It is impossible to see the city of lights in a day, but you can hit the highlights and promise to return with more time (and cash).  

Our journey to Paris was really a stopover of sorts.  We flew into Paris to make our way to Normandy, Le Havre to be exact, where we would board our cruise of the British Isles.  We had banked on three days in Paris.   Our planning, however, would be circumvented by jet lag and transportation timing to Normandy.  In the end, we have about a day and a half to explore the city.

Our first stop breakfast.  Cafe au lait and pain au chocolat.  Mais oui!   Our flight touched down early in the morning and we were famished.  We headed straight to the hotel (The Pullman Tour Eiffel), checked in and grabbed some breakfast.  

I thought I would take a minute to document my planning of our next family cruise.  

I do want to say that it is a LOT of work. Now I know it doesn't have to be.  You can just purchase your cruise, sign up for the excursions the cruise company offers and away you go.  But I don't do anything easily.

We are now weeks away from launch and I have been at this for 2 months. So, what have I been doing all this time?

Well, let's see. 

AIR FARE

Our cruise leaves Le Havre which is in Normandy.  Our closest airport is Paris and we have opted to fly with Air France. 

We purchased our tickets in March.  Air France looked like a bargain.  No longer.  We forgot about the labour unrest in Europe and how much of Europe loves strikes.  Our last vacation happened during the airport security personnel strike in Barcelona.  Thankfully it was to come home so less stressful to leave instead of trying to make connections.  However, that did result in VERY long lines in the airport full of tired and cranky kids and adults.  But, thankfully we made it through and got bums in seats in time for take off.

This time, Air France pilots have been striking monthly,  We are holding our collective breathes that they strike on a week that is not our flight.  If not we will be scrambling like many other folks trying to book flights into the city.

HOTEL

Paris, the city of lights is also the city of very expensive hotels that book incredibly fast.  For the better part of a month, I trolled the Orbitz website for hotel deals in neighbourhoods that were close to sights and relatively safe.  Why Orbitz?  Well, I use the points I collect on my RBC Avion Card for hotels.  This card is a dream.  We stayed in Barcelona for FREE using points and both hotels were absolutely lovely.  We did it again for Paris. This time we are staying at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.  How romantic.  I will post about if it was truly romantic when we get back. 

EXCURSIONS

I am a stickler for a deal.  So, while one could book the excursions through the cruise line, I don't.  That is not to say I have never.  Indeed, for our first two cruises to the Caribbean, we did use the ship excursions and they were good.  For our major cruise to the Mediterranean last year, we did not.  I think we fared better than those on the organized excursions.  One major difference is that our excursions are for the most part private.  We hire a guide/driver and it is just my family and the guide.  This cuts down on waiting times, allows us to be flexible, and we see so much is so little time.  One advantage is that a car/van can get into spots that a bus cannot.  This means we are usually closer to the action by all accounts.  We have loved our guides too - so thoughtful with commentary, tips and tricks, and really no headaches.  But, this also means I have to troll the internet for good guides - ones that do all those things.  This takes time.  A lot of time.  On our next adventure to the British Isles, we have 10 ports.  That is a lot of excursions to plan.

We have decided to do three ports on our own (Dublin, Guernsay, and Edinburgh) and the remaining 7 with guides.  The DYI ports require advance intel on what to see and do.  Again, lots of investigations using guidebooks, tripadvisor.ca, and internet trolling.  A shout out here to a fellow named Tom who puts together cruise port information.  Please see his site at http://www.tomsportguides.com/ .  We will also want to buy entrance tickets in advance because well, a whole ship will dock and everyone will be seeing the same sites for the most part.  So - advance tickets for the Book of Kells, and Edinburgh Castle, it is.  Also, you need to know how you are getting from the dock to the city.  I have discovered that Princess will offer a shuttle into the city when we dock at Dublin, Guernsay is an easy bus loop to take to see the sights, and there is an express bus that leaves the dock in South Queensway to Edinburgh city centre.  This helps reduces scrambles at the port.

