We're Okay

Day 15 (7/2/11)
The adventure continues bright and early in Marseilles, France.  The night before, we decided for the first time on this trip to book a bus excursion in Marseilles.  This was unlike our other excursions because it was a group excursion and not private like with Joe Banana.  Not that we had a bad experience, just different. The bus took us through Marseilles and up to the Notre Dame de la Garde.  Not only was the church beautiful, made  of cream-colored marble and vaulted gold ceilings (see picture below), but the view was indescribable.   You could see all of Marseilles and far across the Mediterranean Sea.  Since it was Sunday, the church was in session, so we walked quietly around inside and out, enjoying the somber ambiance of this beautiful church on the hill.

The breathtaking ceilings in the Notre Dame de la Garde.

Left: The even more amazing view from the top of the hill where the church is settled. Right: Picture of Jamie, Emily and Amy taken outside the Notre Dame de la Garde.







Then we boarded the bus, which took us to the center of Marseilles.  We wanted to see the apartment in which Grandma grew up in. We decided to take the long hike up Rue Paradis to Grandma's childhood home.  Out of curiosity, we knocked on the door.  We were greeted by the elderly couple who currently own the building.  They did not speak English, but Uncle Chris and Emily were able to communicate with them in their rusty French.  They were very kind, letting us to come in to the lobby.  Unfortunately, the second floor (where Grandma lived) was currently inhabited, and we weren't allowed to look.

The Lytle's outside of Grandma's apartment in Marseilles, France.

After that, we were too hot and tired to make the trek back, so we took a taxi to the city center.  We ate lunch at a cute French restaurant.  The food was very heavy, but definitely delicious.

The menu of the restaurant we went to in Marseilles. Amy might have found it heavy but Jamie remembers it being delicious!!

After a very long, hot and sticky day, we decided to head back to the ship early (4:00pm, that was early for us) and took the bus back. We mellowed out with pool time and sushi eating (yes, before a full course dinner). One thing we learned from this cruise is that you have to take advantage of all the ship has to offer which includes a lot of food and fun!

Without You

Day 14 (7/1/11)
Vamos a La Playa!!!!  Today was our much-anticipated beach day.  After finishing our wonderful buffet breakfast, we caught a cab for one Mallorca's famously beautiful beaches.  The rumors were true, this beach was absolutely breathtaking.  What was also true, was the topless Spanish visitors of the beach of the male and female variety.  Once we set up shop under an umbrella, we had to prepare for our day in the sun.  Momma Sue was quite adamant about our use of suntan lotion (she is the protective momma bear). We swam for hours in the extremely warm and crystal clear water, bouncing up and down in the waves.   The girls swam, sunbathed, played in the sand- anything you would want to do in a beach day.

Amy, Jamie and Emily enjoying the beautiful warm water in Mallorca. 

We could not have asked for better weather or better company. Around lunchtime, Uncle Chris went to a nearby pizza shop and treated the group with the survival nutrition necessary for a vibrant day at the beach.  From what we remember, it was a delicious cheese pizza.  After lunch, we headed back to the ship to enjoy some onboard entertainment (Amy spent the entire day at the beach and then went to the pool).  Emily and Jamie, on the other hand, had a trophy to win.  We ventured to the theater for a romantic movie trivia game. This was a high stakes game because it was chances to win the golden (plastic) cruise trophy.  Together, Emily and Jamie battled it out and were triumphant.  They received two precious and invaluable trophies.  After our winners high, we all went to dinner.  Unfortunately, our dessert was a long time coming because Amy would not eat her vegetables (our waiter, Peder, refused to take any dessert orders until all vegetables were eaten).  Nevertheless, an awesome day overall.

Peder, our waiter for the entire cruise. We all loved him (except maybe Amy because he made her eat her veggies)

The girls on the ship. 

