Right now if you ask her what she did in in Italy she'll say, eat pasta. If asked what she did in London she'll say, [double] decker bus. Hopefully the pictures we've taken will help her to remember.
We're just back from a quick weekend trip to London. They speak English there! All the signs are in English! They have Starbucks and the Gap! We rode a train, took a cool London taxi, saw Christmas displays in the windows of the big department stores, took a double decker tour bus (rode on the top of course!), tried to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but got to see and hear the bands, ate Indian food, saw the Christmas lights, walked through Hyde Park, saw the Princess Diana Memorial, ate at Hard Rock Cafe, visited the National Gallery, and walked along the Thames. Rory was a wonderful little traveler and even slept well in the pack and play at the hotel.
In early October we went to the Tuscany region of Italy. We flew into Florence, rented a car, and spent six nights near the town of San Gimignano. We stayed in an apartment that was part of a renovated farmhouse on a working vineyard. They had a pool, laundry facilities, and we could walk to San Gimignano. San Gimignano was a great town because it was small and not too crowded, but there were plenty of things for us to do and see, and plenty of restaurant options. We ate well while in Italy -- pizza, gelato, pasta, and cappuccinos.
We got settled in on Saturday and did a little grocery shopping; our apartment had a kitchen. Sunday we explored the town of San Gimignano. Monday we took a winery tour in Chianti. We visited Pisa on Tuesday. Rory was too young to climb the tower so Stepler stayed with her while I climbed to the top. Wednesday was spent a lot of time driving around the town of Siena looking for a place to park. Thursday we took it easy, swimming, and wandering around San Gimignano a bit more. Friday we headed back to Florence where we turned in our rental car and spent the rest of the day seeing the sights of Florence. Florence was crowded and dirty. I don't think Rory liked it because we made her ride in her stroller all the time. We finally let her out to ride a carousel and I think that made up for the day in the stroller. Saturday morning before flying back home we walked to a park and let Rory play for awhile at a playground.
Rory is always excited to go on an airplane. Maybe it's the gum. Maybe it's the new pack of stickers in her backpack. She gets worried about her stroller when we check it at the gate, even though we usually have to coerce her to ride in it. She's very happy to get her stroller back when the flight is over. She's also very happy to be back at home when our trips end.
One more trip planned before flying home to Georgia for Christmas. We're going to Munich the first weekend in December for the Christmas Markets.
This is such a great summary of your traveling experience so far; it really does sound a bit magical, doesn't it? I am really happy that the three of you have gotten such an opportunity, and like Rory, I hope that it provides you with a lot of good memories.
ReplyDeleteExcellent writing--keep up the good work!