LISTS

I make a lot of lists.  I have a detailed chart for each day that sets out time in port, what our transportation will be, costs, cell phone numbers for guides or others, and draft itinerary or sites we want to see. 

This is the table I use to keep everything straight.  It sets out each day with relevant reservation numbers, cell phone contacts and other information like times of museum openings etc.

SKIP THE LINE

If there is one piece of advise I would give anyone traveling on a cruise is to buy in advance if at all possible.  Think about it, when a cruise ship docks, many of those 4000 people are going to want to see the same sites as you do!  Also, in many cases, you will only have 8 hours in a city - you want to make the most of that time - and that means NOT having to queue up in a line.  Lines through security are inevitable, but lining up for tickets can be eliminated.

These are the advance tickets I have purchased for our British Isles cruise:

PARIS

• Eiffel Tower timed ticket  https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/rates-opening-times
  
• Louvre 1 1/2 hour guided tour offered by the Louvre.  The ticket allows you to go through the special gate for etickets.  If you don't want the tour, I would still suggest the eticket.  By the way, I always book directly with the site - not through a third party provider like vista city.  https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-guidees
  
• Musee D'Orsay - eticket.  This allows for entry by a special gate.  The glory of an eticket is that it doesn't need to be used on a particular day.  This will help with scheduling. http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/visit/admission/admission-fees.html
  

I love lists.  I make them for everything especially travelling.  I have two important lists: what to pack and what to do before I leave.

A Few Days Before You Leave

1. Tell your neighbour that you will be away and perhaps ask them or a friend to collect your mail, newspapers, deliveries and fliers while you are away. Hide valuables. 
   

2. I make a point of bringing my expensive jewelry to the bank safe deposit box and hide other valuable items.

3. Arrange for pet care and/or plant care.  
   

4. Give your yard and flowerbeds a good water. 

5. Refill prescriptions.

6. Pay bills that will become due while you are away or soon after you return.

7. Create an itinerary and emergency contact list for relatives, friends and caretakers. Keep a copy for yourself for easy reference. 

8. Make a copy of your passport and store it in a bag other than your purse or wallet.

9. Let your credit card company know where and when you are travelling to so they won’t freeze your account due to suspicious transactions.

10. Call your cell phone carrier and purchase a roaming plan.  This is a biggie if you are travelling overseas or to the US.  Roaming charges can kill!

On the Day You Leave

1. Sort through your wallet and remove unneeded credit cards, loyalty cards and other stuff.  Store in a safe place.  I usually only bring a bank card, a credit card, insurance card and my license – and of course money!

2. Set automatic timers to turn lights, radios, televisions on and off.  I have a variety of timers and use them throughout the house varying the days and the times lights and other things go on and off.  I also make a point of drawing my drapes and blinds on the main floor so that someone cannot look into the home.

3. Tune your radio to a talk show set on low volume to simulate conversation and make it seem like someone is at home. This actually works wonders.  I had a student come to my home to water plants and she was certain someone was in the house!  It actually spooked her a bit.

4. Hide car keys.  I make a point of hiding the car keys for the cars that we are leaving behind.  That way, if someone does break in, the keys aren’t easily accessible. 

5. Unplug small appliances – think irons, coffee makers, toasters

6. Empty your trash, run your dishwasher, get rid of perishables in your fridge. 

7. Double check that you have money, passport, tickets, credit cards, confirmation numbers, itinerary, and prescriptions. Anything else forgotten can be purchased!

8. Smile you are going on vacation!
   

I have to tell you that I learned something very valuable when booking our next cruise.

We are heading to the British Isles on Princess and we can't wait. 

We had been eyeing the different cruises for the summer of 2018.  We found an itinerary that everyone could agree upon (not an easy task with two opinionated spouses).  Here comes the learning ... so we looked on both the Costco Travel Site and the Princess Site.  The bonus with travelling with Costco is that in addition to what the cruise companies offer, Costco usually has extra perks like on-board credits - and if you are an executive member - 2% back.  When we travelled onboard the Disney Magic for our European Cruise - Costco matched Disney prices but offered a cash card as a bonus. The Cash Card was not insignificant ($2000).  

