Lucca

On of our day trips we drove to the town of Lucca, located about 10 miles from the Pisa area. It was a great city to walk around and explore. Lucca became a Roman colony in 180 BC. The rectangular grid of its historical center is of typical Roman street plan. What is so unique about the city is it is completely surrounded by a very tall brick wall. The kids were running on a grassy part atop the wall when we first got there. Whoa! We got them off that pretty quick once we realized the drop down!

In 1805, Lucca was taken over by Napoleon, who put his sister in charge.

Entering the city walls.
Here is what the walls look like that surround the city.

A shop that Jason bought some AMAZING green olives from!

There is a path that goes around the whole city atop the brick wall (the kids were running along the outer edges). We loved strolling along this and seeing the city from up high.
The Torre delle Ore (Clock Tower) is the only medieval tower left in Lucca out of around 130 that once existed. The tower contains a clock since 1390.

We of course had to take a break for the kids at the playground. It's funny because they can be so tired of walking around the city until they see a playground. Then all of a sudden, they have SO much energy. Crazy kids!



For dinner the next night we went to Livorno. A guard at the gate recommended this place, and a good recommendation it was! Jason had this interesting shrimp pasta dish and I had a pizza with thinly sliced apples on it. They were both really good!
Awww....I so love him!

Seven Days at Darby

After a few nights in Venice we drove across the country to the military base, Camp Darby. It is just outside of Pisa and a great location to see the Tuscany area. It isn't a fancy place, but it had everything that we needed. We originally thought we were staying in a cabin, but it turns out we got a deluxe hotel room with a kitchen, private patio and grill. It was perfect! We grilled our dinners most nights which was so convenient after spending long days at the beach. The kids loved playing in the sand and jumping in the waves. Unfortunately most days we were there it was condition red, which meant the waves were too strong to go swimming. But the kids could still get in the front part, which is all they wanted to do anyway. We loved being at the beach and not having a care in the world. It was nice to get some color back to our bodies like we were in Okinawa again. Grace definitely has Jason's coloring and tans very nice. Jackson on the other hand was "blessed" with mine..., which burns easily and doesn't tan well. Most days were spent at the beach, except for one day that we needed a break and took the kids to see "Cars 2." They loved it!

Jason grilling one of our many dinners during our stay.

Waiting patiently for dinner and enjoying our patio.
She loves to play in the sand!
The kids love to make friends!
We couldn't keep this boy out of the water. He loved it.
Grace really enjoyed being buried in the sand.
Jackson's turn.
Little Miss Beach Girl

Everyday we had an umbrella and chairs to call home on the beach. It was nice to have some shade and take a break when we needed it.

Looking back it was so nice to get some sun and enjoy the hot weather. As I type this now at home, it is high 50's and cloudy. Doesn't Germany know that it is the summertime!?!

Italy Road Trip...First Stop, Venice!

For our big summer trip we decided to take a trip to Italy. We started our drive to Venice on Sunday morning around 9 and arrived in Venice at around 8 that night. It was a long day of driving and being in the car but thankfully we arrived safely. The kids did great and had plenty to do to keep them busy. I tried to get some new things and new games for them to play on the road trip. We drove through the Swiss Alps, which were absolutely beautiful to see. It sure didn't make the drive that bad! Jackson and Grace were excited to drive through the long (17 km?) tunnel. It was a little unnerving to be in a tunnel for that long, but amazing they could build that.

We could definitely tell we were in Italy...the drivers are crazy! I am so thankful it wasn't me driving. I think I would of wrecked out of nerves. After almost 12 hours of driving, we arrived at our "campsite" across the ocean from Venice. Our friend Lon recommended it and it turned out to be a great location/place to stay. The only down part of it was that they didn't have a big camper to sleep in, so we were nice and cozy on two single beds for a couple of nights. The kids thought it was a lot of fun to sleep in such a small bed together. Their was a big area around us that they could run around and play soccer. We enjoyed some yummy pizza our first night there and yes of course, a nice big beer to celebrate our arrival!

We were able to catch a water taxi right from the campground straight into Venice. It was so convenient! Jackson was so excited to go on a boat...who cares about seeing Venice, right?Venice is a beautiful place; full of unique waterways and of course the gondolas. We didn't take a tour because they were a steep 100 euro per couple for an hour. Yikes! So we decided to just stroll around the city and get lost in the side streets. It was a great day trip for us. The kids were beat by the end of the day. With the temperatures in the high 80's (yes, that is hot for us now ;-) we were ready to get back to the campsite and relax before our next road trip to Pisa/Camp Darby the next day.

Our camper
Jackson so excited on the boat over to Venice.
Venice!
Piazza San Marco

Venice is famous for the masks.
The roads of Venice
I had to add in a cheesy Grace smile.
Fruit/Veggie market

We enjoyed a huge slice of watermelon, blueberries, blackberries and johannes berries for an afternoon snack.
Getting a drink of water from the unique water fountains of Italy.
What would Italy be without a gelato treat?
AJ climbing a tree at the campsite. So thankful they had and area to get some energy out. It's amazing the energy these two kids have!
We had a great time in Venice! Our next stop on the trip is to Camp Darby where we stayed for the next week.

Lipstick

Grace was so proud when she showed me the "chapstick" she put on!

Kids Say the Darndest Things

The other day Jason and Jackson were running errands and getting odds and ends taken care of.

Here is one of the conversations that they had:

Jackson: "Daddy, what is your favorite truck?"

Jason: "I like Ford trucks. What is your favorite truck, Jackson?"

Jackson: "My favorite truck is the ice cream truck!"

Such a smart boy...love that he thinks so simple! Who doesn't love the ice cream truck?

Sound of Music

Since we were in Salzburg we of course had to go to the Sound of Music tour. The guys opted out for this one...imagine that! ;-) They went on the tour of the Salt Mines and had much more fun than they would of with us. They weren't allowed to take any pictures, but if you click on the link above there is a slide show of pictures to get a peek into what they saw. I definitely want to do that the next time!

Yaya was so excited to do this tour. She loves the movie and has taught both the kids the "do-re-mi" song. I think we heard the kids sing it hundreds of times on the trip. Yes, I have it on video and will try to post soon.

Here are some photos of our stops. It was really interesting and I recommend it if you make it to Salzburg.

This is a bus that followed us on the tour.

The Von Trapp villa

The famous gazebo where Leisl sang "Sixteen Going On Seventeen"

Lake Mondsee
Yaya enjoying apfel streudel
The church where Maria and Captain Von Trapp were married.

These trees are the ones that the kids were hanging out of when the Captain, the Baroness and Max were driving by in the car.
This girl is hardly serious!
The next three photos are shots of where Maria and the kids danced around and sang, "Do-Re-Mi."


Grace loves that challenge of trying to catch the birds. It never gets old.

That's it! We will definitely do Salzburg again!