Cool Girl & Crazy Mom do the Med-Venice: A (very delayed) review of a Serenade voyage

[kirian]

 

Venice – Also known as: "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals"…. (and lots of other names which can be found on Wikipedia where I copied the above from…. Don’t want to be accused of plagiarizing or not citing my sources!)…. And we would be sailing into her today!!!

 

Today started with Crazy Mom pulling one of her “antics.” At approximately O’Dark-Thirty, I found myself literally bounding out of bed (from where I was in a deep slumber) to answer the knock at the door from Room Service (for whatever reason, they rarely called before arriving, so I’m glad we weren’t counting on them to be our alarm clock). As I said, I was deep asleep, headphones on listening to some sort of “sleep” music, when I heard the knock. Let’s review that once more: I was “asleep with headphones on and I heard the knock.” Crazy Mom, who was 4ft away, awake and reading did not hear the knock. How is that even possible?!?! Let’s also keep in mind that the main reason we ordered room service every morning was because of her need for coffee first thing… not because I enjoy jumping out of a nice cozy bed to answer the door because she was engrossed in some 3 month old magazine she had brought along.

 

Needless to say, I was not pleased at the way my morning started, but my feelings of displeasure quickly dissipated when I remembered that today I would set my eyes on the wonder that is Venice for the very first time.

Our morning was the usual Windjammer breakfast on the aft, open-air dining area (LOVE this spot!). Then we just strolled around the ship waiting for 1p to arrive when we had plans to meet some other CC’ers from our roll call for a photo.

 

As you might recall from a previous post, shortly before our cruise, two of the folks who were great contributors to the roll call, Patti & Jim (CruisenFever), had to cancel (remember, we took a group photo with a sign saying we were missing them during the Meet & Mingle?). Well, when they announced on the roll call that they would be unable to join the cruise, they mentioned to "think about them” as we sailed into Venice. I wanted them to know that we hadn’t forgotten about that and we were thinking about them that day. So, I prepared the sign below and a group of us took a photo while we started out approach to Venice. So, Patti & Jim, these two photos are for you:

 

 

 

Today’s weather was around 65F and foggy. I believe everyone on board was collectively praying for the fog to lift so we could see Venice during our sail in. I think someone may have even been trying to get a large enough group together who would agree to huff and puff at the same time, in the same direction, in attempt to blow the fog away. Fortunately, this was not necessary and just as we started our approach, the fog lifted (woohoo!).

 

TIP: The place to be for the sail in (if you don’t have a starboard balcony and/or don’t like crowds) is the helipad. In fact, the helipad is one of the coolest, most under-used areas on the ship (in my opinion) and is great for enjoying the approach to most ports. Remember, for the best views of St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace position yourself on the starboard side. So grab your spot and settle in for what has to be one of the most amazing sail-ins you could ever experience on a cruise!

 

 

We arrived right on time at 2:30p. Instead of fighting the insane crowds that were lining up to run off the ship, CM and I headed to a nice, quiet Windjammer for lunch. Then, at 3:30p we met with some friends from the roll call to head off for our planned tapas crawl.

 

A little background: During the roll call, one of the members, Helen (SophieSnores), had mentioned she had been in Venice previously and had done a guided tapas tour. After some cajoling, a group of us had convinced her to play the role of tour guide and take us to some of the tapas/wine bars she had visited previously. So, at 3:30p we met up with Helen, Laura (Laurae), Lynn & Karl (RelaxLynn/RelaxKarl), and Nancy & Natalie (Denese96) at Café Latitudes and off we went in search of wine and nibbles.

 

Disclaimer #21 – The tapas crawl very quickly turned into a wine-bar crawl. Yes, we nibbled along the way, but it was really about the wine.

 

Our group got a little smaller. I think Karl ditched us pretty early on… and who can blame him? I mean, he was surrounded by a group of gaggling, crazy women! In my opinion, he was a trooper to even tag along to the first 2 stops. Nancy & Natalie hung in there for a bit longer, but they ended up leaving the group a bit early as well… so we were down to just 5 wild & crazy ladies.

 

We made it all the way to St. Mark’s Square that first night… which is no small feat when you don’t have a clue where you’re going and you’ve been drinking wine along the way. At the Rialto Bridge, we ran into Peggy/Ernie & Laura/Scott…. We just couldn’t escape these pairs despite our best efforts (just kidding – love you guys!).