Back to our current cruise.  We had been eyeing the cruise but the availability was becoming limited for a mini-suite .  My husband had worked with the Costco rep and there were none available.  After going back to the Princess website an a daily basis, low and behold a mini-suite came available.  For fear of not wanting to loose it, he booked directly with Princess.

I called to see if we would be entitled to the same on-board credits that Costco was offering.  They said they could not offer to match.  However, they did say that we could TRANSFER the reservation to Costco who could then provide the on-board credits bonus. We needed to send a letter authorizing the transfer. 

I was really surprised that they were telling me to transfer my reservation to a travel agent in order to get these benefits.  They would not offer them to us at all.

So there is my tip - use a travel agent for added benefits. 

I do love Costco Travel - their prices are really quite wonderful - especially for car rentals.

Travel Tip:  Prior to our Mediterranean cruise, I purchased two guide books: Rick Steves’ Pocket Guide to Barcelona and Mediterranean Cruise Ports.  Both proved to be worth their weight in gold.  I love the insights that Rick provides and have been a long-time follower of his travels and helpful travel hints.  The Mediterranean Cruise Ports travel guide book worked wonderfully. Sadly, a couple of Ports were not included in his book that we would be going to – but a google search and some travel boards (Trip Advisor!) helped fill in missing details.

Having been on a number of cruises in the Caribbean prior to this cruise, I decided to forgo the ship organized excursions and plan our own. This requires some commitment, time and lots of internet searching.  Hopefully my blog will help narrow those down for you!

Excursion to Villefrance Sur Mer

Villefrance is a tiny port requiring the only tender.  We knew we wanted to see both France and Monaco but we only had 8 hours to fit everything in. 

 Travel Tip:  Book early.  I had started looking for services more than 2 months prior to our trip and especially for France, I received a lot of replies that they were already occupied.  We ended up using a fellow, Jean-François SÉNÉCHAL, of France Prestige Tours (www.provencesightseeing.fr).  He spoke excellent English and was very nice.  He had a van with air conditioning.  (Cost for private tour : 400 € + lunch)

I knew we would want to visit the Chagall Museum and the market.  We also wanted to visit Monaco.  After a few email exchanges, we set up our itinerary.  The morning would be the old town and market and the museum. 

The Chagall museum was small but lovely.  Easy to knock off in an hour or so.  It was extremely quiet and not at all crowded when we were there.

From the museum we headed into the old town (Vieux Nice). How lovely to walk around the narrow streets and peak into the shops.  In the market I purchased some spices, jams, lavender and other trinkets to bring home as souvenirs.  We ate in the Market ordering traditional French lunch and of course wine!  Here is our guide and my youngest font la pause de midi.

I promised my kids a gelato a day and we delivered.  Not to be missed is Le Pinocchio in the Market. YUM.

 The other must do in France is of course – Le Macaron.  My daughter is obsessed!  How pretty a shop and how pretty a dessert.

After our lunch and gelato, we head back into the van and head to Monaco.  On the way we pass by Roquebrune medieval village.  The trip along the coast was lovely and having a private car meant that we could make many stops along the way for pictures. 

 We spent the afternoon in Monaco – walking around the harbour and looking at the massive yachts docked.  We of course went to the Prince's Palace and the Cathedral of Monaco.  We walked around the Palace Square and took pictures.

.  

A highlight was the Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium - the Jacques Cousteau aquarium - has beautiful species of fish in the lower level and an exhibit hall in the upper level with ship models and whale skeletons.  An hour or so is plenty at the Oceanographic Museum.  

Our first day of excursions was a success - I am so thankful that we hired a private guide who could take us around. He was charming and knowledgeable and a great way to get to know the locality.

