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When is the best time to visit Cornwall?

Posted on 26th April 2019

Cornwall again…I keep coming back to this place for countless reasons. We are at the end of April, when the weather is everything but summer. Still, a friend asked me: “Hey Andrea, when is the best time to visit Cornwall?”. I smile and so would you if you have lived long enough in England. This guy has only been to London a few times and he seems delighted by my Devon and Cornwall pictures. He obviously never experienced four seasons in one day before. You got to laugh as only now I understand why English people spend so much time talking about the weather. British weather is distinct and I’m tempted to say “unique”. And it’s not just me saying that. Being an island, positioned between the Atlantic Ocean and a large mass, continental Europe, says it all.

Back to our story ...Cornwall

I’d like to start by describing how our first day in the Cornish Land went. But not before mentioning that Cornwall is something you can explore for years and still be able to discover something new. If you ever imagined hundreds of sandy beaches, wild moorland, extremely beautiful coast paths and picturesque harbour villages, it’s not just a dream, it’s Cornwall.

Today after breakfast we decide to visit Fowey, a 20-minute drive from where we’re staying. Fowey is a small but busy port town. Its harbour is flanked by fourteenth-century blockhouses, one in Fowey and one on the opposite side of the river in Polruan. We park at the top of the hill before entering the town centre as access is limited. I know many of you absolutely hate walking but believe me, the proper way to discover this area of outstanding natural beauty is by foot. Besides, it’s cloudy and I love the unique combination of sea and clouds.

alt= Fowey view — on our way to the fort…

As soon as we leave the car park behind, I am fascinated by the charm of this little town. Its narrow and steep streets, pretty cottages, busy port buzzing with yachts and boats, well-maintained gardens, tea rooms, bistros and waterfront cafes serving their best local produce.

Best things to try: crab sandwiches, Fowey River mussels and the freshest catch of the day fish and chips.

Fowey Aquarium – Cornwall

We have children in tow( as per usual, haha), not just our son but one of his friends too. That’s why we decide to pop into Fowey Aquarium, on the Town Quay. On the outside, it reminds me of my childhood, quite old fashioned and no trace of modern advertising. Keeping it old school!

A small aquarium, more suitable for younger children but it has something particular, something that gets even the silly adults involved. And that is why this little aquarium is worth a visit. Did I mention they have a petting pool? I never held a starfish before. There’s always a first, I guess.

The children loved it and so did we. As a bonus, it’s quite affordable if you consider the prices of other aquariums. I believe we have paid 10 pounds for the family. Barg alert!

St. Catherine’s Castle

Immediately after that, because it’s still the middle of the day when the energy level is at its highest, we are heading to a fort built by Henry VIII in the 1530s to defend Fowey Harbour. It’s called St Catherine’s Castle. It takes its name from the rocky headland on which it stands. To me, its position is the cherry on top. This artillery fort stays high above the entrance to the Fowey estuary. You get a spectacular view across the town and harbour. However, for history lovers there is quite a good read in Morley B, Henry VIII and the Development of Coastal Defence (HMSO, London, 1976).

The main highlight is that after it was kept in repair around the Tudor period it was later used in the Crimean War. During World War II, the fort was modified again to form part of a more extensive battery.

To me, it looks amazingly well preserved. Looking at it, you can tell where the gun ports are and also where the spiral staircase used to be.

I love it because kids are fascinated about the Medieval period, for the gorgeous views across the town and even for the workout to get there (20 min walk from the Town Quay through steep narrow streets). Not to mention it’s free entry.

A short break in Cornwall…

Here we are, going back to the harbour, to recharge our batteries in a little cosy café, chatting with other friendly tourists and tasting the local specialties.

After stuffing our mouths with crab sandwiches, we go back on the Quay. Here we take one of their local ferries. There’s one every 10 – 15 minutes. It is a short ride (less than 10 minutes), it is used as part of the local transport and it only costs 2 pounds. Therefore, if you have toddlers that can’t be too long on a boat, this is the perfect experience.

The reason behind taking the ferry is that we want to see what it’s like across the harbour from Fowey. Adventure awaits!

Polruan

We soon find out that this village, called Polruan, is an ancient shipbuilding community. It has such an interesting history but I fall in love with their narrow streets and the beautiful silence.

And you can visit Polruan Blockhouse, a roofless ruin that has been stabilised and the best part, it’s free entry. You can see the remains of the stairs and where the gunports used to be. Great place to hang around for another hour or so.

