Italy (and parts nearby) here we come-- maybe

Well, part of my incentive for getting a good-sized draft of the dissertation done is that Andrew (AKA wonderhusband) has promised that we can take a cool cruise in the early summer IF I get a draft (at least) done. (And it is looking pretty good so far).

One of the cruises that we are seriously considering are a couple of different "Clipper Ships Tours" of the Mediterranean. So since I can already mangle my way through French & Spanish, I'm seriously thinking of getting the "Italian in your car" series so I can speak little bits of Italian. Some of them have overnights in, say, Monte Carlo. Cool, huh? And I could wander about, amazing the natives with my fabulous grasp of, "excuse me, where are the bathrooms?" and "I have a pencil" or "where do I purchase a train ticket?" And, of course, the best part of all is I can ask those wonderful three phrases (and much, much more) in FOUR languages, instead of my mere three now (I'm including my native English. Cause clearly I have mastered that one. AND I do have a pencil.)

So if anyone reading this blog has had experience on the Clipper Ships, (WindStar or "Star Clippers") I'd love to hear your review. They're really not much more expensive than the "Big Giant CRUISE SHIPS" that I've looked at, yet it looks much more intimate & luxurious. And it's got the added appeal that we might end up swabbing the decks, matey, and/or press-ganged into the Privateer business. I like it that the Frommer's guide emphasizes that there's a cool library on board, and several times within the description mentioned "reading" and/or "curling up with a good book." It sounds heavenly-- much better than the idea of playing bingo with the "cruise" version of our parents. (No Bingo For ME!!)