Between Heaven and Earth (Summer Sailing 2018)

Between Heaven and Earth (Summer Sailing 2018)

Today, we were headed out of the city on a special tour to Italy’s very tucked away places. We had booked the tour with a group online, and we were set to meet this morning at the train station in Rome, which was very close to our hotel.             After getting acquainted with our tour guide and our other tour mates, we piled into the car and got ready for the hour and a half drive to the special destination of the day: Civita di Bagnoregio. It’s about 120 kilometres north of Rome. Civita di Bagnoregio was founded more than 2,500 years ago and was the birthplace of Saint Bonaventure, who died in 1274.             Never heard of it before? That was me when it was first brought up while we were planning our itinerary. But then I googled it, and my first thought? We’re booking that tour. It looked…

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The Eternal City Day 1 (Summer Sailing 2018)

The Eternal City Day 1 (Summer Sailing 2018)

Although we were upset about the adventure on the Oosterdam coming to an end, our 4-day adventure in Rome was just getting started, and this was one that I’ve been looking forward to all voyage. Last time we had come to Rome, it was 2014, and it was one of the ports of call on another Princess Cruises Mediterranean line we did. Since it wasn’t the beginning or ending port, we only had a day’s time in the city, which is not nearly enough to explore the entirety of the open-air museum that is Rome. On our last visit, we had only visited the Colosseum and took a trip to the Vatican – we had skipped everything in between. That is the very reason we had left Rome thinking that it was overrated; we hadn’t actually seen the gems of Rome in the first place.             We arrived in port…

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The Beauty of Amalfi (Summer Sailing 2018)

The Beauty of Amalfi (Summer Sailing 2018)

While we were still planning the trip, Naples was the port of call that I was looking forward to the most. As I was browsing through the excursions that the Oosterdam offered, the cruise along the Amalfi coast and the walk around the Town of Amalfi caught my eye. The Amalfi Coast, I’m sure, is on the travel bucket list for so many people, and it was certainly on mine. Whether it’s just on Google or in movies, every shot of it is beautiful and it’s almost like a silent beckoning to go visit.             So here we were, ready to say hello.             Right off the bat, as we were disembarking the ship, it was raining. While it was a let-down, we had to be grateful for the fact that it was the first day of bad weather this entire trip. Typically, in the summer in the Mediterranean, every…

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The Other Tip of Sicily (Summer Sailing 2018)

The Other Tip of Sicily (Summer Sailing 2018)

Another sunny, scorching day in Sicily! This time, we were docked on the other tip of the Sicilian triangle. After Messina, I had a really great impression of Sicily in general, and I was looking forward to what we would get to see. One of the main things I’ve noticed? The climate is insanely humid and dry. After just half an hour or so of walking and standing underneath the beating sun, I can feel the sweat start to form. That’s when I really wonder to myself how people manage to live and thrive in this climate year-round. For today’s port, we were booked on a tour that would take us around Palermo AND Monreale, which was another historic hill-town in the Metropolitan City of Palermo. It overlooks a very fertile valley, and was most known for its stunning cathedral which we were going to be paying a visit to.…

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Taking a Dive in Gozo (Summer Sailing 2018)

Taking a Dive in Gozo (Summer Sailing 2018)

We went to bed in Valletta and by the time we opened our eyes, we were in Mgarr, a town on the island of Gozo, which is part of the Maltese archipelago.             This was supposed to be our “kick back and relax” port of call. We were booked on a Sail and Swim excursion and so, our day was looking to consist of just those two things: sailing and swimming. We put on our swimsuits, grabbed our towels, and practically ran off the boat, excited for the day ahead.  This whole trip so far has been so much sightseeing, walking, and planning. For once, we could abandon that for a day and just suntan on a sail boat and swim with the fishes in the Mediterranean Sea.             Our tour guide/sailors led us onto the boat and after a brief introduction, our ship headed off to the Blue Lagoon.…

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