Yes, it’s true. I really did!
And make no mistake – it’s a long flight. If I had any sense, I would have visited Italy when I lived in England. I could have gone for the day, literally. But – it is common knowledge that common sense was a rarity in my young adulthood.
Until now. That is.
I knew that I wanted to write about the trip, but I’m still unsure about WHAT to write. The last thing you/I need is to have this post be in the same vein of going to a family gathering and having to sit through hours and hours of holiday slides. I couldn’t subject you to that. Could I?
So I’m treading carefully. I’ll try and mix it up a little.
Firstly, I do want to give a ‘shout out’ to Airbnb I’ve used this service six times now (three in England, three in Italy). I love it. This time we stayed in a three bedroom apartment in Varese (in the city center while with extended family); a 16th century studio within the medieval walls of Como (check out the front door!) and then in a contemporary studio on the outskirts of the town. It was a great mix of surroundings for us. Part tourist route/part local route. Seriously, check it out. For our family it’s usually cheaper than paying for hotel rooms, and you often get outdoor space which I love.
(On a side note, in England last year, we rented a houseboat on the River Thames, through Airbnb).
That’s hard to beat. Even with a stick.
The reason behind this visit was to attend the wedding of my nephew. My nephew, Oliver, married a beautiful Italian/American woman. If you have any single family members/friends push them towards marrying an Italian. Italians know how to do a wedding. I think it’s in their DNA.
The wedding was held at Villa Cagnola. It’s one of those places that when you look around, you want to get married again. I would marry there in a heartbeat. The main problem being that, naturally, my husband could find out. Because that’s what my husband does: he sucks out the joy in my life. He would be the one throwing the ‘red tape’ during my ‘Ticker Parade’.
But, let’s not move away from the beautiful villa. Because it offered an endless amount of sunshine, ambience, and food. Italian food
An unstoppable amount of Italian food and champagne. And I simply couldn’t have been happier. Because if you know me, you know that I love family; I adore food; and I worship Champagne.
Here’s a photo of my daughters and I. My daughters are beautiful, every day. I, however, do not look like this on a regular day. I mean, for cripes sake, I have chin hair!
There’s something about the Italian light. It just makes chin hair disappear.
So we ate, we laughed, we drank, we ate again. And it was a wonderful time had by all. My girls enjoyed themselves. This was taken about 1 a.m. as we waited for our taxi.
Out for the count!
I love it. I don’t know if I love it because they look like they partied hard, or that I love it because it’s not me fast asleep on the floor 🙂
Time spent with my daughters, especially at this age, was/is priceless. I know that the time will come (all to quickly) when they want to explore the world without me. They will gladly fill their suitcases and go and seek out adventures, with friends – maybe by themselves.
They will be fearless.
If they do, I will know that I did something right. I’ve always had the belief that travel is as important as an education. I want them to seek out new experiences – get out of their ‘comfort’ zone, never be afraid to turn the corner. Maybe when they do, they will have a better sense of direction than I have. Seriously, we got lost every day.
Every. Single. Day.
But isn’t that part of the fun?
To be in a foreign country. Lost. Without a phone. Unable to speak the language. With no sense of direction.
Oh, good times. Good times.
{insert catchy ending phrase here}
Diane aka The Paint Factory
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