That's right, we flew into Calgary last night. Had a fitful sleep and now Jeremia and I will head back to home to the windy city. Lies and JP are in Holland for the next few days and then head to Montreal to visit JP's parents. Mom and Dad are home, and Lance is back in Vancouver for a few days before he heads back to Calgary for the summer.
What an amazing experience, that I would not change for the world. We all got alone great, we grew closer together as a family and were able to experience some fantastic new places.
Can't wait to see all you readers, we missed our friends, and are glad to be home too!
Ciao
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
"a Mangialunga"
A walk through the paths and villages of Levanto Valley, tasting local typical dishes and wines!! ~ 14th edition ~
On Sunday we were planning on driving to Lucca. BUT... before we left, Dad was walking through a square and saw a ton of people... so we had to see what all the fuss was about!
It was called the "a Mangialunga" a community event that happens every year, walking through the entire Lavanto valley.
So we decided to sign up and we hit the trail at around 11:30 and walked to seven villages. It was really hot, really steep and really fun!
We all did well, Mom was a rock star and made the whole trip, even though it was really hard... she did awesome!
Here is a run down of the local food we were able to taste at each of the villages, we also were given local wine at each village, and also lots of fun music:
Ridarolo: "Focaccia" with Olives
Fontana: Minced lard (not my fave...) with bread
Chiesanuova: Salted potato pie
Legnaro: Trofie noodles with pesto sauce
S. Bartolomeo: Stew rabbit ligurian style
Pastine: Vegetarian fried pastries
Lerici: Broad beans with Salami
Vignana: Strawberries with red wine
Giaradini: Dessert
It was all very good, and quite the experience!
We were the only English speaking people on the entire trip.. it truly was something for the locals, that we were able to sneek in on.
Charlie was a hit, dancing at all of the towns, he is so much fun to be around!
On Sunday we were planning on driving to Lucca. BUT... before we left, Dad was walking through a square and saw a ton of people... so we had to see what all the fuss was about!
It was called the "a Mangialunga" a community event that happens every year, walking through the entire Lavanto valley.
So we decided to sign up and we hit the trail at around 11:30 and walked to seven villages. It was really hot, really steep and really fun!
We all did well, Mom was a rock star and made the whole trip, even though it was really hard... she did awesome!
Here is a run down of the local food we were able to taste at each of the villages, we also were given local wine at each village, and also lots of fun music:
Ridarolo: "Focaccia" with Olives
Fontana: Minced lard (not my fave...) with bread
Chiesanuova: Salted potato pie
Legnaro: Trofie noodles with pesto sauce
S. Bartolomeo: Stew rabbit ligurian style
Pastine: Vegetarian fried pastries
Lerici: Broad beans with Salami
Vignana: Strawberries with red wine
Giaradini: Dessert
It was all very good, and quite the experience!
We were the only English speaking people on the entire trip.. it truly was something for the locals, that we were able to sneek in on.
Charlie was a hit, dancing at all of the towns, he is so much fun to be around!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Beautiful Cinque Terre
It is our fourth day here in Lavanto, and we are really enjoying the hiking and the surrounding beauty. But more than that, I am really appreciating the way of life here in Italy... let me try to explain a little of how people do things here:
1. Everything is Fresh... from lemonade to pesto... it's healthy and tasty.
2. Everyone takes a mid day break to enjoy a long lunch and maybe even a nap.
3. After work... it seems like the entire town congregates in the square (which is right below our deck) for playing... there are kids EVERYWHERE... and visiting for the adults. (it's so nice to see people enjoying each other in community)
4. Exactly at 7pm, people walk home to enjoy dinner with family, with lots of pasta and wine.
5. Gelato seems like it may be an essential ingredient of life... there is a Gelateria on very corner... on a hot day like today it was essential for me!
6. Church bells are the only way of telling time here and no one really seems in a rush... ever.
7. Most of the time we can walk down the main street, that’s how few cars are out, more people ride their bikes or walk.
8. No super markets here... it's all little shops, the butcher, the baker, the veggie market... all closer than it would take you to walk around super store... it is lovely, and you MUST bring your own bag... that is not an option.
