European Cruise July 2012

So, you have probably been wondering where I disappeared to... lately I have been using my facebook page, but I decided to go back to using my blog as well. So, here I am... yeah. Awkward. Anyways, I wanted to share some of my pictures from my cruise to Europe!

The Itinerary:

Barcelona, Spain
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Marseilles, France
Mount Etna, Italy
Mount Vesuvius, Italy
Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Pisa, Italy
Pompei, Italy
Rome, Italy
Venice, Italy

**Not in any particular order**

Let me just start by saying that my trip to Europe was indescribable. I have only been outside of the United States once and I went to the Carribean, so it was mostly U.S. territory (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands). Europe was nothing like I have ever seen before. It was so historical and so different from the United States. I also should mention that before visiting Europe, I was kind of scared to study abroad in college, but I think I have changed my mind! :)


Barcelona was one of my favorite places that my family and I visited, however we did get to stay there two days, whereas most of the cities we visited were rushed. So, that may have been one of the reasons I enjoyed it more. It just had a really nice atmosphere. I could see myself studying abroad there in college.

My second favorite place was probably Venice. Most people probably think it is really dirty and touristy, however I really enjoyed visiting some of the churches there and also spending some time in Saint Mark's Square. My family and I also took a gondola ride which was extremely overpriced, but also extremely worth it. I also bought one of those masquerade-looking masks--did you know that the citizens in Venice back in the day used to wear those so that they could party and get drunk and do things they weren't supposed to, without revealing their identity? They could not be stopped by the law (because there was no law in place yet saying they couldn't wear the masks), so they continued partying and getting themselves into trouble for SIX months until the city was finally able to enforce the new law.

So, you are probably anxious to see some of my pictures so I will share them. I will also include a bit of information with each picture. Enjoy and happy blogging!