Europe Trip 2013

This post is about our Summer 2013 trip to Europe - starting with a couple day stop in London, flight down to Rome, Mediterranean cruise from Rome, ending up in Venice. This was also Becca's first trip to Europe (14 months old at the time), and as such, our first trip traveling internationally with a toddler.  

London
After a 10 hour flight that we survived – and that Becca did amazingly well at, we arrived at London at 2pm.  This taxi company actually had the baby car seat we pre-ordered, unlike the US one, or the Rome one.  We headed over to our hotel the Holiday Inn Mayfair – a really nice hotel ideally located on Piccadilly street, blocks from the main attractions.  We strapped Becca in and saw Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar square twice, the Thames waterfront, and Buckingham Palace before dinner – and even had some time to chase some ducks around the park. 

Trafalgar Square

Tower Bridge

We didn’t get a tour of Buckingham, but would like to in the future.  It's rather un-awesome from the front, but it goes for a mile behind .  It's also oddly located at a big roundabout.  Roundabout is from the old British joke – “How do you cross when the street is curved and there are no cross walks?  Roundabout never”  It's not that funny, but what can you do?

Beth continued her protest of visiting churches due to her “seeing every one of them already” and I toured Westminster, while her and pumpkin played in the grass.  Westminster is quite amazing in age and scope, but it has a lot of coffins! [Note from Beth... besides being tired of and uninterested in seeing churches, it cost $28 to go inside..to see a church?!]

Westminster Abbey

Becca made the time change perfectly – I attribute it to us keeping her in daylight the whole time and let her her little clock reset.  Beth notes that the red eye was largely involved too, as she slept just enough to get her through the day, but not enough to constitute a full night's sleep, and thus was very tired for bed the next night. This is the same theory we generally follow ourselves when we travel, and take red eyes, and it helps us adjust almost immediately.

We woke up the next morning had a quick breakfast and ran, then walked, then walked some more over to the Tower of London.  Note:  Tower of London is not walking distance from the Holiday Inn Mayfair.  The Tower (really a castle), Crown Jewels, and the grounds are really impressive.  We did a tour and enjoyed it!  Becca really liked the rocks outside.  We then crossed the Tower Bridge (not the London Bridge) twice and then headed back.  We used a more direct route along the Thames, and headed into Hyde Park.  After some park and duck time for Becca, we went over to Harrods, which is enormous and tough to navigate.  After some scones we went back to the hotel and called it a night.  The next morning we flew to Rome.

Hyde Park

Harrod's

Rome
A quick stop in Rome before the cruise.  Cruises depart from a small port city a 90 minute train ride from Rome, so we used the opportunity to show Becca the sites.  Rome, as you know from previous travel blogs, is a Richard and Beth favorite as far as places to see, and a dishonorable mention for smoking.

We checked into Hotel Lirico, near the Termini station, and walked over to the Coliseum.  We then headed over to see the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain.   

Trevi Fountain

                                       

Looking up at the amazing ceiling of Pantheon

Becca enjoyed the fountain so we spent a good deal of time there with her.  We ate dinner at a little outdoor cafe, then headed back to the fountain.  The next morning we took Becca inside the Colosseum and then ran over to take the train.

Colosseum

Naples/Capri, Italy

Our first cruise stop, and second trip to Naples.  The first time we did Pompeii, which is a fantastic historical ruin . This time we knew not to leave the port and we made a u-turn onto a ferry to the island of Capri.  A quick note, if you are going to sell tickets to a ferry that is used heavily by tourists, learn all the words in English that relate to buying and using said tickets. 

The bay views on the ferry are very nice according to the photos I found online.  The windows on both ferries we took were totally distorted and useless.  Capri is a really amazing little place.  You dock at a small port with picturesque little buildings carved into the hillside and you get on a funicular  - an elevator/train hybrid for the ride to the top to Capri Town.  At the top, we snagged killer seats at a café for lunch with a view!  Starting a theme, we ordered pizza.  After lunch, we wandered around the small town for a bit, and then funiculared down to the bottom.

Capri

                        

We walked around the town there, too…really a half day trip, but we didn't have time to head over to Sorrento, Amalfi or even Pompeii again. 

Walking around the town in Capri

Sicily, Italy
Sicilians - the ones near the port at least - have seen the movie the Godfather.  They play the theme song, sell knock off knick knacks and even serve oranges on large baskets.  Catania - the port we stopped at has an incredible feel from the great old buildings.  It is however, filthy.  An hour long rain storm could not even clean it off.  We left for the boat and Beth did not return.  I ergo'd Becca for her nap.  We walked back through the main streets and through the two main squares.

The first town square is very nice.  It compares with the main square in Brussels.   Many old buildings, a church, a museum, and wifi everywhere.   Just like the city fathers had planned.

                         

Valleta, Malta

Valleta!   Wow!   One of our all time favorites.   Right when you see the old town from the boat you know.  All of the buildings are made from the same stone so the effect is just like in Jerusalem as far as a consistency of buildings and character.   We started off on a hop on/hop off tour to Mdina - a really cool medieval walled town located on a hilltop over the flat island.

