At sea

No port today, just ocean as far as the eye can see, sea, sea. I slept late, had coffee, read for hours, swam in the saltwater pool, played with my camera, drank cocktails, went to dinner, and went to bed. Sound boring? It was heaven.

Corsica

Here's a tip: If you go to Corsica, don't go to Napoleon's birthplace (even if Napoleon himself greets you when you disembark). Sadly, no one told us this in advance and so we spent a good chunk of the morning wandering through some airless rooms where Mr. Bonaparte may or may not have slept. The afternoon was much better. We ditched the tour and went to the beach. I had never been swimming in the Mediterranean and it was beautiful and blue and bouyant. Plus, I can't remember the last time I went to the beach and didn't have to build a sand castle. Ahhhh...

Florence

We only had a few hours in Florence -- a drive-through of a city that should be savored. We saw the Duomo, said hello to David (or his replica, rather) and his statuesque friends, and walked through the market. I studied art history at college but had only seen these works of art as slides projected in a dark auditorium in Maine. Seeing them up close in the Italian sunlight was surreal. After our brief tour of the city, we headed into the hills to a villa in the Chianti region. There we met our host, Gino with the Vino, who kept the wine flowing through a six-course lunch among the olive trees.

Monte Carlo

We boarded the boat in Monaco. No time to visit Prince Albert at the Palace, but after traveling overnight from Boston to Rome to Nice to Monte Carlo it felt good just to stand on deck and take in the view -- the harbor, the yachts, the sun on the sea.

Set sail

We're back and I have lots to share, but I thought it would be fun to show you the trip as we experienced it, port by port. So first, your ship...

Arrivederci!

We're off to Italy -- will post lots of photos from the trip when we return!

Photo contest

When we were in NH for the 4th, my father-in-law challenged me to a photo contest. The assignment: take your best shot of the antiques store in Center Ossipee. Here are our efforts -- and now it's time to cast your vote. Let me know if you prefer the top photo or the bottom photo. Then I'll publish the results. May the best (wo)man win!