As a family, we've explored the world together and celebrated our 30th anniversary with another such trip. Since the children were very young, we've explored over the Andes, throughout Europe, the Caribbean, and Central America, Canada -- but the Mediterranean had eluded us.

So -- after a nice dinner, which included a few glasses of wine, the notion of a Mediterranean cruise came up. That was quickly expanded to include some land travel.

So... six of us flew to Rome, took the train to Venice, sailed for Athens, Kusadasi (Turkey), Crete, Corfu, then back to Venice -- and ended up in Rome when Italy won the World Cup.

Now THAT was a party ....

It was two weeks of intense family closeness -- my husband Bill, our sons Alan and Alex, daughter Jenna, and my sister Shauna.
I will post our journey photos, and have made a photo book out of it which is, IMHO, fantastic!
The theme was: Mediterranean Odyssey
We're all history buffs, I'm an amateur archaeologist (really a corporate geek but spend vacations as a volunteer in digs), and my son Alex is a Classics, Language, and Linguistics triple major. Bill is a lifelong adventurer, and likes nothing more than a map. He has literally hundreds, maybe thousands of maps, and many are well-worn from the travels.
My sister is a FOODIE, and her entire itinerary plan was driven by food -- either specific places to dine -- or ingredients to find -- or new dishes to try. She weighs about 90 lbs soaking wet, so I don't get it.
Highlights -- I assume this is why you are still reading -- here are my top 10 from this dream trip.
1. Ephesus and the Sanctuary of Apollo at Didymas, Turkey. These were the most incredible Roman ruins I've ever seen. I'm used to digging up little sherds of pottery, and these sites were literally knee deep in sherds and artifacts. Although they have become popular tourist sites, it is still possible to wander around totally alone, through endless acres of ancient temples, roads, homes, massive library, public toilets (Romans were VERY advanced!).
2. Palace of Knossos in Crete. I was amazed by the advanced Minoan culture -- which pre-dated the Egyptian pyramids. They had hot and cold running water. Could this have been the real Atlantis? Recent discoveries raise interesting possibilities....
3. In Crete -- across the street from the Minoan Museum, there's a little restaurant right on the corner. They had the BEST stuffed grape leaves anywhere, ever -- roasted over a grill -- a simple, but wonderful treat.
4. Corfu. On the cruise ship, we met a fantastic family from Norway, and became fast friends onboard -- and we decided to rent jeeps and explore Corfu in a wild caravan. Ten of us in three jeeps drove through narrow roads, climbed the mountains, stopped and swam in the most beautiful water on Earth, explored tiny villages with a street so narrow our jeeps barely fit, and found a cliffside restaurant with a fantastic view, brilliant bougainvilleas, and had an authentic Greek feast. My son only speaks/reads ancient Greek, so we managed with English, French, Norwegian, and sign language.
5. Venice was magnificent. The vaporetto ride through the Grand Canal was an exquisite experience, and the Bellini at Harry's Cafe absolutely perfect. Tip: men are not permitted in the bar with shorts on! So, the men had to go explore while the girls enjoyed a Bellini together. In shorts.
6. The train ride from Rome to Venice had fantastic views of the hillside villages, old monasteries, walled towns -- and a surprisingly wonderful meal in the dining car. It was probably the most expensive meal on the whole trip, and we ate in some very nice places. But, the experience was worth it -- the train stops in Bologna, and the dinner brought on. They also serve free beverages from a cart, and they have a peach juice which I have never had before, LOVED, and cannot find anywhere in the States. I was most surprised at how many things are peach-related in Italy. Now that I live in Georgia, I thought I had seen about everything that one could do with peaches -- but that is not the case!!
7. The Colosseum was a particularly special experience because one of my son's friends who was attending school in Rome took us on a personal tour. It was SO HOT in Rome, and I found myself spending more time than needed in the little gift shop in the Colosseum -- there were about two spots that had air conditioning in that little shop, and I stood in one as long as I could.
8. Water!!! I was surprised and delighted to learn that all the old Roman aquaducts are still bringing fresh cool water from the Alps to almost every corner in Rome. All the locals refill water bottles from the running water, and once we had discovered this we were able to cope with the heat. First, as a source of cool drinking water -- the other was using the cool water bottle on the forehead!
9. Food. Everywhere we went, we could taste the magic of wonderful fresh ingredients, locally grown, and skillfully prepared. Even street corner pizza was magnificent. My photo album tried to capture the beauty of the fruits, vegetables, and seafood.
10. Watching the sun set over the Mediterranean with my daughter on the deck of the Splendour of the Seas on the last night of the cruise. We imagined Odysseus, Columbus, Roman warships, trade ships, and as we watched the Greek Isles and coast lines slip by, knew we had made memories for all of us forever.
That was my dream trip.... and we're planning a new adventure.

sorry i dodn't read the whole thing, but i noticed that it said Venice! that is where i live!!! did it rain on you? it can rain many feet here. and if it did, did you catch the people walking around in rubber boots?

I am also interested in taking a cruise of the Med. Any suggestions to the time of year to go? Any suggestions to make it a great trip for me, my husband and our 8 yr old daughter would be great!