I got to spend 2 WEEKS with my mom, Great-Grandma Boyer and Aunt Debbie (Dad's sis) on an AH-MAAAZING Mediterranean Cruise. I really tried to narrow down our pictures so this post didn't turn into a boring slideshow, (and if any of you have suggestions on dependable sites that create simple collages for blogs let me know), but there are still quite a few in this bunch. However, I consider these the winners as I sorted through 900+ pictures all together! Ha!
Also...we've been a tad busy lately and I can't quite locate my notes on each location. We've also been back now for a month, so forgive my lack of detail in describing what each picture is actually of. (Dustin, I feel like I should give you access to write on my blog so that you can give the descriptions and background---and just all around make me sound like the genius you are.)
Regardless of the details, I am grateful for the time I had to be with these amazing women. Grandma Boyer just celebrated her 91st birthday a few days ago and was leading our pack the whole time. The time spent with her, hearing her stories, sense of humor and zest for life are a gift I will truly treasure. She has quite a legacy. If I'm counting correctly, she has 6 great-great-grandchildren with 2 on the way...that is pretty dang awesome.
I've never spent more than a day or so with Aunt Debbie and she is a fantastic person. She had great photography talents, was the life of the party and always making friends and making everyone around feel comfortable and happy.
I was oh so lucky to room with my mom and have some girl time just with her. 2 weeks worth! No kids, no hubbies, no real responsibility of consequence (accept for personal hygiene, remembering our ID for excursions, and the occasional washing of clothes in the sink). If I can be half of what she has become when I grow up, I'd be more than satisfied. So...long story long...as usual...it was a great trip. Here is the evidence...
We flew to Rome on Oct 23rd and stayed there until we got on the ship on the 26th.
First stop, The Colosseum. Remarkable.
The bottom part shown is where they used to keep the animals and gladiators before the "show". Apparently gladiators rarely fought to the death since so much money and time was invested in training them. At the end of the fight the winner had to ask Caesar permission as to whether or not to kill the loser. (Dustin feel free to correct inaccuracies in the comments.)
This portion of the Colosseum was restored to show what it may have looked like back in it's day.
This picture is my favorite of the entire trip. Seriously. It epitomizes Grandma Boyer and her love for life. Outstanding woman.
Our guide informed us that people would touch this and consequently have 111 days of indulgences thereafter. I guess that's kind of like getting a gift card for sinning ahead of time. I liked how she used "indulgences" though. It made me feel better as I ran to touch it. :)
Debbie and the Roman Guard. :)
The Roman Forum and city sites from up high.
Part of the Forum at ground level.
According to our guide, this was the only remaining statue that still had eyes. Porcelain I believe? Makes them look COMPLETELY different in my opinion.
Tapestries inside the Vatican.
Another Tapestry. It was amazing to witness all of the detail in each of these. The pics look like paintings.
Love this statue. Mary holding Jesus after he was taken down from the cross. No words for the emotion a mother would feel.
We were shown this statue at the entrance of the Vatican and our tour guide told us it was found without the right arm, so they fashioned an arm based on their belief of how it would have looked. Michelangelo insisted that his arm was bent back behind his head, but his opinion was ignored.
Years later, the remaining pieces of the statue were found and Michelangelo was right. Here is the correct form of the original statue. (I also remember loving the story behind the statue, but don't recall it at this time. :)
We also learned that all Roman statues were originally painted. Over time and through the centuries they all faded.
The Vatican from the outside.
Before we went back to the ship, we HAD to get REAL, LEGIT, ITALIAN GELATO. And it was just that. REAL. LEGIT. GELATO. Mmmm so so yummy and worth every single several hundred calorie. Our server would walk by us and hum all sorts of American songs in his Italian accent. Hilarious. We told him we were from California, so he busted out the West Siiiiiide for the camera.
And Now.....the SHIP!!
First pic out of our stateroom.
On one of the decks.
The beginning festivities as we disembarked.
