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

One Song Glory

Day 9 (6/26/11)

The cruise ship docked early in Livorno and this Lytle group was off just as early to meet our tour guide Alesandro. A nice Italian guy that took us to Pisa first, where we got to see the leaning Tower of Pisa and the cathedral next to it.  This tower is crazy big and beautiful and we learned all about the history of the tower and the renovations that have been done on it in recent years to keep it leaning and falling over. Of course, we took the iconic picture of us trying to hold the tower up (see below).  After the leaning Tower, we got back in the car and headed to Florence where we went directly to the best view of the city on top of this hill, Alesandro showed us. After some beautiful pictures we headed to the Academia where the statue of David by Michael Angelo is placed.  The statue is way bigger than we ever thought and it is absolutely breathtaking, definitely worth it and something we will remember forever.  After the Academia, we went to view the Duomo which means Dorm; this piece of architecture is gorgeous unfortunately we couldn’t go inside the Duomo due to it being Sunday and mass was going on inside. Outside the Duomo, there was a lovely outdoor shopping center, where we could barter and haggle with the locals for the best deals in souvenirs. After a little shopping, the group decided to take a little rest outside of the local church steps when a Italian gypsy came up to us and asked for some money, when we declined she looked at us with totally disgust. Uncle Chris and Jamie are pretty sure that she put a curse on the group, so every time some kind of misshape happens, we blame it on the Italian gypsy in Florence. The lunch was delicious with pizza and pasta and the girls got a well deserved gelato on the streets of Florence. The day quickly ended with us walking around the city of Florence and then it was back in the car heading to ship.  Dinner was delicious as usual and the night ended peacefully with a nice trip to the Jacuzzi before heading off to bed.

Jamie and Emily in front of the leaning Tower of Pisa.

The girls on the steps of the cathedral next to the leaning Tower of Pisa.

 

A perfect view of the entire city of Florence, in the center is the Duermo.

Emily and Amy enjoying some delicious Florence pizza.

To all you land dwellers,

Jamie, Amy, Emily, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris

Another Day

Day 8 (6/25/11)

The day started early in Monaco for some of this group but for Jamie and Emily (whose alarm didn’t go off), their day started a little later.  Uncle Chris, Aunt Sue and Amy left to go explore this beautiful country while Jamie and Emily got ready for the day’s adventures, the group met up a little later at the Palace du Pais.  The palace was spectacular as it is the home of the prince of Monaco, who is getting married to a lovely South African women in July and preparations were being made throughout the country during our visit.  After the palace, we walked around the main square in Monaco where there was a farmers market, lets just say they had the sweetest peaches ever! After our little snack, the group made their way to the most famous attraction in Monaco, the casino Monte Carlo.  This country is absolutely lovely and the casino is also a beautiful attraction to view, but unfortunately no cameras are allowed inside the casino and tourists are only allowed inside the main lobby of Monte Carlo. Emily was really excited to be in Monaco because she got to use her French throughout the country. Emily also sampled some of the local cuisine of musse et frites which translates to mussels and French fries. Apparently it was delicious because she ate all five pounds of it! After that adventure, Jamie and Emily got to visit a supermarche (super market) where they got to peruse the items and purchase groceries in French with the locals. After that it was back to the ship for a lovely dinner and movie before heading to bed early, excited for the next three days in Italy starting with Livorno (Florence and Pisa).

The view of Monaco getting off of the ship.

Jamie and Emily outside of the Monte Carlo.

