Sunday, August 19, 2012

Things we don’t miss

  1. Election Season
  2. Fast food (OK, we miss Chipotle)
  3. Highways
  4. Telemarketers
  5. Yard work
  6. The price tag on good cheese
  7. Garbage disposal (surprisingly)
  8. Long flights to anywhere
  9. Childcare costs
  10. Walmart

I asked Greyson today what his favourite thing was about living in England.  We had just come home from a picnic in Great Park so the Park was his answer (it really is amazing). We biked a long way today and Greyson kept up through the hills. It’s been summer hot for a few days now and without air conditioning we’re trying to keep busy.  The Park and Lego Land have done the trick.

Map picture

Graham great park

Graham paintGreyson paint

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Things we miss…

  1. Friends and family
  2. Bacon
  3. Fresh fish
  4. Target
  5. Nordstrom
  6. Starbucks artisan sandwiches
  7. Rainier cherries
  8. Corn on the cob
  9. Half and Half
  10. Air conditioning
  11. Big comfy cars
  12. Pre-season football
  13. Eastlake Community Church
  14. Lake Washington
  15. Breakfast sausage
  16. Women’s Health and People magazines
  17. Lululemon
  18. Mojo bars
  19. Wavy Lays
  20. Double ovens (in Fahrenheit)

Monday, August 6, 2012

La Dolce Vita

Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? I couldn’t decide how to chronicle our trip in a creative way so I apologize in advance for the play by play.  We will go back in the next couple of years so if you want to come along, let us know!

25 July: We arrived and I immediately noted the heat. It felt like Phoenix in the summer. It wasn’t humid, but it was HOT. We met the Bertottos at our hotel and immediately walked toward the Colosseum with the intent to have pizza and gelato first. We found both (each of them amazing) and then enjoyed Rome’s most famous landmark as the sun set.

DSC_0052

26 July: Breakfast on the rooftop of the Marriott overlooking Rome. Plan for the day- Vatican and back to the Colosseum to tour the interior. The Vatican tour was sweltering hot! We learned that Vatican City is actually its own country, we overpaid for our walking tour but every cent was worth it once we saw Michaelangelo’s frescos in the Sistine Chapel. The Colosseum is unreal. We had dinner at a restaurant in the Piazza Navona followed by more gelato. The Piazza provided entertainment from artists and clowns (and an opera singer!) It was the highlight for the kids.

DSC_0072

DSC_0106

27 July: Enjoyed a 3 hour scenic drive to Anghiari in the Tuscan hills. As we pulled up to the gate of Borghetto Calcinaia, the 300 year old farmhouse where we stayed, we knew our vacation was just beginning. The owners, Dennis and Gilly, live on the property and made sure we had everything we needed including a welcome basket of cheese, bread, cereal, eggs and toys for the kids.  Dave and Mike hit the grocery store, the kids hit the pool and Tina and I opened up the first bottle of wine.

DSC_0116

28 July: Sunday lunch at Vasco’s in Umbria. If you go to Tuscany, you must go to Vasco’s. We sat outside in a small courtyard with 3 other tables and were served 9 courses of Northern Italian food with their own house wine over the course of 3 hours. I can’t describe how good the food was and the kids had room to run and play between courses so it was relaxing; truly time to sit back, relax and enjoy the views. We ended the lunch with grappa, limoncello, espresso and of course more wine.

29 July: Hot day at the pool and a great homemade meal of mussels and eggplant parmegiana.

30 July: Train to Florence. Florence cannot be done in one day but we did our best. We will return. The Duomo is breathtaking and the view of the city and sunset from the top of the Westin was amazing.

DSC_0319DSC_0408DSC_0392

1 August: Another hot day at the pool followed by dinner in Anghiari; a medieval town set in the mountains. I can’t imagine the fun (and danger) that children have on a snowy day in the streets. They make Queen Anne Hill in Seattle look like a baby’s toy. Back in early (very early) times, criminals used to be put in wine barrels filled with blades and rolled down the hills to spectator amusement. Times have changed thank goodness.

DSC_0093

2 August: Local chefs came to Calcinaia to cook a meal for us. We got to watch them prepare and plate, taste things in the kitchen and enjoy the courses as they finished. Tiramisu means “Pick Me Up”- makes sense given the amount of liquor and espresso in it. This was by far the best tiramisu any of us had ever tasted.

IMG_7565

3 August: My 38th birthday and the Bertottos were kind enough to watch our kids so that Mike and I could enjoy a quiet dinner for two.  Our hosts at Calcanaia recommended a restaurant that specializes in truffles. Every course we ordered, including the dessert, had truffles in it.

We owe Tina and Dave in a big way for organizing, researching and booking one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Who would have thought, back in 1987, that 25 years later our kids would be holding hands in Rome?

Evan GrahamGrey Noah

Ciao!