Lauren recently returned from three weeks in Europe where she visited her 15 year-old daughter, Anna in Tallinn, Estonia.  Anna is near the end of her fabulous year on the amazing Rotary Youth Exchange.  Estonia is a small, but well educated country with a fragmented history.   Anna showed Lauren the charming Old Town in Tallinn and the quaint university town of Tartu.  Then together they thoroughly enjoyed a 12-night cruise sailing from Istanbul to Barcelona on the Crystal Symphony.  The cruise sailed to Kusadasi, Turkey; Athens and Mykonos, Greece and Taormina (Sicily), Sorrento and Rome, Italy.  The ship is graceful and somewhat simple in decor, but the service from the staff was over the top.  They quickly got spoiled and appreciated the effort of every staff member to make sure this luxury sailing experience was the best possible.  The ship is ideal for families as well.  Supervised programs for children and teens run during the summer and school breaks.  The ship also features a comfortable pool deck, excellent spa and gym, movie theater, great library with DVD rentals and lots of guides books about the places you will visit; art, dance and computer classes; casino, theater with nightly shows; lecture series and beautiful cabins with spacious bathrooms with double sinks and full size tubs.  Food service is excellent and the two alternate dining options are included.   The highlights of their time in port were a VIP tour of the Coliseum in Rome, visiting the amazing ruins at Ephesus in Turkey on their own and the new Acropolis Museum in Athens where they used a private driver to take them around the city.  They also got to see Istanbul through the eyes of two Rotary Youth exchange students which was very special.  The low light was getting their backpack stolen in Barcelona.  Even the most seasoned traveler can let down her guard for 30 seconds and become another crime statistic.  Heed their warning.  Unfortunately their camera was in the backpack; therefore no pictures of this very special trip…but they will keep the memories in their hearts forever.

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