Cruise - Day 8: Full Circle

And we mean "full circle" literally, as our cruise began in Barcelona and ended there one week later (much to our sadness).  I was on the verge of tears as we departed the ship -- yes, because it was a total blast, and who would want to leave a cruise ship? But on a deeper level, I knew that getting off that ship meant we were taking one more step towards Zeke's deployment. Not something anyone looks forward to, but it's part of the life, and no one in a post-9/11 world can act surprised that deployments happen.

Enough of that. Let's reflect on the absolute fabulousness of our time on the cruise.

Never enough kisses in the world

"I, Liam Michael Kelly, pledge to be the coolest shipmate ever."

"So... where is the boat?"

Rocking Daddy's cosmopolitan hat

When Liam saw the changing table picture, he said, "Look! Mommy drops the baby!" TOO FUNNY.

Our first morning in Barcelona. And more kisses. Tons of them.

We learned that Barcelona is definitely worth another trip

We also learned on our trip that Pompeiians were incredibly advanced. They even had handicapped-accessible toilets.
(Okay, maybe the bathroom was added later)

The ship had the best water slides for kids...

and grown-ups alike

Beautiful chandeliers

Fancy steakhouses

Even a place to get a trashy Euro-mullet for a souvenir

Girlfriends for Liam around every corner

And a vodka ice bar for us around the corner, too

Irish pub + bowling alley. I KNOW.

Liam loved it when the staff would make him the famous Napkin Mouse

More girlfriends

A Chinese joint -- for times when you like to eat and then be hungry again 10 minutes later

Gambling and jazz clubs

Not just one theater...

But TWO! (Not sure about that shifty-eyed fellow in the bottom of the pic)

And, of course, the comedy club where Liam became a star during Dueling Pianos night

The memories we'll take from this trip go above and beyond the pictures, but we hope we've helped give you guys a little taste of our worldly adventures... and maybe convinced you to consider making a trip yourselves!

And in case you are interested, we were treated with courtesy, speed, and great service from our fabulous travel agent, Anne Yates, from Raleigh. If you would like to book any kind of arrangements, near or far, through her, just let me know and I'll connect you to her! Ciao!

Cruise - Day 7 (Marseilles... and sunshine!)

Normally I'm really good at making things up.  Just consider anything I've ever said or written: pure, high-octane bullhocky.

Just kidding.  But really.  I care more about getting these fab pictures out to you than trying to come up with something interesting to say about Marseilles.  We didn't even bother getting off the boat, because we knew the better times would be had aboard the Epic.  If you're interested in Marseilles info, Google it up and let me know what we missed!

Until then...

Maybe these are better for me than Mommy's shoes

Fancy drinks!

More fancy drinks!

Post-fancy drinks

This should be the Chateau d'If if we got our Count of Monte Cristo guideposts correct. Unfortunately, Jim Caviezel was not floating around in a hot-air balloon to give us any hints.

Notre Dame. THE Notre Dame. We think. Again, no helpful stereotypical guides (don't see any hunchbacks, do ya?)

  

BLUE MAN GROUP!!! (Or "Blue Man Playgroup" according to Liam) They shook his hands and covered us both in paint...

Liam's trying to wipe off the evidence, while I'm proudly sporting my blue smear on my cheek

Cruise - Day 6 (Cannes/Nice, France)

Bonjour, France!

Have we mentioned lately how we feel about France?  Do you need a refresher? See Zeke's conclusion in the linked post.

Thankfully, Norwegian was taking us to Nice, France, a city which at times feels more Italian than French... and the excursion they offered involved riding something called "The Little Train."  Enter Liam, stage right. FOR REAL how perfect is that?

Enjoy our whimsical tour of Nice!

Breakfast in (Mommy and Daddy's) bed

"The Little Train" that took us through the winding streets of Nice

My hubby is a photog genius

That little goofy pod sitting in the ocean? That was our ride to and from the port docks -- and also it serves as a fabulous lifeboat if needed. After all the cruise mishaps in the past year, I was relieved to see how well our crew managed and navigated our boats!

Look out France! Mr. Destructo has arrived AS PROMISED!

[Insert your best "look at those two handsome fellows" line here]

The main promenade along Nice's coastline

More promenade. Factoid: Angelina Jolie gave birth to some of her 5000 children in a hospital right here!

So jealous of their street markets. Just your average weekday morning stroll

So not fair

Onions and Taters and Garlic...

OH MY!  (Dirt-cheap, too, might we add)

Salts. Seriously. Flavor-infused salts.

Spices so freshly ground I wanted to roll around in the boxes just so I could smell like a walking piece of Heaven

Only in France:  Petite Toilette de Liam. Nous vous remercions, Nice! (And thanks for giving Liam some serious street cred with the locals as well)

Part of some castle remains in upper Nice -- and yes, those are mosaic fish. Definitely a seaside town

From the heights overlooking Nice

This is My Island!  And My Train!

We had to be miles away, across an ocean, standing at the port of Cannes, France, in order to fit the whole cruise ship in a picture. That thing was a monster.

...As was the awesome towel monkey our housekeeper left for us. Total monster.

Mommy's shoes

Finished the day where he started: taking over Mommy and Daddy's bed