Day 62 Ciao Italy! Bonjour France!

It was a little tough leaving the Cinque Terre today!  The spot we were in was like a cozy little hide-a-way in the hillside!  We were starting to settle in to our little apartment with the big view…but alas all good things must come to an end…and we had a new adventure waiting!  Our drive today was about 6 hours, and getting out of the Cinque Terre was quite a feat!  The well maintained roads…wink wink…were just as fantastic on the way out!  When we have big transitions like this, I always think of a quote from Jillian Michaels (yes the workout queen) “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable!’…of course she means it in as a trainer…but it really has worked for me as a traveller! We were headed into the...

Day 100 Sunshine, Fun Rides, And A Movie

Day 100 Sunshine, Fun Rides, And A Movie

Today was absolutely beautiful!  We woke up to a bright sunny morning…just gorgeous!  There was no excuse not to get out and go for a run this morning! Well, we tried to think up some excuses…but to no avail!  We put on our pseudo mugger outfits and headed out for a run!  Now, I am not sure who put cement in my shoes this morning…but if I find them!  Today was just one of those days that it was difficult just to put one foot in front of the other!  Luckily, after a huge storm last night, the ocean was all bright blues and greens, the sky was a brilliant blue…so the scenery helped to ease my pain!  Reid did his run/walk beside me and we were off!  All went well…and then of course there was the walk up the 10 zillion steps back to the...

Day 55 Off to Assisi to See A Saint

I was excited to go to Assisi and see the Basilica de San Francesco up close and personal! We came armed with our Rick Steve’s Italy book and were ready to hit the town with his walking tour!  Now if you have not had Rick take you on a tour, you have missed out!  He literally tells you exactly where to start and guides you through points along the way…and honestly I get lost going to the bathroom, and he respects dorks like me and works with us, if you follow his tour you will hit the highlights of a town and you won’t get lost! One of the things that I did not expect to see were Roman ruins, I know I am in Italy and the Romans were here…but I guess I just don’t think of Roman ruins when I think of hill towns.  There are some really...

Day 37- Goodbye Venice Hello Pescara

Truth be told we have some parts of our trip planned and some parts are not.  When it came to Italy, we did not have much planned.  Some events changed, like having to go back up to France to meet at the haunted chateau, spending time in Paris with Russ’ sister and our niece, so Italy was a bit shaky at best.  The one place I knew that I  wanted to go was a place that my family had stayed in Tuscany. If any of you know my step-dad Bill…he is more like a dad to me…to know him is to love him!  He is just a great guy to be around!  One thing he has done a lot in his life, is travel! He has a way of  finding interesting places to go and interesting things to do.  So when he told us about La Falconara, where he stayed with his current wife Kay ( a...

Day 34 Enchantment on the Grand Canal

Day 34- If you know anything about my life, you may know that my husband Russ is …hmmm how can I say this…budget minded (cheap).  So when trying to book a hotel for Venice I had to check price and parking…two things that everyone thinks about when they think of Venice…not.  Somehow I stumbled upon the hotel Santa Chiara…it claimed to be on the Grand Canal and have parking… and it fit our budget!  Who knew?  I have to admit, I was not expecting very much when we did our last minute booking…but hey I figured at least we were in Venice right?  It was late when we got to our hotel…and the first thing I noticed was that it was right on the Grand Canal…and it looked dare I say it charming…not...

The time is near…

The trip is looming…but in a good way right?  I am having a hard time getting excited because there is still so much to do.  We are working on packing and wrapping things up here in Washington before we hit the road.  It is a challenge to pack for a trip to a variety of climates, for an undetermined length of time.  Oh add in a 10 year old son that I am going to be teaching…has the makings of a busy, crazy adventure that will be unforgettable!