but cβest la vie.
So today we zipped through the Chunnel on the Eurostar train. Itβs so cool to be able to go from the centre of Paris to the centre of London in just over two hours (as opposed to a full dayβs journey when you go via ferry, as I did many many years ago.) Iβm not known for my navigation skills, but Iβm familiar enough with London that I managed to get us from the train station to the hotel without ever looking at a map. Ha!
We had some great fish n chips at a local pub and Brayden and I even shared a cider. Last day to explore tomorrowβcheers!
The Best-Laid Plansβ¦
Our day trip out to Versailles got nixed due to yet another national strike (sigh) so we decided to avoid public transport and see where our feet could take us. Our hotel is super close to the Arc de Triomphe, so we began by strolling and shopping the Champs Elysees. We browsed but didnβt buyβBrayden had some gift cash to spend but quickly realized he could barely afford a bottle of water, so we pushed on.
Eventually we came to the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris. The 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk in the centre of the square marks the spot where the guillotine stood. Thousands of people, including Louis VXI and Marie Antoinette, lost their heads there.
By that point the other three wanted to turn around and head back, but I convinced them to keep walking through the Tuileries Garden until we came to the Louvre. We werenβt interested in going inside, which was good because itβs closed on Tuesdays (and it undoubtedly wouldβve been closed due to the strike anyway). So we got some photos, had a quick lunch, and walked all the way back. The whole journey was only about 9 km, but it felt like more.
To London tomorrow!
Walking Through WWII
We thoroughly enjoyed our small-group tour of the D-day sites in Normandy. For one thing, it was nice to get out of the big city and see more of the βrealβ France. Plus it was just us, the (young) guide, and another family from New York who happened to have kids not much older than ours, so everyone got to meet some people closer to their own age.
We saw a ton of stuff: some German bunkers along the Atlantic Wall, the American Cemetery, the Operation Overlord Museum, the cliffs scaled by the Army Rangers at Pointe du Hoc, and the memorial at Omaha Beach. The guide shared lots of information in a way that kept everyone engagedβno easy feat with teenagers in the group!
The tour even included a cider tasting at a family farm, which Brayden was super stoked about. (Here, itβs legal for kids of any age to drink as long as theyβre supervised by a parent.) There was a basketball hoop set up in the farmβs courtyard, so when the tasting was over our boys played a quick game of 2-on-2 against our guide and the other dad from our group. That was neat to see.
Such a cool experience!
Highlights of Paris
While wandering around killing time before our slot at the catacombs this morning, we stumbled upon the Montparnasse cemetery, which we knew nothing about. It was full of super elaborate tombs and memorials, some of them dating all the way back to 1786. We learned later that a number of famous people are buried there, including Samuel Beckett. Huh. We just thought the place looked cool.
But todayβs main attraction was the catacombs. Theyβre not as ancient as you might think: they were only created in the late 18th century. In an attempt to solve the problem of overcrowded and unhygienic medieval cemeteries, the skeletal remains of millions of long-dead Parisians were exhumed, moved to underground quarries, and (eventually) artfully arranged. We found the whole βempire of deathβ thing both spooky and fascinating.
And yes, we went up the Eiffel Tower. Worth the hassle? Not really. The view from the elevator was kind of cool, but the experience was more of a βnow you can say youβve done itβ kind of thing. It did save us from going all the way to Notre Dame, since we saw the cathedral from up above and that was enough for the boys.
D-day beaches tomorrowβ¦
The City of Lights
The current turmoil in France messed us up a bitβour flight from Rome to Paris was delayed due to strike action somewhere in the aviation pipeline, and the tour we booked for Tuesday got cancelled, but those are just minor bumps in the road. Our hotel is lovely, we had a great French dinner (love that croque monsieur!), and then the boys and I climbed 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe for a brilliant view of the Paris lights. Canβt wait to explore tomorrow!
Volcanoes and Body Casts
When Mt. Vesuvius blew its top in 79 AD, it buried the nearby city of Pompeii in 20 metres of ash. Archeologists have since unearthed buildings, streets, and even people that were essentially frozen in time.Β Β We saw the gladiator barracks, several bakeries and fast food shops, and even a wealthy family home with original frescoes and flooring. Then there were the plaster molds of the people who diedβthere are over a thousand such body casts, though only three are on display. All in all, it was pretty cool.
After feasting on bread with olive oil, caprese salad, and pizza, we set out to climb Vesuvius itself. The hike was steeper than weβd been led to believe, and we were huffing by the time we reached the rim of the caldera, but the views were incredible. Itβs not every day you get to stare into the cone of an active volcano.
To Paris tomorrow!
Crystal's Commentary 