Gramma had 2 boyfriends within the first 1/2 hour. Nice!
Let the dancing (and consequently, the profuse sweating) begin. SO. MUCH. FUN!
Gramma dancin along!
The view.
How could you NOT workout on a cruise when you have a gym like this? And a Group Exercise room! GOLDEN.
Our first adventure into Greece. We stopped at the Stadium first.
This was the view of the Acropolis from the stadium. Not really what you expect to see when you look out into the distance. Very cool.
Olympia. Birthplace (apparently...Dustin can clarify) of the Olympics.
I don't remember the difference between the two stadiums, but this picture was taken in Olympia. We are at the "starting line". Fun fact: Apparently they ran back and forth in straight lines for laps rather than in oblong circles like we do today.
I think this was taken on the way up to the Acropolis in Athens.
The view from the Acropolis. Breathtaking.
Ahh...don't kill me Dust, I think this is the Parthenon.
Nice man. Didn't understand a word he said, but we paid him 2 euro for a picture in his (what we assumed to be) authentic getup. Who knows though...we're just tourists. :)
Mom and me at dinner back on the ship.
In the Theater. We went to dinner and a show almost every night. Great quality entertainment. I felt so spoiled. Correction: I was so spoiled.
Looking down at the Amphitheatre from the Acropolis.
NEXT STOP: Izmir, Turkey
I have been craving the fresh Pomegranate juice we got in Turkey almost every day since we've been back. Mmmm. So yummy.
Our visit to the Trajan Temple in Pergamon.
From a distance...
Our tour guide in Turkey was phenomenal. He was great at capturing his audience and was a very animated story teller. The above picture was at the Trajan Temple.
This picture is of the amphitheatre where the first October Fest actually took place. Although I don't remember the whole story, it was a great one :) and they drank wine. It didn't become a Beerfest until the Germans turned it into one...or so the story goes...
This is Satan's throne according to John in Revelations 2. It used to be the Temple of Zeus at Pergamon.
This is part of the "Temple of Healing" at Asclepion. It was fascinating to learn of all the different remedies that were "prescribed". My personal favorite was Heroine. That was hilarious to learn about. This was apparently more similar to a modern day spa though, than an actual hospital. However, there seemed to be quite the conspiracy in the medical world back then.
We ended our day in Turkey at a carpet weaving shop. Amazing. I kept thinking how patient those women would have to be...I think I would need some serious combination of music and audio books in order to stay on task.
FINAL STOP: Egypt!
I suppose I don't need a caption here, but in case you were wondering, these are the pyramids. We are in Giza here...and we have a nice legit local in our picture too. Score!
Ah...the camels...and their tricky owners.
The view of Cairo from the pyramids.
I like this one. Good shot Deb!
This reminds me of the scene in the Duck Tales movie from the 90s when they are hopping along on their camels. Does anyone remember that one. Not just the afternoon cartoon, the actual movie? I was OBSESSED.
The Almighty Sphinx...Minus part of its face.
We ate lunch on a day cruise on the Nile.
Entertainment during lunch. How in the world do those belly dancers move their stomach muscles like that??? Interesting, but also kinda weird to watch while I'm eating. I don't really want to witness a stomach moving like that as I'm swallowing my Turkish delights of the day.
No offense. She was quite good though.
Haha. I'm sitting here trying to figure out what this guy is called and what he's holding and Linc says, "Look Mbomby...donuts!!" There you have it. The donut man. He spun his skirt around and performed very cool tricks. Sorry, had to be there for the full effect.
One of the mosques we visited. Gorgeous.
The mosque from the inside.
One of Gramma's boyfriends we met on the first day, happened to be on our excursion. He loves her. :)
At the Papyrus Institute. We learned all about how Papyrus is made and got an education on the meaning behind several common pieces of art there. I came home with a few myself. Not sure where I'd put them now that I'm home, but seemed like a great idea at the time...
Another mosque. Also beautiful.
Well...that's all folks. WHAT A TRIP!