This is just a small fragment from our trip to Cornwall. In order to clarify with my friend about when is the best time to visit Cornwall… I can loudly say it’s anytime you have time. In other words, it’s when you aren’t rushing when, you’re able to stop and notice the little details. When you can afford to make your way through the coastal paths to find a hidden beach.

That is the best time to visit Cornwall.

See you in my next adventure!

Trips

The traditions of Zakynthos

Posted on 9th January 2019

Winter is here but on some days my thoughts embark on a direct flight to Zakynthos…its people and their traditions.

Many of you have asked me what I got from visiting Zakynthos. My heart melts when I realise these hardworking people never cease to care about their traditions and their culture. From olive mills, bee-keepers, weaving and sewing rugs, winemakers and fishermen, they all continue to tell a story, which started centuries ago on this island.

Poseidon’s profile

Therefore, when you go to Zakynthos, try to get closer to know them and their occupations. The Zakynthians are wonderful people, friendly and with no issues in welcoming you in their everyday life.

Definitely pay a visit to:

Aristeon Olive Oil Factory

You do find them in Lithakia Zakynthos, Greece.

This family business dates from the 18th century with the traditional animal movement press, part of which survives until today. You have to get a closer look and wonder at the magic of making olive oil. Also, you might like to know that’s one of the island’s oldest tradition.

Aristeon olive oil factory

You can also see the old tools and machines they used to harvest.

Times are changing and so do traditions

Years passed and the world has evolved. That’s why since 2008, they use a new eco-drive technology to process olives. It’s impressive to see an ancient olive tree, like 1500 years old. Just asking myself how many stories will this tree tell? Only if it could speak… and this is not the only ancient olive tree you’ll find on Zakynthos.

Traditional clothing

The museum is quite small and it’s free entry. But it’s a good tour to help better understand the process of making olive oil. We arrive here on a very hot day at lunchtime, you know, that part of the day when no matter how much you’ve missed the sun, you need to hide. It’s almost like playing hide and seek with a toddler, you being the toddler. As soon as we get close to the car park, we are welcomed and the host tells us a short story about the mill and what we can find inside. We have wandered around and at the end we are offered a free tasting session of the local olive oils, which they’re producing here in the mill, accompanied by their traditional bread. Yum!

We are delighted to taste some beautiful olive oil produced by grinding olives with garlic, with fresh oranges, fresh lemons or their organic olive oil.

Tasting session

They have a shop here where they sell their olive oil, homemade olive oil soap and body creams. I didn’t know what to pick first as I liked them all.

Olive oil shop

Callinico winery

This is the place where I start again to realize how much do these people have. And how willing they are to use the island’s resources.

Callinico winery

Even if Zante is not a big island, more than 110 different varieties of grapes do grow here. Therefore this winery produces different types of wine: Retsina, Verde, a very sweet dessert wine ( red and white) and many others that we’ve been offered to try inside the winery. It’s great to know they do free wine-tasting sessions, anywhere else you pay for it. It’s free entry.

So, it’s a must while you are here.

Wine cellar

Great Ionian Earthquake

While still at the winery, we’re welcomed by a beautiful girl, who happens to be the fourth generation owning this traditional family business. This particularly winery has a very interesting history. They started producing wine in 1918 but the family got their actual business after 1960. Because in 1953 Zakynthos has been hit by the Great Ionian Earthquake which was actually a series of hundreds of tremors, shocks, and aftershocks, striking the region between the islands of Kefalonia and Zakynthos. Many people fled the island after that: some people temporarily moved to the capital, however, the majority emigrated out of Greece entirely to countries such as Canada, USA or the UK, leaving both the islands and their economy in ruins. The islands were reconstructed from the ground up over the following years under a strict building code.

A traditional welcome at Callinico!

I wonder, reflecting at this family…what kind of strong character does it take to want to stay here and to rebuild such a wonderful business after a disaster like that?! Despite everything that happened to these people, they carried on with their traditions and to this day, they make good quality wine.

Fresh grape harvest

Of course, if you are in full harvest season, you get the chance to see a lot of the winemaking process and all the equipment they use today. Otherwise, just get yourself to the wine-cellar where the wine is aged and stored. It’s small but it’s got history and also a story to tell.

Volimes, a Zakynthos signature

Volimes is located in the mountainous part of the island. I love this countryside area for representing so well what Zakynthos really is. A united community of hard-working people, strong-minded and nevertheless wonderful hearts.

