Hubby and I went on a cruise for our 10th anniversary trip. This was the trip we wanted to take for our honeymoon but couldn’t afford. Ten years later, it is even better than I thought it would be.

Not only did we visit some incredible places, but we were able to spend uninterrupted quality time together, so rare when you have kids. We flew to Barcelona and stayed at a beautiful hotel right on Las Ramblas. Although it was a bit cold, the streets were still filled with locals and tourists until late into the night.

We boarded our ship, the Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas by taking a shuttle bus right at the end of Las Ramblas. Our cruise included stops in Palermo Sicily, then on to Athens and Rhodes Greece, Alexandria, Egypt and finally to Valleta on the island of Malta.

Egypt was the most surprising as it was a really great experience for us. Yes, it’s dirty and there are lots of people harassing you to buy something at all the pyramids, but at the same time, it was so enchanting. The people were friendly and welcoming, the pyramids more majestic than I even imagined and there was a feeling that I had there that makes me want to go back.

I chose this itinerary because I thought this was a great way to check off Egypt and the pyramids from my bucket list without expending too much time and energy. But I found that I really enjoyed this country and felt spending 2 days there just didn’t do it justice. I look forward to going back and exploring the Luxor area, spending time on the beaches of Alexandria and the Red Sea, and most of all, I’d like to stay in Cairo to see the pyramids of Giza again with my girls.

Rhodes was a beautiful Greek island that both hubby and I would like to go back to with the girls. It’s a small enough island you could probably circle in a day. We took a cab to a beautiful little town of Lindos that was perched on a hill overlooking a small sandy beach cove. The town was so compact, houses one next to the other and at the top of the hill, was an acropolis. The food was fantastic and the beer went down really well.

By the time we got to Malta, we’d been away from home for nearly 2 weeks. So we were tired and looking forward to being home. Once we got to Malta and cruised around, we found that there were so many things we’d like to go back to do again. Malta is a small island so close to Turkey and Italy that it has a bit of each culture in their cuisine. It’s also so British that it has the red telephone booths and mail boxes around and the streets and architecture would make you think you were in Britain.

As much as I worried so much about leaving the girls for a 2 weeks, this was such a great treat to ourselves. It was a trip we both really enjoyed. I’m now thinking of what our 20th anniversary trip will be. Antartica? Tanzania? Iceland? There are so many places I’d like to see.

My older daughter spent her 8th birthday at the base of the Eiffel Tower. How cool is that?! We had a picnic in the gardens in front of the Eiffel Tower and the girls had a great time running around playing tag and watching the light show on the Eiffel Tower.

We rented an apartment right across from the Eiffel Tower. The view never got old. No matter how often we would look out and see it, the Eiffel Tower was still as amazing and mesmerizing. Each time the girls looked outside, they’d say, “Hello Eiffel!”

Our apartment was beautiful and luxuriously equipped. We rented the apartment from Paris Perfect and it’s the only way to experience Paris. A perfectly located apartment, fully equipped with everything you need including free wi-fi in the most sought-after neighborhood beats out a room in any swanky hotel.

Each morning, we would go outside to the local patisserie and get our fresh rolls and breads. We would head “home” after a long day exploring and take a nap before heading out again for dinner around the neighborhood.

The girls let us experience Paris a whole different way than if we had gone without them. In addition to the famous sights, we stopped at parks to let them play, ate more often (not a bad thing), had some coffee and crepes while they rode the carousel and ate more ice cream in the few days we were there than I would in a year. We even took a walking tour of Il Saint Louie with a local guide who deconstructed Hunchback of Notre Dame to include the girls in the tour.

One of the highlights of Paris was renting out bicycles and riding them throughout the city. These bike rental stations are found all throughout the city and you can rent them for a few minutes or hours. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon as we took them for a ride to get a good overall view of the city.

Experiencing Paris with the girls was fantastic. Can we go again please? (whining)

This year my college class is celebrated our 15th reunion year. Yikes.

I know it sounds strange that I’d actually celebrate my college reunion. Typically, people celebrate their high school reunions. I went to Simmons College in Boston MA. Simmons College is a women’s college in Boston’s Back Bay.

I developed such great relationships at my school. Perhaps it was because there was more opportunity to really meet other women and develop friendships because we didn’t have the constant distraction of boys around us. I don’t know. But I know that I wasn’t alone. So many other women in the years ahead of us and the years behind us shared that same unique bonding experience.

We love going back for reunion and reconnecting with everyone. We usually go back and stay at the dorms, eat at Bartol Hall (cafeteria) and hang out for late night chats like we did back in college. There’s a special bond that we all share and such a comfortable relationship that doesn’t take much to nurture. Most of us don’t communicate much in the interim, but when we go back for reunion year, it’s like no time had passed.

My college roommate and I went back (we lived together 3 of the 4 years in college!) and we shared the same dorm room. We could have had our own rooms, but why fight it, it was fun sharing a room again. We talked until late at night, laughed and shared stories, and met up with our friends for drinks and coffees.

I’m so glad I went to a women’s college. I’m so lucky to have met so many wonderful women who are still a part of my life today. Women who will continue to be a part of my life for many years into the future.

This is year will rank as one of my best travel years. Just got back from Cancun and will be gearing up for a trip to Boston to visit my college friends in June. Then in late summer, the family and extended family will be travelling to France for a wedding. In November, hubby and I will be going on a cruise in the Mediterranean to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. The best part of it all, is that all this travel is for fun. Not work related, not one bit.

My personal goal would be to have some travel planned once a quarter. There’s enough time in between trips to bust my butt working and at the same time, have something to look forward to in a few short weeks. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy (but that would be very nice) just somewhere to go to get away from the mundane of everyday life.

Weekend road trips, camping, long weekends somewhere and week-long vacations all qualify as a trip. 2010’s planned trips definitely meets and exceeds my travel expectations for the year. woot!