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Cruising with a Four Year Old – Day 9: First Full Day at Sea

Andrew Michael Miller2 Comments

We spent the whole day at sea today. This was much needed and appreciated after yesterday's big walk through Barcelona. It also served as good practice for when we finally leave land behind us after departing the Azores, in less than a week. I think it went well, though I know it will take some patience and resilience on all of our parts to cross the Atlantic. That's the part of the trip that Andy told me there was "no way in hell" he would do it. Declan has it easier than us. He has his kids club and the arcade, both of which he could easily spend all of his time in either one. As adults who don't really… Continue reading Cruising with a Four Year Old – Day 9: First Full Day at Sea

International Travel with a Four Year Old – Day 8: The Ever-Beautiful Barcelona

Andrew Michael Miller1 Comment

Whew! 21,000 steps later, we are in our cabin and resting up for the night. This was the one city along our journey I had visited before, so it was the one I was mentally prepared to stroll through. After running through options last night with Kiley about the best way to see the city and not die of exhaustion, we decided to just suck it up and walk anyway. I'm glad we did. The highlights of the day for Declan were simple: he liked the gelato we stopped to get and he also liked shooing pigeons. That's it. He wasn't really a huge fan of the things that enticed us, but that's to be expected. After all, he's still… Continue reading International Travel with a Four Year Old – Day 8: The Ever-Beautiful Barcelona

European Travel with a Four Year Old – Day 7: Marseille, France

Andrew Michael Miller2 Comments

Well, the day has come and gone without a hitch. Just like that, our time in France has slipped away from us. I have to say this, coming from someone who has never really had any interest in visiting France - Marseille surprised me. I really enjoyed it and I could easily see myself going on a return visit someday. One day here is not enough. You should come and just take it easy here someday. The day began on a fairly long shuttle trip in the rain. It was relatively light rain, but we knew we had at least forty or so minutes of walking ahead of us so that would easily add up. We did get pretty wet… Continue reading European Travel with a Four Year Old – Day 7: Marseille, France

European Vacation with a Four Year Old – Day 6: Livorno

Andrew Michael Miller2 Comments

So, it has been a full week from the time we first left on our vacation. It's moved fast, but it didn't really start to lose steam a little until today. Perhaps it is because the clothes we packed are starting to dwindle as we wait for the special laundry service day when the cruise ship will only cost us 30ish dollars instead of hundreds for a full load. Perhaps it's because Livorno is a beautiful port city that is dead because of the season and because it's a Sunday. Maybe it's because we are conditioned to have no longer than one of vacation at a time and our homesickness is starting to seep in. It's probably all of those… Continue reading European Vacation with a Four Year Old – Day 6: Livorno

European Vacation with a Four Year Old: Day 5 – Naples & Pompeii

Andrew Michael Miller2 Comments

I am typing this from the first decently choppy night on the cruise ship after we left the port at Naples. The first night was a little rocky, but tonight there's considerably more wind and it's definitely noticeable and ever-present. It serves as a great reminder that mother nature is in charge, something that the people of this area are not likely to forget. Naples, though full of history and art and music, is a great city underneath the grittiness and grime that unfortunately pervades the cityscape here. From an outsider's perspective, the city looks run-down and dilapidated. Perhaps there's a lot of truth in that, but the people of Neopolis (literally "new city" in Greek) that I encountered wouldn't… Continue reading European Vacation with a Four Year Old: Day 5 – Naples & Pompeii