Mediterranean Cruise-2013 Spring Break

THE CRUISE SPRING BREAK 2013

Ira and I took Brenna and Brendan on an 11 day Mediterranean cruise for spring break this year - very fun, relaxing and enlightening!

Off we go early Monday morning from Vermont Cog Station in Leysin, Switzerland.

From Switzerland we took a train to our first destination Genoa, Italy.  We stayed one night at the Grand Hotel Savoia and boarded our ship the following day from this beautiful harbor.

Just what we expected on the our cruise ship - one of the many bars on board the MSC Lirica.

The first port stop was Civitavecchia on to the "Eternal City" Rome and a visit to the Colosseum - pretty good view from this vantage point.

It rained during our visit to Rome - here we are at the Trevi Fountain enjoying the  lovely weather...

Here's the Pantheon, an ancient temple built to honor seven Roman deities.  This structure was in very good shape compared to many others we visited during our tour.

OK - here we are with a "real" Roman soldier in front of the Pantheon - real in the sense that he and his colleague extorted 10 real Euros each for the photo opportunity!

Well, here it is, St. Peter's Square and the Basilica.  Easter will occur next Sunday and lots of preparations are in progress for the services to be delivered by newly ordained Pope Francis.

The Vatican post office - it's on wheels!

Brendan and Brenna in their dress outfits for dinner at our cruise table.  Six course meals served every evening by a handful of ever-smiling and attentive waiters - very cool...

Ready for dinner at our table!

Istanbul, Turkey, home of the Topkapi Palace, Suleyman Mosque, the gateway between the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and the Bosphorus Strait that separates Europe from Asia.

Brendan at one of the Mosques...

A tender moment at the Topkapi Palace gardens.

Here's the Turkish carpet we bought - we knew it was ours when we first laid eyes on it!

Brendan in front of the Livadia (White) Palace in Yalta, Crimea.  This is the location where Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt met to decide the fate of Europe during the spring of 1945.  This monument was originally built as the summer palace for the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II.

Inside the White Palace, a table where Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt met.

This is the Palace of Alexander III - we were informed that the structure was used primarily as a hunting lodge for the Romanov aristocrats.

Here's a sad little museum in Odessa, Ukraine - not much to see and in desperate need of repair.  Unfortunately, much of what we saw in Ukraine was run down or sadly neglected.

Here's a seaside observation structure next to a mansion in Odessa.

Where do you want to go from Odessa?  It all starts right here!

Greece!  Here's the first stadium of the modern Olympics - hosted in Athens in 1896.  This structure is in excellent shape and well designed for audience viewing.

Here's the amazing Parthenon, the quintessential symbol of Athens and ancient Greek history.  An extraordinary example of architecture and stone craftsmanship - well worth the visit.

A closer view of the magnificent stone columns that have withstood the test of time.

Viewing Athens from the Acropolis, capital city of Greece and home to as many as 20 million inhabitants.

Our ship at anchor in Sorrento Harbor, Italy.  It's a very beautiful drive along the coast from Sorrento to Pompeii.  The driving habits of the locals, however, are risky and dangerous - we felt relatively safe with our skilled driver in our large, comfortable tour bus.

A view of Vesuvius from the bus across the water - wow!

The entrance to the excavated city of ancient Pompeii.  Once a thriving city of enlightened inhabitants, it was buried by lava and ash during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Brendan viewing the external walls of Pompeii - the ruins are
in exceptionally good shape.

This is a theater in Pompeii that was used for theater productions by the Greeks, and later as gladiator battles by the Romans.

Pompeii was a fairly large city before it was decimated almost 2000 years ago - this is a very long avenue that was once buried by up to 9 meters of lava and ash.  25% of the city has yet to be uncovered after 2 centuries of excavation.

We found the red light district in Pompeii - rather, it found us.  For those looking for specific carnal services,  pictures are posted above designated rooms.  Easy shopping catering to the eclectic propensities of an amorous population!

In case you find yourself in Pompeii and are unable to find "the district," handy stone symbols are embedded in the walls of the streets directing you to where your wildest fantasies might come true!

It was an amazing excursion - Bon voyage!

Christmas in Thailand 2012

THAILAND 2012

I probably say this after ever vacation I take but this time, I really mean it...this was the best vacation ever!!!

We spent 10 days in Thailand, 5 in Bangkok, 4 in Koh Samui and a day of travel, which really sucked!  26 hours from door to door!  But on to the good stuff starting in Bangkok...

Arrival at the Davis Hotel in central Bangkok and then straight to our first stop, the Jim Thompson house.

Shrine at the Royal Summer Palace.

Holding up the temple!

Jim Thomson compound.

Jim Thomson was the man who re-established the manufacturing and trade of Thai silk after WWII.  The Jim Thomson compound is a collections of Thai homes that he selected from various parts of Thailand and were re-constructed on his property, representing his deep love of Thailand and the Thai people.

During our visit to Bangkok, we stayed in a Thai house at the Davis Hotel - a really beautiful dwelling crafted in traditional Thai form.  The grounds were lush with vegetation - a real rural Thai paradise in the middle of the sprawling city of 10 million inhabitants.

Entrance to our Thai house in Bangkok.

Brendan in our Thai house living room.

Stunning master suite with high vaulted ceiling.

We visited a snake farm in the city where venom is extracted from a wide variety of poisonous snakes for anti-venom purposes.  The staff entertained us with a demonstration of snake handling, including interactions with the King Cobra - yikes!

The King!

Bailey and Brenna with a massive non-venomous variety...

Massive reclining Buddha...

Palace shrine...

Here's our visit to the Grand Palace established in the 18th century as the home of the royal family.  Very unique, beautiful and ornate architecture - really amazing to behold!

Beautiful ornately decorated shrines at the Grand Palace.

Christmas Day - a visit to the ancient ruins of the old capitol city Atutthaya - beyond description...

Family photo in front of stone statue encased in roots.

Beauties among the ruins!

No white Christmas - instead, we travel among the ruins via pachyderm!

Bailey's buddy...

Travelling first class!

We fly south to the island paradise Koh Samui.  Thai hospitality, island beauty, and 5 star accommodations make this experience one to remember!  Lots of time spent on the beach or in the infinity pools.

Siblings on the beach.

Siblings enjoying one of the pools.

Siblings enjoying traditional Thai culture...

Ronald and friends...

Shopping was another fun past-time - anything from silk to teak and lots of street food.  In addition, Thai massages are very popular and inexpensive - we took advantage of this hedonistic pleasure every day paying on average $4.00 per hour!

Thailand was a fantastic family adventure and a great way to spend the holidays!