Mediterranean - Naples - Pompeii, Montserrat

Today the ship stopped in Naples, Italy. We had arranged a tour to Pompeii to see the ruins. It was a nice, clear day and we could see Mount Vesuvius very easily. Pompeii was an amazing city. The homes, streets, tilework, even the brothel, showed a very advanced society. It was a really cold day, but we still really enjoyed this step back in time. The 2 bodies enclosed in glass, were still encased in ash, but we could see their skulls, teeth, etc showing through. It was sad to imagine the way they died. The city was so big, much larger than we all imagined it would be. And, it was really fun spending time there with other Cruise Holiday friends.

Marty even found another Steelers fan, a nice older couple who we helped up the steep alleys. They were very nice.

Upon our return from Pompeii, we enjoyed a slice of Margaretha Pizza, which was created in Naples. We did a little shopping and then headed back to the ship, where it was warm and we could have a nice big lunch.

We had a nice day at sea as we returned to Barcelona. We had another formal night and the waiters served us Baked Alaska. Celebrity had it personalized for our Convention. It was really fun. We had a good time hanging out with our friends, playing in the casino, dancing, etc. It was a great convention.

Upon arriving in Barcelona, we disembarked the ship and boarded a tour bus to Montserrat. It was about an hour drive each way and the scenery was really beautiful. The rock formations on Montserrat were awesome. We walked around the area and were able to enter the Monastery church there, which houses the Black Madonna. After another 1 hour scenic drive back to Barcelona, we were dropped off at the Plaza Catalyuna and spent the night at our hotel.

We woke up the next morning and headed to the airport for a long trip home. It took us about 17 hours from start to finish. We had a short stop in Madrid, then a long layover in Chicago, and finally arrived home around 9pm. We were so tired and fell right into bed as soon as we found our beds. We loved flying on Iberian Airlines, where they had outside cameras and we were able to watch our take off and landing. That was pretty cool.

We were happy to be home, see the kids and get our lives back to normal. But, our Mediterranean trip will always be a wonderful memory. We can't wait to do it again someday.