On our way into France, we had a really fun and pretty drive.
We didn’t have a hotel for the night, so we just were wandering our way through the country.
First of all, we drove to a waterfall, but happened upon a scene on our way. A parapalegic man had created a contraption to drive around and see the world. When we drove by him in the back country roads of France, we noticed he had a flat tire. I turned the car around and said we need to help that man. The kids cheered (especially Dash) becuase they really wanted to help him.
Micah was a champ, and knew just how to help.
The kids also jumped out to assist in any way they could.
Micah got it blown up, and the man was very, very grateful. It was awesome to see, and my kids felt so pleased to be able to help. He rode off, and we were all feeling great…until we couldn’t find Dash and Pippi…
Who had seen a swing set in the neighbor’s backyard…so they ran over to play!
Our drive included mini hikes.
Cherry Trees.
Fruit stands and Micah’s meals.
And a car wash I get every gas stop in Europe.
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Micah found us a great hotel in Lyon. It was a huge suite, and had the best air conditioning…
And the best breakfast of our entire trip!
We haven’t left Switzerland quite yet.
We stopped in Geneva for a night, and it is still beautiful Switzerland.
(Minus the time my mom, Navy and Dash all got stuck in the stairway for an hour!)
(One caveat — on our way to Geneva…we followed my Google Maps to Geneva…and drove literally the sketchiest road I have ever driven. We were on the edge of the Swiss alps, on a one lane road, with mirrors to show us what was coming around the corner. Because if a mistake was made….we would all fall to our deaths. When we got really, really high up, we were told we were taking the long way, and to turn back. We were dying over turning back, but VERY GRATEFUL to get back to safe ground.)
When we were leaving Geneva, we stopped by a darling park.
The kids played and made friends.
The total hit, was the fairy garden we made.
The best part, was that when we left, we saw all of the little girls at the park run to our fairy garden when we left. We were all so excited that it brought happiness into other kid’s lives.
As we drove on, we found another park to have a meal, and let the kids run around.
We are sad to leave Switzerland, but we are heading into our second favorite spot — France.
Viva France!!
All I can say is SWITZERLAND!
It is easily our favorite place in Europe — and maybe on earth!
Fifteen minutes after crossing the border, it turned breathtakingly beautiful. I stopped several times to see waterfalls, pick wildflowers, and just look around. Dash immediately climbed the rocks, while the rest of us tried to see how many different types of wildflowers we could find. And there were eight varieties that we could see. We picked some to have a bundle of in our car.
Ahhhh Switzerland!
When we got to Tasch, we grabbed a tram to Zermatt — home of the real Matterhorn.
We got there in the dark, and when we woke up in our glorious and cold room, we saw the Matterhorn from our balcony!
Ahhhh Switzerland!
We just literally walked around and were happy. We drank pure water from their fountains, we lounged at their parks, we found wild poppies the size of dessert plates, we watched the clouds cover and uncover the Matterhorn, and we just basked in the beauty and nature around us.
Ahhh Switzerland!
On our walk, we found the coolest ropes course — the longest in the world.
They were worried about Pippi being so young….but she dominated.
(Although at the end…she had a meltdown. I am sure out of exhaustion!)
The kids did their course three or four times, and after Scout took on the adult course that was legit!
Meanwhile, we found a soccer field and ball and had shootout competitions.
We also found the perfect place for a fairy house, made by the girls.
Dad found the perfect security guard for our fairy house.
While collecting materials for the fairy house, Dash ran through stinging neddle.
(I had done the same thing back in my 8th grade Switzerland days.)
Honestly — it was heavenly.
Ahhh Switzerland!
We shopped to end the day off right.
Had the best bread and butter we have found on the whole trip.
And enjoyed perfectly cool weather.
Ahhh Switzerland!
Our ride down from Zermatt was perfect. You could just tell that we had been in a perfect little nook of the world.
And to top it all off…after seeing Valais black-faced sheep, Navy spotted these goats that were half white and half black! Like they were straight from a Dr. Suess picture book!
Ahhh Switzerland!
There is nothing quite like you.
