Before I get to the vacation, I want to comment on two really fabulous things that came out of Britain yesterday...
1. The fact that they named this little guy George was revealed yesterday. Andrew really, really, really wanted to name Smith, George. Really he did. It's quite British and very proper (all things Andrew loves) but I was hesitant. So, the name wasn't fit for a Shull kid, but it was fit for a future king. Although, Sheaffer told me she thought it would be awesome if they named him something like Kevin. Or Bob. King Kevin does have a nice ring to it, right? And then Kelly told me she liked Sutton Spencer...which I honestly love, love, love. But alas, they didn't ask us three. Maybe they will next time?
And then this happened yesterday too...
2. Helen Fielding released the cover for the new Bridget Jones novel. I told you guys two weeks ago that the Bridget Jones series are my two favorite movies. I'm thrilled beyond words that a third book installment is coming this October!
Alright...enough Brit talk and more vacation talk...here you go...
After 3 full days in Barcelona, we headed to board our 7 night cruise.
Here's the thing about cruises...I love them...but only certain types of cruises. I love what I call "old people cruises". I want to be on a ship full of older people (not younger people with kids). Being on a ship full of kids does not sound like fun to me, so when we travel, we try to get on ships that would more than likely be full of older people instead. Older people are quieter, they don't run down the ship corridors, they're respectful at dinner, they don't crowd the pools, they are just better travel companions in my opinion. Even when we cruise with our own kids, we look for destinations that more than likely will have more adults on board than children (needless to say, you won't ever find the Shulls on a Disney Cruise...).
Another reason why we like cruises is that a cruise ship forces you to have down time (something Andrew and I never have). When we travel by land (like we did in Belgium last fall), we get up early and stay out late. We never go back to our hotel room because we're trying so hard to soak everything in. But...when you board a cruise ship, you don't have the luxury of staying out late...you are forced to get back on the ship every day and have some down time. For people like us (the kind of people that never sit still), a little mandatory relaxation does us good every once in a while.
This was our 3rd cruise together in our 9 years of marriage. Click here to see our Italian Riviera cruise (and I apologize in advance for how pregnant I am!) and click here to see when we took our kids on a Scandinavian cruise.
We board our Holland America ship and headed straight to our cabin. We had a big balcony overlooking our port.
We sat back and enjoyed our day on the ship.
I read and wrote recipes for the fall and Christmas...
...and watched a few episodes of Frasier (since my sweet hubby bought me the first 3 seasons to bring on board).
We got dressed for dinner and headed out for the ship's nighttime festivities.
Beautiful sailing!
The next morning, we woke up bright and early and I ate breakfast in our cabin while watching Fraiser (I'm on a cruise ship...my choices were limited! I'm so glad he brought those DVDs for me!), while Andrew ate on the Lido deck.
Then we got off the ship, boarded a city bus and headed out for 12 hours discovering Monte Carlo, Eze and Nice (Monaco and France).
Our first stop was Eze, France. It is this beautiful little town nestled high on a hill. It had cobblestone streets, little nooks and corners, shops, cafes, art and beautiful views below.
We stopped for cappuccinos and chocolate filled croissants at a little cafe and watched the world go by.
After a morning in Eze, we took another bus up to Nice. I found a little bakery and bought myself some macaroons. (We have an understanding in our marriage...if I see a macaroon, I buy it. I looooove a good coconut macaroon!).
For some reason, I didn't take a lot of pics in Nice. We had lunch at an outdoor cafe, we strolled the city streets and did a little shopping and toured a cathedral. It was a wonderful afternoon!
We left Nice and took our bus ride back to Monte Carlo (where the ship was ported) and finished off our late afternoon and evening there. We stopped for ice cream when we arrived back...
...and walked the beautiful city streets. Monte Carlo had some of the prettiest architecture, yachts, and views that I have ever seen. It was beautiful!
Walking!
Being silly!
We had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the marina. I had never seen so many beautiful yachts docked in one place. After dinner, I had a crepe. Flippin' fabulous!
And because the sun stayed out so late, we felt like we got to fully enjoy our 12 hours at our port. Here I am that night going back to our ship. Such a wonderful day!
Next up, we port in Italy! And if you missed our last stop, click here. For our next stop, Day 7, click here.
More pics to come!
Lunch is on the foodie blog! A simple (and versatile!) wrap that you and your kiddos will love!
And of course, check our Sheaffer's Bachelorette recap here. What would we do without Sheaffer?!?!
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