Tuscany Part 1

leaving venice,

we drove for about 3 1/2 hours

into tuscany.

during that drive

steve and i talked about how different

it was when we traveled through europe

all those years ago.

17 years ago,

there were no iphones, ipods, ipads

to keep my kids quiet and busy in the car.

we didn't have the garmin AND the gps

on our phone. 

we used an old fashioned map

to travel throughout europe.

there was no google

to research hotels and "what to do"

when we got to our destination.

and we had NO money.

we didn't even have a credit card.

yet, during the 3 years that we lived in germany,

we traveled all over europe.

and we have such wonderful memories

of those trips.

i would pack picnic lunches/dinners.

we would fill gas tanks

and store them in the trunk of the car

because we couldn't afford the european gas.

the military gave us gas ration cards

to use at certain ESSO stations throughout europe.

and we would drive.

stephen propped in his car seat

in the middle of the non-back seat of steve's

old two seater.

me in the front navigating

with maps and guide books.

we drove to italy, france, denmark,

amsterdam, poland, prague,

austria, switzerland, england.

we would drive to our destination

and then started looking for a place to stay.

sometimes we lucked out

and found a cheap, clean, comfy place

to sleep.

sometimes i slept with one eye open.

it's so different now

traveling through europe.

we don't have to exchange the deutsche mark

for italian lire or the french franc.

we can afford to fly and stay in a decent hotel.

i no longer pack picnic lunches.

we didn't even use a map in italy!

i'm not saying it's any better.

just different.

the first 3 nights in tuscany

we spent at a marriott in barga, italy.

we arrived after dark,

and when we woke the next morning,

the view was beautiful.

we relaxed at the hotel

in the morning and let the kids

swim in the pool.

later we drove about 45 minutes

to lucca,

a beautiful walled city.

it was pouring rain

that afternoon

so we didn't get to 

really see too much of the town.

we had a great lunch

and then drove around lucca

in search of a bookstore.

(the entire trip i was a bit obsessed

with finding books from each place we visited :)

the next day we headed to pisa.

about an hour away from our hotel.

i was surprised by how much i liked pisa!

we had a nice little lunch and walked 

around the town for a few hours

buying the kids "leaning eiffey towey's" 

as griffin calls it.

after a great day in pisa,

we headed back to the hotel

and sat downstairs in front of

the fire.

the kids read books, played games

and we ordered dinner right there.

instagram pics..

club sandwiches and french fries

for the kids..

(a nice break from our daily pizza/pasta)

steve tending to the fire

while i eat my tuscan beans with 

olive oil, sage and 

a piece of tuscan bread.

and wine of course.

the next day we packed up

and headed out.

the kids loved the hotel here

and didn't want to leave.

originally we were supposed 

to be driving to rome from there.

steve and i talked a lot about 

it being not only too much of a drive,

but we loved tuscany so much

and wanted to see more of it.

we would drive past this very old bridge

in barga each day.

as we left barga..

we pulled over to take pictures 

and to take a walk across it.

unfortunately for us, the town was having 

a celebration that night and the bridge 

was being prepared with fireworks.

i loved that bridge!

tomorrow..

off to the chianti region

deep in tuscany!