AIDA Mediterranean 2013 · Page 3

In the evening the tour took us on to Civitavecchia, the official port of Rome.

We had booked the tour "Rome on your own" through AIDA. In the morning we went to Rome by bus. A guide explained the sights of Rome and gave us lots of tips for the city. Once in Rome, we had 6 hours to explore the city ourselves.

Our walk began at the Piazza del Popolo, one of Rome's most famous squares, where visitors entered Rome since antiquity. Then on to the most famous staircase in the world, the Spanish Steps. The Trevi Fountain is Rome's most popular and largest fountain and one of the best-known fountains in the world – about 25 metres high and around 50 metres wide, a true masterpiece. The Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre built in ancient Rome.

Then another highlight of our visit: the Vatican. Exactly one day after the papal election we were standing at the Vatican – reporters and broadcast vans everywhere. Six hours weren't nearly enough to see this beautiful city. Lots of little corners and lanes hold wonderful surprises waiting to be discovered.

In the evening we left Civitavecchia and headed for Palma de Mallorca. As there was a storm between Corsica and Sardinia, the course was changed and the captain headed for France and sailed north of Corsica. Unfortunately the storm caught up with us and we had almost 24 hours of nothing but waves.

Sick bags were hung out all over the ship, and seasickness tablets were handed out at reception. Petra and I were fine and could marvel at the waves.

The waves were over 8 metres high and the wind speed 80 knots.

After 36 hours at sea we reached our starting point, Palma de Mallorca, again.

This trip was another great experience, and once again we can say: that wasn't our last AIDA tour.