You'll See

Day 13 (6/30/11)

Sea day, here we come. The day begins with breakfast in the cafeteria, a satisfying buffet of pancakes, waffles, omelets, bagels, oatmeal and sausages. Uncle Chris is absent from this meal because he was already off on his tour of the ship adventure, we will check back with him later. The gang has a jam packed schedule of activities found on the ship. Amy, Jamie and Emily decide to start the day at a cooking demonstration where they say how to make a full course meal. They even got to sample some of the food. Amy enjoyed the grilled chicken while Jamie and Emily feel in love with the tiramisu.

Emily, Amy and Jamie waiting in the front row for the cooking demonstration to begin.

After the delicious cooking and eating party, the girls joined Aunt Sue in Spotlight Lounge for a champagne art auction. They viewed beautiful art and photography pieces from all over the world. Aunt Sue was even lucky enough to bid on a single art piece and receive two others at no additional cost.

After the art auction, the girls headed to a scrapbook meeting where we got great ideas for our Mediterranean cruise scrapbook. We also purchased a little gift package which included cool Mediterranean background paper and stickers. After the meet, we went to the pool to relax and enjoy the sun. After such a long day of eating, looking at art and learning about scrapbooks, Amy was exhausted. She feel asleep at the pool and had to be woken up by Aunt Sue so they could get ready for a formal dining experience of a lifetime upon the Carnival Magic.

Due to the fact that today was an elegant night upon the cruise ship, for dinner we had the chose of lobster, salmon, and filet mignon and to top it off a delicious dessert of chocolate melting cake or tiramisu.

The girls in the formal dining attire.

After dinner, Amy, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris went off to bed while Emily and Jamie decided that a Carnival trophy was a necessary item to obtain. The Carnival trophy is given to the winner of any one of the activities found on the ship. Emily and Jamie first tried to win a trophy during the Murder Mystery game but guessed the wrong murder weapon. After that they tried to win at the game, “Guess that Song: Musicals”. Jamie thought this would be a piece of cake due to her extensive knowledge on all things Broadway but was sadly mistaken when they took this quiz.  It was crazy difficult and spanned decades of musicals and songs. The girls went back to their room empty handed but had hopes that they would win the trophy tomorrow.

Ready to take a dip in the Mediterranean Ocean on the beaches of Mallorca,

Jamie, Amy, Emily, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris

The girls, happy and full after a delicious dinner!

I'll Cover You

Day 12 (6/29/11)

The last leg of our Italian tour is Sicily, the little island next to the toe of the boot. The ship docked at the third largest city in Sicily called Messina. We had no pre-organized tour or trip so we decided to just walk around the city on our own. Our first stop was the main landmark in Messina, the Cristo Re Church. It was a beautiful chapel with a cute town square in front of it. After having a look around and being hassled by the local merchants wanting us to buy commercial cheap souvenirs, we headed to a cute little bakery for authentic cannolis and delicious cappuccinos. Since it was still early in the day for dessert, we took the cannolis to-go and had them later on the ship.  The cappuccinos were delicious and cheap. Uncle Chris and Jamie were in seventh heaven by these caffeinated infused miracles. After those two stops the Lytle crew just walked around a little more before calling it a day. The water slides were calling Amy, so she hopped into her suit for some water park fun. Aunt Sue also took a trip down the water slides and felt like a kid again.  Jamie and Emily decided to stay on the mainland for a little longer, just walking around looking at the shops. They headed back to the ship for lunch which entailed delicious salmon sandwiches and sushi, a very weird yet still amazing combination. The girls met up with Amy and Aunt Sue at the pool and hung out there until dinner. Uncle Chris decided that his vacation needed to take a serious twist so he worked on his computer in the room until dinner.

The day ended with a delicious meal at Northern Lights our cruise ship restaurant and the best movie ever, TRON on the jumbo screen. There is no better feeling in the world then watching a fun movie and hanging out with your favorite family members while sailing on the Mediterranean Ocean towards Mallorca, Spain. There is still a whole day at sea a head of us before we make it to Spain, but hopefully filled with cruise ship fun.

Looking forward to fun in the sun on the beaches of Mallorca.