At the main entrance to Mdina

Walking through the streets of Mdina

View from Mdina

After that we spent a few hours exploring the old town. Most of Valletta is not ADA compliant as the streets are steep - some have stairs for sidewalks.   The buildings and streets are just amazing.

I tried the local Cisk beer here - very average.  Kind of like a Corona style beer.  No real flavor or character.  They make limoncello here, just like in neighboring Sicily.

Enjoy the photos - that's the best description.       

                                     

Sea Day/Becca & the Cruise!

Becca has been loving the cruise - besides the lights and sounds, there are scores of people constantly interacting with her, the staff loves her, and the ship has very nice children facilities too. Everyone knows her, and people all stop us even off the ship to say hi to "Becca" (because yes, they have all learned her name too).

She really enjoys hearing any of the musicians perform, and we take her once or twice a day for dance time.  There are several other babies on the boat, and two others at our own table.

She has her own (adjoining) room - really helpful, especially for a trip this length.  She can sleep in quiet and has a little play area.  On the trip she has really started to consistently vocalize words, she loves turning the lights on and off on command, she is excelling at closing and opening drawers and she even makes tickle fingers!

At dinner, they bring her favorites, ready when we sit down, and she is consistently entertained for one and a half to two hours at a time.  

We have learned lots of do/don't/tips for traveling with a toddler - ask if you're interested!

Corfu, Greece                          

Wednesday (? we definitely lose track of days here!) brought us to the beautiful Greek island of Corfu.  Corfu is so quaint that it does not even have a hop on/hop off bus system!   Highlights of Corfu town are definitely the overpriced average quality food, the Old Fort (not the new fort, that's a pass) and the pedestrian only shopping town.  

Entrance to the fort

View from the fort

We also just missed high holiday services at the local synagogue, due to the Greek's lax attitude toward map accuracy. But they were really nice and inviting, and we even got to hear the shofar blown at the end! 

The pedestrian-only shopping area in the old town had a great selection of tourist crap.  Greek limoncello, Greek nougat, Greek beer, Greek xxx.   Totally different than the Italian and Maltese versions we've already seen.

The views are really incredible and the water is clear.  

View of water and the fort in the background that we visited and climbed up

Becca loved all the shopping, chasing pigeons and playing in the large park.  She learned right away how to play the little wooden flute souvenir we bought for her and continued to delight passersby with her "music" for the next 30 minutes.  Of course as we left, we drove right by a shaded park that we had missed.

Couldn't leave without getting matching Greek dresses

Kotor, Montenegro
Kotor is a new cruise stop in a new country with old European problems:  smoking, Venetian conquest and Russian tourists.  The smoking is just amazing (read: horrid).  There are no separate sections for smoking and non-smoking.

Kotor is at the end of a double cul-de-sac of bays between Italy and the Ottoman Empire.  It has (like Malta, Venice and Split) a UNESCO world heritage pedestrian-only downtown which is just fantastic. The ancient buildings, of course, are marred by vendors selling cheap tourist garbage and even cheaper drinks - 1.2 euro for a beer at a restaurant.

Walking through the walled Old City

Behind the city's walls is a fort on top of a hill.  The hill is so steep and isolated that I cannot imagine why they needed a fort there.  To reach it takes 3 euros and 1,350 steps, which I did in 25 minutes in 90 degree (um 29 degree?) heat.  Industrious Kotorians have set up beverage stops along the way.  The views are amazing from the middle and top as well.

While I did that, the girls located picture spots in town.  Yep.

Then we we walked along the coastline to the beach which has crystal clear water.  This gives you a great view of the plainest fish you will ever see.   Pass on snorkeling here.

On the way out of the bay we got an incredible scenic tour of the little villages clustered along the hillsides, very amazing.

Tonight was our 4 year anniversary.  As you know, Beth is very lucky to have me, and I try to remind her of this with regularity. [Note from Beth: I'm sure you readers know how to otherwise translate this]

Tonight we got babysitting service through the boat.  You reserve it ahead of time so you don't know what the entertainment will be.   For us - it was a quick stop at the piano bar, where we had our complimentary wine (thanks Aunt Lynne!) then we used our 2 for 1 drink coupon, and then off to the Celine Dion impostor show.

Let me say this, as a lover of music not Celine Dion related:  if you go to see a Celine Dion impersonator, you know what you're getting.  That being said, a horde of people streamed out of the theater.  The singer was good, it's just she has only that one song to work with.  You know, the one about the cruise ship sinking.

Happy anniversary to my wife.  Keep up the good work.

Split, Croatia

Another tender port, which means long lines and a ferry ride into town.  The harbor is average for the neighborhood, but the city skyline - another UNESCO site is very nice.  Typical assortment of red-roofed buildings and a bell tower.

The highlight is Diocletian's Palace and the downtown, built around the palace.  The entrance (the original emergency exit) is hidden between a shoe store and another general store.  Entering through the basement level you get a feel for the scope of the palace.  The basement is original, while the balance up top is a collection of 1700 years of bootlegged additions.