The village’s economy is based on farming and agricultural products.

There are many gift shops and souvenirs with a wide variety of artefacts, beautifully handcrafted carpets, leather goods, bags, miniature turtles, ceramics, and even desserts made with honey and almond nougat (pasteli and mantolato). Even you can find local products such as cheese (graviera, myzithra), bread, honey, oregano, and many others. People here are making all of these over the winter and sell them to tourists in the summer.

The spirit of the Zakynthos community

We have just arrived in Volimes and we’re trying to find a car park when this woman is waving at us as if she knows us. She speaks English and she’s welcoming us in her village, offering us some traditional honey roasted almonds, made by her father.

Volimes village

While chatting she’s inviting us into her house, where one of the rooms is kept as a shop. They hung up all over the place all these wonderful handmade textiles, like some amazing carpets, tablecloths, runners, napkins, and all sorts.

We got to meet her parents, beautiful people with a great sense of hospitality. They couldn’t speak a word of English but their faces were taking us back in time. That time where it was considered normal to offer a glass of cold water to a stranger on a hot day. Volimes was a real occasion to get to know the authentic Zakynthians.

If you’re dreaming of summer like I do and start making plans for your holiday, please consider this island as it’s a wonderful place, ready to be explored.

Until next time!

Trips

The food of Zante

Posted on 27th August 2018

Zante is the third biggest of the islands in the Ionian Sea. It’s been called the island of love and poetry…but what about Zante’s food?

Keep reading!

Me being greedy…

When it comes to Greece, especially Zante, please don’t make the mistake to opt in for an all-inclusive resort. Because nothing brings you closer to knowing their traditions better than the quirky tavernas and the amazing street food stalls.

No matter what kind of dietary requirements you have, there is something to suit you and your needs.

On the majority of the Greek islands, the house speciality is seafood, fresh grilled fish (swordfish is amazing), fried calamari and the most authentic one is the whole grilled octopus, which I loved from the very first bite.

Fried calamari as a starter or on its own…

Do you fancy salads?

Because of the Mediterranean weather, salads are a beautiful option in this area. Most of the vegetables are grown by the locals in their own gardens. You will know straight away because they taste quite different, I think much better. They have all kinds of gorgeous salads like the classic Greek Salad (horiatiki) that consists of tomato slices, cucumbers, green peppers, onions, black olives and feta cheese. All of that sprinkled with their splendid island made olive oil and oregano. It’s impossible not to like! I personally prefer a richer salad with ham and their local yellow cheese.

One of my favourite salad

Gyros and Souvlaki, family’s favourite.

Gyros is a fantastic Greek dish made of meat.
It is a sort of rolled pitta bread stuffed with meat, traditionally pork, chicken, or lamb, cooked on a vertical rotisserie, tomatoes, onions, fried potatoes and the typical tzatziki. It also can be served on a plate, not rolled. But I prefer the one you get on the street… One of these gyros usually costs only 2 euros. That’s a bargain if I’ve ever seen one.

A mix grill plate (souvlaki, chicken gyros, Greek sausage), pitta bread, salad and tzatziki.

Souvlaki is pretty much the same as gyros only that the meat is grilled on a skewer. You can eat it the way it is or in grilled pitta bread. I’ve noticed they have a vegetarian option too. Yummy!

My son waiting for his gyros.

Zante, a Heaven for vegetarians

If you are vegetarian, then Zante is the right place for you. Unlike other holiday destinations, you won’t starve here but in fact, you won’t be able to decide what to grab first.

The variety is massive, their speciality when it comes to veggie are these wonderful meatballs( no actual meat in them) made of courgette or aubergines. Suitable for vegans too. Also, the vegetarian mousaka is a must, you have to try it!

Almost all of the starters are suitable for vegetarians. Like the fresh bread and tzatziki, aubergine salad and buns, olives and fresh bread, hummus and many different kinds of salsa dip too.

Because they do love growing their vegetables here, a lot of the main dishes are pure vegetarian. Like stuffed peppers, stuffed tomatoes or aubergines. Also, let’s not forget about the stuffed wine leaves. The stuffing is made of rice, spices and fresh herbs.

This is the kind of trip that might make you want to turn vegetarian or even vegan, in that case, you have to be willing to explore their local cuisine and traditional dishes.