Arrivederci Italia, Hola Espana

Jamie, Amy, Emily, Aunt Sue, and Uncle Chris

Light My Candle

Day 11 (6/28/11)
The day in Roma was the exact opposite compared to the day we spent in Naples. Where in Rome, it was crowded and hectic trying to get to see everything in that very historical city, Naples was relaxing and peaceful. The day started off with meeting our driver, Paulo (the brother of the owner of the car service) who was very talkative and during the entire drive to Pompeii, gave us a detailed description of Naples and the important points to see while we were in this gorgeous place.  Our first stop, Pompeii where we got the audio guides and got to listen to the incredible facts about this lost city. Jamie's favorite place was the bakery, where their was stone basins for the wheat to be ground still intact. Amy liked the Surgeons house, where they still had some of his utensils, he used when the city was active thousands of years ago. This city was amazing and advanced for being the age that it is, even having a courtroom where witnesses would come and give testimonies, which was unheard of during this period in time. After spending a couple of hours in Pompeii, the crew headed out to the Amalfi Coast for beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea. The car ride is a little crazy especially since most of the roads are one way and so the drivers have to honk their horns every time they go around a turn just in case someone is going the other way and lets just say their are a lot of turns and steep mountains in this part of Italy. Finally making it to this little church on top of the coast, the crew stopped for pictures and lunch.
Paulo recommended this lovely outdoor patio restaurant with the best view we had ever seen (pictures below). It was absolutely breathe-taking. Being on top of the mountain, we could see everything down the coast which is filled with houses staked on top of one another all the way down to the bottom. The lunch was delicious and entertaining with live music and dancing.  The lunch was also huge with many courses but the best item on the menu was given to us after we were finished with everything. The drink that Naples is known for is Limoncello which Paulo told us is a combination of lemon rinds soaked in alcohol. It was strong and delicious given to everyone in our group (except Amy, of course). After lunch, it was down the coast to the beach. The short walk to the beach is fantastic in thin alleyways with open air shops, most bathing suits, sundresses, and jewellery, so lets just say the girls had a field day. The beach was beautiful but it was quick trip (to Amy's dismay) and we were off again to Sorento. The day ended in Sorento, where we walked around the town square and looked in on a wedding that was taking place in this beautiful church on the beach. 
A great day in Naples, but more fun to come in Sicily, Messina and Marseilles.

The gang at the best lunch spot ever!

Jamie and Emily standing infront of the Amalfi Coast.

Amy overlooking the Mediterranean Sea

The beautiful Amalfi Coast.

Pompeii, Italy.

Happy Travels,
Jamie, Amy, Emily, Uncle Chris and Aunt Sue

I Should Tell You

Day 10 (6/27/11)
Today is ROMA! The biggest and most populated (at least with tourist) city in Italy. It also has the most history which means a lot to see and not a lot of time to see it. We start off the day at the Vatican. Victor our driver warns us on our journey over that the smallest country in the world probably has the most daily visitors. The problem being that it could take all day of waiting in line to get in which was a problem for us since we only had one day here in this great city. We decide to go anyways just to check it out and Victor was right, the line to get in was huge and probably would have taken hours to get through. Lucky for us, we had Victor who swore to us that he actually knew the previous Pope and had contacts on the inside that could get us on, without having to wait in line. Not believing this charming old Italian men, we thought he was full of it but as soon as we had parked he told us to wait by the exit while he talked to his contact. Sure enough, two minutes later the exit door had opened and we were in! We promised never to doubt Victors abilities every again. Our trip into Vatican City was pretty incredible but that did not compare to the brilliance that waited us inside. It was amazing. Room after room of breathtaking paintings and sculptures. Each room dedicated to centuries of popes, it is no wonder the line is so long to get in. But obviously the main attraction in the Vatican is the Sistine Chapel which is at the end of a long walk filled with so much culture and history. After much anticipation, we finally made it to the Sistine Chapel and it was amazing and beautiful. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the chapel but Emily snagged one (see below). 

