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Hey to all!We've been busy buzzing from one location to the next. We were able to spend the Labor Day weekend in Venice, Italy. Venice is AMAZING! It is the only place I told Phillip nearly 10 years ago that I must see before I leave this earth. Now I can say it's checked off the "Must See and Do List." We had incredible weather while there and everyone warned us of the odor but there wasn't any. Ella and I did have to keep ourselves thickly coated with OFF to keep the mosquitoes at bay, and Phillip of course has enough Mello Yello coursing through his veins to keep anything from even contemplating biting him!
The Venice Film Festival was going on that week and I was .jpg)
certain I would spy a star or two but to no avail. We even went over to Lido (one of the islands) where the Festival was being held and stood outside one of the theaters hoping to catch a glimpse of Mr. Clooney-actually if you know me well you know I was desperately hoping to see Matt Damon-he wasn't even there. Ahh! One day perhaps.
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certain I would spy a star or two but to no avail. We even went over to Lido (one of the islands) where the Festival was being held and stood outside one of the theaters hoping to catch a glimpse of Mr. Clooney-actually if you know me well you know I was desperately hoping to see Matt Damon-he wasn't even there. Ahh! One day perhaps..jpg)
Also going on that weekend was the Venice Regatta an annual event the first Sunday in September. In most cases a Regatta would be sailboats but in venice it was of course, Gondolas! It was so neat! .jpg)
All those wonderful things said...Ella was dreadful the entire weekend. (This is us discussing her behavior!) Venice is not stroller friendly nor is it "let the child walk on her own" friendly since around every turn there might be a canal. I will say however, that she and Phillip had a blast feeding the birds in St. Mark's Square. I've never seen so many pigeons in my life. They loved Phillip especially!
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Our Gondola ride. Phillip looks especially thrilled, doesn't he? I'm sure paying 80 Euro for the ride had nothing to do with it! I considered it well worth it..jpg)
Phillip, Ella and I then headed to Crete (the largest of the Greek Isles). Beautiful, different from Italy in so many ways. The terrain is so different and you can sense how much closer you are to the Middle East. Phillip had to remain and Ella and I hope to join him shortly. .jpg)
I can't wait to consume more stuffed vine leaves, baklava, and all the other yummy pasteries from the shops surrounding the hotel we stayed at.
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We went to a local National Park and also to the beach which Ella LOVED!! I loved watching her literally roll around in the sand. Good times!.JPG)
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10 comments:
I love all this pics! As I always say, Ella is getting so big! Yall look great!
Oh my gosh--sounds like so much fun!! I can't believe all the places you guys get to visit. By the way, we have those "let's talk about your behavior" talks at our house all the time. =) Let me know how yours works. hehe
I'm so proud of you guys not only for being brave enough to move to Italy for also for taking advantage of living there the way your pics show that you obviously do. This time will expand your world (and your daughter's)forever . . . not bad for the little family from Tennessee!!!
The stuffed vine leaves might be the best food I've ever had in my life. Ever.
What adventures you have! Keep updating as I love to hear of them and live a little through you guys. Ella's beautiful as always, and so are you Melissa. Now Phillip is another story...
I love that you guys are livin' it up there. A far cry from our days at Liberty. Ha. Ella is getting so big. I'm with you on the Venice thing...canals and toddlers...not such a great combination. Keep the adventures coming.
I want to know if Phillip got pooped on from all those pigeons landing on him. Now you know what it's like to be me! :-)
Hi: I'm another Southern girl living abroad. We are planning to take out 2.5 year old son to Venice and the Dolomites in two weeks--should we just leave the stroller at home? He's an active guy and the canals just scare me. Thanks for any advice you can give.
Ms. Red Pen -
First, thanks for visiting! We love new faces.
Second, contrary to what my wife might say, I think Venice is relatively stroller friendly; at least no less-so than any other major european locale. Chances are that if you've done any travelling abroad, you, your significant other, or both of you have had some crash courses on how to pick up and carry a stroller up and down stairs, etc. Any major town with a subway system is gonna require some stroller pick up.
And lets be honest: whats the alternative? The way I see it, other than the stroller, you have two options: a baby backpack or just letting the kid run wild. One is feasible, the other isn't. For all the good that a backpack is, it gets REALLY tiresome around 1530...lugging up all those stairs. The stroller is inconvenient at times, but generally preferred. The other option - just letting the kid run arount - is a bad idea pretty much wherever you go!
Now don't get me wrong: there's gonna be lots of places where' you'll have to pick up the stroller. But for general cruising, there's pretty much no other option. You're not gonna want to carry him, and he can't run around all the time. I say take the stroller. Keep in mind that there are lots of squares he'll be able to run around in, chase pigeons, and generally enjoy himself.
Oh, as for the dolomites...the only town we've been to is Cortina d'Ampezzo, and it was fine for strollin'!
I just caught up on your summer blogs and am loving all the pictures from your travels. What a great duty station. The family looks beautiful and so happy. Next time you pass through Boston let me know since I live on the Cape.
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