Sail On,

Jamie, Amy, Emily, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris

Goodbye Love

Day 7 (6/24/11)

The hotel Catalonia Berna is beautiful and just in the heart of downtown but due to the delay in our flights we only got to spend a little time there before we had to head out to our cruise ship in the port in Spain.  The shuttle that took us from the hotel to the cruise was early in the morning, so we got to skip the check-in lines and made it on the ship early.  The gang just hung out in the lunch cafeteria for a bit before exploring the massive cruise ship for the first time.  The Carnival Magic is huge with plenty of facilities such as a full size basketball court, mini gulf course, gym, two water slides, two huge pools (one with a jumbo television screen in front of it), about a million hot tubs and bars, three dining halls, a casino and a full size show theater. The size of this home away from home is still unbelievable and remembering where everything is, is a constant problem.  But it is our cross to bear, when you decide to partake on the Carnival Magic.  After taking a thorough tour around the boat, it was time for us to relax in our new digs on the first flour, rooms 1347 and 1223. Unpacking and reorganizing is not fun tasks but someone got to do it and by that time it was time for dinner at the Northern Lights restaurant. Before dinner, Emily had to try the all-you-can-eat sushi bar on the ship which opens at five every night and it was delicious serving Jamie’s personal favorite Philadelphia roll.  Dinner was a pleasant event where we got to meet our table mates, a funny family from Washington DC and a hilarious server Peter that picks on Amy every night about not eating her vegetables. After dinner, the gang relaxed in the a hot tub before heading to bed having to wake up early the next day for Monaco.

The inside of our room on the cruise ship.

The top of the cruise ship, showing the water slides and pools.

The stakes are high for tomorrow!

Happy Sailing,

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

Out Tonight

Day 4 (6/21/11)

We begin with a trip uptown to Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but first we had to stop at the best bagel place in the entire city, H & H Bagels for breakfast.  H & H sells a variety of different bagels, such as blueberry, onion, cinnamon-raisin and pumpernickel.  After our delicious bagels we walked across Central Park to the best and biggest museum in the city, the Met.  Amy got in free due her being under 12 years old which was very exciting.  Her favorite exhibit was the Greek and Roman art because of her fascination of Greek mythology. 

Jamie and Emily loved all of the European paintings with famous artists such Monet, Van Gogh, and Picasso. The Met is huge and four hours in there doesn’t cover half of the art they have but we were exhausted and hungry, so we left to find some good pizza and have a little picnic in Central Park before heading back downtown to purchase Broadway tickets at Time Square.  Luckily, the discount ticket line wasn’t too bad and the girls got great seats for The Addams Family show later that night.  Jamie and Emily decided to go to the Rockefeller Center before the show while Amy and Aunt Sue took a much needed rest back at the hotel. On the way to Rockefeller the girls got side tracked with the Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes with Emily’s roommate Kori.  Let’s just say we never made it to the Rockefeller Center.  The cupcakes were delicious and luckily the girls had one left over for Amy who they met back at the theater.  The Addams Family (based off of the television show) is brilliant and the music is way too catchy, with us singing them all the way home and continuing into the next day.  

Tomorrow is our last day in the Big Apple, we will miss the city that never sleeps but we know that there are going to be more adventures to come during our Mediterranean Cruise which starts on Friday.

Travel On,

Jamie, Emily, Amy, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris

Seasons of Love

Day 3 (6/20/11)

Day three starts off bright and early with a subway catastrophe… WE GOT ON THE WRONG ONE!! So we had to finish out the trek to Clinton Street Bakery with a less than ideal walk and taxi drive.  But we made it and it was well worth it, with fresh made blueberry pancakes and buttermilk biscuits this bakery is a diamond in the ruff. As Amy would be put it “This place is Dy-No-Mite!”. After the best breakfast of our lives, we took the subway to Wall Street to trade stocks and bonds with the locals but decided to go to the Statue of Liberty instead.  Luckily, Jamie purchased reserved tickets in advance and we bypassed the entire population of NYC onto the ferry waiting a total of 0 minutes.  On the top level of the ferry, the Statue of Liberty slowly becomes bigger and Amy slowly becomes more excited.  Her lovely cousins bought her the best souvenir ever, the form version of Lady Liberty’s Crown (see picture below).

After taking a very informative tour around Liberty Island, we set off for Ellis Island where Aunt Sue and Amy tried to find distant ancestors that travelled through this island when it was in use during the early 20^th century.  The main building is majestic and full of history with a lovely museum and computer ports that let you track your ancestors passage through to the New World.  

