Athens

We had a lot of preconceived notions about Athens and Greece.  For one, we had heard that Athens was extremely dirty.  In our own minds, we could picture the famous ruins and grandeur of the Olympic games, but we came in guarded prepared for graffiti, smoke, violence and litter.  We definitely found some of those things, but loved the history, great museums, delicious food, and in the end wished we had had another day to explore.  We came away completely impressed and moved by this ancient civilization that has formed the foundation for so much of modern-day, western thought/architecture/design/politics/philosophy, etc... 

It definitely had tons of graffiti and a lot that wasn't very charming, but we were also standing in places where the concept of democracy was founded, Socrates and the ancient philosophers stood and taught, Paul preached to the people, and the idea of the golden mean originated.   Without going into too much detail we came away grateful for the many advances the Greeks have given modern day civilization.  

there were piles of ruins and architectural pieces

lego like pieces of new marble are part of the restoration

Standing on the hill where the concept of democracy was founded 

waiting for a tasty dish of gyros with extra tziki sauce and some baklava

our favorite pose 

sweet friezes (if you look closely) of the centaurs fighting the greek warriors because they tried to steal their women 

modern concerts are held here

on off bus tour

Dubrovnik

From Italy, we jumped on a cruise to see some notable countries around the Adriatic.  It was the first time either one of us had been on a large cruise ship before.  We have been a little hesitant to do the cruise thing because we weren't sure if you really got enough time in each port.  After having cruised, we thought the experience was easy and fun but there are some caveats.

Pros of cruising:

1. It's very inexpensive (we used NCL)
2. You get to see a lot of places
3. You can play and sleep while you travel to new places
4. You can eat as much as you want, and if you know me, you know I eat a ton
5. There are fun entertainment options (some are kinda cheesy but you expect that)
6. Days at sea are relaxing and add variety to the vacation
7. For the first few days the food was good

Cons of cruising:

1. Sometimes you feel rushed in port
2. There is simply not enough time to explore some ports the way we would like to
3. The food can get a little old by the time you leave unless you opt for the more expensive restaurants which we mostly didn't
4. There is a bit too much razzle dazzle on most cruise ships

Dubrovnik

What a cute little city.  Among the cutest cities we've ever seen. A quaint limestone village built on a cliff and surrounded by the serene adriatic waters.  The only downside again was how hot and humid it was.

Hanging by the loophole 

This is the main drag that is filled with restaurants, shops and gelato vendors.

The oldest pharmacy in the world is located in Dubrovnik

Luckily, there are little water fountains all over that you can refill your water.  I totally wish we had fountains like that in the 80205

Cute tiled roofs as far as you can see

 We walked along the old city wall that used to protect the city.  The views were awesome.

Shooting some imaginary arrows, how cute

Water Polo is super popular in Croatia

 Towards the end of our day in Dubrovnik, we ventured away from where most of the tourists go and found this small rocky beach that had a few natives just kickin' it.  We couldn't resist the temptation to strip down to our skivvies and jump in.  The water was beautiful and it was a special time.

Next stop: Athens

Vacation: All I ever wanted

We just got back from Europe and Morocco and let me tell you, we had an amazing time.

We'll start with Italy.  We went on our honeymoon to Rome (we went to Italy and France) exactly 10 years ago.  It was my second time and Candice's third time visiting the eternal city.  We thoroughly enjoyed the stunning monuments and architecture, gelato and homemade cooking.  Neither of us had been able to go to the Sistine Chapel on previous trips so we made the most of our time and headed to the Vatican first.  As luck would have it, the chapel was open and ready to be seen.  Michelangelo was a genius and one of the best artist to ever walk the earth.  We both loved it.

During out time in Roma, it was hot.  We stayed at a mid level hotel because it was just a quick stop over and we weren't planning on spending too much time in our room.  Well, as luck would have it the AC went out.  There is more to this story, involving nudity and bad language but we'll save that for another time.

 There is something special about the gelato in Italy. 

One of the best things about visiting a place you have already been to is not feeling like you need to rush around checking out all the local sites and activities.  It was nice taking our time on things because we only had a day before we headed for Venice.

Venice is precious.  Pretty much anywhere you look, you'll find cuteness and adorability.  Again, it was killer hot, so we drank a ton of beverages and ate more gelato.

TV in the mirror, awesome

We stayed at Hotel Grand Canal, it was splendid and elegant.

Candice directed me in an inpromptu photo shoot at St. Marks

Mostly we got lost a lot and ate more gelato.  Oh yeah, we shopped and made some awesome purchases.  Next stop Croatia....