Family Summer Vacation 2012

On July 22nd we set the alarm for 4:15am so we could get to our flight on time at Arlanda Airport. The day before we had cleaned our rental apartment, packed for our trip, and took everything else to storage. It had been a very busy day and we were ready for a much needed family vacation. The last several months had been an absolute whirlwind. Too bad however that our flight was leaving early but oh well!, we would get plenty of rest on the trip....or maybe not!

Arrived in Rome and ready to set sail!

Our first port we arrived at (Day 2) was Messina, Sicily. We were suited up for the beach but when we got off the ship the weather looked a little suspicious so instead we took a taxi up to a beautiful town called Taormina. We walked around the quaint little streets (bought an umbrella) and then visited some ancient ruins or otherwise known there as Teatro Greco (Greek Theatre). 

In this photo it is hard to see but it was actually pouring down like crazy! Thunder and lightning to boot!!!! But we didn't let it get our spirits down. It was actually quite fun and we knew the rest of the week would probably produce better weather, which it did.

Day 3 was a Sea Day so Aaron and I spent most of our time relaxing, reading and EATING while the kids were running around with their new found friends and having a great time! The kids found time to eat too....mostly ice cream though!

We did get a family photo in before dinner time...because you know we were starving by then!

Day 4 was probably the day that Aaron was most excited for. We arrived in Turkey and planned to see the ancient city Ephesus. We got off the ship and immediately found a tour group. Unfortunately we did not have the best tour guide but it was still a very good day.

The first place we went to is supposedly the site of the home of the Virgin Mary. 

Next, we went to the ancient Ephesian ruins, not too far from Mary's house.

It was a very hot day and there were a ton of people. I learned that not any umbrella will do. The nylon ones seem to trap heat. You have to get one of those thin paper like ones...I think....I never actually bought one but in hindsight I would have tried it out. The vendors were selling them everywhere.

The picture above is the amphitheater. Totally awesome! Picture does not do it justice.

Before the tour was over we stopped at a place where they showed us how silk is made and the art of Turkish Rugs. You definitely appreciate things more when you see how much work is involved. Nevertheless, we did not buy a rug....way too expensive! 

When we got back to the port we stopped at a few tourist shops....here is a place where you can buy Genuine Fake Watches!

Having some greek blood myself, Day 5 was the day I was most excited for. We were visiting Athens, Greece and planned to visit the Parthenon.

When we got off the ship we found a taxi driver to take us around. Thanks Leo, you were wonderful! Leo and another driver (we had to take two taxis everywhere) first stopped by a marina for a family photo. 

Leo also took us to a Greek Orthodox Church and pointed out several other sights on our way to the Parthenon. 

Another hot day shared with a thousand other people but these pictures just made it all worth it!

Ashtyn and Darby in front of the Olympic Stadium which was the first stadium used in the modern day Olympics about 100 years ago.

Day 6 was our leisure day, the ship brought us to Chania, Crete, Greece.  After a lot of walking and sightseeing we were looking forward to a relaxing beach day. 

We rented this paddle boat and Aaron and the kids took it far out near the island you see in the back.

Mud Monsters!

Crete was great. The water was warm and clear, perfect weather and fun had by all. By the end of the day we were ready to head back to the ship for some FOOD and ICE CREAM!

Day 7 was a Sea Day and then Day 8 brought us back to Rome. We planned to stay for 3 more days to see the sights of this amazing city.

While on the cruise ship (actually the very first day) we met a lady and her daughter from Houston, Texas who were traveling together while her husband and sons were at a Scout Camp. Come to find out they are also LDS. We spent our first day in Rome with Karene and her daughter Aubrie.  

You can see the Colosseum in the background of this picture.

We spent this day on one of those Hop On Hop Off buses so we could get a general overview of the city. Another very hot day! I was totally happy to see all the famous sights but starting to long for the summer in Sweden at this point. 

Here we are in front of The Vatican and looking forward to our tour the following day.

One thing funny that we noticed is that there was an advertisement on the back of many buses for a place that looked like Disneyland but is not! See picture below. I still haven't look at the website yet but will just out of curiosity to see how much they copied.

Day 2 in Rome we had booked a tour to see The Vatican. Thankfully most of that was indoors! 

The tour lasted several hours but seemed to fly by. There is just so much to see and learn about that it is overwhelming. I did not take pictures in the Sistine Chapel because they don't allow it and it is considered disrespectful. Unfortunately, some of the tourists disregarded that request.

We were allowed to take pictures in other areas. This is a picture of a statue of the Virgin Mary holding her Son. I posted it on here because I was very moved by this particular statue.

This statue is in St. Peters Basilica. This massive church was incredible. The photo below shows the central hall of it. Our tour guide Julia was great and I appreciated her insight into the many things she showed us on the tour.

We stayed with our tour guide after seeing The Vatican and she took us on a walking tour of some other sights in the city. Needless to say my mind was saying go, go, go but my feet were crying hysterically! Julia brought us to places like The Pantheon, Victor Emanuel Monument, and Trevi Fountain...as seen below.

Day 3 we met up with Julia one last time as she took us on the ancient city tour. As if the other things weren't old enough! This tour brought us to the Coliseum and Roman Forum. 

Another thing to mention about Rome is that they have these fountains everywhere where you can fill up your water bottles! 

Everyday while in Rome we always made it back to The Vatican. It is just so amazing to walk around and we had to make sure to mail a postcard to Grandma Ankersen.

A member of the Swiss Guard was kind enough to allow the girls a photo op.

Near The Vatican we found a flea market and a few treasures to take home. Jaxon had been eyeing some hats for the last few days so we finally bought him one.

After eating a ton of pizza (and gelato too) we decided that this was our favorite place to eat so we came back to it on our last night in Rome. It was a perfect dinner because there was a guy in there singing Italian songs and the mood in the restaurant was so happy. I just couldn't help but get a little teary eyed because I was just stuck in that moment and so thankful to be with my family and to be having such a wonderful time.

No meal is complete without a little dessert afterwards and we still had not had a cannoli so we ventured to find some and sure enough we found a place just around the corner!

We took our little treats to a nearby park and just gave our feet some time off...This picture shows exactly how we felt!

The next day we were heading back to Sweden and looking forward to getting the keys to our house....lots of unpacking to do......Next adventure? School starts in 2 weeks!