Three Days in London
Three Days in Rome
14 Days Crossing the Atlantic
Cititavecchia, Rome; Ville Franche (Nice) France; Malaga, Spain; Cadiz, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Maderia (Funchal), Portugal; St. Maarten, VI and Fort Lauderdale, FL
Celebrity Galaxy
November 28th - 15th, 2006
Bob and Debe
This trip took us from our home to London where we stayed for a few days before heading to Rome to board our ship, the Celebrity Galaxy. In Rome we enjoyed a couple days seeing the sites. After boarding the ship we headed to Ville Franc, France, (including Monaco, Monte Carlo and Nice); then on to Malaga, Spain; Cadiz, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal (including Obidos, Batalha, Nazarae, Fatima); Funchal Maderia, Portugal; then crossing the ocean and heading to St. Maarten in the Virgin Islands before home. What a great trip along with a wonderful table of people we shared our experience with.
Here we are looking through the fence at Buckingham Palace. Just a few minutes later, we were able to enjoy the changing of the guards. Also you can see the London Eye on the right and Big Ben on the left while we cruised down the River Thames.
There is nothing better than seeing the Roman Forum, Roman Colisseum and Palantine Hill. (which also included the Arch of Titus, Temple of Saturn, Temple of Vesta and of course next to the colisseum you will find the Arch of Constantine among many other things) Most of this you can see on an Ancient Rome tour and it is so worth it. But we didn't get to do the tour inside the Roman Colisseum - but for sure next time.
Here you can see Bob throwing his coin into the Trevi Fountain. As tradition goes, throwing a coin in the fountain guarantees your return to Rome. Also you can see the photo of the Pantheon The Pantheon is the most well preserved pagean church around today. Most Pagean churches were destroyed by the Christains.
Another major attraction - St. Peters Basilica at the Vatican City. Also don't miss the Sistine Chapel - all a part of the smallest state of the world. One pic. is me standing in front of the Basilica and the other pic is Michelangelo's paintings in the Sistine chapel.
On the left is a picture of the Palace in Monaco while the right shows the fountains in the gardens which lead to the end - the famous Monte Carlo Casino. Both cities were visited while in France. We also got to look over the hillside into Nice, France. What a huge city it is.
We arrived in Malaga, Spain - original home of Picasso. After doing a hop on hop off that took us to the Gibralfaro Castle which we toured (and took the picture of the bull ring you see here), we headed to the Picasso Museum. Unfortunately it was closed along with the Alcazabra, which was the Kings Palace and home to the remains of a Roman Theatre.
Our next stop was Cadiz, Spain. It is among the oldest settlements in Spain. WE took the hop on hop off bus which gave us a little of all of Cadiz. It is shaped like a tongue protruding from one’s mouth into the Bay of Cadiz bay. It outlines a cape connected to a large mass of land. In this photo you can see their major fountain with all of the country flags surrounding it. Look close and maybe you can see the US Flag. lol We did see the Fort there among other things but chose not to climb the church to see the bell tower.
Next was to Lisbon, Portugal. We chose to go to Obidoes, Nazarae, and Fatima among other places. ON the left is me in the small town of Obidos, surrounded by walls. On the right is Bob by the beach in Nazarae were we also ate lunch. 
Finally to the city of Fatima. For those that think they have never heard of Fatima - maybe you have heard the story regarding Fatima - as follows:
The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, appeared six times to three shepherd children ("the Three Seers") near the town of Fatima, Portugal between May 13 and October 13, 1917. Appearing to the children, the Blessed Virgin told them that She had been sent by God with a message for every man, woman and child living in our century. Coming at a time when civilization was torn asunder by war and bloody violence, She promised that Heaven would grant peace to all the world if Her requests for prayer, reparation and consecration were heard and obeyed. (you can read more by googling Fatima, Portugal)
Anyway, we were fascinated by this. In the photo you can't see but there is a marble area that runs all the way to the church. The faithful crawl down it on their knees for hours. On May 13 of each year many of the faithful crawl from the outlying cities on their knees to show they are willing to do anything. And many are picked up by ambulance. This is one of the highlights of our cruise ports on this trip. (of course Rome was the highlight)
Our final stop before crossing the Atlantic Ocean was in Funchal (Maderia) Portugal. What a beautiful island. We started out with long sleeves but ended in short sleeves. On the right you can see the basket sleds with the drivers. (Bob sitting in one) They literally drive you down the streets used by cars. So fun. Expect to pay tips and there is a photo taken as you go down the road (steep hillside) so for 10 euros you can have it.
What an ending to a great cruise. From coats to swimsuits but who cared. lol Here is good ole St. Maarten in the Virgin Islands. This is literally what you see when you get off the ship. I have to admit, our first trip across the pond was wonderful. Gave me a great appreciation for how big and different this world is. God has made something amazing and Bob and I have started our adventure to see all we can. Thanks for taking this trip with us - in pictures and words - as we ventured across the Atlantic Ocean into Europe. How wonderful it was. Feel free to add a comment or question.
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