Our drive was so gorgeous! We started out in spring-like Germany and within a couple of hours passed into the Austrian Alps, complete with snow-capped mountains. I took pictures out the window, but there is just no way my little sony digital camera did justice to God’s magnificent creation.
The weather was fantastic, warm and sunny with a gentle breeze. We stayed in Tuscany, near Florence in a very small, country town. Beautiful rolling hills and farm land. We got our fill of the city when we visited Venice, Florence and Siena (our favorite).
Shane loved all the farm animals! We opened the windows of the car once to watch some sheep. When we started to drive a way, Shane looked a me with a face of sheer joy and wonder and said, "Sheep talk me." Those sheep were talking just to him!
The artwork in Florence was almost more than 6-year old Lexi could take! We saw a replica of the Michelangelo "David" ... and Lexi said, "Where is his underwear????" She was shocked.
We ate Gelato every day. YUMMY! We also had a lot of pizza and pasta... but the ice cream was the BEST. The kids always went for chocolate, but Mommy and Daddy tried lots of different kinds ... coconut (my personal fav.), pistachio, tirimisu, white chocolate. Those of you who know how much I LOVE ice cream can imagine how hard it was for me not to eat more than one scoop a day!
Without even thinking, we drove our mini-van into Florence BIG MISTAKE! It was like New York City ... with more traffic, and the craziest drivers I have ever seen. Plus, the mopeds, bikes and motorcycles outnumbered the vehicles ... and they ruled the road! It was a REALLY stressful few minutes while we searched for a parking garage. (And don't forget -- we couldn't even read the roadsigns) Don't think Greg will ever drive into Florence again.
LOVED Siena! It was our favorite spot. Laid back and beautiful. Lots of great art and architecture. We started out and ended at Il Campo, the main city square, filled with restaurants and pizzerias. At the end of the day, we just sat and watched people. It was awesome. Best part for Shane: after a week of asking for chicken (meaning, nuggets), we found a McDonalds for him and he got his McNuggetts. Ashley was thrilled we finally found the "Italian McDonalds" ... that made me laugh. Nothing but pure United States there!
Venice was very interesting, with all the water and "water traffic." We took a bus from our hotel and then a Valparetto (water taxi) to San Marco square. What an interesting way to live! The kids were in awe of the marketplace ... and especially the fact that the vendors dummped their leftover fresh fish right onto the ground for the seagulls and pigeons. What a smell!
I'm going to stop, for now ... and post some pics. This might not be the last blog about our trip! Thanks for praying for us (especially when the earthquake occured ... it wasn't too far from us, but we felt nothing!)
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