24 hours in Shanghai

I was lucky enough to travel to Shanghai for work.  I have been extremely lucky in this way.  Once a year for the past four years, I have traveled to Asia for work.  In the past, I have been to Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong.  All beautiful cities; all so very different. This year I arrived a day early to take advantage of my luck and to do some sightseeing.  Here are my experiences of spending a lovely April day in Shanghai.

Shanghai is a modern city and China’s commercial and financial centre.  You will see modern and interesting architecture – including the tallest skyscraper in Shanghai, the Shanghai Tower, which is 632 m (2,073 ft) tall with 128 floors.  It has a twist of 90 degrees and is quite stunning to look at.  The next tallest building is the Shanghai World Financial Centre which looks like a gigantic bottle cap opener.  It is 492 metres or 1,614 feet tall.  The Park Hyatt Hotel is located within this building making it the third highest hotel in the world.

All the towers are brightly lit in different LED sequences at night. We took a night cruise on the Huangpu River and it was really amazing.  It is only about an hour long but the buildings lit up are truly captivating. 

We stayed at the Westin in the Bund.  Not quite so tall as the Hyatt. We chose this hotel because they have an awesome air filtration system.  This is really important because the air quality in Shanghai can be very poor.  If you have any respiratory issues, I recommend looking into the air quality of the hotel in advance.  While you can wear a respiratory mask during the day, you will want to rest comfortably at night! 

Our first stop in Shanghai was to explore the area – The Bund.  Walking along the Henan Road, we head to a lovely open air shopping area Nanging Road.  My first stop, Innisfil, a great Korean skin care store.  Having travelled to Seoul a few years back, I became hooked on Korean skin care products.  This is not an understatement – Korean women are SERIOUS about skin care.  While there may be a Tim Hortons on every Canadian street corner, or a Starbuck on American streets, Korean streets are filled with skin care shops.  I have never seen anything like it.  What I took away from my Seoul trip was the importance of facial masks.  This are thin fabric like paper masks dripping with moisturizing creams.  There are masks for every part of your body (I am not kidding) and for every skin type and requirement.  I love them so much that my friend and colleague brings me a box from Korea every time she sees me!  I love her – my skin loves her! (thanks Mani).  After I buy my weight in skin care products for myself and my teenage daughter, we head into the open air mall.  This is a great place for some quick souvenir shopping for my kids.  The name brand shops do not offer any deals – you can do much better in Canada.  In fact, I was told that many people head to Hong Kong to shop.

It is getting dark and we decide to get some dinner.  A great choice thanks to reading ahead on a fellow blogger’s site (Nom & Play http://nomandplay.com) was Lost Heaven http://lostheaven.com.cn/restaurant/lost-heaven/. (No. 17 Yan An East Road Shanghai

+86 021-6330-0967)  They advise they specialize in Yunnan Folk cuisine.  I am not sure what that is, but it was really super yummy, and close to the hotel. After our great dinner we are ready for sleep!

A great part of dining in Shanghai is that there is no tipping!  Travelling by taxi in Shanghai is relatively cheap.  And, like restaurants, tipping is not expected.  In fact, our driver gave us back the tip.

Because we only have a day to see all we can before our meetings start, we decide to splurge a bit and hire a local guide.  After a quick Trip Advisor search, we picked Shanghai Tom's Guide & Driver https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g308272-d8660919-Reviews-Shanghai_Tom_s_Guide_Driver-Shanghai.htm . 

Tom picks us up at the hotel at 9 am and decide to head to a Buddist temple.  Tom takes us to Longhua Gusi.  It was beautiful. 

The largest and busiest Buddhist temple in Shanghai has a beautiful 10th-century pagoda.  The rest of the temple centers around four main halls dating from around 1900:  the Maitreya Hall; the Hall of the Heavenly King; the Grand Hall; and the Three Sage Hall.

I think the most impressive is the Grand Hall which contains a statue of the Buddha flanked on each side by 18 disciples.  In the Three Sage Hall, you will find the three incarnations of the Buddha. Along the side corridors is a room filled with 500 small golden statues of disciples.

