Adventuring Abroad: May 2017

Charlotte is 3!

Just before Christmas, Charlotte turned 3! Her grandparents (Paul's mom and dad) were visiting for about a week at the time, so they were helpful with planning and prepping for the little party we had for her. She was thrilled to have a surprise "3" balloon when she woke up from her nap, and (since I'm so behind in posting) it lasted until March!

She was very excited to have a cake with pink icing and sprinkles and candles :) Her friends Auri, Calvin, Ellery, and Camilla came over to celebrate with their families. We ate chili and macaroni & cheese for dinner, and enjoyed visiting with everyone!

Kids' table!

Winter Lights at Anglesey Abbey

Slightly out of sequence, but more appropriately seasonal for December than November anyway :) My aunt Carol and Jensen were in town to visit over Thanksgiving, and we had purchased tickets earlier in the year to attend Winter Lights at Anglesey Abbey. It was a cold night, and we were out for longer than I thought we would be as the crowds are pretty slow-moving through the light displays. However, the trees were beautiful all lit up, and we enjoyed eating street food sausages and donuts while watching a shadow performance of Peter and the Wolf. We were glad to return to the warmth of the car after sufficiently numbing our toes for nearly 2 hours :)

The birch grove illuminated

Another view of the birch grove

The plane trees lit up alongside the mill canal

The main house, lit up at night

Italy: Rome and the Castelli Region

On our first full day in the Rome area, we caravanned with Elisa's parents to the Castelli region, which is just outside of Rome. We stopped at Castel Gandolfo, which is the historic summer residence of the Pope (although Pope Francis has opened it as a museum now). We enjoyed the sights of the town, including the view over Lake Albano, before driving down to the lakeside level for a late lunch.

The town square outside Castel Gandolfo

Entrance to Castel Gandolfo

Fountain outside Castel Gandolfo (and a dove [pigeon] of peace??)

Lake Albano

Paul got gutsy and took the wheel to drive in Italy... I thought he was crazy to drive with
how insane the Roman drivers are!!

View of the hills around where we ate for lunch

The group at lunch!

After leaving the Castelli region, we drove back into Rome to visit Eataly, a big superstore with various restaurants that specializes in local Italian food and drink items. It was fun to wander and see what they had to offer!

Outside Eataly

Chandelier of espresso cups & saucers

Charlotte and Auri enjoying some gelato at Eataly

Festive wine bottles at Eataly -- and a baby bump starting at 7 weeks (ack!)

That night, we went back to Elisa's parents' house (Rini & Enzo) and enjoyed another delicious dinner, this time shared with Elisa's sister Danila. The next day, we drove into Rome and parked near the Spanish Steps. From there, we explored the city by foot!

The Spanish Steps

At the base of the Spanish Steps

Mid-roundhouse kick!

Statue of Mary near the Spanish Steps

Mary's statue had been decorated the day before for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Pantheon!

After lunch, we grabbed gelato!

After enjoying gelato, we walked to Piazza Navona (Paul's favorite spot in Rome), where there was a small festival going on. Charlotte enjoyed the carousel and seeing a band march through the square.

"Fireworks" Christmas tree at the Spanish Steps

After returning to Rini and Enzo's house, we ate dinner and got the kids to sleep and then enjoyed relaxing on the couches with Dan and Elisa with a cup of chamomile tea to settle my stomach. The next morning, Dan and Enzo drove us to the airport, and we headed back to England.

Italy: Last Day in Muggia

On our last day in Muggia, we dealt with logistics of getting our luggage to Rome (if you haven't read in chronological order, our rental minivan was too small to fit all 7 passengers and our luggage). Paul and Dan ended up shipping our suitcases overnight via DHL to Elisa's parents' house in Rome. It was only a little over $100 for all the suitcases, and they arrived early the next morning -- well ahead of us! It worked out well.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying an outdoor cafe in Muggia with a MOUNTAIN of meat and cheese, a visit to the top of the hill looking over the town, and a final dinner with Dan's family. The next morning we headed out to drive to Rome! Charlotte and Auri were slightly challenging as they were VERY excited to ride together in the backseat, and it was a long journey. However, once we got to Elisa's parents' house, we were spoiled by our hosts with a delicious dinner and comfortable beds!