Tuscany, Tuscany, TUSCANY!!

Bonjourno from Tuscany!

Tuscany was my most favorite part of our 'holiday' in Europe! It was absolutely beautiful!! Driving to our resort was a breathtaking drive. We saw a lot of the Italian coast and the beautiful hills and mountains. It was so luscious and just beautiful! Exactly what you think of when you think of Italy.

On our way to our resort, we were very excited! It was going to be beautiful and and was the top/side of a mountain. Our GPS was a lifesaver and gave us turn-by-turn directions. However, it decided we needed to take the 'scenic route' to the top of the mountain, in the dark...let's just say my knuckles were white from anticipating every tight turn and curve up the mountain side. Dave did an awesome job!! I know I would have been a mess if I was driving. We made it though, and the resort was more than worth the long, tedious drive! It was late when we arrived but woke up the next day to these views...

 

We had breakfast on the terrace overlooking the valley

 It was breathtaking!! All around us were mountains and villages and Tuscany!! It was wonderful!!

 

Just so pretty! There was something neat around every corner.

 

 

This picture captures the villages we drove through. This IS Italy! After we explored the resort, we headed to the village of Barga, about 5 mins away. It was such a cute, Italian village with neat little shops and cafes. We did a little shopping and ate lunch. It was just perfect! Here is the road up the hill from the cafe we ate at. Colston loved walking up and down!

 

 

Before leaving the little village, we found out how to go down the mountain with out taking that winding, curving, white knuckle mountain road. The road they told us about was easy peasy compared to the night before. If (and hopefully when :) ) we go back, we will take the "motorway"!!

 

Before we go to Pisa, look at this cute picture I found of Renee and Colston! I'm going to have to raid her pics :)

 

 

I loved Tuscany and cannot wait to go back!!! The drive is beautiful and the people are wonderful and it is just so breathtaking! But we were on a mission when we left...Pisa and then Rome for the night. Better get started...

 

Pisa was such a fun town! It was neat to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa:

 

 

We had a little fun:

 

 

 

It was really neat to stand next to it and see how tall it really is. Right beside it, which no one ever really talks about, is a beautiful church. It has so many intritcate details. You can see a little of it in the picture above.

 

 

Colston loved the chance to run around in the grass for a little while. We had been in the car for a very long time. He was so excited!

 

 

 Pisa was a fun stop along our way to Rome. We enjoyed seeing the country side. From the castles on the hills to the fields of olive trees and grapevines, it was just unbelieveable!

 

 

Someday, we hope to return to Tuscany. Now, it is off to Rome. Ciao!

The French Riviera

Bonjour from Nice and Cannes!

After an exciting day in Paris, we flew to Nice and rented a car at the airport. Boy, we were in for a very interesting time! One good thing about driving in Europe is that they drive on the same side of the road as us (England is the different one). Kyle got in the driver's seat and we made the late night drive to the JW Marriott in Cannes.

The hotel itself was beautiful!! It reminded me of Rio de Janiero with the beautiful beach and curve. Out front of our hotel were many boats and ships. Cannes has many, many high end shops and lots of upity guests. The shop owners and hotel people were very nice! Colston loved the macaroons that we had waiting for us in our room. Oh yeah, he loved to 'kiss the baby' in the mirrors that ran down the hallway in our room :)

He also enjoyed snuggling with Mommy and Daddy!

 

 

 

 After breakfast on the terrace, Papaw and Colston waited patiently to be able to go see Cannes. We started on the rooftop terrace at the JW Marriott. It was beautiful!

 

 

Here is where it reminded me of Rio:

 

 

He loved to look at the boats:

 

 

Dave and Renee met a man from Brazil and had him take our picture. 

 

 

Aren't these outfits just adorable! They were in one of the windows when we were walking around Cannes.

 

 

 

 

After walking around some of the shops and window shopping at Gucci and Louis Vuitton, we headed to Nice. Unlike Cannes, the beach at Nice was all rocks. And both were topless! But that didn't stop us from walking the boardwalk.

 

 

This is one of my favorite pictures from our time in the French Riviera :)

 

 

Now, its off to Tuscany! Oh, I can't wait!

Bonjour!

We are here!! We arrived in London yesterday (Saturday) and I think we are finally all unpacked. This past week has been absolutely amazing!! Paris, Cannes, Nice, Barga, Rome...I still can't believe we are here.

 

Paris is a beautiful city! It has lots to see and do. We hired a driver for the day and he took us to some places we never would have found without him. After we got settled into our hotel, we went to dinner at a cafe and Colston slept for most of it. I had a croque madame! It was delicious!! And French fries ;) Then, we walked to the Eiffel tower and got to see it all lit up. It twinkles every hour, on the hour.

 

 

While we were there, we took the elevator to the top and saw this:

 

 
Paris is a maze of streets steming from I think 12 main roads. You can almost see them in this picture.

 

The next day, we met up with our driver after a very late breakfast (I think it was noon when we sat down). He took us all around the city and had a few surprises for us. Like this spot:

 

 

We got to see the Eiffel Tower from a distance and it was breathtaking! Then it was time to see the Arc of Triumph and walk the famous Champs de Ellyse with all the shops. Here is the arc:

 

 

We used a stroller a lot during our trip and because there are very few elevators in these places, Colston was nicknamed 'Prince Colston' because Daddy and Papaw would carry him up and down in his 'throne'.

 

 

Here was a building with 52 pillars, 1 pillar for each week of the year.

 

 

He took us by so many buildings that I couldn't keep track of all their names. We wanted to go to the Louve, but didn't realize that it is closed on Tuesdays, and we were there on Tuesday. We didn't get to go in but it was beautiful from the outside:

 

 

 

We then went to see Notre Dame, and it was amazing! There are so many intricate details to the building. You have to just stand back and take it all in. 

 

 

Like I said, our driver made Paris wonderful for us. Below is a picture at the top of a hill that over looks Paris. There is also a church at the top. It was really neat!

 

 

Paris is a beautiful city with lots of things to do and see. I would highly recommend a personal driver :)

 

Au revoir, from Paris!

Europe, Here We Come

Hello! And welcome! Our family has the opportunity to live and work in London and Zurich for three months this fall. We couldn't be more excited!! I thought that blogging about our experience will give our family and friends a way to check in on us and will help us remember this experience. We are just under 6 weeks away from departure. I better get packing! :)