The best laid plans...

It seemed like it would be so easy!  A blog here to record our adventure and a place on Facebook to post some pictures.  Our friends and family would be able to follow us.  Great idea!

Except. 
Except finding the time to create the words and edit the pictures wasn't so easy.
Except finding an affordable wi-fi connection with time to connect was impossible.
Except uploading pictures via the cruiseship's wi-fi connection was forbidden (and very expensive had it been allowed).
Except the photographer broke her camera on the first day and had nothing to show for the next several days.
Except the author came down with a wicked cold on the second day, a cold that hung around for nearly the entire trip, and so really didn't have the energy needed to resolve the problems listed above.

So, we're home now.  It seems wrong to allow the great time we had to go un recorded and unreported. 

Yesterday I uploaded some of our photo's to our Facebook page (click here to find them) and I hope to add more as the others in the group share their pictures with me.

Today I'm going to begin catching up, but showing and telling about our wonderful trip.

We did have a great time!  We were a very friendly and cooperative group of 19 travelers.  We saw so much, we ate so much!  We made new friends and met many charming people along our route. 

Maddie Bacarelli of Kublai Viaggi in Italy planned our five-day pre-cruise tour, and everything she arranged for us was perfect.  The hotels were both affordable and charming -- and located within easy walking distance of city centers.  The buses she found for us were driven by very polite young men who spoke excellent English.  The guides for our tours told us much about their cities.  And Maddie was the very soul of patience with me, as we worked together for months to fit the pieces of this puzzle together.

Our cruise on Azamara's ship Quest was all that we expected and more.  The ship's crew, beginning with the cheerful captain, worked hard to give us an excellent experience.  More about that in another post.

Over the next few days I'll post here the pictures and comments I thought would be easy to share with you from the road.  I hope somebody somewhere finds these messages!  If you do, it would be great if you'd leave a comment.

Libbie