Monday, July 20, 2009

Vacation...all I ever wanted...

I love vacations. Let me say that again...I LOVE VACATIONS!!! And my hubby & I have had our fair share of fantastic vacations. That is why I was so excited to see the topic for Friend Makin' Monday was all about these little get-a-ways that we never seem to get enough of.
This week, Jolanthe from No Ordinary Moments is hosting FMM - in for Kasey, who is still trekking across North America with her family. The questions asked this week is as follows:

1. Tell us your best (or worst) vacations you ever took.

Matt & I have been very blessed to have traveled to many incredible locations, but my absolute favorite was a trip we took 2 summers ago on a Mediterranean cruise. We began in Nice, France and ended in Rome, Italy. We had never traveled to Europe before, so this was an adventure for both of us.
This is the port where we boarded our ship in Nice. The tiny ship in the photo is similar to the one we were on. Nice was a fun French town where we enjoyed shopping and french wine. :)

Day 2 was a stop in St. Tropez where we visited ruins of a 17th century village, a winery, and shopping. This was a very busy, fast-paced city.
Day 3 was spent in Portofino, Italy- one of the most romantic spots I have ever been to- this sleepy little village attracts many yachts. We sat on a patio enjoying Italian wine. It was wonderful.
Day 4 found us in Florence, Italy. I had read a fantastic book about Michelangelo's life before the trip, so I was ecstatic to see some of his works all over this city, including The David, which is indoors and much larger that I thought it would be. It was incredible to see actual works that I had read about. To know that Michelangelo's hands had actually created this masterpiece. The above pic is a replica in a square where we had the most amazing Italian pizza and gelato.
Our last stop was in Rome, Italy. We had a busy day that started at the Colosseum and ended at The Vatican. Again, a most incredible day, seeing the amazing history of this city (and we think the good ole' US has history!).
In St. Peter's Square.
The highlight of our trip was a private viewing of the Sistine Chapel. Yes, these are pictures we took while there. (Before you freak out, they allowed us as long as our flashes were off.) But honestly, the pictures do not do it justice. There is such an overwhelming feeling of awe to see this in person- I recommend it to everyone!
As I had mentioned, I read all about Michelangelo before the trip, which included his painting of the Sistine Chapel. He was a sculptor by trade, not a painter. But the Pope at the time hired him (really bribed him) to paint the ceiling of the chapel in exchange for the rights to develop and build St. Peter's Basilica. And he stood upright with his head pointed upward for 7 years painting the ceiling. And it is a masterpiece. The above picture is the wall behind the alter that he also painted several years later. All of it is breathtaking.

Bet ya didn't expect a history lesson with my post huh??

Have a great week everyone!!


18 comments:

Tina said...

Becca:

WOW what a great trip that must have been. Loved the history lesson and the pictures!

Happy FMM!

Kelli said...

That sounds like an amazing trip...one to treasure. Thanks for the history tip, wow, 7 years!

Alli said...

Gorgeous! Portofino looks amazing! I'm so envious of all the Italian wine you got to drink!

MadeInCanarias said...

These pictures of you in Rome make me want to go there right now.

Anonymous said...

What an amazing vacation!! How cool that you could take photos.. I am sure they don't do it justice but it helps remember your experience.

Shawn said...

I have to admit I'm a bit envious What a wonderful vacation! We, as parents deserve a child free vacay once in a while!

Thank for sharing!

Danae Hudson said...

I love your pictures!! I've been to the Sistine Chapel. It really is breathtaking!! :) I loved your pictures of Portofino. BEAUTIFUL.

Anonymous said...

Awesome trip!

snickie said...

WOW, those pictures are beautiful!

Vivienne @ the V Spot said...

Gorgeous! I have been to Florence and Rome, but now I am really really really wanting to go to Portofino.
:)

schwadette said...

that is an incredible trip! i was in rome when i was 8 years old... but don't remember much! would LOVE to visit again one day... your pictures are amazing!!

Michelle Smith said...

I loved seeing your beautiful pictures and hearing about your trip to Rome. I'd like to go someday, but who knows whether it will ever happen?

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Hi Becca!

What a wonderful cruise. You are so lucky! It sounds so divine. I would love do that.

What great pictures too. Thanks for sharing them with us!

XOXO
Jen

Jolanthe said...

that would be a GREAT way to visit all those places!! Perhaps I should look into that!!

Happy FMM!

Jolanthe

Chrissy Thomas said...

What an amazing vacation! I would love to do that with my hubs too. Awesome!

Have a great day!

J.J. said...

we are leaving NC tomorrow :) send me your addy if you would like me to send your kiddos a post card :) I sent you an email...but don't know if you got it.

awesome photos btw.

DesignTies said...

Thanks for visiting our blog and checking out my post about trulli houses :-)

And thanks for the tour of France & Italy and the history lesson :-) It's hard to grasp just how old the architecture and art in Europe are. We stayed at a B&B in Belgium that was in a house that was 700 years old!!

I'll never complain about painting a ceiling again.... can you imagine spending seven years looking up all day, every day?!

Kelly @ DsignTies

Xazmin said...

Wow...what an amazing experience. Thanks for sharing it with us...I love all the amazing pictures!

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