Zante, the land of pastries and cakes

I suggest you try some of their pastries as they are just as good as Greggs, if not better. It’s mostly puff pastry filled with different kinds of local cheese, spinach, ham or meat.

Also, their sweet pastries are delicious. I like the ones filled with sweet vanilla cream and powdered with icing sugar on top. They’re just mouthwatering! You find them early in the morning in almost any shop as the local bakery delivers them everywhere on the island. They are huge and they cost less than 2 euros.

And let’s not forget about the sweet baklavas. Either with walnuts or pistachios, they are a good way to finish your meal. As a particularity that makes them different from the Turkish ones is having cinnamon in their composition.

Kataif is another greek dessert, made in the shape of a birds’ nest from a shredded crispy dough. I’m not entirely sure about the recipe but I can taste a lemon syrup, loads of honey and walnuts.

In almost every taverna, they offer you a local digestive drink, it’s like a sorbet made of limoncello ( an alcoholic drink made of freshly squeezed lemons).

Kitsch style…

I have to mention that while most of the places in the food industry here kept their traditions and originality, others( not too many but still painful to watch) turned out to be a complete kitsch or fiasco( call it how you like). I believe that the economic crisis they went through has pushed them to desperate solutions.

What can be worse than a greek kitchen serving and advertising English fast food?! (baked beans, sausages and nuggets..basically things you’re trying to get away from on holiday). I know many of you would say they are doing that just to welcome the English tourists. But with such a fabulous cuisine that they have, the fresh ingredients they use, how can you go for all that frozen or canned food? A big no from me…it doesn’t convey what Zante really is about.

Zante, a river of wellness…

Another blessing of this island is its olive trees, as they produce a lot of olive honey.

I am amazed by Zante’s treasure. A 24/7 all-natural spa, no wonder the locals are so beautiful. Inside and out.

Everywhere you look, lemon and orange trees are smiling in the sun. Loaded pomegranate trees and golden, juicy figs are waiting to be plucked. And last but not least, the vineyards that produce one of the sweetest wine I’ve ever tried.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about this Greek haven. Until next time!

Trips

All on board!!!…a family experience

Posted on 22nd August 2018

Get ready for an amazing family experience!

As you might have guessed so far, I’m not a fan of writing reviews nor do I try to promote companies or businesses.

But after yesterday’s experience, I’ve decided I must rethink my ways. The reason behind that is not just so you get inspired by my posts but actually to able to make better choices when it comes to travelling. Because, oh boy, I know how painful it is and how stupid one can feel after having a bad experience.

What does it mean to fly “low cost”?

Let’s see what Wikipedia defines as being “low cost”…”A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (also known as no-frills, discount or budget carrier or airline, or LCC) is an airline without most of the traditional services provided in the fare, resulting in lower fares and fewer comforts.”

I thought exactly the same thing, no fuss, no such thing as big expectations and you’d probably expect poor customer service too.

Let me tell you that yesterday I was surprised and completely over the moon with Jet2.

Family oriented…” please take me on board!”

First and foremost, the planes seem to have more leg room than other low-cost airlines. I could actually feel my legs after landing, so that’s a first.

Let’s start with the beginning. As soon as the gate number was announced, we went there expecting it to be a long and boring process. To our surprise, we were met by some very friendly faces. Everything happened so quickly that we started to wonder if maybe we have priority boarding. I did actually check, we didn’t haha! Then my son insisted to get loads of pictures for one of his friends, who’s passionate about planes. I was actually scared of this, thinking of how many sour faces ( as we Romanians call them) I’ll have to deal with. Guess what? I couldn’t see one sour face for the entire flight, what with everyone in holiday mode.

Did you say “cockpit”?

I was so impressed to see that they have given my son permission to visit the cockpit and have a chat with the captain. Any child’s dream, right? C’mon now! How would you feel to be a 7 – 8-year-old kid and to have many dreams, one of them being that you and your friend would pilot a huge drone one day and then someone brings you closer to that for a minute?

Thank you Jet2, thank you, Captain Dan, for being so kind and patient.

And that’s not all…every single member of staff have been friendly, helpful and welcoming. It might be cause of their bright red uniform? I don’t know. All I know is that we had the greatest start to our holiday and I’m completely grateful. I would definitely fly with them again.

What about before that?

