travel snapshot

Top of the morning.  Or late night, which is the only time my blogging sister and I manage to squeeze some time on the great worldwide web.  I'm currently in Northern Ireland with my family (minus one Ehub), and I'm writing this in an Irish accent.  I'm feeling very okay with myself, mostly because every time I say "sorry" to a local, they respond with "you're okay."  It's very affirming.  We have just entered the fifth week of our travel extravaganza. Five short days from now Sweetpea and I will hop on the fifth (and sixth) airplane of this journey (as well as a high speed train or two, double-decker buses, and rental cars), to return home and join English hubby who flew ahead of us a few days ago.

Our trip, as with all experiences, has had its ups and downs. Exhaustion, sweltering heat, strep throat, lost cameras (Sweetpea's - it was a sad sad day....), but on the other hand one pleased seven year old had pasta and gelato just about every day, a souvenir from every city, and grandparents and aunties to dance attention on her. For English hubby and I, remembering pre-child trips of wandering at our own pace and eating and visiting museums or mountain tops as we liked, it has been a time to embrace being with both our families while trying to soak in the culture and atmosphere of our surroundings.

Looking back from the vantage point of where I am now, with my parents, sister and nieces in Northern Ireland, the other stops on our trip seem dreamlike and distant.

The Marche region of Italy, rural and ancient. Our days slow and contented, for the most part.

The house, and the view from it.

Fine wine and a good book, and a room with a view (of the terrace)

A stroll through Tolentino.

Channeling Julie Andrews in the Sibillini Mountains.  (we channeled her once before here)

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Venice, with its crowded streets and fishy smell, but with beauty every direction one looks. 

Arrival, and enjoying the view from our surprisingly stunning B&B, right near Piazza San Marco.

A trip up the Campanile, just in time for the very LARGE bells to strike the hour.  Ouch.

Picturesque gelato (of course), and a visit to the lion statue that English daddy sat on 40 years ago or so.

The highlight of Venice (for me), the colourful island of Burano.

The highlight of Venice (for Sweetpea), a stylin' slightly spooky mask, and a gondola ride.  

It was my first gondola ride too, and I have to admit, I loved every minute.

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Graz (Austria), a familiar stop for us to visit some of English hubby's family, quaint and clean and very structured. 

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Our slightly bizarrely decorated hotel room, counter-balanced by the traditional architecture of the city.

Sweetpea poses in the flat of English hubby's Austrian great-aunt, where she first visited as a toddler.  Despite a language barrier and an 80 year age gap, Sweetpea and "Omi" had an instantaneous connection.

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Paris, wild with Gay Pride celebrations on our first night, but dreamy croissants and cappuccino in the quiet morning a perfect counter-balance.

As we wound our way through the post Gay Pride crowds, a costume prompted Sweetpea to ask what it was.  Our quick-thinking friend responded "a hot dog, of course!"  And a late night visit to the Tuileries amusement park.We enjoyed Paris with some dear friends who happened to be visiting at the same time.

The view from our hotel balcony (really!!), and the Louvre at sunset.  

Croissants, capuccino, juice and hot chocolate for breakfast.  Nothing finer.

A visit to Monet's house and garden at Giverny, a special request of Sweetpea's 

(after which the camera was lost, left in a minivan on our return to Paris....)

Alongside our friends late on Sunday night, Sweetpea climbed the 600-odd stairs to the second level of the Eiffel Tower, beating us all plus a group of teenagers to the top step.

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Once I'm home and on my own laptop with a trustworthy internet connection, I will download many more photos and throw 'em on Flickr, but for now...  just a glimpse....

(London and Ireland to come soon... sometime... maybe...)
p.s. hop on over to my sister's blog if you want to see some current updates on where we're at)