Thermals

Another highlight was a visit to a local thermal spa.  There were indoor and outdoor pools.  The water was so warm - we could have stayed all day.

 

Chase used our underwater camera to capture an image of a real euro speedo.

Pizza Making Class

One night, we went to a pizza making class so we could learn to cook like real Italian chefs. Chase got really into the role.

 Poppy preferred the chianti.

 

This is the bride and groom that inspired the Italian vacation.  They made a fine looking pizza.

 

Monks

At the recommendation of the Bermans, we visited a monastery nearby.  Chase hunted high and low for monks.  He looked under bushes and up trees.  But, they were quite elusive.  After we got back, someone asked Chase what his favorite part of the trip was and he answered, "looking for those big monks."

Max's favorite part of Italy was the ragu.  He slurped up the stuff at every meal.

The Grounds

After breakfast, we checked out the grounds and could not believe the views.  This swing set might have the best vistas on Earth!

Traveling

I was really worried to travel to Italy with the boys.  We had to drive 2 hrs to Montreal in order to catch a 5pm plane.  The plane arrived in Zurich after a 7 hour flight at 6am (midnight our time).  At 8am (really 2 am for us), we boarded another plan for Florence.  We got in at 10 am (4 in the morning) ready for the 1.5 hrs drive into Tuscany.  I needn't have worried.  The little men slept well and were in good spirits.  The only hold up was at the Florence airport when we had to wait forever for Poppy to rent the sketchiest van in Europe.  Besides that, we were golden!

 

We arrived to our rented Tuscan "borgo" in time for a meal, a bath, and bed.  It might have been that we were staying in the best place ever, but we couldn't have been happier!

Sunday Morning Bike Ride

This morning we set out early for a bike ride - our destination was the Radio Bean to listen to live music while eating brunch.  We stopped off at a playground on the way.

 

  

We also explored the beach at the Waterfront Park.  That's me and Max sitting on the bench in the distance.

Then, we got to Radio Bean.  We ordered a ton of food to sustain our energy for the bike ride back home.

Chase took over the camera to take the next few pictures.  He really was intent on getting some photos of the band.

 

Uncle Po met us at the end to eat up our leftovers.  Then, it was home to nap.

Big Trucks

We took Chase and Max to Big Truck Day on Saturday (after crashing the Farmers' Market).  Burlington is really getting that manic "the-weather-is-finally-nice" feel.

Recently I read an article about what boys need from their mothers.  One line has stuck with me.... that scientists have discovered that “for every hour of television watched per day, the incidence of ADD and ADHD increased by 10 percent."  Our boys are not TV watchers anyway (Max isn't allowed any at all), but now I'm doubly motivated to keep these guys active!