I could go on a lengthy, in depth, ramble about how much I enjoyed far too brief time in Italy, however I will abbreviate to prevent you from scrolling through pages of text. We joined the ship in Genoa, which involved an incredible view as flew over the Alps. Something that I enjoyed about the cruise is that you'd go to sleep and wake up in a different location. We left Genoa and woke up in Florence and travelled to Naples in the same day. Even on the sea days we found ourselves waking up Dubrovnik (Croatia), and were able to watch out as we travelled into Venice. This swift and easy transition from place to place appealed, however you don't get enough of a chance to really take in all your surroundings as you are at times rushed from place to place to have a opportunity to see everything, as well as trying to keep cool in the August heat.
One of the main subject matter of my photographs was sunsets, as I love the variation in colours and feel that the lighting can transform a landscape. On my travels I am known to collect three things; Postcards, sunset photographs and thimbles (which are being difficult to find in souvenir shops). I also collected as many photographs as I could as I walked round with my camera, trying to capture Italian life. A particular part of Italian culture that Dad and I enjoyed was the food and drink, think we tried most of the flavours of gelato available.
A part of cruising life that I enjoyed was having the opportunity to dress up in the evening. It did not bother me in the slightest wearing heels every night as I didn't feel out of place. It was lovely on our two formal evenings seeing everyone dressed up in their finest, where it is fair to say that some went all out with ball dresses and tailored suits. The night life on the ship was a favourite of my Dad's where we met some amazing people and sampled most of the cocktails and shots on offer, which led to my Dad's ritual karaoke session that he can never live down thanks to the evidence on my phone.
It is fair to say that I would recommend a trip to Italy if you ever get the chance. You may not have time to se everything, but even the smallest taste of the culture will make you want to return for more.
