Glamour Vacation

Author: Tracey Schroeder
Date of Trip: May 2012

In May, we flew into Rome and stayed at the DeLaVille Roma, Intercontinental Hotel. It is part of the Holiday Inn chain, so we used priority club points to stay for free, we were upgraded for being a member. The hotel was at the top of the Spanish steps and it was beautiful. We visited Rome and all the touristy spots, but the best part was Rome in early morning on the side streets, they were quaint and peaceful.

We took the train to the port of Civitavecchia, walked our bags a few blocks and got on the Holland Eurodam Ship. We booked a guaranteed balcony, and were slightly upgraded, and very pleased with our room. With the balcony every day we would wake up look outside and be in a new country, it was unbelievable for two people from Indiana:)

We started in Santa Margherita, Italy, it was quaint and had the real feel of Italy. On to Monte Carlo which was beautiful. We loved seeing the palace, and all the unique buildings. They were setting up for Grand Prix, which was going to be the following week. We took the train on our own to Nice, France, which was a few Euro and about a 20 minute train trip. We were excited to see other cruisers doing the same thing, and became friends with several of them. The following day on to Barcelona, Spain. We took the City tour, and felt 1 day in Barcelona was sufficient. The buildings were very modern and unusual in Barcelona. A day at sea was much needed at this point, and spending time at the pool and with our train friends was enjoyable. Waking up to Tunisia was intimidating at first, what to do. We decided on a last minute excursion to the City with a City shopping group. The markets were fun, and the people very diverse. The last morning waking up in Palermo, Sicily was unbelievable. The view was mountainous, and we sat in our room on the our patio just looking at the view while eating breakfast. Walked into Sicily, and just spent the day exploring on our own.

Our trip came to an end, and we were back in Rome…….I would recommend this adventure to everyone!