Arriving in Barcelona yesterday morning was bittersweet.  It meant the end of our cruise, but we were back in a city we all thoroughly enjoyed.  Ellanora mentioned a bit of sadness as we crossed the gangway for the last time.  I’d like to think the sadness we all felt was as much from the end…

We arrived in France to rain, and while that didn’t stop us, it was clear that we were slowing down and not in a rush to get into the city. Our attention is beginning to shift to plans for the week ahead. Work, a Lacrosse board meeting, basketball, school work, the upcoming Lacrosse tournament in…

“This is definitely my favorite spot in Italy” we heard Grayson say for the third time. Yes, it was certainly a great spot, & though I’m not quite on the same page, I can understand why. In Tunisia we were quickly among the locals, but there were throngs of them, and we were in the…

The sounds of the restaurant were all around us. Plates clanking, forks and knives in use, the murmer of conversations. The richness of the food, the smell of the wine and the smiles from the waiter as he referred to Ellanora as bambina, created a nearly perfect moment for us. We were tucked away in…

We had hardly been back on the ship a few moments when Joel told me that he was definitely coming back. I asked if he meant Sicily? To which he replied “ITALY!” There’s something intoxicating about being in this place. The streets, the music, the people. At lunch, Grayson said “man, Italians are put together,…

Happy Thanksgiving! It’s 8:30 Thanksgiving morning here in Sicily, Italy and my kids are just waking up. Jill lived here, and she loved it. Grayson has mentioned a few times how good it will be to spend the day in a place that his mom loved. I wasn’t sure how we would do on this…

Waking up yesterday morning was definitely a challenge, as I previously mentioned. The seas rocked us all night, making it difficult to sleep, and the kids struggled with nausea until they had some medicine. By the afternoon, both the seas and their stomachs had calmed, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the…

It’s 2:45 on Tuesday afternoon and we’re just off the coast of Sardinia, Italy, moving southeast toward Tunisia, Africa. Typically I’m up before the kids to write of our previous day’s experiences, but this morning was a bit of a foggy morning. The seas are rough, and I spent much of the night awake, rocking…

By dinnertime last night, fantastical ideas about living in Barcelona began percolating around the table. We continue to be caught up in the beauty of this place, from the people, to the architecture, to the romance that can capture anyone when traveling abroad. Barcelona feels different than the other cities we’ve seen around the world…

The energy was electric, and within minutes, all four of us could have been mistaken for lifelong FC Barcelona fans. We couldn’t help but be swept up with 45,000 other fans as we all chanted ¡Barça! ¡Barça! ¡Barça! Between the full choir leading the crowd in the FC Barcelona anthem, the fireworks from the pitch,…