Overall our trip to Italy went great! I was lucky enough to have the advice of a few good people to help me prepare for this big trip. Here are the things we did RIGHT to help make our trip awesome.
1. We hired a women that lives part time in Florence to plan our time in Europe. She set up all of our activities, van transfers, tour guides, hotels, and set up some of the meals for us. It was worth EVERY PENNY! We didn't have to worry about the language barriers. We didn't have to stand in crazy lines to enter popular attractions. Our whole trip was set up by an experienced person. It was great!
2. We packed appropriately. There were dress codes in certain churches and catacombs. Each female had a scarf tied to her backpack that could easily cover shoulders when needed.
3. We ate lots of gelato. There is nothing that can recharge hot children better than a cup of gelato. (I'm not an ice cream lover...but I LOVED GELATO!!!)
4. We traveled with friends! 4 adults and 8 kids was a fun way to experience Europe!
5. We scheduled time in Rome before and after the cruise. It was a good way to get acclimated and recover from the cruise.
6. We left the two little ones on the boat on the day that we climbed Mt. Vesuvius.
Now.....the negatives.
1. Our day in Barcelona we went ALL DAY LONG and it was too long! I went against my gut and agreed to a super long day. I should have listened to my gut. Don't get me wrong....I loved Barcelona, we just went too hard that day. We were all pooped.
2. All ham is prosciutto. I don't like prosciutto.
3. Our Norwegian cruise was nice. But, because we have cruised Disney......
Let's just say it wasn't Disney.
4. We flew in and out of Atlanta. When we arrived back late at night we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us. WE SHOULD HAVE CHECKED INTO A HOTEL! That was a hard 4 hours. Ben and I really struggled to stay awake. Moron move!
It was a trip to remember. Our time in Italy just gave me the itch for more. I have a desire to go back without children. Although I am SO THANKFUL we gave the kids that experience, I want to experience 5 hour Italian dinners.....More wine......Relaxation.....Shopping. I want to be romanced. Maybe Someday!!