It was amazing but the day had only just begun, after the Vatican we headed to lunch at a delicious outdoor patio restaurant run by three old Italian brothers. After lunch it off to the Coliseum, where the gang got to fell like real gladiators taking in this structure. Jamie and Amy did not like the heat too much and decided to splurge on an orange sunbrella for Jamie and a black "silk" fan for Amy. The Coliseum was spectacular but then we were off again, this time to the Trevi Fountain. This fountain is famous because of its magical powers, when someone throws in a coin it means that they will come back to Rome in the future. Jamie, Amy and Emily have already been planning on their next visit due to the fact that they each through coins into the fountain. After the Trevi Fountain, the group went to the beautiful Saint Peters Basilica.  The famous square where the Pope greets his people is huge and gorgeous. To enter the actual Basilica, you have to go through security which was not a very long line but in the hot sun it feels like it. After we got through security, the Lytle gang starts to walk up the stairs to get into the Basilica when Jamie and Emily were stopped by a security guard who would not let them through because their shorts were too short. So Jamie and Emily had to wait outside while the rest of the group got to enjoy the Basilica, they took plenty of pictures of the beautiful building in all its glory. The Basilica was the last stop on our Roma journey and then it was back to the ship.  We ended the night with dinner at Northern Lights and a magic show in the Showtime Theater.

Just another day in Italy, tomorrow Naples!

The gang outside of the Coliseum.

Jamie, Amy, and Emily outside of the Vatican.

Inside the Vatican.

Jamie and her orange sunbrella.

Sailing Away,
Jamie, Amy, Emily, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris

Take Me or Leave Me

Day 5/Day 6 (6/22/11-6/23/11)

Another delicious breakfast in New York City at the cute Penelope restaurant with European theme food such as English muffin egg sandwiches and French toast on fresh French baguettes started off day five.  After that mouth watering breakfast, we had to walk it off and decided to take a trip to Klinfeld's the wedding dress shop seen on the TLC show "Say Yes to the Dress". We couldn't go in to the store because they were filming an episode but well worth the trip. It was back to the hotel to pack and get organized for our European travels but the girls had to stop and get some last minute souvenirs on seventh ave. Emily spotted a bakery with chollah, a sweet Jewish loaf of bread, it was delicious and a prefect little snack before our flight.  The cab ride to JFK was less eventful then the previous but it pretty swanky in a jet black SUV big enough to fit the five of us and our monumental size luggages.  We arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare, so we decided to just chill and hangout until our flight. Amy and Jamie listened to The Addams Family soundtrack while Emily slept. We boarded the flight on time but had to sit on the tarmac for two hours due to thunder storms and traffic. Finally making it into the air the flight was pleasant with a yummy dinner of chicken and apple pie. Jamie had an vegetarian meal but the stewardess didn't speak English so we thought it was a kids meal, our mistake was not realized until Amy had already eaten half of it while Emily ate both Jamie and her own chicken dinners, Amy was left with half of the pasta and bread.
Little did we know that our delay on the tarmac in New York lead to us missing our connecting flight from Madrid to Barcelona and the next available flight to Barcelona wasn't until five hours later. Let's just say we know our way around the J terminal of the Madrid airport. Aunt Sue was excited to be able to practice her Spain while getting us some all well deserved coffee and Sprite for Amy. Apparently the best Sprite ever, according to Amy who was exhausted yet didn't complain compared to Emily our little Miss Super Pooper, nickname courtesy of Uncle Chris. We finally made it to Barcelona but the troubles followed us here and the worst possible thing happened, Uncle Chris's luggage was lost and still has yet to make an appearance. The hotel Catalonia Berna was beautiful and place perfectly off of La Ramblas. We freshened up and got a well deserved rest before a delicious dinner at BCN a local tapas and paella restaurant and then took a stroll along La Ramblas admiring the sunset and street life. The day ended perfectly and we all got to sleep early for tomorrow, the first day of our Mediterranean Cruise.

Emily eating some seafood paella.

The front of our hotel in Barcelona, Spain.

Happy Travels,
Jamie, Amy, Emily, Uncle Chris and Aunt Sue