Ghent

On Sunday we headed to Ghent, a 25 minute train ride from Bruges. Ghent has more of a city feel to it, but has plenty of charm nonetheless. The highlight was likely the marina (pictured above) filled with classic wooden sailboats flying colorful nautical flags. In the background of the picture you can also see Gravensteen Castle (Castle of the Counts). Well-preserved, the large castle made for a great playground for Allison and Ethan.

The Chocolatier

Belgians take chocolate making so seriously that they have a title for those who make it: Chocolatier. Dan got a 10 minute brief on the differences of chocolate made from Venezuelan cocoa beans vs. Brazilian cocoa beans (luckily he didn't ask about the West African Beans). The Leonidas Chocolate shop actually had a chart showing the variations of their white and dark chocolates - they offer 5 versions of white chocolate alone! Chocolate shops line most streets, filled with incredible selections of chocolate.

The original Godiva and Neuhaus (along with lesser known but equally as good and, unfortunately, nearly as expensive Galler and Leonidas) chocolate shops are located in Brussels. We tried a Rick Steve's favorite at Neuhaus: a chocolate covered praline filled with vanilla cream which was divine.

It goes without saying that Allison and Ethan more than got their fill of chocolates. It took Ethan about 2 minutes to learn the word chocolate. Somehow he made a 4-word sentence out of "more choc-o-late." Usually we were happy to oblige the request since it afforded us 10 minutes of quiet time (admittedly it also led to 10 minutes of clean up time too).

Bruges, Belgium

This past weekend we flew up to Belgium and explored Bruges, Ghent, and Brussels. First off was Bruges. This town is absolutely magnificent; Dan calls is the most beautiful town or city he has ever been to.

As you walk around Bruges, you almost feel as if you are in a Thomas Kinkade painting. Often compared to Venice, Bruges has an intricate canal system that acts as roads. Quaint buildings made of brick and stone with perfectly manicured gardens line the canals. Who needs ducks in the canals when you can have elegant swans? Arched cobblestone bridges allow you to pass over the canals and into the shopping district of Bruges where we found shops selling handmade lace, fresh chocolates, frites (french fries), and warm waffles. Needless to say, the town smells incredible. And even though here were plenty of people out and about, it was quiet, as everyone was listening to the beautiful songs coming from the many belltowers around town.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast just two blocks off the main square. Our host, Livia, whipped up delicious breakfasts with fresh homemade breads and croissants topped with marmalade (her apricot/ginger was unreal), English teas, eggs from her chickens, and an assortment of cheeses. Of course, Allison was content with Livia's plain bread topped with a thick coating of
chocolate Nutella. Why can't breakfast always be like this?!

The day we arrived in Bruges was their annual festival to mark Ascencion Day. People packed the town's streets for a parade in which locals dressed up in costumes - from Egyptian Pharaohs to medieval knights. Allison was mesmerized by the colorful parade which included a huge assortment of animals including horses, sheep, and even camels!

Enjoy the pictures below, which unfortunately do not do the beauty of Bruges justice!

Matera

This weekend we headed down to Matera, three hours southeast of Napoli. Matera is a town known for its caves. Not just ordinary caves, but dwellings created from caves - houses, churches, hotels, you name it, in Matera it exists in a cave, or sassi. As you can see from the pics below our hotel room had one man-made wall, the rest was tufa rock. Allison kept walking around the hotel room looking for bats! Thankfully, they must have cleared them all out before we arrived. It was surreal to walk around and see the old quarter of Matera, which was inhabited starting in the 3rd century B.C.

Pretty cool room! That iron fence on the right side cordoned off an old cistern.

The cathedral lit up at night.

Ethan sharing a laugh with Charlotte.

The sassi district in Matera.

US of A

The last two weeks were a whirlwind. After an eleven hour flight from Rome, we stepped off a less than stellar Alitalia flight with a zonked-out Allison and Ethan. Over the course of the week we spent some quality time with the family and began the Bleicher stimulus package - an intense, Margaret-led spending orgy that must have directly accounted for the S&P going into the black for the year. In all honestly, Italy offers lots to see and do, but nothing offers so much for so cheap as does the Coral Springs Target or the gazillion malls in south Florida.

