It’s such a blessing to be able to celebrate Mom’s 70th birthday with her along with all her children and her siblings (15 of us in total) on the world’s largest ship, Symphony of the Seas, weighing 228,081 tons and with a capacity of 9000 passengers across 18 decks. This was a 7 nights western Mediterranean cruise and the first time I am travelling with all my 3 siblings and without any kids, so it was very enjoyable! We got to spend a lot of alone time with each other during this week, which was wonderful.
The cruise started and ended in Barcelona, with stops in 5 ports during the 7 days:
- Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- Provence (Marseille), France
- Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy
- Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
- Naples/Capri/Amalfi Coast, Italy
Of all the ports, the highlight for me was the Leaning Tower of Pisa since that has been on my to go list for over a decade. I was pleasantly surprised that this place is not as crowded as I had expected.
Seeing mom in tears when we said goodbye at the end of the cruise inspired us to block our calendars to take her away on all her future birthdays for as long as she lives. Spending time with our loved ones is so important especially as we get older.
I am excited to begin my 2nd solo trip in Eastern Europe right after I said goodbye to 14 family members when our cruise ended in Barcelona. Some returned home and some continued travelling to Western Europe.