 

Eventually, we decided we should probably make our way back to the ship. So, we stumbled, limped & hobbled our way through numerous back streets. On one side street, we came across a great little pizza place (with free wifi – bonus). So, we enjoyed an amazing slice of pizza and made the obligatory call back to the States to check on the dog (oh, and my dad).

 

Yes, we were lost more than once, but that’s what you do in Venice… get lost). Finally we found the port and re-boarded the ship at 9p. I think it’s safe to say that everyone was exhausted (we had basically been on our feet for the past 5.5 hours with only about 30 minutes of time where we sat down) but we all had a blast on that first foray into the city!

 

 

Crazy Mom and I swung by the WJ to see what we could scrounge up (remember, we hadn’t eaten dinner…. Just some nibbles and a slice of pizza). What we found food-wise was average and very limited (I think they should consider having just a bit more variety in the WJ at night). But, it was still enough to fill our bellies a bit and stop them from rumbling in the night.

 

We got back to our room and… weird!!! The cabin door was slightly ajar. Hmmmmm…. That’s not good. Not good at all! After a thorough review of the room, our stuff and the contents of the safe, we determined nothing was missing and most likely, James (our cabin steward), had just not pulled the door shut all the way. James was a nice enough fella, but this was not his first lapse (nor would it be his last). He took forever in the morning to tidy our cabin, left a cleaning rag on the sink one day and never brought our debarkation forms (we also found an empty water bottle on the top shelf in the cabinet with the safe (presumably left by the previous people in the cabin)… but James was short (like the Munchkin) so I could let this one pass since he probably just couldn’t see it).

 

Anyway, enough of that. The room was secure, our stuff was safe, we were safe and, most importantly, we were docked in one of the most beautiful cities in the world that we would be exploring again tomorrow. Life was good!!!

 

Cool Girl :cool:

[kirian]

Approaching the Grand Canal.... waiting for the fog to hurry up and lift

 

The pilings seems to indicate boat lanes

 

First view of the Bridge of Sighs

 

 

This is a Venetian "bus stop" (yellow striped building on left) and two yellow-hulled public buses (vaporettos)

[kirian]

Drinks lined up a our first tapas stop

 

 

Nibbles at our first stop

 

 

Cheers to Venice!

 

Yum!

 

Double Yum!

 

Steeler Nation at Sea, WillWorkForCruise121 and all of my fellow Pittsburghers: We are the city that puts french fries on everything.... but we don't have them on pizza. We must start this soon!!!!

[rmgjg]

So enjoying your trip Melissa, and now you're in Venice our most favourite city in the world. We did a 7 night return trip out of Venice on the Splendour 5 yrs. ago & have booked again for next year with 7 nights to follow in Venice itself. Your photos bring back such great memories-so glad that the sun came out for the sail in. Love your writing style and desperately looking forward to reading more. Thank you so much for all the time you're putting into this review-hope you're enjoying reliving this wonderful trip as much as your fans who are "experiencing" it for the first time.

Judi & Rob

[patreke]

Hi Melissa

 

Great review.

 

We are in Venice in October and a self guided wine and nibbles tour sounds great. i know we could wander aimlessly finding bars on our own but I was wondering if you kept notes with the name of the places you stopped at and your approximate route as a starting point?

 

Thanks

Patti

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Melissa,

 

all caught up! signing back on:).

 

Stef

[Jules.]

I am enjoying reading your review very much, thank you for all the time and effort you are putting into it. I love the photos too!

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Melissa,

 

are you okay? I'm starting to get worried.

 

Stef

[kirian]

Melissa,

 

are you okay? I'm starting to get worried.

 

Stef

 

So sorry :eek:!!!!! It was/is a holiday weekend here in the States and that threw off my "weekly" segment (because let's face it, that's what it's become....lol).

 

However, I plan to play catch-up today and get us through Day 2 of Venice and perhaps even Ravenna (which should take all of about 2 sentence to sum up....j/k... but it definitely is no Venice:rolleyes:)

 

OK, journal open, separating out photos and getting them uploaded. This bus is about to leave the station :D

 

Melissa

[kirian]

So enjoying your trip Melissa, and now you're in Venice our most favourite city in the world. We did a 7 night return trip out of Venice on the Splendour 5 yrs. ago & have booked again for next year with 7 nights to follow in Venice itself. Your photos bring back such great memories-so glad that the sun came out for the sail in. Love your writing style and desperately looking forward to reading more. Thank you so much for all the time you're putting into this review-hope you're enjoying reliving this wonderful trip as much as your fans who are "experiencing" it for the first time.

