Vacation in Tuscany

Alternative title, "That Time We Ate Our Way Through Italy"

While Kevin's parents were visiting earlier this month, they watched the kids while we took some much needed time away, and visited Tuscany! We are so thankful to them that that they were brave enough (and had the energy) to watch our kids in a foreign place for FIVE days!

This was sort of a last minute trip so we flew into Pisa on a Wednesday then took the train home from Florence on Sunday. The timing ended up perfect as we were a little lighter and quicker sans les enfants!

After flying into Pisa, we headed straight to the Piazza dei Miracoli to check out the leaning tower, cathedral, and baptistry. This sight is absolutely stunning, and the people watching here is amazing! We didn't go to the top of the tower, as we still had our roller bag from our flight. After touring around the Piazza, we headed to a delicious hole in the wall, for some authentic panino's. This place was so great and the giant panino's could feed a small country...we ate two...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

We spent the next few hours walking through the Pisa market, and enjoying the city.

After we toured Pisa we hopped on a train for the quick trip to Siena, where we met up with the owner of our airbnb and got some excellent tips on where to go and most importantly where to eat! She recommended her neighborhood's local restaurant (Trattoria Papei) and it did not disappoint!

After dropping our bag, we wandered down the winding medieval streets to the heart of the city, it's Piazza del Campo for an aperitivo and some major people watching.

The Piazza del Campo was full of people of all types meeting up to enjoy a drink and the beautiful spring evening. In the summer the Piazza hosts the famous Palio, where the local neighborhoods or contrades complete in a a horse race around the campo. The Sienese have been doing this since the middle ages and someday I hope to see it!


After dinner, we did a little late night tour of Siena and it was so neat to see all the gorgeous churches, alley's, and squares in the night light. The black and white striped cathedral dating back to the 1200's is a sight!

Here Kevin is being dwarfed by the giant frescos and sculptures in the colorful Cathedral library. Just amazing!

One of the things that is so amazing about Siena is that is is almost like a medieval time capsule. The city was not on any major travel routes, and they lost it's statehood to the Medici family in the 1500's, so consequently the ancient city didn't change much over the years. When meandering the streets inside the city walls one feels as though they are stepping into another time! As Kevin says, this is the coolest and most unique city I've ever seen. I mean, look at this place!

We had a picnic lunch from the shop above, then hoofed it 289 feet up to the top of the Torre del Mangia, Siena's bell tower and enjoyed the dizzying views of the city and surrounding countryside. Here's a shot of Kevin part way up!

After a night in Siena, we hopped back on the train to spend a few days in Florence. We dropped our bag at the airbnb, and hit the streets for an evening stroll before a late dinner.

While planning this trip we did a ton of "research" and made reservations for dinner every night. As we have been traveling more lately we started doing this and I think it's a great way to eat well while traveling.
So often when we traveled before, we would just grab something easy near the tourist sights, which is fine but kind of boring. I feel that I get a much better feel for a city when I eat their specialties at the local places.
Here's where we ate in Florence-

Gesto- This hip place is great for a pre dinner aperitivo and also has a ton of small nibbles if your stomach can't wait for your 9pm dinner reservation! I recommend the negroni or a campari orange.

Culinaria de Gustibus Bistrot- This little neighborhood gem serves organic, locally sourced mediterranean food that is creative and delicious.

Il Santo Bevitore- Which is a really nice place with a gourmet take on some of the local dishes.

Trattoria da Tito- This place serves all the florentini dishes the way your Italian Nonna makes them! no frills, and NO special orders! It's a real good time...

Mercato Centrale- If you are human and you eat, you must stop here! It's a feast for the senses, and a busy amazing place for people watching. The ground floor is filled with food stalls of every imaginable type. If you don't feel like cooking, just head upstairs and take your pick of rows and rows of restaurants cooking up all the best tuscan food. I recommend the Ribollita or the Pappardelle al Cinghiale (wild boar with pasta) and if you're extra hungry settle into a gigantic freshly butchered Bistecca!

In between all of our eating, we managed to see quite a bit of the city!

Our favorites include-
The Duomo- This Cathedral is huge and amazing, it's structure was finished in the 1400's, the architectural feats to complete this thing must have been amazing! Walking by it at night feels as though your looking at some sort of movie set, because something this colossal and intricate cannot be real!

The Basilica of Santa Croce a beautiful Franciscan Church that is the burial site of many, many famous Italians including Michelangelo, Dante, and Machiavelli.

Galleria dell'Accademia where you can gaze at Michelangelo's David and many other renaissance works, is a must. We got there early and were able to see the highlights of the museum without too many crowds. I was so inspired by David, that I picked up a copy of The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone to learn more about the life of Michelangelo.

