Far right yacht is world's largest private yacht

We arrived in the Principality of Monaco yesterday morning. It was a spectacular day with blue skies and sunshine. It is another city built on the side of mountains with incredible panoramic views. We taxied to our hotel and decided to enjoy the day around the pool and beach. We walked along the shore to the Casino Monte Carlo and the Hotel de Paris. We ate outside at the Paris Cafe and watched all the bling pass us by. Maseratis, Aston Martin, Bentley, Gull-Wing Mercedes are the cars of choice around here... We hopped on an open air bus to see the sights this am. The harbor is filled with huge yachts from everywhere. Prince Albert was at the Place du Palais. We lunched at a cute cafe  and strolled through the garden called Roserale Princesse Grace and watched French children and french dogs play in the park. Back to pack and begin our journey back to the USA and with lots of great memories!  If you like the blog...please send money and we will take another trip....so you can enjoy more....

Our final day of the cruise brought some rain in the morning then some clearing in the afternoon.  Portofino is as great little city on the Italian Riviera, it is definately home of the rich and famous. It is one of the most photographed villages along the Italian coast.  Tomorrow we dock in Monte Carlo, around 6:00 am....and we are going to spend two night their before heading back to the west coast

Today we are on our way to Florence.  The drive from the port to the city is around two hours through the Tuscan countryside.  Our first stop was at the Academy of Fine Arts, which is home to Michelangelo's statue of David.  It was carved out of a single piece of marble.  Florence was a very easy city to walk and to see most of the churches, statues and the scenic rivers, bridges and squares. 

Tomorrow is our last day on the cruise and we will be in Portofino...Following Portofino we will spend two day in Monte Carlo before heading back home on Monday the 4th.

Wednesday brings us to Rome.  Our day starts with a speedy private railcar ride through the countryside to Rome.  Our first stop was the Church of St Peter in Chains which contains the Saints prison chains.  Also in the church is a Michelangelo's statue of Moses holding the 10 commandments.  After the church we walk over to the Roman Forum which was the religious, political and commercial center of ancient Rome.  Then we walk to the Colosseum, which is totally awesome.  It is so big,  you could imagine the gladiatorial combats, fights with wild beast and bloody fights.  Next on to Navona Square for for an Italian lunch.  In this square is Bernini statue of the Four Rivers, which was the final hint to reach the the fifth alter of the science in the recent movie "The Angels and Demons".  We ended our Rome trip with a visit to St Peters Square and St Peters Basilica.  The Pope gave a mass this morning at 10:15 am which we did not arrive in time.

Tuesday the 28th finds us in Naples, Italy and we are on our way to Pompeii which was an ancient Roman town devasted by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. We were able to see huge forums, temples, numerous houses, shops and even a brothel that were all suspended in time by the eruption. We were able to sample the local liqueur limoncello and Barbie had the best coffee gelato yet. Back on board we relaxed and joined a couple from Montreal for dinner of lobster and prime rib.....

2000 year old picture in brothal

Bonjorno......today is Monday the 27th and we are in Sicily.  We first headed inland to a little village called Savoca, which is nestled between two hills. Upon arrival we visited the Cappuccini Church, which houses 37 mummified bodies, whom were fully dressed 18th century friars and nobles.  A few footsteps from here Francis Ford Coppola filmed scenes of Godfather II.....the wedding of Michael Corleone and also the bar scene at Bar Vitelli.  We departed down a winding but partially paved road to a charming little village named Taoirmina, where scenes from Godfather III were filmed,  which is at the base of Mount Edna.  Mount Edna is one of the worlds major active volcanoes, it is also the largest and highest in Europe. We enjoyed pizza and gelato before boarding the ship for MORE food and vino! Bonjorno!   News alert!!!!! Our next Port of Sorrento has been cancel due to bad weather.  Going to try to get into Naples instead......

Today is Sunday the 26th, and we are at sea all day heading to Sicily.  Our current position is Latitude 36.58n degrees and Longitude is 19.23e; with winds of 34 knots and with a heading of 286 degrees and we are around 245 miles to Sicily.  The current time is 6:15 pm - which means it is 8:15 am in California. We relaxed ALL day around the pool, rocking and rolling with a HUGE Mediteranean lunch buffet. Off to the Observation Lounge for a glass of Pinot Grisio and dinner aft. Ciao!