Day 1: Sunday. There's a lot to prepare! We have laundry to do, and food to pack. We may never make it. Hours later we finally leave the house. We drive about 90 minutes and see the sign, "Camping Aprica." Siamo arrivati! We open our giant tent and try to understand how it works. I'm confident that we can eventually have a perfectly set up tent, but Monica jokes that we may need to sleep in the car. After consulting the unhelpful directions, and a little help from Nicky, we finally had livable quarters. That night we ate leftovers from Micha's birthday party (hummus, shrimp and avocado salad, and asparagus pie).
Day 2: We are awoken by Nicky, who insists on trying to open our side of the tent, even though Zoi and I have made it clear, "NO BOYS ALLOWED!" He finally manages to unzip our side (the instant I let go of the zipper!) and all I see is Nicky and Theo excitedly rushing toward our door, so I put up my hands to block them from getting inside our area. The next thing I know, applesauce EVERYwhere. I didn't see that Theo had applesauce as he was charging at me, and he didn't expect me to block them from entering. Yellow goo.... splattered... need... paper towels... ASAP...
Day 2: We are awoken by Nicky, who insists on trying to open our side of the tent, even though Zoi and I have made it clear, "NO BOYS ALLOWED!" He finally manages to unzip our side (the instant I let go of the zipper!) and all I see is Nicky and Theo excitedly rushing toward our door, so I put up my hands to block them from getting inside our area. The next thing I know, applesauce EVERYwhere. I didn't see that Theo had applesauce as he was charging at me, and he didn't expect me to block them from entering. Yellow goo.... splattered... need... paper towels... ASAP...
The culprit. Less '"mousse" more applesauce...
So then it's time for breakfast, but we have no bowls. So we ate cereal in shallow plates, no biggie. We shower, get dressed, and I read a little as the kids worked on some vacation homework. We were all quietly working in the warm sun when suddenly we hear rustling in the bushes-- loud rustling. We all stare in the direction of the noise when out walks a giant brown bear growling and heading straight for us! Just kidding, it was a mole. A small, black, and very cute mole-- perhaps the first one I've ever seen in nature.
After a while it was time for lunch. We ate more leftovers, this time pasta with pesto sauce-- yum! Then we went for a walk around the little tourist town of Aprica, known mostly for winter activities. We went to a tourist info center and got a bunch of pamphlets of all the cool stuff we could do this week. Then we did some grocery shopping, and had to buy some pots (yep, forgot those, too). Came home to organize a little, and get shelter from the rain. Zoi took a nap, as she hadn't been feeling well all day. We sat in awe thinking, 'How is it raining so hard!?' Thunder, lightning, and the deafening raindrops hit our tent... I gave Theo a lesson on our Solar System, and Monica decided to pick up some pizza and bring it back to the tent, so we wouldn't have to go out in the rain. When she got back, we all ate except for Zoi, who was still too sick to get out of bed. I read my book a little and played card games with Zoi, who is exceptionally good at card games! We went to bed.... my back is slowly getting used to the hard ground. At almost 3am Zio needs to go to the bathroom, I realize I need to go, too. I was a little annoyed to be awake at 3am, walking in the rain to the bathroom, but then I saw the moon. The full moon, just over the Alps looked incredible... Goodnight!
Day 3: I wake up a little later today, as Nicky isn't tormenting us to get up. I have yogurt and toast for breakfast, and we shower. The rain has cleared for now. The kids and I play some card games, which they pick up instantly. I tried to teach them how to shuffle, but their hands were too small.
We had lunch and the boys played in the stream a little while I gave Zoi a lesson on being sick. We made some tea and I went over the vocabulary of body parts and their corresponding maladies. Poor Zoi could barely swallow her lunch, so she went to the doctor with mom. The boys and I read until they came back, then we all went for a drive to a nearby town. The church was closed, so we continued on to the train station in Tirano. We saw the train we booked for the next day to St. Moritz, Switzerland.
So then it's time for breakfast, but we have no bowls. So we ate cereal in shallow plates, no biggie. We shower, get dressed, and I read a little as the kids worked on some vacation homework. We were all quietly working in the warm sun when suddenly we hear rustling in the bushes-- loud rustling. We all stare in the direction of the noise when out walks a giant brown bear growling and heading straight for us! Just kidding, it was a mole. A small, black, and very cute mole-- perhaps the first one I've ever seen in nature.
After a while it was time for lunch. We ate more leftovers, this time pasta with pesto sauce-- yum! Then we went for a walk around the little tourist town of Aprica, known mostly for winter activities. We went to a tourist info center and got a bunch of pamphlets of all the cool stuff we could do this week. Then we did some grocery shopping, and had to buy some pots (yep, forgot those, too). Came home to organize a little, and get shelter from the rain. Zoi took a nap, as she hadn't been feeling well all day. We sat in awe thinking, 'How is it raining so hard!?' Thunder, lightning, and the deafening raindrops hit our tent... I gave Theo a lesson on our Solar System, and Monica decided to pick up some pizza and bring it back to the tent, so we wouldn't have to go out in the rain. When she got back, we all ate except for Zoi, who was still too sick to get out of bed. I read my book a little and played card games with Zoi, who is exceptionally good at card games! We went to bed.... my back is slowly getting used to the hard ground. At almost 3am Zio needs to go to the bathroom, I realize I need to go, too. I was a little annoyed to be awake at 3am, walking in the rain to the bathroom, but then I saw the moon. The full moon, just over the Alps looked incredible... Goodnight!