On the left is the real David, and on the right is a copy in the Palazzo Vecchio.

Head to the Uffizi Gallery and be sure to look at the amazing Botticelli's and the tiny, but very ornate Tribuna room where the Medici's showcased their most prized treasures!

After a morning filled with awe inspiring art we needed to get out and stretch our legs a bit so a stroll along the Arno River was just what we needed. Florence has so many bridges, but walking across the Ponte Vecchio to check out the shops along the bridge is pretty neat. These shops used to be where the city's butcher's did their business.

One afternoon we took a stroll across the Arno to the Giardino Bardini located on the side of a steep hill with beautiful views of the city. It's the perfect place to watch the sunset! We were there just as spring was starting to wake up, and after a long Swiss winter it was just perfect to walk through the winding paths and explore the grottos.

On the final full day of our vacation we headed out of the city and took a bike tour through the Chianti region of Tuscany. It was a really amazing adventure and I am so glad that we popped out of the city and got to experience the countryside by bike.

We stopped at a gelateria, visited a local street market, tasted the region's local wines and olive oils at several small family run estates, and ate a delicious tuscan lunch. And even managed to cycle 10 miles through the Chianti countryside.  It was a day I'll always remember! 

Italy, we love you the best. Don't tell Switzerland!

Easter with Pops and Amma

Quinn's school has a ton of massively long breaks scattered throughout the year, and for Easter he had two weeks off! Rather than go somewhere with the kids, Kevin's parents came for an extended stay and we all enjoyed some family time! They also gave us a HUGE gift which I'll talk about next time. Here are a ton of pictures, if you're interested.

We spent a beautiful spring day at our local castle, isn't it so picturesque!

 Amma helping the kids check out the"super child friendly" Chillon Castle.

 

Spring has arrived and all over Switzerland they are turning the fountains back on. No one is more pumped about this then Anna. So far I've only scooped her out of one fountain, but fountain season has only just begun... parents get your extra pants ready.

I love this picture of Kevin near the end of the day, it pretty much sums up how we all feel after a day spent exploring with the kids!

 We spent lots of time checking out all the neat parks and wilderness areas around our city. This place has the neatest forts built out of giant sticks!

 Two peas in a pod.

Give this girl a slide and she's happy all day!

 We had an Easter egg dying brunch party with some friends and Amma brought dye all the way from the US to help keep our Easter traditions alive.

Thankfully the Easter bunny found us in Switzerland and man those Swiss chocolate bunnies are GOOD!

We had such a lovely time with Kevin's parents and the kids and I are still going through grandparent withdrawals! 

 

Skiing in Verbier!

These past few days everything seems to be starting to bloom and temperatures are on the rise, as I was looking back through pictures on my phone I realized that I have forgotten to document a few fun times. So, before the warm weather wipes winter completely from my mind, Let talk about skiing!

In early March we finally got our act together and took Quinn out for his first ski lesson. Some friends of ours set up a great day at Verbier. It's a scenic hour and 15 minute drive from Lausanne that ends with a steep climb up a mountain road to get to the village. We met our friends in the village and headed out to do a little sledding before lunch and skiing/snowboarding. 

Anna and her buddy had such a blast playing in the snow and Quinn loved the sled.

After sledding we had a big lunch and the adults headed to the slopes while Anna and her buddy went to the snow crèche and Quinn got ready for ski school. I had plans to dust off my snowboard and go out with Kevin, but when QP realized that I wasn't planning to stay at ski school he got a little nervous and asked me not to leave. So, I took one for the team, and hung out while he skied. 

I'm so glad that I did because it was really neat to watch the kids' progress during the three hour lesson.  It sort of went like this, for the first hour and a half no one could ski. They took a break midway through and had a snack then went back out and like magic, all the kids were bombing down the mountain! So crazy!  PS- those ski instructors were amazing, there were like 20 kids out there between ages 3 and 6, just thinking about putting on all those mittens and skis makes my head spin.

Here are a few shots from the beginning of the lesson. 

Here are a few videos of Quinn near the end of the lesson.

He was so tired by the end of the day, but after we met back up with our group, he insisted on climbing back up the bunny hill one last time to show his Daddy how he learned to ski! Next year we plan to head to the mountains more, and hopefully we'll have two on skis by then!

We should get a massage...

While in Morocco last month, Kevin and I treated ourselves to a massage.  Now I like a good deep tissue massage as much as the other guy, but this was a whole new experience!