9. People here talk with their hands, love little blond boys like Charlie, and are very friendly.
It is wonderful and I sure think these Italians have figured out a lot more than how to make a good pizza!
1. Everything is Fresh... from lemonade to pesto... it's healthy and tasty.
2. Everyone takes a mid day break to enjoy a long lunch and maybe even a nap.
3. After work... it seems like the entire town congregates in the square (which is right below our deck) for playing... there are kids EVERYWHERE... and visiting for the adults. (it's so nice to see people enjoying each other in community)
4. Exactly at 7pm, people walk home to enjoy dinner with family, with lots of pasta and wine.
5. Gelato seems like it may be an essential ingredient of life... there is a Gelateria on very corner... on a hot day like today it was essential for me!
6. Church bells are the only way of telling time here and no one really seems in a rush... ever.
7. Most of the time we can walk down the main street, that’s how few cars are out, more people ride their bikes or walk.
8. No super markets here... it's all little shops, the butcher, the baker, the veggie market... all closer than it would take you to walk around super store... it is lovely, and you MUST bring your own bag... that is not an option.
9. People here talk with their hands, love little blond boys like Charlie, and are very friendly.
It is wonderful and I sure think these Italians have figured out a lot more than how to make a good pizza!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Photos of the week
Taking in the views from St. Paul.
Fountain in St Paul de Vance
This was in a small hill town called "St. Paul de Vance" lots of artist's hang out up here
The film festival was starting the day we left Cannes, it was really cool to see all the set up, lots of buzz around this town!
Taking in the views on the "route de Crete" Over looking the fishing village of Cassis
Fishing boats in Cassis on the way out of Nice
Mothers Day! Our last day with the whole family!
on to Italy....
Well we have had another great week. Last time I wrote, it was our last day in Spain. That afternoon Jeremia and I went for a huge bike ride to Cape de Cruz. It is the most eastern part of Spain, and the landscape looks like you could be on the moon.
The next day was Mothers Day! We had to drive all the way to Aix en Provence... close to Marseille. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun being together for the whole family. We had a great dinner in Provence at a crapery.
On Monday we had to send Jeremia and Rudy home... they flew out early in the morning and we headed out to the French Rivera. Cannes was first and it was great to see where Lies and JP lived two years ago, we also went to their favorite restaurant... it was soooo good!
We then spent the next two nights in Nice. It was really fun. We explored the area, walked the beach and shopped. we were also able to head up to a small town in the hills that was called St. Paul de Vance. A hot spot for artists through out the ages. Lots of cool galleries and stunning views.
On Wednesday we headed to Italy!! Drove through Monaco and all the tunnels, we remembered and talked about this drive that we did as a family 12 years ago... Lance did not remember much of it, so it was good to take the drive again! Charlie did pretty good, he is so easy going.
We are now in Lavanto. A very small village, one town north of the Cinque Terre. We are planning on hiking and exploring the area for the next week. We have a great 3 bedroom apartment and we are cooking wonderful Italian meals!
Today we did our first hike to Montorosso, the most western village of the five. It was a hard hike but worth it!! More hiking tomorrow, and I will send more photos soon too. Much love!
The next day was Mothers Day! We had to drive all the way to Aix en Provence... close to Marseille. It was a beautiful day and we had a lot of fun being together for the whole family. We had a great dinner in Provence at a crapery.
On Monday we had to send Jeremia and Rudy home... they flew out early in the morning and we headed out to the French Rivera. Cannes was first and it was great to see where Lies and JP lived two years ago, we also went to their favorite restaurant... it was soooo good!
We then spent the next two nights in Nice. It was really fun. We explored the area, walked the beach and shopped. we were also able to head up to a small town in the hills that was called St. Paul de Vance. A hot spot for artists through out the ages. Lots of cool galleries and stunning views.
On Wednesday we headed to Italy!! Drove through Monaco and all the tunnels, we remembered and talked about this drive that we did as a family 12 years ago... Lance did not remember much of it, so it was good to take the drive again! Charlie did pretty good, he is so easy going.
