At last we got to experience the cruise we had planned on for over a year... and no volcano in Iceland was going to stop us.
Warning: This a long post.
The day had come for Chris and I to travel via our favorite airline (Lufthansa) and head over to Rome for a wonderful 10-day cruise. We had our bags packed, dogs dropped off in a safe place, plants distributed among friends to water and we were set...HALT! Our flight was cancelled due to the volcanic ash that was looming over northern Europe. Chris stepped up to the plate and spent that entire day looking for alternate flights and routes. He had the brilliant idea of taking a route that would take us 36 hours to get to Rome, but alas, we'd be there. We would leave the next day, so we had a few hours to get home and sleep before our long journey ahead of us.
Our first adventure started when we got on the South African Airlines plane and were all sprayed with insecticide while on the plane. T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E! The plane was actually really nice (besides the crazy spray) and we arrived in Dakar, Senegal. Wow! The culture shock I've had in Europe is NOTHING compared to what we experienced in our short time in Dakar. The building where you go into when you get off the plane is different than the terminal to connect to your next flight. At 3am, we experienced many beggers, sellers, animals and crazy humidity as we crossed from building to building to get on our next flight. The worst thing was that the lady who spoke English and was leading us to our next terminal (the only other flight leaving at that hour) told us that we wouldn't get on the next flight because it was full. I was in full prayer mode! What I saw was neither welcoming nor seemed safe and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck there for a night. We thankfully had our printed tickets and got onto the next flight on Royal Air Moroc, in which we were sprayed again with insecticide.
We arrived in Casablanca, Morocco and had to almost pursuade the people at the ticket counter to accept our reservations to get to Rome. It's fascinating the way lines and waiting your turn didn't exist in Africa. The mentality was push your way through to get to the front - no shame in that at all. Phew... we got on! We spent a few hours in the airport (which was much much nicer) and off we went to Rome.
AT LAST... WE'RE IN ROME.
We stayed the night in Rome and had our first experience of the trip with amazing real Italian pizza. The hotel was super nice (it was a hostel mind you, but an very nice one) and we were happy to wash off the insecticide off of our bodies that night. The next day, we spent a few hours at the Vatican City - which was amazing.
We then hauled our luggage a few miles away to the train station. It was a long haul, but we were on a mission to get to our boat on time. We arrived in the port town and saw our beautiful boat in the distance. As we reached it, we found out we'd be docked in the port city for a another day to allow for late comers (due to the volcano) to arrive. We got our first experience in cruise dining (4-course meals for every meal) and enjoyed a welcoming show that night. The next two days were relaxing as we got to spend time in the port city and a full day at sea. Eating a ton, relaxing even more and enjoying all the boat had to offer. Our room was super nice and big. I had the impression cruise boats look more like dorm rooms - but ours was great. Our first city was Dubrovnik, Croatia - which was my favorite. It was a super charming, clean, friendly little city.
Our next stop was in Olympia, Greece where we got to experience the home of the Olympic games. Chris got to run the original Olympic stadium. Below is Chris, as his own statue, after running the actual length of the original Olympic stadium.
Next was Chris' favorite stop, Santorini, Greece. Most of the pictures of Greece are from Santorini. We visited two cities here and got to hike about 6 miles along the volcanic rim back to our boat. It was tiring, but very worth it. I earned my large meal that evening!
We visited Ephesus, Turkey next where we got to see the ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus. It was magnificant how the structures perserved their detail. 
We also were taken to the House of Mary - where Mary supposidly lived in her last days. Also, on our tour was a stop at a rug store. Though this was more of a gimic to buy their Turkish rugs, I really enjoyed learning how the rugs are made and feeling different types of rugs made from different materials. Very fun! Though we didn't enjoy a Turkish bath, we got to bargain quite a bit, which was interesting (until we got kicked out of a store by an older woman who I think didn't quite understand us and thought we were ripping her off. Oops).
After Ephesus was Athens, Greece. Besides Rome, this city had so much history and culture that you could stay here for days to learn about all of it. I'm glad we were out of there before all the riots began though.
Then we had a day at sea and went to the quiet little town of Messina, Sicily. This town's highlight was a clock tower that had all sorts of bells, music, statues moving, walking, waving, animals crowing or growling. Very interesting.... yyyyyyyeah. We did get to eat an incredibly delicious cannoli though.
And finally, we got back to Rome. Though I was ready to be off the ship, I can definitely say it was an unforgetable experience. The great food, service, entertainment and variety of activities made it so fun. Though most of the people on the boat were retired, we had a fun time learning about their grandkids, etc. We were probably one of fifteen other younger couples. We learned that many of them were on their honeymoons or were planning on getting married during their time on the boat.
We took a train back to Rome and were on our way to our next hotel which was close to the Colosseum. Before we left Denver, we sent a message to the hotel letting them know we wanted to stay 2 more nights (to make up for the days we missed at the beginning); however, when we arrived they were already full. We quickly looked for another hotel in Bologna, Italy. That day we walked around the Roman forum and saw where Peter and Paul were imprisoned, and at night we got an impressive view of the Colisseum all lit up. Very romantic.
The next day, we toured the Colosseum and were off to our next hotel. That evening, we literally just had dinner at a cute little restaurant close by and got a good night's rest. Let me tell you that the hotel change was fantastic as the Bologna area was beautiful, lush, luxurious yet friendly. I would recommend staying in that area as the train stop was very close by. On Saturday we toured the Trevi Fountain by day and night, Spanish Steps, Pantheon and walked past really nice piazzas, fountains and statues. 
We even were in the midst of a big labor day "festival" with a ton of young people. We even saw people that were with the Communist party (flags, shirts, posters, etc) - really odd. Though Chris wanted to stay and be part of it, I kind of got freaked out and opted to continue on peacefully as any gathering like that could get violent. That night (after getting kicked out of a restaurant for asking to see the wine list before seating) we ate our last Italian meal at a local hotspot (which we surprisingly got a table) that had great pasta and also stopped at a delicious gelato place. Wow! So fresh and simple. Loved it.
My overall impression of Rome was nothing but positive. Well, except for a lot of rude service, but the sights and overall culture made us happy.
Though Chris and I ate a ton, we walked so much so that we even managed to lose a few pounds. Yay!
This was truly a once in a lifetime experience and I'm so glad we got to take the trip. It was a much needed time away...
I'm truly proud of being an aunt to this fabulous little guy. He was born only a couple of days before my dad's birthday, so that was probably the best birthday gift my dad had ever received. He had been wanting a grandchild for years...
