Dragging my feet...

Okay. I admit it. I've been dragging my feet a little when it comes to updating the blog. It just seems that stuff happens so fast here, its hard to keep on top of things. Anyway, rather than continuing to put off the inevitable only to have more cool stuff that needs blogging pop up, I've decided to quickly blog on everything that's happened the past month or so (during the embargo and while our Internet was out again) so that I can move on to blogging in real-time. Unfortunately this means that some of the best stories might just go untold. Sorry, but here we go.

In mid-April, we visited Holland for about a week. What a great country. It was good for a lot of reasons, but we mainly just enjoyed being around a people-group that understood certain human fundamentals like personal space, talking in a normal volume, and overall cleanliness (both of themselves and their environment). Amsterdam was our first stop, and we managed to score a place that ended up being the best European digs we'd stayed in yet - a huge room with two walls of window right on a busy street corner. We'd put Ella to bed at 8 or 9 and just sit with a drink and watch the dutch go about their lives. Awesome.

After taking in the city and all its wonders (Anne Frank Museum, the Zoo, its many, many canals, some awesome windmills - and okay, one short trip to the red light district), we headed to a little community just south of Amsterdam on the beach called Noordwijk. Our main reason for going this time of year was the beautiful flowers - tulips in particular - that Holland is known for. We rented a car and explored the flower-laden countryside, took in an unbelievable flower parade, ate food from areas of the world the Italians don't seem to recognize (Chinese, Mexican, etc), and visited the most photographed place on earth - the Kuekenhof Gardens in Lisse. Despite being the most crowded portion of our journey, it was easy to get lost in this huge, picturesque landscape. It made me long for a time when I could do some landscaping of my own.

With really cheap direct flights from Naples to Amsterdam, I'm guessing that this may not have been our last trip to this area of the world.

After we got back to bella Napoli, we had a week of training at work, and all my good friends from surrounding Europe came in for a visit. We took one day to climb Mt. Vesuvius as a command, and of course we brought our families along. Keeping up the tradition of carrying Ella up most of Europe's tall sites, I strapped Ella to my back and we headed up. Despite overcast skies, it was still breathtaking. We look forward to going back with friends on a clear day though.

Lastly, we finally got around to visiting Ischia, one of the islands off the coast of Naples last weekend. Our pals the Federicos took on the burden of planning the affair, so we figured we'd tag along and learn the lay of the land so we could take people there when they come to visit. Ischia is a relatively huge island about 20 miles off the coast known for its beautiful mountain and beaches, its spas, and several wineries. You can easily see it from our house.

About 10 of us ended up on the day-trip. We took a ferry from the mainland, which lasted about 45 minutes. Seeing it from our deck makes 45 minutes seem like an eternity, but it really is a good ways away. The stated purpose of the trip was a wine-tasting at one of the most popular wineries there, but by the end of the day, most were just glad to be home. We made it to the wine tasting and had a great time because we were friends, but the journey was not without its difficulties (hour-long bus rides, hikes up windy mountain roads, late ferries, and ticketing cops on the bus for those who neglected to validate their ticket). Regardless, we're eager to go back now that we're armed with the knowledge of how to do it right.

SO...that's the past month or so in a nutshell, void of all the funny side stories along the way...but the good news is that I'm up to date and can hopefully try to start blogging regularly again (after what amounts to about a 6 month hiatus, everything included).

PS - Here's a few Easter pics too, just cause I think they're cute!

-pac