He says: Today was a 2 for 1 country special. After docking in Monaco, we decided to take the 45-minute one-Euro scenic bus ride to Nice, France. It was a great decision. Our drive was something out of a James Bond movie, with huge cliffs and seaside views. Nice is a celebrity Mecca with Bono, Elton John, and Sean Connery among its residents. It's clear why they choose to spend time here - it's beautiful. We got dropped right near the downtown core and went st...

She says: This morning, we docked in Livorno, Italy's gateway to Florence and Pisa. With Matt's aversion to museums and the fact that Florence is at least two hours away, we decided to save Michaelangelo's David and the works by the rest of the Ninja Turtles for a future visit. We hadn't heard great things about the city of Pisa, but wanted to see the Leaning Tower, so hopped the shuttle bus, a city bus, then ran to board the train. All in all, the 20 k into Pis...

She says: needing a bit of a rest, we decided to stay close to home (aka our ship) and explore the port city of Civitavecchia on this "changeover" day, rather than head back into Rome. Also, Cruise Director Shane (CDS) told us it was his favourite port. Hmmm. I gather it's a big Roman Catholic holiday, so lots of places were closed, but Civitavwcchia does not have a lot going for it. Even my good pal, Rick Steves says it's main claim to fame is a privately owned...

He says: Sicily was like coming home. I'm proud of my Italian roots (as tenuous as they may be), and getting the opportunity to visit the area of Italy where some of my ancestors came from was great. The fact that the landscapes were beautiful as well was just a bonus. In addition to its wonderful scenery, Sicily is also known as the birthplace of the mafia. With this in mind, Shauna had booked a Godfather tour with a driver who took us around to see some of the...

He says: All those history classes I slept through in university came rushing back to me as we made our way to the Acropolis in Athens. The amount of Greek history located in Athens was epic. Shauna's ear has been a source of discomfort the last few days, so after sleeping in to let her rest we made our way off the boat at around 2:30 p.m. Rick Steeves (our Yoda equivalent on this trip) recommended hiring an English speaking cab driver to see the sights in Gree...