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"