We are now in Lavanto. A very small village, one town north of the Cinque Terre. We are planning on hiking and exploring the area for the next week. We have a great 3 bedroom apartment and we are cooking wonderful Italian meals!
Today we did our first hike to Montorosso, the most western village of the five. It was a hard hike but worth it!! More hiking tomorrow, and I will send more photos soon too. Much love!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
May 2-8
May 2
We got into Spain late tonight and headed out towards Rosas. My dads cousin Guss owns a house right on the Mediterranean and we are staying here for about a week!!
It was dark by the time we got to the house, but we found it and settled in. It is absolutely beautiful… the view is unbelievable! We are perched high up on a cliff with the view of the sea all around. There is a great terrace and lots of room, so we are excited about our stay here.
May 3
Today I woke up to birds chirping and sunlight streaming into our room. I set off with mom and dad to explore the area, we found a great sea wall path that takes us all the way into town. We are found a little grocery store and bought some fresh bread, fruit and jam for breakfast.
We relaxed in the morning and then walked to the beach in the afternoon, it was beautiful HOT beach weather!! That evening we had dinner late… as they do in Spain.. no one eats before 9:30 pm… it really reminds Jeremia and I of our time in South America. It is so warm during the day that I don’t think people want to even think about eating until the sun goes down!!
May 4
This morning Jeremia and I went for a ride to explore the area. We had some great tips about cycling in the area, so we set off ready for some big climbs and beautiful views. It was breath taking! This was one of the most beautiful rides I have been on, almost rivals our Denail National Park ride last June!!
We came back home to a delicious breakfast… bacon, eggs and toast!
Then we were off the pick up Lies, JP and Charlie. They flew into Gerona. About 45 min. away from where we are staying.
The rest of the day we spent on the beach and then had another beautiful dinner on the terrace. It was my turn to cook, so we had pork skewers, rice, salad and some Tapas during happy hour!
May 5
We woke up to wind and clouds this morning… I later found out that the wind here is called “Traumatantra” It blows hard and furious!! The area is know for the wind that has made people go mad… to me it sounds like another place… Let’s see, can any one say Lethbridge!!! It was blowing so hard that we didn’t think it would be a very good idea to go for a bike ride… so instead we decided to head for a little drive up the coast. Lies and I left early to get a head start. We walked into the Cap de Cruz National Park and almost got blown off some of the cliffs, the views were awesome!! The silver bullet came up the road right when we were getting pretty sick of fighting for our lives… so we hopped in and joined the others for a bit of an adventure.
We didn’t get as far as we planned because the road closed, so we decided to turn around and head to Figueras, the town where Dali was born. There is a museum there that we all wanted to go and see. It was designed by Dali himself, and it is in the location of the old theater. His first exhibition was held in the foyer of the theater, and the church he was baptized in was across the street, he also speaks of himself as a theatrical painter, so decided that this would be the perfect location for the largest Surrealist work of art, the museum itself. Dali did not want people to see this building as a museum, but rather a work of art… and that it is! I have never seen anything like it. We spent a long time here, taking in the wonder and the unique world of Dali.
When we returned it was warm again, so some of us went to the beach. Another beautiful day in Spain!
May 6
Woke up early this morning and went for a big ride. Big climbs and my legs were feeling it after.
Spent the morning on the beach, Charlie is so cute in the water! It is pretty cold, but he loves feeling the water on his toes and then running backwards…. He has a hard time walking by himself, but there are lots of us that want to play with him so it is pretty special. I love that little guy, he is so fun to be around.
We planned to celebrate Mom and Dad’s 30 wedding anniversary today, it is in August, but this whole trip is really to celebrate their marriage and we thought because we were all together here in Spain, we should plan a special say for them. We planned a scavenger hunt that took them all around the area, and had little stations set up, it was great, although the walk to the light house was further than we thought and it was about 32 degrees, oops! But they made it! After we made a special dinner, and hung out all together late into the night, laughing and talking over coffee and our favorite Magnum ice cream!
May 7
Today was another celebration… Lies and JP’s fourth wedding anniversary!
