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.