The Road to Rome

Italy. 

Unbelievably beautiful. 

Breathtaking, actually.

At least, once we finally arrived... (smile)

 

Imagine the many things that can impede a traveler {even a traveler leaving more than four hours before their flight time} along his or her journey.  Most likely, you then, can picture the first 36 hours of our trip.  Missed flight due to overbooking.  Marathon sprinting from desk to desk and counter to counter.  Airline haggling.  Rescheduling.  Red tape.  The airport hotel.  Reservation updates.  Phone calls to the car thieves, I mean, car rental company.  And, lost baggage.  (Later, I even lost over $400; one moment I had cash in hand/pocket, and the next, I did not.)

 

Through it all, though, the girls and the husband were fantastic.  Michael handled everything: running the length of the airport, dealing with the airline, booking a later flight and conversing with the aforementioned vehicle swindlers.  (And, later, comforting his wife when she suddenly realized their cash was gone.)  He patiently persevered.  As did our little ladies.  They waited.  They hoped.  And, when faced with the disappointing news of our delayed departure, they accepted the newfound circumstances with a sense of adventure.  Rory, Claire and Jane did not simply endure - they enjoyed it.

 

While I cannot make such claims for myself, I am overwhelmingly thankful for the experience.  Our joy, our fun, our state of well-being is not tethered to whatever situation we find ourselves in; these events were simply a reminder of that.  And, now, off to enjoy a vacation spent under the Tuscan sun...

 

Michael cooks our first meal in Tuscany - homemade spaghetti and meat sauce.  Delicious. 

 

The digs.

 

The view.

 

LOVE this man.

  

And, this girl. (Claire)

 

This one, too. (Rory)  

 

And, this one.  (Jane)

 

Next, are photos from our guided expedition across the Tuscan countryside.

 

Italy = Banking.  Who knew?  Oldest bank in the world.  

 

The sight of the famous yearly horse race, The Palio.  (Siena, Italy)

 

A real gold dude.  

 

Lunch at a local vineyard.  

 

The fam and a bunch of wine barrels... maybe, Christmas card material?

 

The girls loved the cows.  The cows returned their affection by licking at them with their long, black tongues.  Sweet, right?. 

 



 

Gelato.

 

To use a public restroom, you must insert coins.  This was our fave; as it hosed itself down after each use.  Something out of the future gone terribly wrong...hahaha...

 

Had to take these.  Really, people, this is cool. 



 

Yes, he did.  So fitting.  

 

Racing to the car, ready to ride...

 

HORSES!

This girl's dream come true.

 

We are a family of female majority; thus, we must braid the hair.

 

Poor horse...

 

We groomed, rode and fed these gorgeous animals. 

It. Was. Wonderful. 

 

The Master bedroom at the villa (I know, that sounds incredibly pretentious).

 

A loft above.

 

Swimmin'.

 

Out for lunch.

 

Claire ate entire pizzas at various points throughout our vacation; we were amazed.  She was just happy.  : ) 

 

Warning!

You may encounter a gross (literally) parenting misstep on our part. 

Or, like Michael and Claire, you may enjoy the explicit and varied exhibits at the Museum of Torture.  

 

Before some of us started feeling queasy...



 

More gelato.  Needed happy thoughts after the visions from above.

 

And, salami.  Sealed and vacuum packed for the journey home.

 

Despite her camera face, Jane was actually happy... I think. 

The road to our front door.

 

Finishing off the last of the peanut butter before leaving for Rome.  

 



 

Our hotel room in Rome - quite different from our house in Tuscany, but, oddly enough, the same price.  Hahaha...

 

Actually, the kiddos thought this hotel room was super cool.  I, on the other hand, would have added a partition... hahaha 



Enjoying 'vacation snacks' during our evening in the park.

 

Our ride.

 

The driver.  

 

The scenery.

 

One of our passengers (who shall remain nameless) lost her flip flop.  I am certain she is quite grateful to have this guy for a dad.  

 

Replacement kicks.

 

Coffee.  Yum.  And, my most loved people.  {Insert contented sigh here.}



 

Off to see the sights!

 

The Roman Colosseum.

 

Saw this, and thought of some friends.  ; )

 

The Palentine, a.k.a., the high class neighborhood.

 

The Forum.

We're discussing, see?!

 

Can you find us on the Spanish Steps? 

(Hint: Rory and Michael were the camera crew.)

 

The sea of people amidst this ancient city.

 

Trevi Fountain.

Ultimately, we are amazingly privileged to have had the opportunity to visit Italy.  Lush beauty and ancient history collide inside this country.  One day, we hope to walk these streets again.  So, we toss in our coins, and look ahead...

Ciao, for now.