Skip to main content

Spring trip- getting there

Trying to plan a trip while in Europe is daunting. The possibilities are endless. How does one choose? Well, we started by looking at all the destinations where Ryan Air has cheap flights. After all, we have to buy 7 tickets, so we don't want to blow the entire budget on getting there. Next, I consulted my bucket list of places we want to visit while we are here. There were a few matches. Finally, I wanted sunny and warm. Germany was beginning to get very depressing with its never ending grayness and cold.

Italy seemed to be the place with the most possibilities. We narrowed it down to Rome or Sardinia. However, Rome is big and huge and busy and I had been extremely stressed and anxious. Just the thought of trying to keep everyone together and safe in such a big place made me panic. Sardinia, with its beautiful water and more laid back environment seemed perfect. Until. Tony was told he might have to go on a gig. We couldn't book the tickets until we knew what day we could leave. By the time we had that information, the tickets were no longer cheap.

Plan B was to find somewhere warm and sunny that could be reached by car. We ended up choosing the Italian Riviera town of Santa Margherita Ligure. OK, I had never heard of it, but it looked beautiful, and it was a good central location to take day trips to Pisa, Turin, and the Cinque Terra. But with 7 people in a 7 passenger car, we knew we should break up the driving into 2 days. A good halfway point was Lucerne, Switzerland. So that is where we stopped.

It was still cold and rainy in Lucerne when we arrived. We could not check into our room for several hours, so we strolled down the rainy streets and covered bridges, taking in the sights we had looked up before we left. I used an app called Tripomatic, which was suggested to us by a friend. The hotel just happened to be located one block away from most of the tourist attractions listed on the app.

After checking in, we ate a very expensive dinner with some really, really good wine. In the morning, we ate a small breakfast and headed on to Italy.

outside our hotel

rainy sidewalk

"Who cares if it is raining?"

one of two covered bridges we walked through


the other one


This bridge is prettiest of all.


"Can I get one?" Umm, no.

Court Church of St. Leodegar

rain covered tabletop

lit a candle and prayed

my kids are so weird

Lion monument to commemorate the deaths of the Swiss mercenaries during the French Revolution

the view while driving from Switzerland into Italy

more driving scenery
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Door Table

Once there was a store in Georgia. It is no more, but how I wish it was. I likened going in there to treasure hunting. One never knew what was going to be in there, and you had to dig through and wade through all the "other people's treasures" to find your own. I once found a set of blue and white teacups and saucers from England. I found lace handkerchiefs, a rocking chair, and an end table. But by far the best find was my kitchen table. I had stopped by one day while the kids were taking horseback lessons and the then little ones were asleep. The store was not open, but I went up to the window to see if anything new was there. And it was there. The table. And six chairs too! We were in need of a bigger table with Jack on the way. My mom had offered to give us her old one, which I was going to accept if I didn't find something I liked better. I didn't want anyone else to even see the table because I knew it was supposed to be ours, but one can never tell abo
9 comments
Read more

Fog and faith

 I stepped out into the coolness of the November morning to start the car and defog the windows, preparing to take Jack to school. Daylight had yet to appear. As we drove the many miles, the sky lightened, and we could see the mist hanging out just above the grass. We usually listen to a story together on our drive, adding commentary, exchanging a knowing glance or a shocked expression as the twists and turns unfold. I relish this time with Jack. I know that all too soon he will be preparing to leave the nest, like his sisters before him.  On the drive back, I pull my rosary from my purse and pray. By this time, the sun is just about to appear, making the sky a beautiful orange-pink on the horizon. I am pondering much as I pray, for the path I am on is once again rocky and uncertain. Such is life, whether we have faith or not. Faith makes it bearable. For the most part, the road home is a straight shot and I can see the ribbon of road laid out before me, narrowing in the distance. The
3 comments
Read more

A Tale of a Tail (or the excitement of the day)

 First of all, I doubt anyone still checks this little old neglected blog, so I am probably talking to myself right now. But if by chance, there is still someone out there, I will tell the tale of the tail I came to tell. As little boys are apt to do, Peter left his rainboots outside on the front porch several days ago. As they do not add to the decor on the porch, I decided to bring them inside this morning and I put them by the back door, where they belong. There they sat, until the mail truck came by and tucked our mail into the box. I may or may not have mentioned that our property is surrounded by a moat during the rainy days. There is no going to collect the mail without rain boots. Seeing how Peter was supposed to be doing his math lesson, of course he eagerly volunteered to go get the mail. He hopped up from the table and went to put on his boots. The scream that came from him made me leave my seat! I thought he had hurt himself. He claimed there was a roach in his boot. I pick
1 comment
Read more