After getting kicked off of our flight, Josh had to contact Delta and make sure that the rest of our itinerary would not be canceled. We were very uncertain what would happen with his passport at the Embassy, so we decided to come up with a backup plan in case we could not go to South Africa after all.
Our cruise is done, and the next stop on our itinerary is South Africa. We’re going to meet up with our friends from college, Adam and Lora, who are serving as Peace Corp volunteers.
Josh and I made our way off of the boat and to the metro station, where we traveled to the Amsterdam airport. It is a very large building, working as an airport, a mall, and a metro station.
One stop that I would love to visit again is Brugge, Belgium. This town is a gorgeous, old fashioned town with modern stores, the best chocolate, canals, and parks. When we got there, we left the train station and saw the largest amount of bicycles in one place I’ve ever seen. There were rows and rows and rows and rows of cycles.
We had an amazing opportunity to visit the Normandy Beaches on our trip. We rented a car in La Havre, and drove across the Normandy countryside. This was one of my favorite days. The countryside in Normandy is so picturesque and beautiful. We drove trhough many small villages, with cobblestone streets and stone manors. It’s so far removed from the industrialized cities, it was a wonderful day.
A sea day is always going to be a relaxing day on a cruise ship. After the first days on the cruise, when we were stopping at so many interesting ports and wanting to see everything, we were very ready for our first sea day. Our second one was not as needed, since our recent stop of Cadiz, Spain was not very thrilling. We walked through some of the streets, and hung out in an internet cafe for a while.
Rio De Janeiro and Lisbon are sister cities. Some may know that, but I bet that most wouldn’t know that they both have the large statues of Jesus, with outstretched arms. As we walked outside on the deck of the ship this morning, Josh and I saw Jesus watching over us.
It is a rainy day, but we had a plan. Lisbon is home to the second largest aquarium in the world, and we are visiting it. It’s called the Oceanario de Lisboa.
Our port today was Malaga, Spain. I had looked up some things to see at each stop, and this one has a castle and fort. The fort had been built by Muslim rulers over a long period of rule in Malaga.
As we walked into the lower “fort” it turned into the most beautiful fort I’d ever seen. In fact, it was really a medieval mansion.
After our exciting day in Rome, and almost missing the boat, we were ready for another fun day of sightseeing. Our stop was Naples, Italy but we wanted to go to Pompeii and see the ruins.
We got on a train that was supposed to stop at the ruins. Unfortunately, the train went in a different direction. We got off and were stuck in the middle of nowhere waiting for a train to go back one stop to a hub where we could find the different train.
Rome is the city that used to be the center of the world. In some ways it still has a lot of power in the world, with Vatican City and the Pope, as well as being the capital of Italy. We started out by going into the Vatican. We wanted to go to the Sistine Chapel first. The line was not too bad, and once we went inside, we realized that it is not only the entrance to the Sistine Chapel, but also to the Vatican museum. This was a great museum. It’s amazing actually what the Popes have acquired over the years, especially in Roman and Greek artwork.
Florence is my favorite city in the world. I was amazed as soon as we got out of the train station. The buildings are gorgeous. The city is steeped in history and art and beauty.
Thanks for stopping by. My name is Charlotte Glaze, and this is theGlaze.com.
By day I run my freelance graphic design company, Meira Design, for which I do graphic design, web design, illustration, photography, and more. I am also a preschool teacher for Kirk of the Hills Preschool.
I don't just work all the time though! I love reading, watching movies, and cooking my favorite recipes. My husband, Josh, and I love to travel, too! He's an airline nerd... constantly haunting the airline gossip forums. We take frequent trips, both for work and fun.
On this site you will find our recent travel adventures, random musings about life and business, and many photos and other fun things. Please make yourself at home! And don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feed.