By week's end we were ready for the main event: Noah and Jackie's wedding weekend. It was wonderful catching up with so many family and friends that we had not seen in so long. Allison and Ethan caught lots of "ooh's and aahs" when they walked down the aisle as flower girl and ring bearer. Allison was intensely focused on her job of spreading the rose petals evenly about, but Ethan just reveled at his chance to run full speed down the aisle to daddy.

Immediately after the ceremony, the kiddoes were whisked away by the babysitter, thus allowing mom and dad to thoroughly enjoy the wonderful wedding celebration. Dan spent much of the evening trying to hide out by the vodka ice luge, but I got him to dance plenty. The wedding was absolutely incredible: delicious food, a band that kept the party going, a great feeling in the air, and fun company.

The following Monday, Dan surprised me with a night at The Breakers in Palm Beach (sans children who more than willingly stayed back to hang out with Papa and Gega). The resort is absolutely gorgeous - set on a 1/2 mile strip of the coastline, the grounds at The Breakers are lavishly landscaped and meticulously maintained with luxury pools (nine of them to be exact) surrounded by palm trees and flowers. We made the "relaxation pool" our little home for two days, indulging in the most extravagant of luxuries: the ability to read books, newspapers, and magazines and not be interrupted by crying, diaper changes, or milk spills.

Overall, we had a blast in South Florida. Ethan became solid "frenemies" with Sadie (Noah and Jackie's cockapoo). It was hilarious to watch their love-hate relationship play out. Allison spent hours catching up with Gega and we got our fill of Publix subs, black and white cookies, Chick-fil-A sweet tea, and Pollo Tropical plantains.

We spent the last weekend in the states visiting Margaret's family in Connecticut before heading back to Napoli. "Luckily" we arrived to a true Neopolitan welcome: the Honda's battery was dead and Alitalia forgot one of our suitcases in NYC. Perfect!

USA, we'll see you again next summer!

Here are a bunch of photos from the past two weeks...

Just Married!

All smiles in the bathtub.

Ethan playing with Crockett.

Allison opening birthday presents with Noah and Jackie.

Allison celebrating her 4th birthday at Cici's Pizza. Yes, we flew back from Italy the day prior in order to eat pizza at Cici's... don't ask.

Flower Girl and Ring Bearer

The impressive entrance to The Breakers.

Ah, the Relaxation Pool.

Can life get much better?

L'albergo

We stayed at a gorgeous hotel in between Assisi and Perugia, Relais Borgo Brufa. Granted, we stood out a bit with our kids amongst honeymooners, but that's neither here nor there! Luckily, the staff put us in our own room for breakfast, and offered a spread that satisfied even Ethan's bottomless stomach. Here are some pics we took on the hotel grounds.

Ethan is all smiles, ready to explore more of Umbria.

Every hotel needs this view!

Ethan taking in the sunset.

The view from our terrace.

Assisi

On the way to our hotel we hit Assisi. What a beautiful town! Of course, the walk downhill was better than the walk back up!

Adults getting the kids ready to walk the town! Look at the castle at the top of the picture.

Typical art gallery in Assisi.

Full of laughter.

Orvieto

One of the benefits of serving overseas (at least in Europe) is that you get extra holidays and days off. Almost all standard 3-day weekends are 4-day weekends here and, for various reasons, several 2-day weekends magically turn into 3-dayers. This past weekend was one of them. For us that spells road trip!

After finding a gem of a hotel in northern Umbria (the region adjacent to Tuscany) we headed north on the Autostrade. First up was Orvieto. Other than being a beautiful town sitting atop a plateau, Orvieto is also super convenient, just minutes off the highway, offers easy parking, and always seems to appear just when the kids are itching to get out of their car seats. Rick Steves sums up Orvieto with three C's: cathederal, ceramics, and classico (the locally produced white wine). Even though this was our third time in Orvieto we will definitely be back soon!

The main Duomo with A & E in the foreground.

Students sitting on the Duomo steps while Ethan runs from daddy.

Ethan sits still for a nanosecond so that Daddy can take his picture.

What beautiful scenery!

A quaint ceramics shop in the main square.

Some of the beautiful, handpainted plates and bowls.

LCDR Daddy

This morning we headed over to Dan's office for his promotion ceremony. He was promoted from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander! We are so proud of him for all the hard work he does, and does well! Congratulations Dan! We love you!