We went on a hike this morning instead of a ride, there are so many trails here in the National Park, through olive groves and through terraced vineyards, the landscape is really something. I can see why this area attracted so many artists.
The hike we took was the Megalithic route. This hike took us to some of the biggest Dolmens is Catalonia. The largest is the Creu d’en Cobertella dating from 3000 – 2000 BC! This Dolmen, which features a large gallery grave is covered by a stone slab weighing 4 tons, it was declared a historic-artistic monument in 1964. There were monoliths, stone huts, and lots of other very OLD ruins. Lance carried Charlie on his back for the whole hike, and Charlie slept for the entire time.
After the hike we went to Barcelona. Mom and Dad stayed home with Charlie, and the six of us went into the city. We parked and took the metro into the center, the first stop was the Cathedral of the sacred family, designed by Gaudi, and still not complete. This Cathedral has been under construction for more than 100 years and is still under construction, they hope it will be done in 2020. It is defiantly worth seeing, and is something that I will not forget soon.
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening walking around the city, taking in the sights and enjoying a wonderful dinner.
May 8
A bit cooler today. Went for a big walk into Rosas and spent the morning walking about. Small little shops and walking streets, met up for lunch with everyone and then some people went to the old Citadel, and others just came home. Very relaxing day, not a lot to report.
Rudy and Jeremia go home on Monday, so we are soaking up the last few days of time together!
Tomorrow Jeremia and I are planning a long bike ride out to the cape, and the rest of the family is heading into Barcelona for another day of exploring the city. We will meet back for dinner out, and then we leave Sunday morning for France… to sadly drop Jeremia and Rudy off on Monday morning.
Well that’s a little update. Hope all is well.
Lots of Love
We got into Spain late tonight and headed out towards Rosas. My dads cousin Guss owns a house right on the Mediterranean and we are staying here for about a week!!
It was dark by the time we got to the house, but we found it and settled in. It is absolutely beautiful… the view is unbelievable! We are perched high up on a cliff with the view of the sea all around. There is a great terrace and lots of room, so we are excited about our stay here.
May 3
Today I woke up to birds chirping and sunlight streaming into our room. I set off with mom and dad to explore the area, we found a great sea wall path that takes us all the way into town. We are found a little grocery store and bought some fresh bread, fruit and jam for breakfast.
We relaxed in the morning and then walked to the beach in the afternoon, it was beautiful HOT beach weather!! That evening we had dinner late… as they do in Spain.. no one eats before 9:30 pm… it really reminds Jeremia and I of our time in South America. It is so warm during the day that I don’t think people want to even think about eating until the sun goes down!!
May 4
This morning Jeremia and I went for a ride to explore the area. We had some great tips about cycling in the area, so we set off ready for some big climbs and beautiful views. It was breath taking! This was one of the most beautiful rides I have been on, almost rivals our Denail National Park ride last June!!
We came back home to a delicious breakfast… bacon, eggs and toast!
Then we were off the pick up Lies, JP and Charlie. They flew into Gerona. About 45 min. away from where we are staying.
The rest of the day we spent on the beach and then had another beautiful dinner on the terrace. It was my turn to cook, so we had pork skewers, rice, salad and some Tapas during happy hour!
May 5
We woke up to wind and clouds this morning… I later found out that the wind here is called “Traumatantra” It blows hard and furious!! The area is know for the wind that has made people go mad… to me it sounds like another place… Let’s see, can any one say Lethbridge!!! It was blowing so hard that we didn’t think it would be a very good idea to go for a bike ride… so instead we decided to head for a little drive up the coast. Lies and I left early to get a head start. We walked into the Cap de Cruz National Park and almost got blown off some of the cliffs, the views were awesome!! The silver bullet came up the road right when we were getting pretty sick of fighting for our lives… so we hopped in and joined the others for a bit of an adventure.
We didn’t get as far as we planned because the road closed, so we decided to turn around and head to Figueras, the town where Dali was born. There is a museum there that we all wanted to go and see. It was designed by Dali himself, and it is in the location of the old theater. His first exhibition was held in the foyer of the theater, and the church he was baptized in was across the street, he also speaks of himself as a theatrical painter, so decided that this would be the perfect location for the largest Surrealist work of art, the museum itself. Dali did not want people to see this building as a museum, but rather a work of art… and that it is! I have never seen anything like it. We spent a long time here, taking in the wonder and the unique world of Dali.