What is great about hiring a driver is that not only can you cover a lot of territory in a short time, but he accompanies you to the sights providing insight and history into where you are and what you are seeing.  We learned a lot about Buddha, the temple and the religion.  This temple was the highlight of my day.

From the temple we head to the former French Concession area.  The area is lovely, full of leafy trees and pretty shops.  Really quite tranquil.  The former French Concession area was a foreign concession from 1849 until 1943.  The concession came to an end in 1943 when the French government signed it over to the government.  The area of the former French Concession remains an excellent residential and retail district.  We do a little shopping.

One of the city’s most popular attractions – and for good cause – is the Old Town and Yu Yuyan Garden.  It is a terrific garden, peaceful, green and just what you need for a little down time.  There are many places to sit and meditate or just rest.  The gardens are beautiful, filled with bonsai, wisteria, pretty pavilions, a stone bridges over water filled with goldfish (carp) and turtles.   In Chinese Yu means peaceful and that it is. 

The old town is filled with restaurants, food stalls and tourist trinkets.  There are even some western favorites including Starbucks, KFC and of course McDonalds if you are missing home.

We stop for some nourishment and Tom takes us to Yang’s Dumplings – a sort of McDonalds of dumplings that offers 3 kinds – shrimp, pork and meat& veg. https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g308272-d2035728-Reviews-Yang_s_Fried_Dumplings_HuangHe_Road-Shanghai.html We get one of each.  Tom explains that you first take a small bite of the dumpling and drink the yummy juice from inside that way you can confidently take a bite without dripping juice down your chin and onto your shirt.  Super filling and yummy.  

When I got home, I did a little research.  Boy are these dumplings popular.  I have learned that Yang’s Dumpling was formed in Shanghai in 1994 by Mrs. Yang, who still keeps her recipe secret. They have over 20 locations in Shanghai.  Tom advises that they are listed on the stock exchange.  

Next is a quick stop to the Bird and Flower Market (718 Hongjing Lu, near Hongsong Lu).  This was not as expected.  Indeed, there are birds in small cages but there are also chipmunks, rabbits and crickets.

The predominant item in the market is crickets which are used for cricket fighting.  Crickets fights are arranged according to weight class. In a fighting container, the crickets are agitated and when they become sufficiently aggressive the crickets are freed to fight.  I have been told that this is not a fight to the death.  Instead, the loser is the cricket that first begins avoiding contact, runs away from battle, stops chirping, or is thrown from the fighting container. 

Having decided that gambling on a cricket match is not for us, we decide to head to the AP Market – also known as the Shanghai Asia Sheng Department of Leisure Mall.  (202 Century Avenue Pudong Xingu).  This is a below ground mall that is MASSIVE.  There are shops making tailor made suits to order, knock-off purses galore, silk scarves, pottery and other souvenirs.  I have to warn you, it is a bit of a maze and very large.  A bad combination and we do wander around a lot.  In the end, we don’t purchase anything but a few bowls.  But it was an interesting experience. 

After eight hours of sightseeing we are tired and head back for a rest and some dinner.  What a day.  Thanks Tom!

In addition to Lost Heaven, we have a lovely and I am told typical Shanghainese dinner at Fu1088. https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Restaurant/Shanghai-_-Fu_1088-yinken1z   I found this meal a bit more ‘exotic’ than Lost Heaven. 

What struck me about Shanghai was how orderly it was.  Despite housing more than 24 million people, I never felt claustrophobic and while there was a lot of traffic at rush hour, people drove orderly.  Electric cars, including Teslas were abundant but so were very large North American SUVs.  A very interesting fact was how the government takes a very active role in ensuring this order.  In fact, it is against the law to honk your horn – there are actually monitors all round and violators’ licence plates are posted on traffic signs.

This sign shows the licence plate of a car which was caught honking.  It's owner will receive a fine.

Now a word of warning, if you are a Facebook, Instagram, Google, Twitter or Netflix devotee, you will go into withdrawal in Shanghai!  (Actually all of China) Thankfully, Yahoo works if you need a search engine.  I didn’t know how much I used these sites until I could not get them. 

