Bella Italia

What a fabulous time we had in lovely Italy.  We started out quite early - 3:30 a.m. so not to get caught in any crazy backups that happen here frequently.  It took us about 12 hours to get to Andora - the weather was gloomy & rainy all the way.  It also rained Sunday morning, then the sun came out and the weather was perfect for the rest of our stay.

We went down to the beach and tested the waters - it was COLD, as you can see by Alex's quick escape from the water and Adam's shocked expression in the picture after that.  Only Olivia ( now castless - yay) marched right into the water - nothing was going to spoil her fun!

I did manage to get in as well a couple of times but mostly I was doing this :

What I discovered in Italy ( probably holds true for much of Europe) is that you are never too old or too fat to wear a bikini - a tiny bikini.  That the fat is just all over the place makes no difference.  I felt like an absolute prude in a tankini...but as God is my witness, you won't find me in a bikini unless I have lost a good bit of weight - even then it might be an iffy proposition.  

We also got a kick out of the men wearing capris.... the boys affectionately call them Shpants ( shorts/pants).  And only the Europeans can wear them with such flair.

I had to take this pic through our car window - did not want the fashionable man to notice.  Take note of the black socks and the brown shoes....

We feasted on a variety of things.  We had gelato everyday ( one time twice, because the gelato was subpar to the place we usually got it, so it did not count and we had to go back to original place).

Lots of pizza, hot and crispy out of the oven.

I made dinner once - here is the appetizer:  mozarella, tomatoes, basil, olive oil & balsamic vinegar.

We did not do much sightseeing - this was a relax and enjoy kinda vacation.  We staid in a lovely home with fantastic patios and garden - I will just post the pictures - they speak for themselves.  

As you can see, the cottage was on the top of a hill - here is a portion of the drive up - it was always a bit nerve wracking driving up since the road was very narrow - room for one car only.

The garden was delightful and I found a lemon tree and a grape vine growing there.

That one was too high for me to get - here is Erika trying though.

Here is Rob grilling some chicken and sausage and the grapevine is right above him.  It was loaded with grapes - alas they were not ripe.  I did not come away empty handed though:

The lavender was growing in the garden in abundance, so I brought home a little bit - it is currently hanging up drying on my porch and I will stuff the last Shepherd's Bush Heart that I stitched with it.  

Speaking of which, I worked on the outside of the American Roll ALOT - this is how far I got - this thing is going to take forever!!

The drive home was beautiful - since it was not raining we actually go to see the Alps.

But mostly the kids & dogs did this on the way home.

We will definitely return to Italy, it was wonderful, the people friendly, and the food cannot be beat.