Milan was just a short sleep and shopping morning before getting on the road to Switzerland. Micah got some rad shirts, and we found the best kid’s shoe store.
But really…I just want to give a shout out to these two sisters…who have been traveling dreams. Navy is helpful 100% of the time. And Pippi is always game for everything. And together…they make a really cute pair.
I am really excited that these two have each other forever and ever…because everyone should have a best friend/sister in their lives.
We FINALLY hit kid-friendly Italy! Micah booked hotel rooms and theme park tickets months ago, and the secret was out today. We told the kids that today was going to be kid day (after our debacle in Florence, and Venice being anticlimactic). We told them to search around for a fun park or something to do while we drove.
They found Gardaland almost immediately! Little did they knew it was in the works all along.
And we all agreed…it was time for some real-deal fun!
This place was magical. It was more whimsical than Disneyland, but more upscale than Efteling. Everyone agreed, that Gardaland was great. No lines, enough European flare, great rides, not too big, not too small…just right!
Talking and singing trees.
Cool off rides.
Even if you didn’t want to cool off!
Cool off falls!
Fun shows and attractions.
We got my mom a wheelchair because she has a broken bone in her foot. She loved it…until Pippi pushed and swung her in circles!!!
I sat on a bench while Pippi ran to tons of kid’s rides…and she thought she was hot stuff all on her own.
Then she invited Nonnie to ride with her.
When we saw a cool mini-water park, Dash and Pippi wanted to go so badly, but didn’t have swimsuits on.
I told them to go European style…and they didn’t give it a second thought!
Then begged for a euro to dry off.
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We got back to our rad hotels
-boys were in the adventure hotel, and spelt under an igloo.
-girls were in the magical hotel, and slept in a fairy garden.
We slept like champs in the girl’s room. But after a night of escape-room treasure hunting and frog hunting, Scout ended up with the flu and threw up most of the night.
While Scout slept in, we took the kids to the pool for some swimming and fun.
The greatest thing ever –were the mandatory caps to keep the hair out of the pool!!! PLEASE USA - enforce this! Scout eventually started to feel much better, and the kids came up with “steal the cap” where they all played a tag-style game where they had to steal the blue caps off of everyone else. Last cap wearer — won! Dash was the ultimate at this game. He was a patient hider…and a fast juker.
We ended up back at Gardaland for another afternoon of fun.
And Pippi took good care of her older brother while he was recuperating.
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Honestly…these two days were a blast! They were so fun…and were so needed after a few rotten days before!
We all feel like the trip was resurrected today!
I was really excited to take our kids to Venice. The gondolas, the bridges, the Italian music, the romance….what we really got, was the HEAT, the CROWDS, and the RUDE GONDOLIERS! I have always had great experiences in Venice…but I can honestly say I don’t think I will ever go back. A lot has changed in 20 years, and it was just one huge tourist trap.
We spent a lot of time on the boats that took us from place to place.
Good thing Dash was prepared for the sun!
The views really were incredible, and my kids couldn’t believe there was a whole city on the water!
San Marco square (which I vividly remember as being quiet with thousands of birds), was a mass of people. We had security tell us 10 times we couldn’t sit anywhere!
After finally finding a table, we overpaid for disgusting food.
We also paid for a glass blowing show (used to be free)- good thing it was entertaining and impressive.
We finally found a bridge for a picture that wasn’t full of people.
Good thing for nice siblings…
And kids who know how to make the best out of any situation.
And GELATO!
The redeeming grace of Venice…
was…
The most amazing pizza place Micah found!
this guy was a beast…and gave us pointers for our own pizza dough at home!
Scout and Dash (and everyone else) were in HEAVEN!
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And that is a wrap on Venice!
A place I have fond memories of…and will never visit again!
Did I mention that for our fourth run in with the police — I got an unwarranted parking ticket!!! It was contested and released…but what a headache!
Florence was the best of times, and the worst of times.