Enjoy Shanghai.  I know I did

For Palermo I decided that I wanted to do something different on this port day.  We had spent a lot of time sightseeing in Florence and Rome and we had gone to the beach in Sardinia.  I decided we should do a family cooking experience. So, off I went in search of just the right experience.  We needed something interesting for both me (the foodie) and my non-foodie hubby and of course the girls.  

We took part in a Palermo Cooking Class & Market Tour with Chef Vincenzo meeting at Porta Carini, the entrance to the Mercato del Capo. After our market tour, we walk to our cooking class kitchen with the chef at his restaurant, Ristorante Cin Cin. http://ristorantecincin.com/

When we disembarked at the port of Palermo it becomes clear that I had not thought everything through.  I thought I could easily grab a cab from the Port to the Market.  In case you are not aware - Palermo is what I would consider a tough town.  Because we don't have a car waiting for us - we leave the ship in search of a taxi.  That can't be too hard right?  Wrong.  As soon as we leave the gates of the port we are literally accosted by locals wanting to take us on tours.  They are relentless.  My husband is nervous for the girls - I am the only one in the group that speaks Italian.  I head to a cab and ask how much to take me to the Mercato del Capo.  50 Euros.  What!  In Italian I tell him he must think I am crazy.  The market is close by but not safe to walk to according to the polizia at the port.  We literally cannot find a way to the market. Hubby just wants to turn around and head back to the ship.  I try calling for a cab.  Finally, a young woman who works for a tour company takes pity on us and finds us a ride.  This ride is with a guy with a car who "she vouches for" who will take us to the market for 15 euros.  Again, a girl we don't know is vouching for a man we don't know to get us safely to the market.  Of course we go. We make it.

Chef Vincenzo takes us into the market.  We purchase fresh veggies, fruit and fish for our lunch.  We try some aranchini (fried rice balls made with risotto and cheese) yummy and my daughter's favorite, we have some bread which is not so good - too greasy.  But it is fun nonetheless.

 We head to the restaurant with all our supplies and get to work pronto.

This is a VERY hands on course.  Everyone has to cook - including my hubby!  I took pictures to memorialize the occurrence.

We make potato gnocchi, pesto fettuccini, swordfish, eggplant caponata, eggplant rolls with ricotta and breadcrumbs, ricotta casserole with pumpkin, zucchini and mint.

My 13 year old daughter had an amazing time.  Thankfully, Chef Lorenzo's daughter was there who was the same age as Gianna.  The two girls played barbie with no real language barriers.  

What an absolutely fun day.  Thankfully, chef arranges for a cab to take us back to port   

We again use a car service for our trip to Pompeii and Sorrento.but this time it is with the tour company called Joe Banana Limos. https://www.joebananalimos.net/  Our excursion is called a Kid Friendly Tour. 

Rome is definitely a city that you will want a car service for.  I can honestly say that we saw more of Rome than  humanly thought possible in 9 hours.  This was mostly because of the excellent service we received through our excursion with Papillon Service. Our driver was amazing!

http://www.papillonservice.com/ 

It takes approximately 90 minutes to drive to Rome from the port.  The car was waiting for us as we disembarked at 8 am.  Booster seat already in the car for our littlest one. 

Our first stop, St. Paul Basilica.  It is still early in Rome so we are treated to a near deserted church. 

Our next stop, the Colosseum.  Papillon had purchased our tickets for us allowing us to join the cue immediately. Thank goodness because it is already crowded.  I could only imagine what it would have been like later in the day.  I took about 30 minutes to enter the Colosseum.  The kids loved it. In hindsight, we would have gotten more out of it had we hired a guide to walk us through. There are many individuals at the entrance looking to be your guide or the service would have arranged one for us. In any event, it was great and got some great pictures.  

Now the mad dash back to our waiting driver who is in front of the Arch of Constantine and takes us to the overview of the Roman Forum where we stop and marvel at the site.  We walk around and take it all in.

