Rome Crazy Wonderful Rome
Hi All... sorry for the lack of updates. Wifi and internet are not that readily available.
TRAVEL DAY
Our day of travelling to Rome was full of adventure. A 2 hour stop in the middle of the autostrada in 35 degree heat. There was a large accident on the autostrada which i guess is common as they travel at light speed and tailgate like crazy and cut you off at every opportunity.
We arrive in Rome late at night (I do not recommend driving your own car into the center of Rome...EXTREMELY STRESS FILLED! Luke and Serena were forbidden to talk and could only communicate with hand signals as Paul demanded SILENCE! We eventually found a parking garage and then taxied to our apartment.
Our Apartment
We had a lovely place located just a few steps away from Campo di Fiori. A wonderful lively square with street markets every morning and lovely small local designer clothing shops right under our apartment...big score for me (I did just a little shopping).
Visiting the Sites
Every day in Rome was hot, hot, hot. One day over 40 degrees. We saw all the major sites with kid friendly tour guides. Our first was to all the historical sights, which we were able to walk to given our very central location. Luke and Serena climbed the Spanish Steps, threw a coins into the Trevi Fountain, wandered through the Pantheon, saw the Roman Forum and the grand finale...the Colloseum. It was an amazing morning...4 .5 hours of walking. And another 2 hours to walk home. The Romans loved our little Serena who now can speak a few words of Italian...she has been a real charmer and our best traveller. She walks for hours withouth complaining, just her happy go lucky self. She has almost been squished by a few cars and vespas as her favourite activity is to chase the pigeons off the street.
The Vatican and the Sistine Chapel
Another half day of tours starts at 7:30 am. We see the amazing Sistine Chapel( did you know it took Michael Angelo 9 years to paint the ceiling and the walls), Vatican Museums and the world's largest church St. Peter's Basillica. Our tour guide Rosella was the quintissentail Italian with her hands and her spunk and her swearing at another tourist because Serena accidentally kicked her in the leg and when she yelled at Serena, Rosella came to our little Serena's defense with all her Italian fiery passion.
The Streets of Rome
Are crazy, vespa filled, tourist filled wonders. The buildings are old and colourful and the Italian women have such flair and style and passion. The squares are alive all hours of the day and night. We walked everywhere and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Would highly recommend this wonderful crazy city of 3 million people. Just becareful when you eat at the lovely patios of the restaurants as you can be squished by a vespa or a small car!
Now in Sorrento and then to Tuscany....
Ciao...will update when I have access to internet ( forgive the lack of pictures but I am using hotel lobby computer).
Thursday 28 June 2012
Wednesday 20 June 2012
Fun in the sun
Ciao all. We are safely in Italia and I am sitting in a beach chair writing this blog. Wifi is a foreign element in the places we have been staying so updates are hard to do. But it seems you can purchase an Internet connection on the beach for about ten bucks a day (who knew)!
TRAVEL DAY
Our travel day to Italy was long and hard...30 hours no sleep for Paul and I. Luke and Serena slept for about 5 hours on the 9 hour flight. We arrived at our first destination Bassano del grappa hungry and tired and with no phone or Internet access. Those of you who have travelled with me before know I need to eat at regular intervals or I become quite the diva, then quite persnickety and then really bi---- and then into complete shut down mode. So our first order of business was to eat. The b&b owner recommended three restaurants for us to wander too. Hungry and tired and barely able to speak we set off. First restaurant....closed on Tuesdays (random closings are the order of the day here). It is 7:30 at night and now we are in search of second restaurant ...does not open to 8:15(random dinner times are common too) . Now I am barely able to walk up the steep hill to the third restaurant and thank the skies above it is open. We devour a wonderful pasta dinner in a quaint restaurant in a dark back alley. The b and b is simple but clean with comfortable beds (that is a luxury in Italy...-again who knew).
THE FAMILY The family is anxious to see us and feed us...constantly. First a dinner at an aunt and uncles ( homemade lasagna as an appetizer, followed by veal and veggies and pie). Next day a lunch with a different aunt and uncle ( again home made lasagna, pasta, fried chicken,mashed potatoes, salad, and of course pie). Then from lunch to dinner with a cousin (pizza...absolutely spectacular...and again pie). I am starting to show already (food baby)..and just a few days into the trip!!!!!
PARENTING WITH GELATO The power of gelato is amazing. It not only tastes divine (and has no traces of peanuts)but it has the ability to end bad behaviour with Luke and Serena. It can also bring about eating of foreign vegetables and sauces on pasta...again who knew the power of Gelato. Just threaten to remove the daily gelato and shazam good things happen!
TO THE BEACH We are now in Biblione a beach resort town on the Adriatic. I have never seen anything like it. Beach chairs and umbrellas for each hotel and apartment resort guest...literally thousands and thousands of them as far as the eye can see lining the beach front. It is mind boggling! The weather is extremely hot and humid. 36 degrees...can't walk the sand and no ocean breeze...just still hot air. There are no islands or land masses off in the distance so you only see ocean rolling on and on in front of you...just like prairie fields. At night the sun sets on the land so looking out to the ocean is just a dull gray haze...very different than Hawaii. And no palm trees just pine trees. All very unique.
