P and E had been living in Europe since 2002 and were set to leave in the summer of 2008. P really wanted to do a Mediterranean cruise before they left and invited Jake and I to join her and CC. I was a little hesitant at first given that J was only 8 months old and it would be a few weeks out of our routine, but decided that I could not pass up the opportunity.
J did great on the flight and except for a hassle over "the pusher" at the Paris airport, it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.A few days after arriving in Germany, we set off on a 10-hour bus ride (I thought P had said 2-hour) through Austria to Venice, Italy. We stayed one night in a cute little town in Italy (cannot recall the name). It was a very long trip, but J did pretty well considering and was very popular on the tour bus.
J did great on the flight and except for a hassle over "the pusher" at the Paris airport, it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.A few days after arriving in Germany, we set off on a 10-hour bus ride (I thought P had said 2-hour) through Austria to Venice, Italy. We stayed one night in a cute little town in Italy (cannot recall the name). It was a very long trip, but J did pretty well considering and was very popular on the tour bus.
From the minute we got on the ship, J was a hit with all of the Italian ladies. He perfected his wave and coy smile very quickly and they all melted when he wheeled by in his stroller. He had his cheeks pinched so much, I was amazed that they didn't bruise.
Santorini was gorgeous, just like all of the pictures that you see of it. We took a small boat from the cruise ship and then rode a bus up the very steap cliff side to the top. The streets of the town are narrow cobblestone and there are no cars. The views are so beautiful that picture can't do them justice. I did expect to see more of the blue roofs for which they are famous, but it was still a fabulous place even with pushing the stroller up the steep and bumpy hills.
Next up was Corfu, Greece. We had lunch at this cute place on the shore where they served us "authentic" Greek food and drinks (Coke was one of the drinks, which was curious). I changed J in the bathroom but I knew there was a line waiting for the one stall, so I figured I could get him dressed the rest of the way outside the bathroom. Well, before we could fully exit, an older Greek lady snatched him and was cuddling him. She asked to show him to her mother and off he went. He danced with these two adorable ladies and was the hit of the place. All with no pants.
Our last stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia. I hadn't even thought much about this stop, but it was probably my favorite. The town is set one the see and is picturesque to say the least. There is an old town that you walk down into to shop and it was straight out of medieval times and is in immaculate condition. CC wasn't feeling well, so J and I explored on our own and had a great time just wandering around. There were some buildings that were still demolished from the Serbian conflict and there was definitely still some tension from what I could tell. I've never visited anywhere that had been a recent site of war and it made me reflect on how lucky I am to live where I do.
Santorini was gorgeous, just like all of the pictures that you see of it. We took a small boat from the cruise ship and then rode a bus up the very steap cliff side to the top. The streets of the town are narrow cobblestone and there are no cars. The views are so beautiful that picture can't do them justice. I did expect to see more of the blue roofs for which they are famous, but it was still a fabulous place even with pushing the stroller up the steep and bumpy hills.
Next up was Corfu, Greece. We had lunch at this cute place on the shore where they served us "authentic" Greek food and drinks (Coke was one of the drinks, which was curious). I changed J in the bathroom but I knew there was a line waiting for the one stall, so I figured I could get him dressed the rest of the way outside the bathroom. Well, before we could fully exit, an older Greek lady snatched him and was cuddling him. She asked to show him to her mother and off he went. He danced with these two adorable ladies and was the hit of the place. All with no pants.
Our last stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia. I hadn't even thought much about this stop, but it was probably my favorite. The town is set one the see and is picturesque to say the least. There is an old town that you walk down into to shop and it was straight out of medieval times and is in immaculate condition. CC wasn't feeling well, so J and I explored on our own and had a great time just wandering around. There were some buildings that were still demolished from the Serbian conflict and there was definitely still some tension from what I could tell. I've never visited anywhere that had been a recent site of war and it made me reflect on how lucky I am to live where I do.
Our bus trip back took us through the Austrian Alps and it made for some good photos, as well as a lot of car sickness. Those are some windy roads! P gave J a piece of chocolate, which he thought made a great paint for the back window of the bus.
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