Author name: PapaMarshall

Finishing a trip blog I always feel a little like J.R.R. Tolkien. In “The Hobbit” they had myriad adventures and challenges getting to the Lonely Mountain, they defeated the corrupt town officials, the dragon, the minions of darkness in the Battle of Five Armies…and then they went home.Nothing special, nothing remarkable, nothing worth writing about.

Back in Italy, today we’re docked in Naples. Out on the walking track this morning I got a text from Jen suggesting that I check out all the church domes. I counted 27 visible from the top deck of the ship. The port of Naples is right downtown and easy to find because of its

Today was a sea day, plus we had a time change in our favor, so we took the opportunity to sleep in and still had time to exercise. We also celebrated the extra time by having room service breakfast on our veranda, where we hung out, drank hot beverages, and read until:– Cheryl left to

We sailed (slowly) into port this morning, giving us a good view of a very familiar looking scatter of white houses. The Hunts were off on their own this morning – Jen had found the perfect ‘family-style’ beach for them to spend the day sunning, swimming, and snorkeling. We joined our excursion group for a

7/8/2006 Brian and Jen were married.So it’s appropriate that 20 years later they should celebrate in a big way – like a cruise.And it’s most appropriate that on 7/8/2026 they carve out time on that cruise for a personal celebration.So they went to Ephesus.And left the kids behind. The day started with a good long

We steamed into port about 10:00 this morning so during breakfast we had a chance to watch as we entered the caldera of this ancient volcano. As we got closer to the harbor at Fira we began to see the buildings perched on the top of the rim. Because of the canyon-like drop-off at the

Not much to report today. We slept in, so did abbreviated exercising. Along the way Jen spotted me from the I-fly station. The boys were about to go flying. After watching them have fun in the air it was time to stop the power walk and get to breakfast.We got to breakfast later than we

Up at a resonably early hour this morning.Finished packingBreakfast, Wash Dishes, Take out the garbage, Fret about the ride to Civitavecchia. One thing we’ve learned about this apartment – nobody (not even a golf cart) can manage to drive down this street. It’s interesting, particularly after watching all manner of vehicles successfully navigate the medieval