When we returned it was warm again, so some of us went to the beach. Another beautiful day in Spain!
May 6
Woke up early this morning and went for a big ride. Big climbs and my legs were feeling it after.
Spent the morning on the beach, Charlie is so cute in the water! It is pretty cold, but he loves feeling the water on his toes and then running backwards…. He has a hard time walking by himself, but there are lots of us that want to play with him so it is pretty special. I love that little guy, he is so fun to be around.
We planned to celebrate Mom and Dad’s 30 wedding anniversary today, it is in August, but this whole trip is really to celebrate their marriage and we thought because we were all together here in Spain, we should plan a special say for them. We planned a scavenger hunt that took them all around the area, and had little stations set up, it was great, although the walk to the light house was further than we thought and it was about 32 degrees, oops! But they made it! After we made a special dinner, and hung out all together late into the night, laughing and talking over coffee and our favorite Magnum ice cream!
May 7
Today was another celebration… Lies and JP’s fourth wedding anniversary!
We went on a hike this morning instead of a ride, there are so many trails here in the National Park, through olive groves and through terraced vineyards, the landscape is really something. I can see why this area attracted so many artists.
The hike we took was the Megalithic route. This hike took us to some of the biggest Dolmens is Catalonia. The largest is the Creu d’en Cobertella dating from 3000 – 2000 BC! This Dolmen, which features a large gallery grave is covered by a stone slab weighing 4 tons, it was declared a historic-artistic monument in 1964. There were monoliths, stone huts, and lots of other very OLD ruins. Lance carried Charlie on his back for the whole hike, and Charlie slept for the entire time.
After the hike we went to Barcelona. Mom and Dad stayed home with Charlie, and the six of us went into the city. We parked and took the metro into the center, the first stop was the Cathedral of the sacred family, designed by Gaudi, and still not complete. This Cathedral has been under construction for more than 100 years and is still under construction, they hope it will be done in 2020. It is defiantly worth seeing, and is something that I will not forget soon.
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening walking around the city, taking in the sights and enjoying a wonderful dinner.
May 8
A bit cooler today. Went for a big walk into Rosas and spent the morning walking about. Small little shops and walking streets, met up for lunch with everyone and then some people went to the old Citadel, and others just came home. Very relaxing day, not a lot to report.
Rudy and Jeremia go home on Monday, so we are soaking up the last few days of time together!
Tomorrow Jeremia and I are planning a long bike ride out to the cape, and the rest of the family is heading into Barcelona for another day of exploring the city. We will meet back for dinner out, and then we leave Sunday morning for France… to sadly drop Jeremia and Rudy off on Monday morning.
Well that’s a little update. Hope all is well.
Lots of Love
Carcassonne
Flight to Europe: $850
Renting the Silver Bullet: $1000
Beer on a Terrace: 32 Euro
Playing Carcassone in Carcassone: Priceless
Rocamador... in the morning light
I love this place... this was also in France... I know I am a bit out of order but oh well!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Spain...
We are now in Spain... we spent the whole day on the beach, just south of a city called Rosas. It is so beautiful! The beach, the house... everything about it is awesome! Internet is hard to come by though so I won´t be on for a few days! sorry! But I´ll catch you all up when I can. Thanks for reading, lots of love from me and the fam!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Chateaux
So we have been on the road for a few nights now... my last blog was when we were leaving Tours, to explore the area. The first Chateau we visited was Chenonceau.
Chenonceau is known as "le Chateau des Dames" because it was women who were responsible for building and adding on the Chateau. The Chateau is built over the cher river, with wonderful views of the surrounding area. We walked around the gardens, first the garden of Diane De Poitiers... who was given this beautiful Chateau by King Henry II. Diane was not his wife but his life long mistress. On the other side of the Chateau is Catherine De Medici's garden... King Henry II wife. After Henry died, Catherine kicked Diane out, and took over the Chateau, but she didn't leave Diane nothing like you might think, she actually gave her another Chateau to live in. I thought that was rather interesting.
