Oct 13, 2019
We arrived in Saint Remy Provence yesterday afternoon. The place we are staying is industrial, it is a complex with beautiful gardens, an outdoor pool and a ping pong table. It is very quiet with only the sounds of the birds singing. Today we walked through a local market and a car-show. They had all sorts of things ranging from donkeys to Nutella crepes ( which were fantastic). And there was lots of old and rusty cars. After we went to some Roman ruins. We saw some Roman baths, forum, and where romans lived their lives. We tried imaging what it would be like living there, which was hard. After we came back and had a quick swim in the pool, soaked up the sun, had a bath and cleared the fridge. It was a lovely day. 
Oct 5, 2019
Cinque Terre also known as 5 Terre, are 5 little towns on the cliff side along the water. Today we hiked up and up and up. When we finally thought that there was no ending to the stairs we saw the most spectacular view ever. Which made us forget how tired and hungry and thirsty we were. It was overlooking the town of Monterosso, with its brightly coloured houses and shimmering oceans. The lush green mountains standing tall behind it. It’s like in a fairytale! The people on the beach looked like tiny tiny specks, that’s how high we were.We walked for another hour before stopping to satisfy our hunger. Which probably took a lot of weight off of mummy’s back. Then we had to hit the road again. We walked and walked and walked until we reached Levonto!!! A slightly bigger town than Monterosso. When we got there AJ and I ran down the hill, we could not wait another minute before jumping in the refreshing water. Once we cooled off in the Ocean, we walked to the train station to catch a train back to our welcoming Airbnb. Our Airbnb has an oceany theme which I really like. Though it is a lot smaller than our previous one. We are making the most of our last days in Italy. Then we will be heading off to France!
Levanto beach
Ciao!!!
Oct 5, 2019
The island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea is where we have been spending our nights and days. Our days have been packed with walking, swimming, eating and exploring. You can barely swim in the ocean in the summer in Victoria and definitely not October. But here you can swim to the end of October. The water is bright blue and clear, with lots of fish too. And we saw flamingos on the way to Elba. They were very pretty. And we have seen so many breathtaking views. We’ve seen the mountains from the towns and we’ve seen the towns from the mountains. We’ve seen the sunset every night and morning from our balcony. Arranging its self in different calming colours. We’ve soaked in the sun well playing paddle ball or just watching the waves roll in. We tried new foods such as mandorla gelato, aperol spritz (daddy not me), tuna pizza and much much more. Some we loved some not so much, but it’s a good experience. Live life on the edge! And to top it all of we had a wonderful place to come back to. To watch Italian movies, work or rest for the next busy day. If you ever need a get a way vacation come to Elba!!! (more…)
Oct 3, 2019
We journeyed through lots of little towns to arrive at our destination. The cooking class is in a beautiful house surround by lots of picturesque things such as nature and other old houses. It overlooks a vineyard, making the experience even more impressive. The women running it both had awesome personalities. The environment felt joyful and caring. We attend the cooking class with another couple from New York. This is a one in a lifetime opportunity so it’s best to share it with people that are funny and that keep it lively. We started by making the pasta dough and kneading it, we then leave it out for 30 minutes. Well we wait we make the Tiramisu. First we dip the lady fingers in coffee and layer them on the dish. We then put the nest layer on. The next layer consists of eggs, mascarpone cheese, a little bit of rum and sugar!!! Then we put more lady fingers soaked in espresso and then more of the other layer. And then we put it in the fridge. Now it’s time to make the pesto!!! If you didn’t already know pesto pasta is one of my favourite foods. So this is very exciting for me. We must put exactly 36 basil leaves in. Because too much basil can be over powering. We make the pesto using a marble mortar and a wooden pestle. We are very lucky because in our cooking we get to use herbs and vegetables and olive oil all from their garden. This pesto is different from other pesto that I have had because it has green beans in it. Which personnel I think makes it even more tasty. Then we made the zucchini cake. We used a mezzaluna knife to cut the herbs. The main ingredients for the zucchini savoury cake are herbs, eggs, zucchini, cheese, oil, breadcrumbs and other spices and ingredients. After that we make the turkey breast. The turkey breast sits in herbs such as rosemary. And AJ tied the turkey. Congrats to him. Then we fry it in a pan. Now we roll our pasta out with wooden roller. Then we run it two times through the pasta machine. This step was a bit difficult at first because it was hard to get the pasta in. But after a few try’s we got the hang of it. Once all the pastas ready we must cut it. Before you cut it you loosely roll it. Don’t roll it to tight or it will stick together. And add LOTS of flour. Or your pasta will be a sticky ball. Once it’s rolled you cut in to what ever size you want. Your size will depend on what sauce your serving it with. Then we bring all the delicious food upstairs. Finally we feast on a wonderful lunch. That taste will forever be in my memory, and that unique learning experience. Our four hours were filled with laughter, sharing, sapori deliziosi, lots of learning and most importantly fun. I couldn’t keep the smile of my face even if I tried with all my strength. I walked in there an ok cook and I left an awesome cook all because of the fabulous people that take their knowledge and share it with the world. 😃
Sep 25, 2019
We arrived in Tuscany yesterday afternoon. This is our first Airbnb in the country. It’s a nice change to get out of the city. This is my favourite Airbnb so far not just because there is three dogs and two cats but because I like to be out in the nature. It also has a very pretty pool surround by olive trees. We have to bundle up because it is colder in the mountains. The Airbnb is cozy and AJ and I finally have our own beds!!! Montegonzi is a 30 walk from where we are staying, and Montevarchi is a 25 minute drive. So this is the first time we have to drive to get groceries. But that’s ok because we can do a couple big shops. We all really like it here and I think we are really going to enjoy our stay.
Sep 25, 2019
When we arrived in Venice it was raining quite hard. So we went into the first ghetto in the world. Then we walk along some quiet non touristy streets. After we went in a art gallery with a bunch of different types of art. And we used the bathroom there because they were free. When we got out the rain had cleared so we went on a gondola ride through the quiet streets of Venice. We went under a bridge that was 1000 years old. You are not aloud to eat the fish in the ocean in Venice because it is polluted, but you can window fish for fun. We also went to the Doge where the people that ran Venice lived and had meetings. There was also a art gallery and a armour gallery. And don’t forget the creepy dungeons that we walked through. In the dungeons there was a collection of things that the prisoners wrote and drew on the walls. Then we went on the Rialto bridge and the bridge of size, both with spectacular views. Finally we went to have a very late lunch at a quiet restaurant down an alleyway. It was a perfect end to a perfect day.