By the end of this adventure, finally making it back to the mainland, the crew was exhausted and sticky due to the humid heat but had to make the trek to Ground Zero in remembrance of the victims of 9/11. The subway home was less eventful since we got on the right one and ended up in the right location, our hotel. We ended the day with a lovely Italian dinner and a Modern Family marathon on Emily’s laptop.

The Show Must Go On, (Broadway Tomorrow Night!)

Jamie, Amy, Emily, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris

Today 4 You

Day 2 (6/19/11)


Travel day is the name of the game for day two, we start very early at the LAX airport for our flight to New York City. This flight on JetBlue was made bearable by the individual television sets and the FOOD Network channel which was on constantly for us. After arriving in the Big City, we took a taxi to our hotel. Let’s just say after that ride, we know we won’t get sea sick on the cruise ship.  Who knew driving crazy and illegally was allowed, maybe only in NYC. Like Buddy says in the movie “Elf”, “The yellow ones don’t stop” (referring to the NY taxis).  After getting over that crazy driving episode, we could barely register our stun and disbelief at how wonderful and amazing our hotel that we found on Priceline.com would be.   An oasis in the mist of the swarming masses, it stood like a glorious palace with huge rooms and a sparkly lobby.  Only misshape here was at first we were assigned an occupied room with a gentlemen still in the restroom, the hotel apologized with a complimentary bottle of wine which we gladly accepted.  

The lobby of our hotel in NYC.

As soon as we got settled it was off to dinner at the local Irish pub with Sheppard’s Pie and cheeseburgers.  A nice walk to Time Square ensued where we ate the best cheesecake in the city at Junior’s on Broadway. Amy enjoyed the Raspberry Swirled Cheesecake while Jamie and Emily had the Devil’s Food Cheesecake. They were huge slices but delicious all the same.  

Amy enjoying a delicious slice of heaven (raspberry cheesecake).

The crowds at Time Square were too much for this group so we headed over to the Empire State Building to catch the best view of the NYC skyline at night.  To our dismay, the crowds were even denser at the ESB, but Amy, Jamie, Emily and Aunt Sue stuck it out while Uncle Chris bailed for the peace and quiet (complimentary wine) at the hotel.   The view was breathtaking but we were pooped, so it was a quick trip atop the ESB and then back to the hotel for some R and R. All in all, a fun and productive first day in the city.

The streets of Time Square, picture taken by Emily.

Waiting for my blueberry pancakes tomorrow for breakfast,

Jamie, Amy, Emily, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris

Over the Moon

Day 1 (6/18/11)

The journey begins, day one of the Lytle Mediterranean Cruise 2011 starts with a curb side pickup in a luxury BMW with the nickname of “Frida”.  The voyage from Oakland airport to LAX was delightful except for a minor juvenile disturbance in the seats behind me luckily the flight was only an hour long.  Uncle Chris and Amy were overjoyed and jumping with enthusiasm to see their beautiful, talented relatives while Aunt Sue took a necessary snooze at the glorious ocean viewed condo.  This vacation couldn’t have started any better, after arriving at the lovely Redondo condo activities ensued with a beach bike ride in perfect weather along the bike path at the Redondo strand.  After this family activity, this motley crew settled down to watch “The Prince of Egypt” before a wonderful ravioli and green bean dinner that Aunt Sue prepared with love and tenderness.  As an extra bonus a dessert of caramel swirled delicious ice cream was devoured after an already marvelous dinner.  Amy got some necessary girl time with a lovely sparkly manicured nails designed by Emily.

New York City is our next stop and we have to leave bright and early, so bedtime has become an early endeavor to be able to wake up at promptly 4 am.

Below is a picture of our Jamie and Amy at the finish line of our bike excursion in Redondo Beach. Photo taken by Emily.

To my next post in the Big Apple,

Jamie, Amy, Emily, Aunt Sue and Uncle Chris