Day 4

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are in: Civitavecchia, Italy

Sunrise: 6.15am

Sunset: 8.20pm

Ship's arrival: 7.00am

Today's forecast

Sunny

87°F (31°C)

Humidity: 78%

Wind: 10 - 15 mph

UV index: 7 medium

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Casual

O Rome! my country! city of the soul!


Sorry, I - the latin freak that I am - couldn't resist. Anyway, you probably guessed, I went to Rome. The family hope to go to Rome for a long weekend, some time in the near future, and so we only went for a four hour panoramic tour of the city, including Vatican City, just to get a taste for such an amazing city. It was definitely worth it. And, once again, I took far too many photos, and I promise I will upload them, so you can all have a look.


We returned back to the ship for a late lunch, before a few games of pool in Schooner Bar and a game of mini golf on top deck. Another delicious dinner in the Minstrel and Chris Riggins singing for us in the Pacifica Theatre. What can I say? Perfect. 

Day 3

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are in: Livorno, Italy

Sunrise: 6.17am

Sunset: 8.31pm

Ship's arrival: 7.00am

Today's forecast

Sunny

88°F (31°C)

Humidity: 83%

Wind: 5 - 10 mph

UV index: 7 medium

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Casual

Ciao


I had been to Italy twice before, but the first time, I was too young to remember much, and the second time we stayed in Sorrento, near Naples, and so going to Northern Italy was a nice change. We had a choice of many different tours. Some were longer than others. We chose a 4 hour tour round Pisa. Although much of the tour was on the bus, we did a considerable amount of walking in the main square where the Leaning Tower is. Being tourists, we felt obliged to have photos taken of us leaning against the wall, or trying to right it, by pushing it. I had Teegan with me, so I had a lot of fun, trying to get exactly the right distance and focus to get the photo of Chris pushing the tower as convincing as possible. It worked. I promise, that once I have found Teegan's lead, I will post all of the holiday photos on here. 


Having had a little walk round the square, we met the tour guide - who is an amazing multi-linguist, and I admire her greatly for her fluency in English, despite it not being her first language, or even her second - who then led us through the crowds and queues to go up the Leaning Tower. It was then that I realised, that all that walking to and from school has paid off. I was walking up and down those hundreds of steps with ease, watching my brother, who is always running around outside, playing football, struggle for breath and complaining about aching limbs. 


Those who know me, will know of my unusual obsession with magnets. I have a habit of gathering together a collection of magnets from different places. They are relatively small and inexpensive mementos. And so I bought a little Leaning Tower of Pisa magnet. As I was leaving the shop, having bought the magnet, I noticed a basket of amazing masks. I couldn't resist. I had to buy one. They were so nice. 


It was a very good trip. I really enjoyed it. We returned to the ship for lunch, and then had a quick dip in the pool and went up the climbing  wall, before a quick game of table tennis and getting ready for dinner. 


We had started to truly appreciate the food, now. We were impressed by the vast quantities of food in the windjammer, but hadn't yet taken notice of the quality of the food, particularly in the Minstrel - the formal dining room. 


After our lavish dinner, the entire family went into the evening entertainment. The Brilliance of the Seas orchestra, singers and dancers, preformed a variety of different songs from various different musicals. It was amazing. They were better than many of the professional shows I have paid a fortune to see in the West End. They were truly out of this world. 


So three things I have learnt today:
The food is gorgeous
I have a shopping problem
And this truly is the luxury holiday of a lifetime