Next up our driver has a very fun treat for us.  I have been to Italy many times, but I had never heard of this gem.  He drives us to a parking space where he points us to a green door.  Come, he says, take a look through the key hole.  What do we see?  The garden of the Embassy of Malta and beyond the Vatican.  So, standing on Roman soil, we peer into the country of Malta and beyond see the country of Vatican City.  How fun is that!  

We head to the Piazza Venezia and the Vittorio Emanuele Monument, down to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. We took no chances and each of us threw a coin in the fountain guaranteeing a return visit.

Our whirlwind tour includes stops at Piazza Navona and the Pantheon.  I must tell you that Rome is sweltering in August and we relished the air conditioning of our car.  

Our driver takes us to a lovely place - away from the tourists - where we eat like Romans.  We have a lovely relaxed lunch before heading out again.  TIP:  we stop and buy some delicious wine to take aboard the ship for tonight's dinner.

Next stop Vatican City and St. Peter's Square and Basilica.  We opted not to visit the Vatican Museums which are very crowded and houses many galleries. I just didn't think the girls would be interested or up for a 2 hour tour.  We later find out that it was sweltering and crowded inside the museums so we are happy with our decision but we are a bit sad that we did not get to see Michelangelo’s masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel.   

Being on a cruise - you don't get to pick what day of the week you visit a particular city.  We visit Rome on a Wednesday which means that the Papal address is in the morning.  Be aware that on Wednesdays (except for late July and August when the Pope goes on vacation to Castel Gandolfo, and holds audiences there), the Pope holds an audience at Saint Peters in the square. Tens of thousands of people attend the papal audience and the whole area will be packed.  This also means that the Basilica is closed until the audience is over - no one can get into the Basilica until 1 pm.  All this equals one VERY very long line of people waiting to enter - in scorching heat with no shade in sight.  

This is where I offer the very best TIP of our trip.  As I have mentioned before, prior to our cruise I trolled the internet to ensure our excursions went off without a hitch.  One thing I really looked into was how to get into the Vatican / the Basilica quickly.  The Colosseum had advanced tickets, so did the Vatican museums, how about the Basilica?  Trolling on Trip Advisor Forum Boards, and every site possible, I could find nothing - until this - a skip the line entry into the Basilica with an audio tour. Jackpot!  But, was it too good to be true?  Our tour company - located in Rome - thought it was, Vatican Boards on Trip Advisor did too. My thought - if it was a scam, I would be out a bit of money - if it worked - I would be a hero.  It worked!  Like a charm - we waited no more than 15 minutes to get into St Peter's - much to our driver's surprise.  Here is the link https://www.ticketsrome.com/en/museum-reservations/st-peter-s-basilica-entrance-with-audioguide-skip-the-line.

Our last stop is for our daily gelato and we head back on our 90 minute ride to the ship exhausted and happy - we could never have seen more in the short time that we were in Rome.  The key was using the service to take us from zone to zone throughout the city all the while listening to our driver talk to us about each amazing site and the history we were seeing. 

Packing cubes are something I never would have thought I would be so excited about - but they have changed our way of packing for the best.  I first used  them when taking our trip to Europe.  Lots of days means bigger suitcase. I packed both my clothes and my youngest daughter's clothes in my case.  These cubes were fantastic.  First, you can separate items by owner but also by type.  One cube for underwear/socks, another for tops, still another for bottoms.  They come in a variety of sizes and are quite durable.  Everything stayed organized.  I use them for all my travel now. It is incredibly satisfying to open my suitcase and immediately know where everything is.  Even unpacking is made easier - I loved that I just pop a cube into the cabin drawer. Done.  I find that my clothes are not as wrinkled when I use them.  The cubes pictured below are the ones I purchased from Amazon.  They are not expensive and while not the most sturdy of cases -  they have lasted longer than I had thought they would - and have kept ongoing. I like that they seem breathable and have mesh.  I use them in standard luggage as well as carry-on.  Trust me - you will never go back.