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| That face about sums it up |
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| Traded our hiking shoes for these |
It is hard to believe as we sit here in 50 degree weather, that less than a month ago we were enjoying a nice vacation on the Italian coast. So glad we got away and had sunny weather. We traveled (via car) to a little town called Castiglione Delle Pescaia on the west coast, just southwest of Sienna/Florence area. We rented a little bungalow in a camping village close to the beach and enjoyed a very relaxing family vacation. We basically went to the beach everyday as temperatures hovered in the high 70's all week long. The kids loved playing in the sand and water. Miles would dip his hands in the sand then walk around pretending he was a monster with sand claws. Ali would go in the water for a bit, then roll around in the sand to warm herself up as the water was a bit chilly (in my opinion). We really just had a great time.
The only hangup is that the kids are in the habit of not napping. The upside is that they are usually in bed by 7:30pm. Which is great at home, not so great if you want to go out for a nice Italian meal, as the restaurants don't open until 7 or 8pm. We made the most of it and made simple dinners in our bungalow and ate on the porch. We did go out once or twice and just powered through it. The funny thing is Miles just gets silly when he's tired, talks non-stop, like a little drunk person. Whereas Ali gets a bit unpleasant to be around, going the meltdown tantrum route. So we took our chances a couple of times and even ate out for lunch once or twice. We also made sure to have lots and lots of gelato while we were there.
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| Checking out the grapes |
It did rain one day so we packed in the car and drove into Tuscany, wine country. It was really beautiful and we ended up having a fancy lunch at a nice winery, with our two children. We happened to be dressed like slobs that day, which made me a bit uncomfortable but we had an amazing meal and ended up buying a case of wine. I dream of going back there one day just Erik and I so we can truly enjoy it.
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| These two were suppose to be napping |
Believe it or not, after 6 days of being beach bums, we actually got a bit tired of the beach. Erik and I both commented that although we grew up in Florida with easy access to the beach, we couldn't remember a time we had spend six consecutive days on the beach. So the last day before we left we drove south to a nature preserve and hiked around. The views were spectacular and the beach pristine.
So really it was lots of beach time. In the evenings Erik and I talked to each other and practiced our German. I even got to read a book. That is what life is like without the Internet or every day distractions.
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| Say "Gelato" |
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| Ali photobombed us |
On Sunday, after eight days enjoying the beautiful weather we started our two day journey back home. We stopped in Florence on Sunday, as one of my dear friends, who had been in Italy for 4 weeks, was scheduled to fly back to SantaFe the following day. I am so glad we stopped to visit. It was so great to see her again and visit with her partner Ralph. I could go on and on about how much this person means to me. I worked for her at a little indy book store in Pensacola right after college and she looked after me and treated me like her own daughter. We kept in touch over the years but didn't get to see much of one another. I visited her 4 or 5 years ago when I had some business in New Mexico. She is one of those friends you can go without talking to for a while and when you do get together it's like no time elapsed. I am so proud of her and her accomplishments. She is an amazing artist now in SantaFe and I look up to for her finding a new direction in her life a bit later. She is an inspiration. Needless to say it was great to catch up with her even for short time. She had never met Erik or the kids. And both Alison and Miles felt instantly at ease with both of them. Alison was even holding Ralph's hand as we toured around Florence. Huge thanks to Ralph for treating us to an amazing lunch that day. It was incredible.
We spent a restless night in Florence and spent a long day in the car the next day, arriving home late on Monday. It was good to be back and I will remember our Italy beach vacation fondly.
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| Sand monster |
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| Say "cheese" |
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| Ali and Daddy riding the waves |
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| Alison enjoying Firenza |
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| Ali made a new friend |
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| We met at the merry-go-round |
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| Wine country on a rainy day |
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| Our fancy meal at the winery |
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| Montecino on a rainy day |
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| Hiking |
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| Enjoying Florence |
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| Enjoying some delicious Gelato |
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| Farewell picture with Jamie and Ralph |
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| Our only family shot with Duomo |
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| Pool day (water was cold) |
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| Enjoying dinner on our porch |
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| Checking out the view |
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| Selfie |
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| Our bungalow girl |
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| Enjoying beach time with Daddy |
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| Our one dinner out |
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| beach time |
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| She loves to ride her bike |
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| The Beach |