The basement in Diocletian's Palace

peristyle in the Old City

Diocletian:  famous for persecuting Christians and people with strollers.

Beth climbed the bell tower, with a series of narrow stair passages and seemingly never-ending metal steps to the top. Normally not bad with heights, this was kind of freaky!  As you climbed, there were several openings on the sides to the outside. Saw several of people huddled in the corners who didn't make it all the way up. But the views at the top were worth it! 

at the top of Bell Tower

view from the top of Bell Tower

steps!

A quick tour of the downtown reveals another really cool pedestrian-only town, where you can buy shoes, jewelry and over-priced diet cokes.

We walked along the harbor to the beach at Bačvice and enjoyed a typical communist cement beach.  The water was great - perfectly clear and you could go 100 feet out and have your knees above water.

I went back after to tour the entirety of the basement - pretty amazing that it was built 1700 years ago and is still standing and supporting the town.   Tonight is formal night and we head to Koper, Slovenia.

They're holding a flower show in the basement.  Diocletian would roll over in his grave, except that his body was stolen and lost hundreds of years ago.

Slovenia

Last stop of the cruise before we are dropped in Venice.  It's always a bad sign when the tour guide spends the bus ride in telling you about how long you need to visit Slovenia - a tiny country (that's technically new, but has its own history).  I thought our 8 hours was plenty - although it supposedly has the best caves in the world, if you like that type of thing.

We docked in Koper, and took the bus into the capital of Ljubljana and toured the "castle," the downtown and also the other side of downtown.  It's all very pretty and quaint, but it's much newer than the others, and just not as amazing.  The downtown area resides along a river, with many cafes right along the river. The castle has 2 places to tour and 3 cafes - although it does have a pretty good funicular.

view from the top of the bell tower at Ljubljana Castle

along the river in downtown Ljubljana

                           

In a town square in Ljubljana with the castle on the hill in the back

After our return to Koper we enjoyed some culture produced just for tourists and a rather uneventful old town.

Venice

After 9 days of touring some of the best medieval cities of the Mediterranean we stopped in Venice.  Venice crushes the others - Split, Valleta, Kotor, Koper. We learned our lesson and booked a hotel right at the main bus station - unfortunately there were still 3 stair cases in the way.  That's 6 round trip for the one day stay!

We spent the first half of the day crushing our souls by dragging little B around in a stroller before deciding to just carry her.  We covered a good amount of ground in our few hours here - seeing the big sites and enjoying 3 Euro diet cokes.

on the Rialto Bridge

                          

on a vaporetto (water bus)

                        

At night I effortlessly recreated the night I proposed to Beth.  We stopped at the same restaurant and enjoyed a reasonable 5 euro water.  Oh, and spaghetti....

After dinner a street performer came up and sang 2 of Beth's favorite songs, and another girly song.   I, of course, took credit for it, even referencing the Alanis lyrics playing and asking "isn't it ironic, that she would come and sing now?".  Isn't it?

Becca then continued her tour of Europe by dancing in front of the musician for 3 songs, handing her a euro, and getting a round of applause from the restaurant and a thank you from the singer.

Everyone was sad to see her go, but Becca remembered how much she loves chasing pigeons.  We walked to the same bar where I drummed up the courage (had a beer) and walked down St Mark's Square to listen to the bands playing.

Becca then chased pigeons for 20 minutes and Beth was pooped on twice by birds.  At this point I knew the timing was right and I again fumbled through a non-proposal, while Becca squealed at birdies.

chasing pigeons (earlier in the day)

St. Marks Square = super fun

We're heading to the airport now, and thus ends another chapter of the Beth and Rich and Becca travel blog.

General travel/trip notes

We enjoyed the Royal Caribbean cruise experience - by far the best staff we have encountered.  Becca also enjoyed dancing and playing with the other babies.  We actually ran into our table mates (with a 13 month and two and a half year old) in Venice (and many other port stops) as well as one of Becca's other baby friends, Grace.

After this trip we've been to about 40 countries (and Becca 13) and I wanted to rank the 5 best places we've been to (in Richard's opinion/order), noting that we have not been to South America or Africa (or India or Spain... or many other places).  

#1.  Beijing.  Tough choice here.  The edge goes to Beijing for having some truly amazing historical pieces (Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc)
#2. Bangkok - just an amazing different culture with some great wats.
#3. Venice (see above)
#4.  Jerusalem - a ton of stuff to see, and if you include anything you can visit on a day trip (which includes all of Israel and Petra) you have a week and a half of things to do without even trying.
#5. Rome - the smoking is unbearable, but by far the most "stuff" to see anywhere.  Unless you don't care for old buildings and ruins.

I wanted to include Sydney, which we enjoyed, but really lacks stand out places, and Cairns, which has the barrier reef, but isn't all that great otherwise.  I would also give an honorable mention to Tokyo, even though their main attraction is people wearing surgical masks; and especially Istanbul, which would be #6 for me.