Trip of a Lifetime - Med Cruise - Serenade of the Seas 5/23/2014

[Karemark]

Our next stop was the Village of Eze. This is a beautiful village with lots of very old shops. We strolled to the top taking pictures along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

[betsy2010]

Loving the report so far! Thank you for posting. We are on the 8/3 sailing of the same itinerary. Any chance you kept your Cruise Compass and plan to post? :-)

Betsy

[Karemark]

Loving the report so far! Thank you for posting. We are on the 8/3 sailing of the same itinerary. Any chance you kept your Cruise Compass and plan to post? :-)

Betsy

 

Thanks Betsy! No, I didn't save any of the compasses. This was a very different cruise for us, for the first time, we didn't see a single show. We were so busy each day at port and then on the sea days we were recuperating! It was exhausting but awesome!!

[Karemark]

When we finished, we met Anthony at the bottom. He said since we were making such good time, we could make a couple of stops to take pictures of Nice! These shots were breathtaking and definitely worth the time!!

 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2014 by Karemark

[Karemark]

More pictures of Nice:

 

 

 

[Karemark]

We got back into the SUV and headed for St. Paul de Vence. We stopped for lunch at Le Tilleul which was quite good. Anthony suggested we follow the path up to the top, take pictures at the top, and then follow the same path back down and he would meet us at the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

[Karemark]

Seeing these beautiful villages was amazing. Anthony was a wonderful tour guide/driver and we had a great time with him!!

 

Tonight was the first of three formal nights and dinner was yummy!!

 

This was another great day!!

 

[Karemark]

Livorno - Sunday, May 25th

 

We left the ship and were warmly greeted by Elisabetta, our guide/driver, from Rome in Limo. She was very friendly and very animated. We were struck by the difference with an Italian tour guide...much more passionate and excited about their Country! We had signed up to do a tour of Pisa/San Gimignano. Elisabetta was quite surprised this was our first visit and we weren't doing the usual Florence/Pisa tour. She was very pleased as she doesn't get to do this tour very often. She asked if we were interested in a wine tour....well, duh!! She said she would make reservations for us at a farm house in Chianti for lunch/wine tour and tasting.

 

So, off we were to Pisa. Elisabetta showed us many sites and we then stopped to see the leaning tower.

 

It looks pretty straight from this view!

 

Now this is more like it!

 

Elisabetta showed us another "leaning tower" in Pisa and explained this is why Pisa doesn't have a school of architecture....LOL!

 

[Karemark]

Here are a few pictures of some more sites:

 

This is the house where Galileo was born

 

 

[Karemark]

Elisabetta had a surprise for us! One of Italy's most beloved national treasures, Andrea Bocelli, performs there every year. They create a special stage for his performance each year. She took us to the outdoor pavillion where preparations were underway for his next performance in Teatro del Silenzio. The backdrop is spectacular!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Karemark]

 

 

[Prairie_Gal]

This is bringing back memories of our Mediterranean cruise two years ago.

[Karemark]

The drive to San Gimingnano was absolutely beautiful as was the village! Cute little shops, cobblestone streets, and spectacular views. We were especially surprised to see some CC friends here since we didn't do the "normal" Livorno tour!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2014 by Karemark

[Karemark]

 

 

[Karemark]

This is bringing back memories of our Mediterranean cruise two years ago.

 

I'm glad!! I think this cruise will be very hard to beat as our best vacation yet!!

[Karemark]

We were back in the car and off to lunch in the Chianti region! Again, the scenery on the drive was beautiful!!

 

 

We finally arrived at our destination, Sant'Agnese Farm, and were warmly greeted by family members who own the farm. We started off with a tour led by the very charming Carlo.

 

 

He showed us the grounds with grapes, olive trees, tomatoes, and herbs.

 

 

[Karemark]

Carlo then took us into the wine cellar

 

 

 

He then showed us where he made his balsalmic vinegar

 

[Karemark]

It was then time for lunch and wine tasting...only it wasn't simply wine "tasting," it was more like wine "pouring!" Unfortunately, I only took one picture of the food as the food and wine were so good, I simply forgot to take more pictures! We were told how much they hated to see empty wine glasses, so they kept refilling them and we definitely didn't complain! In addition to the bruschetta pictured below, we had many tasty items including an amazing lasagna and ice cream with strawberries and their own balsalmic vinegar...yum!!

 

 

[Karemark]

We had such a good time with this wonderfully charming family on their beautiful farm...we didn't want to leave! It was so peaceful, I could have spent so much more time there!!

 

 

 

 

[Karemark]

Unfortunately, it was time to leave the beautiful countryside and head back to the ship. This was such a special day.

 

Elisabetta returned us to our ship safe and sound having given us an amazing day full of lots of memories, laughs, food, wine and pictures! It was very peaceful!! Elisabetta was an exceptional tour guide and we thoroughly enjoyed her!!

 

This was an amazing day. I know we missed out on seeing Florence but this was the perfect choice for us!!

[Karemark]

May 26th - Rome

 

Our 25th wedding anniversary!!

 

Boy were we tired!! We were really excited for the day but also looking forward to a couple of days at sea to relax a bit.

 

As per our usual routine, we headed down to Park Cafe for breakfast...we definitely enjoyed having breakfast there!

 

Our cabins were towards the aft and were very convenient on this ship. Most everything we utilized was towards the aft.

 

We were met at the pier by Antonelle from Easitaly Tours. He told us to expect a very busy day and if we were quick, we could see a lot!

 

By Rome standards, traffic was very light and we made our way into Rome in a little over an hour.

Edited June 17, 2014 by Karemark

[Karemark]

The history and magnitude of what had taken place in Rome over 2,000 years ago was very humbling, especially as we visited the colosseum with all of the violence and bloodshed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 17, 2014 by Karemark

[Karemark]

[SailingDeanna]

Love this review. What type of food do they serve at the Park Cafe for breakfast?

[PCWalton1]

Thanks Karen, such beautiful pictures. Really brings back memories. It's funny how sometimes people take pictures of the same things. I took this one in 2010 in the same town :D