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14 October - 3 November : Cruise Control

MILAN - CINQUE TERRE - LA SPEZIA - PISA - FIUMICINO - ATHENS - NAFPLION - KATAKOLON - ALEXANDRIA (CAIRO) - IRAKLION - SANTORINI - MYKONOS - IZMIR (EPHESUS) - ISTANBUL


Hi Family and Friends

Our Italian getaway and Mediterranean cruise is just around the corner. Below is a briefing of where we plan to go and a bit about what we plan to do while there. Changes and more to come. Enjoy!

14 - 16 October : Buongiorno Milano
Everyone knows we like to maximize our travels to the fullest so naturally when we decided to take a Mediterranean cruise, we figured why not tack on a few places nearby that we've been dying to visit as well. Our last trip to Italy did not allow us enough time to see Milan so that was an easy decision. While here, we've booked tickets to see The Last Supper. Currently, I've been Bertlitzing my way through the Italian language and cannot wait!
Sleeping: Hotel Berna

16 - 19 October : Cinque Terre - La Spezia - Pisa
We hitted up the French Riviera a few years back, so this time we're coasting it down the Italian Riviera. We'll be staying in Monterosso Al Mare, one of the 5 villages in Cinque Terre and will visit the other villages during our 2.5 day stay; Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. On our last day, we'll take the 1hr train ride to Pisa and spend half the day site seeing.
Sleeping: Manuel's Guesthouse


19 October : Fiumicino
Fiumicino is our layover on our way to Athens. Shopping at Parco Leonardo Shopping Centre-- one of the country's largest shopping mall conveniently located just minutes from the airport.

19 - 21 October : Athens
We'll arrive extremely late on the 19th, so technically will only have 1.5 days in Athens to see all major attractions and do some serious Athenian dining and shopping.
Sleeping: Art Hotel

Cruise Begins : Depart Athens

22 October : Nafplion
Skipping out on the hour bus ride to Mycenae, we opted to stay in town to climb the 800- plus steps to the top of the Palamidi fortress followed by a boat ride over to the Bourtzi fortress.


23 October : Katakolon
We'll train out to Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics, and spend half the day checking out the ruins before heading back to Katakolon.

24 October : At Sea

25 - 26 October : Alexandria (Cairo)
Found a great 2 day tour with Memphis Tours to give us an authentic and thorough insite of all things Cairo including the Pyramids of Giza, shopping at the Bazaar, the Egyptian museum and much more. Best of all, we saved more than half compared to the cruise's shore excursion package.
Sleeping: Sofitel Le Sphinx Cairo


27 October : At Sea

28 October : Iraklion
Oci Day! We're taking the bus to the Palace of Knossos to learn a little history of the Minoan civilization; said to have been the first European civilization. We're also going to spend some time snorkeling before heading back to the ship.

29 October : Santorini
Riding buggies to Oia Village and Amoudi Bay. Spending the day sight seeing before heading back to Fira for a romantic sunset dinner.


30 October : Mykonos
Renting some mopeds and cruising Mykonos in style. Probably spend most of the day sunbathing, drinking, and dancing at Psarou and Paradise Beach and then capping it off with some souvenir shopping in and around town.

31 October : Izmir (Ephesus)
Booked a half day private tour with Nur & Ekol Travel for Ancient Ephesus and Terrace House.

1 - 3 November : Istanbul
Ending our 3 week fantasy vacation in "the coolest city in the world"-- Istanbul! The only city in the world to straddle Europe and Asia; truly where East meets West.
Sleeping: Maywood Hotel


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Tickets: Airline- booked through Vayama- www.vayama.com- for the entire trip. 12- day cruise booked through our travel agent with Norwegian Cruise Line. Train ticket from Milan to Monterosso Al Mare booked through Trenitalia.

Websites: We're using Tripit- www.tripit- to plan our day to day itinerary. Tripadvisor, Frommer's and Cruise Critics are great websites to read up on other traveler's suggestion and tips.

Books & Language: Berlitz Language Learning- Italian and Langenscheidt's Universal Phrasebook- Italian. Mediterranean By Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond.

Gear: Nikon D90, Canon PowerShot SD940, Fujifilm Quick Snap Waterproof