Greetings,
Recently we took our Eid al Fitr holiday in Italy where we met up with Jennifer's parents and, after a long month apart, Hayden! Mom nearly leapt out of the car before it had come to a complete stop when she saw Hayden sitting on a bench with his grandmother, waiting in a small village in the Piedmont region of Italy. It was a joyous time and a wonderful place to meet up together.
We all first headed with our friends to our their newly purchased, partially renovated - and very liveable - farmhouse in a remote location in Piedmont, surrounded by hills, woods, and stone farmhouses. We helped work on pruning and trimming trees and bushes, Jennifer's dad and our friend Chris both eager to charge up the chainsaw and tractor. We enjoyed local pizza, fresh eggs and cheese, bread from the nearby bakery, fresh milk and yogurt, various meats. Wow. We went into Alba, explored some vineyards and wineries, and generally had a glorious three days. Logan and his friend Charlotte created an art studio in an unfinished part of the farmhouse, complete with painting, canvases, drop clothes, and messes.
Following that we drove to Cinque Terra where we stayed for three nights in an incredible - but hard to find - hotel in the northernmost village of Monterrosso. From there we hiked three kilometers to the next village of Vernazza, ate a lovely
lunch, wandered the shops and watched the boats coming in. A few hours later we hiked another four kilometers to the next village. Each village had narrow, cobblestone paths and streets, small shops, cafes, colorful laundry blowing in the breezes, vibrant umbrellas, and many-flavored gelato shops. From any of the villages, you can catch a train to another village so that you can hike just one way. Visually, Cinque Terra is one of the most appealing places I have ever seen, but the fragrant smells of the flowers, fish, and sea added greatly to the pleasure.We ate fresh seafood and pasta daily and enjoyed local olive oil and the best pesto we have ever had! We were also able to enjoy the sandy beaches open-water swimming in the late August Mediterranean Sea.After one week in Italy, we boarded the Royal Jordanian flight, via Amman, back to Jeddah with the start of school in mind and wonderful memories of Italy to carry forward.
Thanks for reading. Ciao! Jennifer
Dear Team Evans -
ReplyDeleteI've been reflecting lately on the teachers who have shaped my worldview and lifestyle recently, and I've got a letter/e-mail along those lines for David just burning a hole on my desk. Any chance you'd be able to e-mail me contact info? I can be found at edjmorales at gmail dot com.
Thanks so much! And to Skyler for hooking me up with this blog!
Ed Morales
Glad to see you are all healthy, happy and well-traveled! We were going to Spain in June but Bob had chest pains 3 days before departure & we cancelled our untours trip. He is doing GREAT after 2 stents (what an amazingly easy surgery these days) and we spent the rest of the summer taking it easy with a trip to the East Coast (Boston, NYC and Philly) and Chautauqua. Too bad we didn't know you were passing through Ohio... we would've invited you for a stopover. Great memories of Locarno! Jan & Bob
ReplyDeleteNorthern Italy with your family set the tone for our 2 1/2 weeks' sojourn from Milan, Mombarcaro, Cinque Terra, Sienna, Umbria, and Rome, a full plate. Hayden's stay-over in the US gave us the opportunity to escort him back to you. Thanks for sharing the boys with us this summer. They have a large world view for their ages. Doug/Dad/Boppop
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