Before we get on the plane, we find ourselves at the Birmingham airport, looking for a place to have breakfast. The choice is overwhelming, believe me! But as soon as we have passed the security checks, we find a friendly place to be in Pret a Manger . Very chatty and friendly staff, good and fresh food and a feeling of ” we do understand you have a long way to go”. Yes, this is how I would describe it best. If you do go in, ask for the charming Victor…lovely character. Massive thank you to him.

As always, see you in my next post!

Trips

Where to? In the name of love

Posted on 8th February 2018

Love, love, love…

Everywhere you look it’s full of hearts, pink stuff, flowers, candles and lots of chocolates. It’s that time of the year when we get intoxicated with so much so-called passion. Wait a minute, don’t get me wrong…I have nothing against all of this. I just don’t like how commercial Valentines Day has become.

Who is to decide that all this stuff equates to love? And why if this is how love gets to be celebrated, it’s only once a year? I’m the least entitled to talk about the subject. That’s why I’ll better stop here.

But what do you do if you let yourself get carried away by all the commercials and the soapy dramas around you this time of the year?

And what if you decide you would like to surprise your other half? You haven’t had the chance to plan it or to budget for this.

Don’t panic! There are still plenty of things you can do. I would like to share some of them with you.

(Ready for a surprise tea party at the castle)

Home sweet home

I wasn’t thinking about staying at home but I wanted to see what’s around you that’s worth exploring.

England isn’t doing bad at all when it comes to romantic places. It’s true that the weather doesn’t help but no storm will stop two birds like you two.

London

I know many people born here, in Birmingham, that have never been to London? What?!…

I love London. It can be very sweet even if you go for a one day trip. Trains can be quite expensive but even so, you can find plenty of deals. At one point, Virgin had this offer for 5£/ticket to London. Of course, that’s not something you find every day. We have used National Express coaches a couple of times. They’re very comfortable, they have wifi, pretty cheap ( £20 return) and easy to book.

What to do?

Of course, pay a visit to Her Majesty at the Buckingham Palace. It was cool to see the Changing of the Guard. The garden in front of the Palace is prettier than any bunch of flowers you can buy for your sweetheart.

(What did I say? It’s the magic of the flowers)

Get lost in the Westminster Abbey. Actually, what is more romantic than being where seventeen royal weddings have taken place?
London Eye. You might not get to see everything in one day but from the top of this wheel, you can see most of the city’s landmarks. Situated on the South Bank of River Thames it guarantees you a nice walk and beautiful views.

There’s so much to see in London. The list is quite long and open to your preferences. Perhaps you’ll choose to take pictures next to your favourite Hollywood celebrities at the Madam Tussaud’s wax museum. Also, you might want to meet the old Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster (called Houses of Parliament). You’ll find many tourist points, ready to feed your hunger for more.

Cotswolds

When I say Cotswolds is actually a very big area, I mean it. It stretches from the border regions of South Warwickshire and Worcestershire, through West Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire, and takes in parts of Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset in the south.

(I love the colours, it’s like therapy to me…)

Bourton on Water

I especially like Bourton on Water which is called the “Venice of the Cotswolds,” due to the fact that the River Windrush flows right through the centre of town. I love the old artisan village bakery here. Their cakes and pastries are delicious and you can have a seat in their riverside garden and relax with your loved one.

Stratford upon Avon

I have said it before but Stratford upon Avon is part of the Cotswolds too. What can be more appropriate for celebrating love than to spend a day in the home town of Romeo and Juliet‘s writer? It’s a beautiful drama. After all, Juliet wasn’t meant to die. She only drank that potion in order to avoid an arranged wedding. The potion only made her fall in a deep sleep and everybody thought she was dead. But the one who made the potion, Friar John was unable to deliver the letter to Romeo informing him of the plan. So, when Romeo’s servant brought him the news of Juliet’s death, Romeo was heart-broken. If you want to know more, you’ll have to read it yourselves, I don’t want to spoil it any more.

Still, Stratford remains one of my favourite places when it comes to romanticism. It’s got all the secret ingredients for a stunning day out. And one of the ingredients I’m talking about are the rowing boats. You can row past the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and Holy Trinity church and enjoy uninterrupted and unique views from the Avon river. Or simply take a peaceful trip to the countryside. If you can’t afford a fancy dinner, I suggest to get a picnic basket, stop along the river and fall in love again…and again.

Also, a very good thing is that you can come by train to Stratford and it’s quite cheap. So here you are, stop making excuses and go for it!

More about Stratford

Wales

The next one I’ll tell you about might be quite popular among you guys as a seaside holiday destination.

