We packed our bags and headed to the airport at 7.00 am to head to Finland to stay with Lena and her family. Lena has a long term guiding connection with Jen Baron through Sangam the world guide centre in Pune in India. Lena’s daughter Emma visited Sydney earlier this year and our circle of friends guiding network. We arranged whilst away to stay in their top floor apartment in the heart of Helsinki.
We loved having traditional Finnish fare for dinner with the family and especially loved the smoked trout. They live on the top floor of their apartment and the lift opens right out into their apartment.
She showed us to their local part and a well known monument.
The next day we visited the Fortress which is UNESCO listed. Johan and Lena told us about the history of Finland which was originally settled by the Swedes (hence they are Swedish speaking Fins); then Russia took over and moved the capital to Helsinki because the port was closer to St Petersburg and finally after fighting Russia in the second world war they won tier independence after the war. So the fortress had guns facing Russia a
nd Sweden. It was a lovely trip out on the ferry. We did a bit of shopping with Shelley buying her standard cup and saucer as a souvenir. We had a great fish meals at the local market including dilled fish soup. 
t covered in snow ever year when it has candles every where and soldiers lined up to pay respect. Ben and Laura loved the squirrels which were everwhere in the cemetary and much like possums in Australia. We saw their yaught club where their family sails as do many Fins and heard about their holiday house which is on an island they own which is not an uncommon thing in Finland as there are so many islands. 
We heard stories from Lena about Carmine and her sister Kierty who she knows from Sangam as she has been travelling to India for 25 years after she met Carmine in London when they were both working for WAGGGS the world association for Girl Guides. Lena gave Shelley a present to give both of them as they would be attending a birthday party at Sangam for them. Emma shared here stories about learning languages because Fins need to know Finnish, English, Swedish and she learns German and French!! Our favourite Finish word was for ice cream. It was very sad that on the day we arrived there was a national event of sadness as 19 children were killed at a school by a gunman, the second occasion in 12 months.
After 7 nights of frenetic activities around Italy we disembarked for the last time after re-negotiating our depart time which was originally 7.00 am. The transfer was incredibly efficient with luggage and cueing for the taxi into Barcelona. Our taxi driver took us to our accommodation Hotel Meson Castella which was extra shabby perhaps a little less on the chic but at least we had two rooms and it was very central to Las Ramblas the city centre.
We had booked in to a Spanish cooking class for day 1 and we worked out that the Picasso Museum which we wanted to visit was only open for the Saturday that we would be in Barcelona. The museum was fantastic and really showed the incredibly varied styles of Picasso aside from the one that he is widely known for. Then it was off to cook Paella which Southern Spain is famous. WWe cooked with a couple from Germany living in pain as he was working for Nokia; a couple from LA and a young couple from the UK just across for a 3 day break.
We met up and then toured the well known La Boqueria market which was fantastic fun. Yep we’ve included tonnes of photos from the market as they have the most incredible variety.
Ben and Chris made Crème Catalan which is a cross between a crème caramel and a crème brulee very yummy. Laura and Shelley helped make the Seafood Paella which was made in the biggest fry pan we have ever seen…not sure there will be anywhere to store that one. It was great fun and the food was yummy. We also got recommendations for where to eat the following 
night when we met with Elizabeth and John Adnams who were arriving in Barcelona.
watch
movies on the computer with a mobile phone and Chris and Shelley headed off to a UNESCO registered church called La Sagrada Familia – Temple of the Holy Family (http://www.sagradafamilia.org/) which had come highly recommended by Kyle Shera-Jones and it was an amazing site. 
Antonia Guadia was an internationally well known in Catalan architecture began work on the church in 1882. His dream was to include three facades representing the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. He was killed by a tram before finishing it and the work still continues with much of it incomplete. It is truly unusual.
Then Chris and I checked out the underground trains we needed to catch to get to the restaurant for dinner with our friends. Elizabeth and John Adnams are Guiding friends and it was by pure coincidence that we discovered that they were getting off their cruise ship the day after us. Their ship travelled from Venice in the other opposite direction to us and in Rome we took a picture of the P& O emerald Princess which they were on for our Don photo collection!!! Dinner was fantastic and enjoyed by all including Elizabeth and John’s long time travelling companions Glenda and Bruce from Glen Waverley near where Shelley grew up.
We had met up with John, Elizabeth, Glenda and Bruce earlier the day and were very surprised to hear all the latest news which we had missed news about the next financial crisis; President Umbeki resigning in South Africa….
Laura was pleased as Barcelona has a couple of edgy fashion streets and she located her tartan skirt which we had no guarantee that we would find in Thailand and for a good price. Shelley and Laura went shopping on our last day and got thoroughly drenched which truly looked comical. 
making perfume for centuries; quaint side streets; yummy but expensive food and gorgeous weather.
Pisa & Florence
Then we bought a ticket for Florence and headed to the cultural and fashion centre of Italy. We tended to eat light whilst travelling mainly because we were having 3 course meals every meal and felt like we were eating for an army! We set out to visit an old apothecary that was approved by the Vatican and had been staff by monks who had been making concoctions for centuries. Of course we always kept an eye out for clothes for Laura and Shelley but if shopping wasn’t on the list the rule was we didn’t stop! Ben had his standard gelato; Chris had his beer and Shelley bought a plate of Murano glass with a Picasso painting design which is famous. 
It was one of those defining moments you only get when travelling to grow in character. We decided if we missed our boat we would catch a train to Naples our next port of call, stay over night and catch our boat then. We didn’t have the ship phone number in our mobile so we made the call home that all parents want at 2.00 am in the morning. So Shelley’s father was on his blackberry ‘cause his computer was at work searching the cruise lines web page looking for office no’s in Barcelona and Italy. Well we made it to the station and RAN for 1 km with others who were on our ship as well as the Queen Mary 2. We reached our shuttle with an Indian father and son and all let out a big cheer!!! We weren’t the last aboard either. 
Turns out the traffic in Rome was particularly bad something about the Pope being out and about and people came running in after us having caught taxis which we know from other people would have been $300 aussie dollars. We had a cup of coffee with the father and on team to celebrate. 
Naples
A nice hot tour around Pompeii which was interesting but we got a bit lost and used our little bit of Italian to break out. Back to the ship and a good hard earned rest. 
Impressions: noisy; amazingly chaotic city and traffic; great icecream 
We sat for lunch in a tiny little café and ordered fish and calamari salad and cokes. The food was fresh and fantastic but our Italian didn’t extend to cups with the coke but we managed well enough. Back to the boat..ON TIME and onto our last day of cruising before returning to Barcelona.