Let’s start with the best…
When we pulled into Florence, Micah and my mom were craving non-Italian food. We opted for Indian, and it was great. Our waiter was a darling college-aged kid. After talking with him for a bit, we heard his story…and it was incredible. He had left Bangladesh for a better life in Italy. He was attending college, as the first in his family. He worked hard to send back money to his family. He and Pippi really bonded, because he has a little brother her age that he doesn’t know well, except for the FaceTime calls they share. He brought out little treats to Pippi — including a free dessert, and they became fast friends. Through his story, he talked about his mother with the utmost respect…calling her “his heart”. You could tell how much he loved his family at home. Later in the conversation, he told us he was going to try to visit his family next year, but in the meantime, he was earning money to send back to his mother for a surgery she needs. He was just the happiest and sweetest son, trying to make things work for his family. We were all so impressed by him…he was awesome! He also shared Pippi’s overbite.
When we left, my mom got into her purse and gave him 40 US Dollars. She said…”this is for your mom”. When he received the money, he had huge tears well up in his eyes. Then, we all had big tears well up in our eyes. He could barely contain himself, as he thanked us profusely.
When we left, all of the kids were obsessed with Buillon.
We all decided that nothing overrides the great feeling you get, when you are able to do something kind for someone else. Our kids wanted to go back the next night and the next! I asked for Buillon’s family’s address in India, but he said they don’t have an address. (I think they are extremely poor.) I told him I wanted to send his little brother a box of treats, but he said he wished he could tell me where to send anything, but it would never get to him. I hope Buillon’s family is well taken care of. And I hope that one day, we meet back up with Buillon.
Today is Father’s Day!!! Happy Father’s Day to a great one!
The next morning we woke up in our AirBNB in Florence.
It was a great place. Big and spacious and clean enough.
After a good sleep, we went into downtown…and Nonnie treated us to a horse and buggy ride — a great way to see all Florence has to offer!
This church was incredible.
Michaelangelo’s David was shocking to the kids — but still a masterpiece.
The artists around town were highly talented.
And the window shopping was great.
But after being hot and wiped out…we headed back to our big and cold AirBNB…
only to realize that our idiot guy had locked us out, becuase he wanted another 60 euros from us. The story is long and detailed…but in a nutshell…Cosimo the owner decided to start nickel and diming us three days before we got there. Micah and he settled on the outcome, but because he was drunk when they settled and didn’t remember, he decided to lock us out the next day. We sat for three hours while we tried to get it all figured out with AirBNB and Cosimo. It was a total joke! The jerk wouldn’t let us in the place to get our stuff, and he wouldn’t even respond. Finally I called the police, and they came. (Yes…our third encounter with the police on this trip!)
you know who showed up three minutes after the police?
Cosimo.
The police were helpful, and agreed that he was a real bad dude. When we got out of there, we found out that Cosimo had stolen 100 USD out of my mom’s coin purse. He also threatened me every time Micah left the room with, “Your husband thinks he is so clever…..”. He was a wreck. So we got out of there, drove for hours…and finally at 2am ended up in Venice.
It was a travelling nightmare — and AirBNB is investigating it all, for our refund and him getting kicked off the site.
But not all was bad…
At 1am, we discovered my mom had been walking all day with a tootsie roll in her shoe!
It gave us our biggest laugh of the entire trip!
Years ago, I went to Assisi.
I never forgot how beautiful it was, so we drove to the hilltop town again today — 20+ years later.
Right in the middle of Umbri, Assisi is surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in Italy.
It is just a patchwork of different greens, and a road that leads up to a city built into the side of a mountain.
There is a large square and a large air-conditioned church. (My mom was very pleased with the air conditioning!)
The entire town is picturesque. It is all stone, with narrow streets throughout. Honestly, it is what Hollywood movies are made of!
A favorite stop in this town, was the embroidering shop. We watched this man and his steady hand for 30 minutes.
He created the cutest backpack for Pippi!
We separately wandered the streets of Assisi for a few hours.
I had Pippi on a special date.
Micah took the other three for a photo shoot all around town.
And my mom sat in the cool church the whole time!
We ended with gelato, and a park for the kids — the first decent park in all of Italy!
Where Dash could actually kick his soccer ball around.
YAY!
We drove into Rome really late.