BEACH ACCOMMODATIONS The 4D's...dark, depressing, damp and my personal favorite, dirty. Unfortunately this place was picked by the "family". I spent one night cleaning with Paul but just could not stay here for the week. Switched apartment resorts to something brand new and much cleaner...ahhh now I can breathe again and relax! We are here until Saturday the 23 rd and then off to Rome.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS by Luke and Serena -cars are small - bulidings are really old - pizza is better here - weather is better here - weird trees -people drive too fast - love the gelato - ocean water is "dirty"
TRAVEL DAY
Our travel day to Italy was long and hard...30 hours no sleep for Paul and I. Luke and Serena slept for about 5 hours on the 9 hour flight. We arrived at our first destination Bassano del grappa hungry and tired and with no phone or Internet access. Those of you who have travelled with me before know I need to eat at regular intervals or I become quite the diva, then quite persnickety and then really bi---- and then into complete shut down mode. So our first order of business was to eat. The b&b owner recommended three restaurants for us to wander too. Hungry and tired and barely able to speak we set off. First restaurant....closed on Tuesdays (random closings are the order of the day here). It is 7:30 at night and now we are in search of second restaurant ...does not open to 8:15(random dinner times are common too) . Now I am barely able to walk up the steep hill to the third restaurant and thank the skies above it is open. We devour a wonderful pasta dinner in a quaint restaurant in a dark back alley. The b and b is simple but clean with comfortable beds (that is a luxury in Italy...-again who knew).
THE FAMILY The family is anxious to see us and feed us...constantly. First a dinner at an aunt and uncles ( homemade lasagna as an appetizer, followed by veal and veggies and pie). Next day a lunch with a different aunt and uncle ( again home made lasagna, pasta, fried chicken,mashed potatoes, salad, and of course pie). Then from lunch to dinner with a cousin (pizza...absolutely spectacular...and again pie). I am starting to show already (food baby)..and just a few days into the trip!!!!!
PARENTING WITH GELATO The power of gelato is amazing. It not only tastes divine (and has no traces of peanuts)but it has the ability to end bad behaviour with Luke and Serena. It can also bring about eating of foreign vegetables and sauces on pasta...again who knew the power of Gelato. Just threaten to remove the daily gelato and shazam good things happen!
TO THE BEACH We are now in Biblione a beach resort town on the Adriatic. I have never seen anything like it. Beach chairs and umbrellas for each hotel and apartment resort guest...literally thousands and thousands of them as far as the eye can see lining the beach front. It is mind boggling! The weather is extremely hot and humid. 36 degrees...can't walk the sand and no ocean breeze...just still hot air. There are no islands or land masses off in the distance so you only see ocean rolling on and on in front of you...just like prairie fields. At night the sun sets on the land so looking out to the ocean is just a dull gray haze...very different than Hawaii. And no palm trees just pine trees. All very unique.
BEACH ACCOMMODATIONS The 4D's...dark, depressing, damp and my personal favorite, dirty. Unfortunately this place was picked by the "family". I spent one night cleaning with Paul but just could not stay here for the week. Switched apartment resorts to something brand new and much cleaner...ahhh now I can breathe again and relax! We are here until Saturday the 23 rd and then off to Rome.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS by Luke and Serena -cars are small - bulidings are really old - pizza is better here - weather is better here - weird trees -people drive too fast - love the gelato - ocean water is "dirty"
Monday 11 June 2012
As many of you know we are off to Italy for 6 weeks . After being fired by an Italian Tour operator (because as she stated..."I just can't work with your husband's budget") and having little success with a travel agent, we have finally figured out our own itinerary and booked our accommodations. I think I have looked at every apartment rental/villa in Rome, Tuscany, Venice and Paris (oh yeah we are going there too) on-line. I do NOT ever want to be a travel agent! However if you ever need some advice on accommodation websites I might be able to help.
So here are our travel plans:
3 days Bassano del Grappa - B&B - this is where Paul's aunts, uncles and cousins live, most of which speak only Italian so the kids and I will just smile a lot and say Grazie.
7 days Lido Beach - apartment (booked by the "Family") hopefully we like it!
4 days Rome - apartment - Giubbonari Apartment
3 days Sorrento - http://www.lasolarahotel.com
7 days Tuscany - La Mucchia Casa Vacanza Cortona
7 day Lake Maggiore or somewhere - still need a place to stay (hopefully not in our car on the side of the Autostrada)
2 days back in Bassano del Grappa
4 days Venice - apartment Barrozzi
4 days Paris - apartment Haut Marais
We will be busy but hopefully all the pasta, gelato and wine will keep us energized (OK no wine for the kids). I am sure I will come back with a very large tummy...there will be pregnancy rumours but it will just be my high carb/sugar/alcohol diet! So no staring when we get home. We will miss all of you guys but I am sure we will have some good stories to share (especially with Serena... those Italians have no idea what she is capable of). So that is why we are starting our blog...so we can share some fun stories, a little history. I know Luke is also excited to share some pics and stories with friends.
Ciao for now and stay tuned,
Paul, Denise, Luke and Serena
So here are our travel plans:
3 days Bassano del Grappa - B&B - this is where Paul's aunts, uncles and cousins live, most of which speak only Italian so the kids and I will just smile a lot and say Grazie.
7 days Lido Beach - apartment (booked by the "Family") hopefully we like it!
4 days Rome - apartment - Giubbonari Apartment
3 days Sorrento - http://www.lasolarahotel.com
7 days Tuscany - La Mucchia Casa Vacanza Cortona
7 day Lake Maggiore or somewhere - still need a place to stay (hopefully not in our car on the side of the Autostrada)
2 days back in Bassano del Grappa
4 days Venice - apartment Barrozzi
4 days Paris - apartment Haut Marais
We will be busy but hopefully all the pasta, gelato and wine will keep us energized (OK no wine for the kids). I am sure I will come back with a very large tummy...there will be pregnancy rumours but it will just be my high carb/sugar/alcohol diet! So no staring when we get home. We will miss all of you guys but I am sure we will have some good stories to share (especially with Serena... those Italians have no idea what she is capable of). So that is why we are starting our blog...so we can share some fun stories, a little history. I know Luke is also excited to share some pics and stories with friends.
Ciao for now and stay tuned,
Paul, Denise, Luke and Serena
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