The gathering of siblings began late afternoon with Microtel check-ins. The party moved to the parents’ house for a Sonny’s BBQ takeout dinner. Yum! As the evening progressed more family members arrived but we were still waiting for Alice. The flight she was on was held hostage by the thunderstorms that are a hallmark of Florida summers. Once we knew she’d landed in Orlando, we promised to wait up and have some Sonny’s and some Reisling waiting for her. We amused ourselves by playing with apps that can modify photos. What a cool way to end up with a charcoal sketch!
It was an incredible experience to actually walk the streets of Pompeii, once a bustling resort town in the Roman Empire until 79 AD when an apocalyptic explosion buried it under 20 feet of volcanic ash. Archeological excavations since the 19th Century continue to reveal evidence of a thriving community.
Once the largest cruise ship in the world, Allure of the Seas will be our home for the next seven nights as we cruise the Western Mediterranean and explore the eighteen decks of this behemoth.
Our recent travel misadventures seriously curtailed our time in Rome pre-cruise but we did get to visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel before making the trip to Civitavecchi for an overnight in the port city of Rome preparatory to departing on Allure of the Seas tomorrow.
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