Day 3: I wake up a little later today, as Nicky isn't tormenting us to get up. I have yogurt and toast for breakfast, and we shower. The rain has cleared for now. The kids and I play some card games, which they pick up instantly. I tried to teach them how to shuffle, but their hands were too small.
We had lunch and the boys played in the stream a little while I gave Zoi a lesson on being sick. We made some tea and I went over the vocabulary of body parts and their corresponding maladies. Poor Zoi could barely swallow her lunch, so she went to the doctor with mom. The boys and I read until they came back, then we all went for a drive to a nearby town. The church was closed, so we continued on to the train station in Tirano. We saw the train we booked for the next day to St. Moritz, Switzerland.
When we got home we had "cena-merenda" which basically translates to "snack dinner." There's a lot of finger-food laid out and everyone piles what they want on their own plate. After that we had makeshift s'mores. It was nearly impossible to find marshmallows. Finally, we found colorful ones, with a hint of some artificial flavoring and a label that made me scared to look at the ingredients. With no hope of finding Graham Crackers, we settled for some biscotti and some too-thick chocolate. We heated the marshmallows on sticks over the propane stoves we brought.. They weren't the best, but it's the tradition that counts!
Day 4: Today we had to wake up early to catch the Bernina Express train from Tirano, Italy to St. Mortitz, Switzerland. This is definitely the most beautiful train rides I have ever taken. We saw the most amazing lakes and majestic mountains as we rode through the Swiss Alps. We arrived in St. Moritz and the first area we walked through was like Rodeo Drive on steroids. Every designer store you could think of... we saw a Rolls Royce, a Ferrari, and a Porsche all within the first hour. Once we passed the chic area, we decided to get lunch and have a picnic near a lake. After walking for a while we found a giant chess set and played with that until we were ready to board our train and get out of the cold. After a long day out we decided to have a warm meal at a local restaurant near the campsite. We had the local specialty: pizzoccheri. The chef came out and explained to us that the restaurant still uses his great grandmother's recipe from over 100 years ago. The dish is made with special buckwheat pasta (handmade at this particular restaurant), cooked with sage, garlic, butter, potatoes, and cheese. Although very heavy, this is probably one of the best dishes I've tried in Italy, at a restaurant, so far. At night it rained so much. If it stayed like this we might have to go back to Bergamo a few days early...
Day 5: I woke up to find a sunny, blue sky and not a cloud around. I guess we're staying! Today was a lazy day of reading and sunbathing, while the kids did their vacation homework and played in the creek. We ate a really good lunch with vegetable pesto, garbanzo beans, and rice. For dinner we had scrambled eggs with broccoli... more reading before bed and we have to get up early to hike!
Day 6: We woke up early to go on a hike we had booked with the tourist office. A few minutes before we going to leave, we got a call that the hike was canceled due to weather conditions. So we decided to do our own hike. We packed a lunch of sandwiches and walked around for a few hours.This afternoon we went for a drive around the mountains in Aprica, and we stopped at a nature preserve with a marsh.
Day 7: Today we took a cable car up to have a little hike in the mountains of Aprica. This was truly a lovely walk. Their were creeks every few minutes and the walk winded around, making it quite interesting! We hiked about 90 minutes to Malga Magnolia. We were all famished when we finally arrived at the top of the mountain to see a restaurant. It was like a mirage in the desert!
Day 8: Today we packed up and drove back to Bergamo! Time for a super mega shower! Now, to enjoy my last 10 days living in Bergamo. :)
Day 4: Today we had to wake up early to catch the Bernina Express train from Tirano, Italy to St. Mortitz, Switzerland. This is definitely the most beautiful train rides I have ever taken. We saw the most amazing lakes and majestic mountains as we rode through the Swiss Alps. We arrived in St. Moritz and the first area we walked through was like Rodeo Drive on steroids. Every designer store you could think of... we saw a Rolls Royce, a Ferrari, and a Porsche all within the first hour. Once we passed the chic area, we decided to get lunch and have a picnic near a lake. After walking for a while we found a giant chess set and played with that until we were ready to board our train and get out of the cold. After a long day out we decided to have a warm meal at a local restaurant near the campsite. We had the local specialty: pizzoccheri. The chef came out and explained to us that the restaurant still uses his great grandmother's recipe from over 100 years ago. The dish is made with special buckwheat pasta (handmade at this particular restaurant), cooked with sage, garlic, butter, potatoes, and cheese. Although very heavy, this is probably one of the best dishes I've tried in Italy, at a restaurant, so far. At night it rained so much. If it stayed like this we might have to go back to Bergamo a few days early...
Day 5: I woke up to find a sunny, blue sky and not a cloud around. I guess we're staying! Today was a lazy day of reading and sunbathing, while the kids did their vacation homework and played in the creek. We ate a really good lunch with vegetable pesto, garbanzo beans, and rice. For dinner we had scrambled eggs with broccoli... more reading before bed and we have to get up early to hike!
Day 6: We woke up early to go on a hike we had booked with the tourist office. A few minutes before we going to leave, we got a call that the hike was canceled due to weather conditions. So we decided to do our own hike. We packed a lunch of sandwiches and walked around for a few hours.This afternoon we went for a drive around the mountains in Aprica, and we stopped at a nature preserve with a marsh.
Day 7: Today we took a cable car up to have a little hike in the mountains of Aprica. This was truly a lovely walk. Their were creeks every few minutes and the walk winded around, making it quite interesting! We hiked about 90 minutes to Malga Magnolia. We were all famished when we finally arrived at the top of the mountain to see a restaurant. It was like a mirage in the desert!
Day 8: Today we packed up and drove back to Bergamo! Time for a super mega shower! Now, to enjoy my last 10 days living in Bergamo. :)
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