Judi & Rob

 

I am enjoying reading your review very much, thank you for all the time and effort you are putting into it. I love the photos too!

 

Thank you so much Judi/Rob & Jules for your kind words and for sticking with me on this VERY drawn out journey :D Knowing that people are out there and not "angry" with the delays between posts helps me to keep at it (even if it's taking me longer than most who do these reviews :p)

 

Melissa

[kirian]

Hi Melissa

 

Great review.

 

We are in Venice in October and a self guided wine and nibbles tour sounds great. i know we could wander aimlessly finding bars on our own but I was wondering if you kept notes with the name of the places you stopped at and your approximate route as a starting point?

 

Thanks

Patti

 

Hi Patti,

 

To be perfectly honest, I don't have a clue what direction we traveled :eek: It was all so new to me and our self-appointed guide was trying to go by memory (so we back-tracked and circled quite a bit). The most can say for sure is that we started and ended at the ship :D

 

However, I think I have pics of a couple of places with the names. I will check in my photos. I will happily post what I find (along with a my thoughts on each place I can name). Then, worst case, you can try to Google them and find them on a map of Venice :)

 

Melissa

[Irish Cath]

routing for you to get back into it today Melissa, i know it can be difficult to get into that 'head space' sometimes when there is so much other stuff going on in real life !

 

Oh and there's not much need for me to do a Venice day 1 post as you have pretty much covered what we did and my Ravenna post will also be all of 2 sentences lol

Edited September 1, 2014 by Irish Cath

[crvng4mr]

I can't wait!!!! I have caught up on everyone else's reviews and am going to finish mine now. Hopefully when I am done you will have posted. So excited!

[kirian]

 

Ah, a full day in the amazing city of Venice awaited us when we awoke today!!! After a super quick bite to eat, we were off the ship at 8:15a. Today we were scheduled for the Secret Itineraries tour of the Doge’s Palace in St. Mark’s Square. After reading about this tour on Stef’s review, we knew we wanted to take it.

 

Our tour was scheduled for 9:55a, so we allowed ourselves plenty of time to get to the Palace by departing the ship at 8:15a. We boarded the shuttle bus which took us to the port entrance (I don’t recall this being a port you could/should walk through). From here, it is about a 200m walk to the people mover. We had previously decided that instead of exhausting ourselves by walking to St. Mark’s Square, we would take the vaporetto (public water bus). So, we took the people move one stop, exited and headed left towards the water.

 

Here we found both a self-service kiosk and a “manned” booth/office where we could buy our vaporetto tickets. The price is the same at either (7E for a 1 way ticket), but since we wanted to make sure we knew which “bus” to take (and where it was located), we bought our tickets at the office where the friendly attendant was happy to provide us instructions.

 

So tickets in hand, we left the office and headed left along the water to the station for the Express Route vaporetto (which was Route #2). The vaporetto stop was very easy to locate and was clearly marked at being for Rt 2. This “express route” would take us down the Grand Canal and get us to St. Mark’s Square in approximately 25 minutes. If you have the time, you can opt to take Rt. 1 which also goes down the Grand Canal, but has more stops, so it takes about 45 minutes (I believe there is a free Rick Steves’ audio-guide that details the stops on this longer route).

 

This particular vaporetto was very crowded (I’m assuming because it was rush hour). Fortunately, most folks seemed to depart at the stop for the Rialto Bridge, so the remaining portion of our short journey after that allowed us much more breathing room.

 

Now, for a word of caution: be absolutely sure you validate your ticket prior to boarding that vaporetto. To do this, you simply need to wave your ticket in front of the machine near the station (we had to have someone show us what to do because we kept looking for a slot to slide our ticket into… but this one didn’t work that way). There was a conductor on board our bus who was checking everyone’s tickets and he was handing out fines to people who either did not have a ticket or had not validated their ticket. You don’t want to start your day with a fine!!!