Inside Chenonceau the rooms are beautifully decorated and there are many interesting portraits. The area that I liked the best was the kitchen areas. They were on the lower level, and very sophisticated.
After Chenonceau we went to another Chateau called Cheverny. This was very different from the first chateau not only in style but also the story behind it. Cheverny is still owned by the original family that built the Chateau, the Hurault family. It was lived in until the late 1980’s! To me that is unbelievable. It is also well known as a hunting “lodge” there are kennel’s at the chateau with around 70 hounds. The dogs are fed at 5pm everyday. We were able to see the feeding, wow… that was something that I have never seen before. 70 huge hunting dogs fighting over meat!!
Another interesting bit about this Chateau is that during WWII the Mona Lisa was kept in hiding at the Orangery (the back building), on the property of the Chateau.
We headed on to Brantome to sleep, we got there a bit late so could not see how cute the village was, but when we woke up we saw that it was totally surrounded by a mote, and not only that there was a great little market and fair on because it was May 1st. This is a holiday in France, where everyone buys Lilly’s of the Valley to give to their friends. I think the holiday is for friendship… or when mom asked someone what the holiday was for they said it was for “walking”… so we are not quite sure, but never the less, it was great to celebrate in this lovely little village.
We then made the dive to Rocamador, where we stayed last night into the rock, it is again, like something I have never seen before.
Rocamador is a pilgrimage site for Catholics. A beautiful church was built right
The hotel that we are at is in the countryside, and it is very cool. We had the most delicious dinner last night here at the hotel, French food is very rich, and very tasty!
This morning Jeremia and I woke up early and biked into town to see the rising sun on the cliffs. It was stunning!
Today we are heading out to pick up Rudy!
Chenonceau is known as "le Chateau des Dames" because it was women who were responsible for building and adding on the Chateau. The Chateau is built over the cher river, with wonderful views of the surrounding area. We walked around the gardens, first the garden of Diane De Poitiers... who was given this beautiful Chateau by King Henry II. Diane was not his wife but his life long mistress. On the other side of the Chateau is Catherine De Medici's garden... King Henry II wife. After Henry died, Catherine kicked Diane out, and took over the Chateau, but she didn't leave Diane nothing like you might think, she actually gave her another Chateau to live in. I thought that was rather interesting.
Inside Chenonceau the rooms are beautifully decorated and there are many interesting portraits. The area that I liked the best was the kitchen areas. They were on the lower level, and very sophisticated.
After Chenonceau we went to another Chateau called Cheverny. This was very different from the first chateau not only in style but also the story behind it. Cheverny is still owned by the original family that built the Chateau, the Hurault family. It was lived in until the late 1980’s! To me that is unbelievable. It is also well known as a hunting “lodge” there are kennel’s at the chateau with around 70 hounds. The dogs are fed at 5pm everyday. We were able to see the feeding, wow… that was something that I have never seen before. 70 huge hunting dogs fighting over meat!!
Another interesting bit about this Chateau is that during WWII the Mona Lisa was kept in hiding at the Orangery (the back building), on the property of the Chateau.
We headed on to Brantome to sleep, we got there a bit late so could not see how cute the village was, but when we woke up we saw that it was totally surrounded by a mote, and not only that there was a great little market and fair on because it was May 1st. This is a holiday in France, where everyone buys Lilly’s of the Valley to give to their friends. I think the holiday is for friendship… or when mom asked someone what the holiday was for they said it was for “walking”… so we are not quite sure, but never the less, it was great to celebrate in this lovely little village.
We then made the dive to Rocamador, where we stayed last night into the rock, it is again, like something I have never seen before.
Rocamador is a pilgrimage site for Catholics. A beautiful church was built right
The hotel that we are at is in the countryside, and it is very cool. We had the most delicious dinner last night here at the hotel, French food is very rich, and very tasty!
This morning Jeremia and I woke up early and biked into town to see the rising sun on the cliffs. It was stunning!
Today we are heading out to pick up Rudy!
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