Saturday morning came way too fast. We had a special Key brekkie from 6-8, so we met in the dining room at 7 for the world’s slowest service. Felt like they were kind of done with us, which is fair.
This popped up in my memories and how perfect because we were all together again.
Matt took a shuttle to pick up our rental car after breakfast and the rest of us found a spot to sit until they kicked us out. We decided we were all on our own after the cruise but as it turns out everyone but the Rays headed back to Venice. I fell in love with these bran muffins so Matt went up and grabbed 2 for me to take. I even asked for the recipe, but then figured they probably came premade so I dropped it. These bad boys kept me so regular and happy. Taylor got me his moms yummy recipe and I’m planning on baking up a batch to freeze asap.
We were all SO tired. We stayed up late every night and there was always something to do early so some of us took our time to nap.
Cruising is hard work.
At 9:30 they announced that all guests must leave, so off we went.
We had done so much planning pre-trip, but none of the 13 people heading back to Venice had thought to figure out transportation.
One last Ravenna lighthouse shot.
Ok, for real the last one.
We hoped to find a cafe to hang out in while we waited for the bus or Matt, but no such luck. Kristi brought us fresh cold water and taylor found a shady spot across from the bus. But then the bus never came. So Kristi flagged down a cab and we sent the first crew - papa, Alexis, Damian, Quinn, Jeanne, and as much luggage as would fit. A few minutes later they were able to flag down another, and then a few minutes later one last cab to take them all to the train station. They said they missed their connection and it was a bit of a fiasco with allll those bags (to which we contributed one giant one) and people, but they all made it. And our family trip of a lifetime was finito.
And then these 3 cuties and I waited another few minutes for Matt. We reflected on the good and the bad and how happy we were with the wonderful family time we had. We are officially cruise lovers and can’t wait for another opportunity. Amy’s pushing for a family trip to Dollywood next year, so that’s something to look forward to.
Frankie got these cute sandals with her cruise credit so we’ve been c’est la vie’ing a lot.
Matt picked us up and we headed to the country within a country - San Marino. But first - McDonald’s. We wanted to try their macaroons, but no luck.
We got some cheesy fries, chicken tenders, little pizza pockets, and some ice cream and we took advantage of their clean and free restroom and it was all good.
So tired.
We drove our cute Seat to our hotel and got checked in as soon as we could at 2:00. And then, naps for all! It was hot and the cool room was so nice.
I got us 2 rooms since they couldn’t accommodate 5 in one room and they are clean and fine but bare bones. Anyways, we have very few plans for the rest of our trip and didn’t have a clue what their was to do in San Marino, but the lady that checked us in gave us a map so we decided to take the tram up to the city center.
And we felt like we stumbled on the best kept secret ever!
It was very bright so I told everyone to close their eyes till the countdown and then I guess I jumped the gun. 🤣
It was so beautiful!
From Trip Advisor: Historic center with charming cobbled streets and picturesque views, ideal for leisurely exploration, shopping, and local dining amidst a fairytale-like ambiance.
It’s this adorable place on top of a mountain with tons of cute shopping, restaurants, towers to climb and trials to hike. They even had rock climbers and hotels up there. I really wish I’d booked us someplace there but had no clue about it.
We love us a free drinking water fountain.
Matt brought a silicone wedding ring to Europe and when he jumped off the tall cliff, he lost it. Which made him even more glad he didn’t bring his real ring. So we took the opportunity at one of the mannnnny jewelry stores to buy him a €12 sterling silver band. He’s modeling it for me.
Basilica del Santo Marino
Exquisite!
San Merino has these fancy license plates and I had to grab a pic.
Don’t ask me why I’m strangling Delaney because I don’t know.
There are 3 towers in the city center and you can walk to each one. So obviously we did.
Frankie’s phone died and she wanted this shot.
We climbed all the way to the top and walked all around the little ledges.
There was a nice breeze at the top and the views were chefs kiss.
There’s the second tower behind franks.
There were tons of jewelry, perfume, Christmas, and leather shops. When Laura came to Italy years ago she came home with beautiful leather bags and I had reached out to her and asked where she got them and she asked that I buy her another if I found one and thought she’d paid around €40. Well I found 2 cute ones for €25 each, so one for hme and and one for me. I’m pretty excited and they smell so good!
There was a cool little courtyard. We had to pay to get in here, but the girls were free and they gave us a discount so it was only €16 and that covered us everywhere.
We took some breaks to enjoy the views as we walked.
They had a little museum by the second tower and Delaney worked on her balance skills.
Looking back to the first tower.
The city center is a whole little town with homes and everything. It’s so cute and also strange.
You can see the beach in Rimini out in the distance.
Delaney had Matt get a video of her poking her head out the window. She’s a good actress. 🤣
The third tower has no door, not sure what that was about, but we made it out there and then went in search of food.
We found a cute little little sit down restaurant and enjoyed the cooler temperatures as the sun went down. Matt and I shared my caprese salad and his sandwich and they were really good. One surprising thing though is that they served no basil - not on the pizza or the caprese.
My love.
We found a Target! A little different than the US.
We were about done, but it was almost sunset, so we decided to hang out for another hour. Houses 👇🏻
Adi and Delaney got fans.
Matt is walking into the amphitheater.
And the girls are down at the bottom. Delaney climbed halfway up the wall to the right.
There she goes.
I asked the girls to take pics of us with the sunset, but they do not know the rule of thirds.
And then our weird prom pose was dumb.
New photog, same problem.
I explained, but then they got the pole coming out of Matt’s head. 🤦♀️
And finally, mostly decent. Don’t mind my weird tuck job.
I ❤️ outdoor lights. And cobblestone. And being with my crew.
The tram was actually very smooth and not as scary heading down as it was heading up. I’d do it again.
I wasn’t impressed with our rooms. This is the girls room with 3 beds. It was just very very plain and felt kind of sad.
And the sheets were scratchy and the blanket was in the chest so I ended up being cold in the middle of the night. And I wish we’d stayed in the city center. Whomp whomp.
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