​I should preface this blog by saying that as I did this cruise within 7 months of coming home from hospital after a massive stroke, I was still in recovery mode, so I really took things very easy on-board and had decided I would only go ashore every second day.  I still had mobility and stamina issues at that stage.  In addition, I had previously done a couple of Med cruises before this one so had been to all of the ports on the itinerary a number of times before.  This therefore probably doesn’t give the full flavour of all of the things to be seen or to be done either on this ship or at these locations.  It’s just a true reflection of the relaxing and re-energising holiday that I myself had. Enjoy!

So, as you may know, I had a major medical emergency in 2017 that almost ended my life. Within 7 months of leaving the hospital, partly to celebrate the gift of life and to “get back on that horse” …. but mostly to celebrate my brother Martin’s “big roundy birthday”, I was blessed to be travelling again in 2018.  In July of that year, we decided to “push the boat out” and “splash out” on a trip for the 4 of us (Charlie & I; Martin & Mary) to Rome the Eternal City, for 4 days followed by a week-long Western Med Cruise on the biggest ship (at that time) the Symphony of the Seas.  It was hard to comprehend that the same week the previous year, I was on life support!!  Looking back I realise I was dragging myself around on this trip…..the lads will tell you I was “like a bag of cats!!” And I’m surprised I wasn’t dumped overboard somewhere approaching Majorca.  However, it remains one of the best holidays I’ve ever had.    This blog post is about how we got on in Rome for the first leg of the trip. Enjoy!!