 

At 9:15a we arrived at St. Mark’s Square (so, in other words, from the gangway to the Square was approx. 1hr). Yes, you could probably do it faster if you chose to buy a pass for the shuttle the ship was offering, but since we knew we were only planning one trip via the canal, this just didn’t make financial sense for us (the cost for the ship’s shuttle as of Oct 2013 was $25 for a one day pass or $40 for a two-day pass…. Our one-way ticket came in at around $12, so for us it was worth it). Also, I’m not totally sure, but I think the ship’s shuttle by-passes the Grand Canal…. Which means it bypasses a lot of really lovely sights (palaces, homes, buildings, etc). Just keep these things in mind when making your decision… for some it is worth it to buy the pass from the ship, but if you plan to mainly walk the city and only take a vaporetto once, then you are probably better off using public transportation. Also, upon checking my notes, it seems as though there might also be a 36hr vaporetto pass for around $25E which might also wok for some and would be less expensive than the ship’s shuttle boat.

 

When we sailed passed St. Mark’s Square the day prior, it looked like it was a mad house (I believe there were already 3 other ships docked when we arrived). I was not looking forward to battling those same crowds today. But, it seems we totally lucked out…. Most of the larger ships had left last night or early this morning, so we were in luck and had the city “to ourselves” (as much as that is possible).

 

 

 

Off the vaporetto, we easily found the entrance for the Doge’s Palace (it

faces the water).

 

 

 

 

We presented our printed vouchers from the tickets I had previously purchased online and were given our tickets and stickers which would identify as belonging to the Secret Itinerary tour (cost was 20E per person) . We had time to take lots of photos in the beautiful courtyard and also to use the WC.

 

TIP: There is a set of restrooms on both the first and second level. They are right above one another, so once you find the one set, if it’s crowded, just head up the stairs (which are right there) and you will find a second set of ladies’ and men’s rooms that will probably be less crowded. Also, this may sound weird, but you can get some decent up-close views/photos of the Bridge of Sighs from the window in the 2nd floor ladies’ room. It’s literally right outside of the window (however, because it’s so very close and the angle of the window, you will probably have a difficult time seeing the bridge in its entirety, but you can get some nice shots of the carvings on it)

 

 

The meeting place for our tour was clearly marked, but if you had any trouble, there were guards scattered about the courtyard who could help point you in the correct direction. But, if you found the restrooms, then you also found the meeting point as they were right next to each other.

 

 

Our tour started promptly at 9:55a. While our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, she was also very frightening and strict. No photos or large bags were allowed (and she checked the size of every person’s bag). Most importantly, don’t even think about touching anything. In fact, if you could find a way to walk through the building without your feet touching the ground, she would have probably preferred that.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all about doing what we can to preserve things, but she was over the top. If you so much as brushed a doorframe on the way out of a room (or heaven forbid, leaned against a wall while she was describing something) you got a very stern “Mind all around!!!!!” warning.

 

BTW – it took most of quite some time to figure out what the heck she meant by “mind all around.” For the first half of the tour, I think most of us (who were mainly Americans, so maybe it was a translation issue) thought that “mind all around” meant to pay attention to all the interesting details of the room we were in at that time, when in reality, it meant “don’t touch ANYTHING!” Seriously, at one point a small boy sat on a bench and I thought she was going to lose it (this was early on before most of us understood the true meaning of “mind all around.”).

 

Anyway, since I have no photos to share, there isn’t much to go into detail on this particular tour. It was nice because the group was small and you got to see areas of the palace that are normally off limits (like the attic rooms where Casanova was imprisoned). After the tour (which lasted approx. 1 hr), we were able to visit the rest of the palace, the new jail and cross the Bridge of Sighs in our own time. Photos were not allowed in these areas either, so again I sadly have nothing to share.

 

We spent about 90 minutes total at the Doge’s Palace (1 hour on the tour and then 30 minutes roaming the remainder of the palace although you could easily spend more time there if you were so inclined) and then we headed next door to visit St. Mark’s basilica. The line to enter the basilica was about 30-40yds long, but it moved quickly. There was something about not being allowed to have large bags inside, but I didn’t pay much attention to the details regarding this since we didn’t have large bags. However, it was something about there being a place nearby you could store then while you visited the basilica and that you wanted to be sure to drop your bags off PRIOR to getting in line or else you would lose your place when you got to the front and were told to deposit your bag elsewhere. If someone is reading this that can fill in any specifics on this, please feel free to share so others will know what to expect.