Even if it’s still winter according to the calendar, Barmouth remains as beautiful for me as it’s in the summer.

Why this place? Because the majority of accommodation places are practically on the beach. You can get a cosy room with a sea-view in a lovely cottage. Who cares if it rains? All you need is the one you love, a cuppa and very large windows from where you feel like you’re on top of this world. With it being winter, not many people dare to adventure to the beach. But trust me, it’s worth it.

On a clear day, the view across the Lleyn Peninsula is breathtaking. I do recommend walking over the Barmouth Bridge to get a different view of Barmouth.

Again, it’s possible to get here by train. The train station is in the heart of Barmouth. You can walk to most of the hotels and cottages from there.

Thinking of escaping abroad?

Paris

For years it’s been described as “the city of love”, as the best place to impress and the place to be when you are deeply in love. Right…

It is a beautiful city indeed but it might be too much for some of us. Who knows how bad you want to escape, maybe you barely found somebody to babysit the kids and you dream for an oasis of peace and relaxation. Paris is nothing close to that. It’s very crowded, it’s unnecessarily expensive and you need time and patience to get the most out of it. Therefore, a weekend in Paris is not something you might be keen to do. You could leave it for a bit later in life when the kids start going to camps and you have more time. The reason being that there is so much to do and see and you might regret that you had to queue for most of your time there.

Champs-Élysées

Paris on a rainy day…feat. L’Arc de Triomphe

Italy

No matter where you choose to go in Italy, you’ll probably find it to be one of the most romantic countries you’ve ever been to.

Venice

Maybe you decide to join the Venice Carnival, which is the biggest party of the year and it’s happening now in February. Don’t forget to dress up! The most popular outfits are traditional costumes of 18th-century lords and ladies. But Venetian masks have an extensive history and were once worn throughout the year to hide people’s identities. The amazing food they cook, the language…aww, sweet language. Italian is the most beautiful language I’ve ever known.

Of all the major Romance languages, Italian retains the closest resemblance to Latin. The struggle between the written but dead language and the various forms of the living speech, most of which were derived from Vulgar Latin, was nowhere near as intense or protracted as in Italy.

Bologna

If you ever wondered where does Pasta Bolognese come from, this is the place. The authentic recipe is far from what people are cooking here in England. I lived here for a year when I was a student. I had the chance to meet an 87 years old local who was cooking Pasta Bolognese at least once a week. It was something like a ritual. Every morning he was going to the local market to choose his favourite beef, not mince and then he did everything at home( chopping the meat, the herbs). After that, everything was slow cooked for a couple of hours. The smell of it was absolutely gorgeous.

Piazza Maggiore

One of my favourite places in Bologna is Piazza Maggiore, a place where people used to gather in the 15th century, where they used to hold markets and also Giardini Margherita. Why? I like Piazza Maggiore because it is surrounded by the most important buildings of the medieval city and its history at every corner. Giardini Margherita because it is the most romantic city park I have ever seen. The garden has a surface of 26 hectares and many exotic trees (cedars, pines, horse chestnuts, sycamores, bald cypresses, English oaks, a Sequoia). Both of them are free to visit. Therefore, you’ll only have to worry about where to stay (you can find cheap accommodation for about 50 euros per night). And recently, I’ve searched the web and have seen really low price flights. Also, you don’t have to worry too much about food. Everywhere you look you can find amazing woodfire cooked pizza. A huge one is between €5-€7, so let’s say £5. My favourite one is Pizza ala Salsiccia ( Italian sausage). It’s really really good, trust me.

Now, I can tell you about more places I’ve been to in Italy as we managed to visit a big part of it. My conclusion is that you can’t fail with Italy, no matter what area you’re going to.

More and more…

We lived in Turin for a year, when Christian was a baby. I find it to be amazing. It gives you a chance to get really close to the true Italian taste.

Christian in Turin (Parco Valentino)

We were by the Italian seaside in Rimini and Ravenna. Or try “la dolce vita” of the Tuscany Region. This part of the world really left a mark on me. Everything is pure beauty. Their culture is to celebrate and appreciate life. It’s all about art, love, music and wine. What’s not to love about that?!

If you decide that just being at home in your garden is the right place for you to be in, that’s wonderful. Just don’t forget love is in you and it can be everywhere and anywhere. Also keep bringing joy, smiles and blessings in your other half’s life. It doesn’t cost you anything to be kind.

As always, see you in my next post!