We heard from a friend that if we were going to be in Morocco, we HAD to get a traditional Hammam, so we did. HOLY HAMMAM, I guess I should have done a little more research on the finer details of the Hammam, because it was a bit shocking at first. After the shock and the first five layers of my skin came off, I really enjoyed it!

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, let me set the mood.  After checking in, a small Moroccan lady escorted me through a dimly lit hallway to a tiled steamy room where she proceeded to douse me with bowls of warm water. After a good eucalyptus soaping, she left to let the steam and soap work it's magic. As I waited alone listening to the steam filling the room, I couldn't help but feel slightly anxious wondering if the door was locked and if I would be forgotten forever. I really should have asked her to explain the process before we started! As I waited for her to return, a vision of my ultimate demise as a shriveled raisin kept popping into my head. When the women finally came back into the room I laughed thinking how far I let my mind wander when I'm alone!

Anyway, when I realized that my life wouldn't end as a raisin, I felt much more relaxed.  The Hammam ends with special industrial grade sandpaper mitt used for scrubbing off any excess grime.

After I got over the stinging sensation, my skin felt great, like a snake shedding out of the old and settling into the new! My skin was absolutely glowing for a week afterwards. I can understand why Moroccan women go to the Hammam often, it was such a cleansing experience, and I believe if you are a local, it's a great place to bond and catch up on all the gossip!

A family trip to Morocco

It seems like we've been back forever from our family trip to Morocco, but our experiences in Marrakech are fresh in our minds and still a major topic of conversation around the house. The kids would like to move there, Quinn constantly points to Morocco on our globe, and Kevin and I can't wait to plan our next trip to this amazing place. Fair warning, this post is long and has way too many pictures, sorry about that, I just couldn't help myself...

While staying in Marrakech many people stay in an historic Riad in the old part of the city, but with two small children who like a little space to roam we chose to stay just outside of the city at the Beldi Country Club, and we are so glad we did!

The Beldi is just a few km outside of the Medina and is an oasis of tranquility, with paths, pools, and fragrant gardens throughout.The smell of orange blossoms from the tree outside our room will always be the smell I associate with the Beldi. It is truly an amazing place. The kids loved it and made friends with the sweetest older girls who would tour them around after meals so that the parents could chat. Vacation friends are the best!

Since we were staying outside of the city, we made a point to research and make reservations at a few good restaurants in the Medina before we left. We used these reservations as a way to force us to leave our oasis and get out and about. Here we are at the Café des Épices taking full advantage of this awesome couch table situation after a long walk through the Medina.

Our dining experiences were great, we ate some really great Tajines which is a meaty stew usually served with couscous, and the plentiful Moroccan bread was delicious. The restaurants were so kid friendly, they always served the kid's meals very quickly, then when they finished the waiters would play with them while we finished eating. I'm not sure if this is always the case, as we visited during the off season, and usually ate early so the restaurants weren't very crowded.

One night after dinner, we took a walk through the souks to Jemma-el Fnaa which is the main square in Marrakech and the happening place to be when the sun goes down. It was a feast for the senses! Snake charmers, drummers, flute players, dancers, monkeys, and every type of Moroccan food imaginable filled the square with sound and life. Seeing the souks and Jemma-el Fnaa for the first time at night was magical and I highly recommend it!

Before we left we heard many warnings about the persuasive street sales people, and to be perfectly honest, we didn't have a problem. In fact, I have a lot of respect for people trying to make a buck and it was fun to see how the Moroccans do it. Plus, Kevin and I must have really convincing polite "No's" because they seemed to work just fine, and we didn't feel hassled at all.

After a fun night in the Medina, we spent lots of quality time exploring the grounds of our hotel.

We swam for hours in the hot pool.

We watched the onsite potters mold clay into beautiful earthenware.

 We spent hours searching for tadpoles in the ponds.

 Quinn picked sour oranges from the trees. 

Kevin and I also got massages and had a traditional Hamamm, which is a story for another post because that was quite an experience!

We spent another morning exploring the Bahia Palace, which is a beautiful palace turned art museum filled with courtyards and gardens. After wandering through the tile and art filled rooms and passages we took a break in one of the giant courtyards. The kids had a great time playing, and Kevin and I did some people watching.

After, we wandered over to an artisan market where we watched the artists at work, Quinn helped a man resize a camel belt, and Anna tried on ALL the colorful Moroccan slippers. It was really neat to buy a few treasures directly from the people who made them!

*Look at that tile work!!

Marrakech is a short 3 hour plane ride from Switzerland, and we hope to go back again and again. As our kids get older (and less carsick...) we can't wait to explore the villages in the nearby Atlas Mountains. I feel like I say this about every place we visit, but I would totally move there!