 

The church is quite beautiful. We only made the circuit of the main area (which was free of charge). Be sure to check out the amazing mosaics that cover the floors!!!

 

 

Up next - the rest of Day 2 and lots of random photos and general tips

 

Cool Girl

[Theredofshaw]

This forum could really use one of these emoticons

 

:D

[kirian]

After departing St. Mark’s Square, we decided to take the advice we had read ahead of time and simply “got lost” in Venice. I can now tell you from experience, this is very easily accomplished. Every corner looks different, but the same, and none of the signs seem to point in the correct direction. The good thing though, is that you can’t get too lost, since it is an island after all!

 

We started strolling in what we “thought” was the general direction of the port (since that was our ultimate destination that day). We stopped in various shops to look at the lovely masks and beautiful Murano glass. I had read that some folks thought that the shops closer to St. Mark’s Square and/or the Rialto Bridge were more expensive than those further away, but truthfully, I didn’t notice much of a difference. So, if you see something you like and you like the price, you should probably go ahead and grab it then and there rather than getting yourself frazzled looking for a better price down some unbeaten path. That way, you can just enjoy the amazing city as you stroll instead of price shopping to save a Euro or two (and trust me, this advice is coming from a MAJOR bargain shopper).

 

We continued our wandering until our need for wine overcame us and we stopped in a small coffee/wine shop. Of course, never one to pass up an opportunity to make use of a clean WC, we patiently waited for the facilities to free up…. and we waited… and we waited... and we waited… until FINALLY after a full 15 minutes a diminutive boy of perhaps 10 emerged. Hmmmm…. Did we really want to venture in there after he had spent so much time occupying the space??? Well, since the wine had gone through us pretty quickly and we didn’t know exactly where we were or how far away the ship was, we both decided to take our turn and risk it. Turns out, we decided he was in there so long because he was probably searching for a way to flush (which he apparently found). I forget now “where” exactly the mechanism was to flush, but I remember Crazy Mom coming out and telling me that it was in an odd place and it took her a while to locate it as well (but she was kind enough to let me in on the secret, so I had no trouble when my turn came).

 

Disclaimer #22: I do realize that this review seems to have more than its fair share of WC-related stories….lol!

 

Continuing on our journey back towards the port, we passed by the window of an intriguing little stationary store. There were lots of stationary shops in Venice and most looked like they were full of beautiful things, but this was the only one we went into. What was it that drew us in???

 

Turns out, it was the fact that my brother worked there! Who knew?! Heck, I didn’t even know he was in Venice, let alone that he worked in a cute little stationary shop. But sure as the day is long, there he was!!!

 

Ok, ok…. It wasn’t really my brother, but it was definitely his long lost Venetian twin. Seriously… it was freaky!!!! He didn’t just sort of resemble him. He was IDENTICAL! His height, his smile, everything! It would have been creepy if it wasn’t so amazing. The only visible difference was Venetian-Mike had a tattoo that American-Mike did not have. Otherwise, they were dopplegangers. And to prove it, here you go:

 

This is American-Mike....

 

And this, is Venetian-Mike

 

Bizarre!!!!!

 

After the excitement of seeing Venetian-Mike had subsided, we realized we were famished. We found a little street-side pizza joint and grabbed a slice of mushroom to go. It was good, but nowhere near as fabulous as the pizza we found the night before during our tapas crawl. Still, it gave us the necessary fuel to continue on the journey toward the port which is where we were headed…. Or so we thought.

 

Shortly after this, we came out of a side street and encountered the Grand Canal. Well now, that wasn’t on the map… at least not on the map where I thought we were at that moment. We were so confused….aka lost… at that moment. I knew the Grand Canal was in front of me, but at that point, I wasn’t even sure what side of it I was on. Just about that time, another mother/daughter paired passed us by speaking to each other with an English accent. I went right up to them, map in hand, and asked, “Can you please tell me where I am on this piece of paper because I don’t have clue?” They laughed and related that they found themselves in a similar situation earlier in the day. At least we weren’t the only ones who had gotten lost (more than once) in Venice!

 

Shortly thereafter, we were back on the right track and headed in the direction of the port (at least, we were pretty sure we were this time). CM was pleased to finally come across a shop selling the little lion head doorbells she saw on many of the homes… and at a great price. It was just a tiny hardware store (which probably contributed to the good (i.e. non-touristy) price). She had been searching all day for one of these, so I was thrilled she had finally found one.