On our way in, I mapped us to the new temple in Rome, and we stopped off for a quick visit.
It was huge and so pretty.
When we got to our hotel, we were so excited that it was a suite and really big…and as a result….we slept and slept!
Until Dash took it upon himself to finally wake us all up!
We finally got ready and headed into the heart of Rome…and for the first time in my life…I took a double-decker sight-seeing bus. Over the years and vacations, we have discovered that we are not a sight seeing family. It just isn’t our favorite thing. But I guess when you are in the mecca of cool sights…you sight see.
The Colosseum was insane…and boiling hot!
Pippi skipped all over the grounds. About four people stopped to ask us about her age and tell us how cute she is. She really was darling as she sang and skipped!
With everyone else in the universe, we admired the Arch of Constantine.
When you really think about when these monuments and structures were built, it is incredible.
The Spanish Steps saved us with a few drinking water fountains at the base of them.
At the top of the Spanish steps, some crabby Polizia informed us that “This is not a beach! This is a monument.” We asked if he was sure…because the sand and waves were mystifying us. The guy was on one because Pippi had walked in a drained fountain that looked like part of the walkway…so he freaked. We were sincerely apologetic the first three times he lectured us over the same offense. But on the fourth, I refused to go on the emotional roller coaster with power-hungy Polizia Pete. So I gave him some sass back, when he told me to come with him. The kids all thought I was going to be arrested (PTSD from Micah’s Tijuana days), but he just wanted to show me the sign that reiterated that these were monuments. (Remember that it was a five year old who took two steps where she wasn’t supposed to, and we quickly got her out.) Thus ends our second run in with the cops on this trip.
But be warned…..When you go to Rome…remember…”This is not a beach!” (Our favorite tag line the rest of the trip!)
The Roman Forum was awesome. This is an excavated site, where Roman temples, squares and government buildings date back over 2000 years. It was pretty amazing to recreate their world in our eyes.
Altar of the Fatherland
This is a monument that honors Italy’s first king and World War One soldiers.
And of course…the Trevi Fountain.
We all tossed coins in — One for a return to Rome in the future. Two for love. Most of us tossed two, because between the heat and the crowds…we wanted LOVE.
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After sight seeing, we found a yummy restaurant that had the best bread we have had on the entire trip.
We also loaded up on baked goods from their sister bakery — that included that bread!
When we hit our beds in our big room…we slept really hard.
The next morning was eventful, as a man died outside our hotel door. Literally 15 feet from our door, the paramedics were trying to revive a man who had gone into cardiac arrest. It was right when we needed to check out, so my kids got a first hand viewing of death. It was pretty insane. Moments later, my boys were outside kicking the soccer ball back and forth, when Scout kicked it too high and too hard, and took out one of the hotel’s globe lights. I had to go in and take care of that one.
By the time we were leaving Rome and the heat….we were ready to go.
Arrivederci!
We had quite the eventful day through Tuscany today.
We found San Gigigmano, and couldn’t believe our good fortune. It was beautiful. In an effort to get my mom as close to the city as possible, I dropped everyone off (except Navy) and went to park.
Navy and I were following road signs, but must have missed something, because we ended up driving down a street that might not have been a proper street to drive down.
See below:
Yep…Navy and I drove down that street.
UNTIL…I got to the end, and was stopped by a big stump in the ground.
See below:
Navy and I sat there, and were stumped (pardon the pun)! Then we started to laugh. Then the cops came and lowered the stump and let us out. We graciously thanked them…UNTIL they cited us!!!
Yep…an Italian ticket!
That I signed “Yeah Right”.
Good thing it was only 28 euros.
Meanwhile…
We had the best gelato in the world.
We agreed it was pretty great. Maybe not best in the world…but pretty great.
Pippi also got her new best friend, “Strawberry” or in Italian “Fraggy”.
Our drive was so incredibly beautiful. I looked over at Micah, and saw the prettiest scenery behind him, I had to snap a picture.
After San Gigimano, we continued on towards Rome.
But not before we got our regular first-class treatment at the gas station from Navy and her protege.
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