 

By now, it was starting to get dark and our ship would be departing soon (all aboard was scheduled for 8p). However, we still had time for one last glass of wine and since we were now sure, beyond a doubt, that the ship was very close, we found a café with a table right alongside the Grand Canal and enjoyed one final glass of wine in this truly magical floating city.

 

 

:cool:

[2004corvette]

what a fantabulous review.....the history & geography lessons are greatly appreciated.....the humor and wit in your writing is unsurpassed....:)

thanks for taking the time to share your adventures asea & on land......cheers to Cool & Crazy....:D

Edited September 2, 2014 by 2004corvette

[Life _in_alaska]

Really enjoyed your tale of travel on the med. I'm off on Celebrity but similar ports in October. Perfect timing! Thank you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[denisey]

By now, it was starting to get dark and our ship would be departing soon (all aboard was scheduled for 8p). However, we still had time for one last glass of wine and since we were now sure, beyond a doubt, that the ship was very close, we found a café with a table right alongside the Grand Canal and enjoyed one final glass of wine in this truly magical floating city.

 

 

:cool:

 

Uh-oh! Beautiful picture, but I'm a little worried they "moved" the cruise port on CG & CM!

 

Loving every minute of this review!

 

Denise

[Kreuzfahrtneuling]

Hi Melissa, I just realized that I have no clue, what "kirian" stands for. Shame on me...could you explain?

 

Stef

[kirian]

what a fantabulous review.....the history & geography lessons are greatly appreciated.....the humor and wit in your writing is unsurpassed....:)

thanks for taking the time to share your adventures asea & on land......cheers to Cool & Crazy....:D

 

Really enjoyed your tale of travel on the med. I'm off on Celebrity but similar ports in October. Perfect timing! Thank you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thank you both so much - glad you're enjoying the review!!!!

 

Melissa

[kirian]

This forum could really use one of these emoticons

 

:D

 

LOLOLOLOL!!!!! Oh my - your little emoticon cracked me up :D:D:D

 

Melissa

Edited September 7, 2014 by kirian

[kirian]

routing for you to get back into it today Melissa, i know it can be difficult to get into that 'head space' sometimes when there is so much other stuff going on in real life !

 

Oh and there's not much need for me to do a Venice day 1 post as you have pretty much covered what we did and my Ravenna post will also be all of 2 sentences lol

 

I can't wait!!!! I have caught up on everyone else's reviews and am going to finish mine now. Hopefully when I am done you will have posted. So excited!

 

Ayasha & Cath - so happy you are both sticking with me on this long (aka drawn out) review! I haven't had much time to spend on CC, but believe me, I am soooooo looking forward to catching up on both of your reviews!!!!

 

Melissa

[kirian]

Uh-oh! Beautiful picture, but I'm a little worried they "moved" the cruise port on CG & CM!

 

Loving every minute of this review!

 

Denise

 

Thanks Denise! I am actually planning to frame that photo. It was such a nice way to end the day in Venice.

 

LOL- in this case (unlike in Rome), I don't think they moved the port (but they DEFINITELY moved that train station back in Rome :eek:!). I think we just got so turned around in Venice because the streets just wind here and there (and we were so amazed at every turn that we weren't really paying attention to the map (until it came time to figure out where the heck we were!)

 

Hi Melissa, I just realized that I have no clue, what "kirian" stands for. Shame on me...could you explain?

 

Stef

 

Hi Stef! Truth be told, it doesn't stand for a darn thing....lol! Wayyyy back in the day (for those that remember the "start of the internet and email) you weren't supposed to use your name in your email address (for security purposes I guess)... so most people made up something. This was a name my "then" husband and I came up with for our shared email address (back when people "shared email addresses....sooooo long ago). I then just started using it whenever I needed a screen name and couldn't think of something. I wish I had a more interesting story, but in this case, it was just a fake name :p

 

Melissa

[Cruzin-K]

I guess I'm a bit late to the party, but am really enjoying reading your thread.

 

I was a tad upset that the first few photos had vanished, but glad to see you fixed the problem later. I really wanted to see the purple luggage :D

Edited September 7, 2014 by Cruzin-K