We had a very lovely time in Provence. The biggest contributing factor to our relaxing visit was the French Château that we stayed at. The Château was located near Avignon, nestled amidst orchard prairies with a creek running through the property and horse pastures. Every morning a rooster awoke us and every evening was concluded with goodnights to all the farm animals like the baby chickens, cows, cats, dogs and horses. The kid’s favorite animals were the two dogs, one was as Australian Shepherd named Whistler that mostly stayed with the horses, and the other was a fat lazy mutt named Kellý that was begging for food every morning at breakfast: a French breakfast of toasts with homemade jams and fruits from the orchard. The Château had a swimming pool and a game room so we didn’t need to go anywhere.

The Château itself was hundreds of years old, built out of stone and even though it had modern amenities like air conditioning and flat screen TVs it felt very antique. All the furniture and décor was vintage, the floors were cricking and there was a musty smell all throughout the house with ancient spider webs in places you couldn’t reach. Sometimes, we ate dinner at a communal kitchen that felt like a movie set. It had a massive wooden table with large ornate candleholders and chairs that took all your strength to move an inch. The only thing we were missing was period clothing. The whole experience was very unique, even our car was parked in a barn that used to store wine barrels dating back to the 19th century.

During our leisurely excursions we saw many beautiful lavender and grape fields, we visited markets, small villages with castles, and a theatrical city of Avignon with it’s grandiose Pope’s palace. 

After a 5-hour trip and as we were approaching our destination, Jonah threw up in a car so for the last hour or so we were covered in throw up and enduring the smell.  This was not the last time Jonah threw up in the car but the next time it happened we were prepared. It turned out that he gets motion sick and now as he starts to feel sick he asks for a plastic bag :)

Our accommodation in Jesolo was a mobile home in an RV park. Well, it was more like an RV resort because it included a huge Aqua Park, lots of restaurants, beach, free toys, nightly shows, playgrounds, stores, amusement centers, bike rentals, etc.

This resort was a paradise for kids and their parents. There was a mandatory siesta in the middle of the day so the kids can nap. The cars were not allowed to drive and all the amenities like the Aqua Park were shut down. They also had workshops and activities every day making sure the kids were busy and happy. Everyone felt very at ease at this resort to a point where young kids age 3-7 were roaming around by themselves, buying snacks and playing on driveways without any supervision.

We rented a 2-bedroom home with a kitchen and a living room. Everything was very small but comfortable, furnished IKEA style. The rental included all the kitchen utensils, linens and towels so it was like renting a miniature apartment. The mobile home was in a row of many identical units so we would get lost often while trying to find it.

The resort was really big so we ended up renting bikes to get around and were having so much fun that we pretty much forgot that we were next to a spectacular city of Venice.

Well, Venice wasn’t very spectacular at least not this time around. I remember the first time we visited many years ago the city left me with an impression of something magical and unique. This time around it came across decaying and unfriendly.

The day we visited, Ender was running a fever so he was weak and grouchy (you can even see that in the pictures). The temperature outside was in the 90s and crowds of tourists were sweating up the narrow streets of the city. It was sad to see deteriorating buildings and no visible attempts at remodeling them. Venetians were unfriendly and the city was puddled with dirty ocean water. 

Aside from the view, we did enjoy a very expensive cup of coffee, chasing pigeons on St Marco Square and a gondola ride with a buff gondolier. Check the photo gallery posted here.

After Jesolo we spent three days on the rugged coast of Italy also known as Italian Riviera or Cinque Terre. The coastline has five hillside villages hence the name Cinque Terre.

We stayed in a village called Monterosso al Mare in a two-bedroom apartment. One of the rooms was upstairs and it was as hot as a sauna, and the only way we were able to stay there is with a portable air conditioning blowing air right into your face. Alex stayed in the sauna and the kids and I shared a bed in a second bedroom. Needless to say no one slept well for 3 nights. To top it off, every evening we would loose electricity so we had to use our iPhones as flashlights. And that was the only thing we were able to use our iPhone for, because we had no Internet and no SIM cards to use them as phones. We were getting desperate for some comfort and a good night’s sleep.

You prepare yourself for the beach way in advance. You exfoliate, groom, shave and tan in advance so when you are at the beach it looks like you've been there for a while.

Right before going, you lather yourself with sunscreen while carefully trying not to swear the white stuff on your clothes and dutifully covering every inch of your body. You then endure the smell and the glistering of your body as you gaze at yourself in the mirror wondering if you are too old to wear a two piece suite and how many pounds you need to lose to look acceptable to a judging audience. On the plus side, you don't fell as intimidated in Europe becacuse Europeans don't really care what you look like or do on the beach. Here is a proof. In the video you'll see a topless woman laying on her back while her thighs are being massaged vigorsly by an overweight half naked man.

At the beach, you try your hardest not to get too sandy because you won't be able to reapply the sunscreen, try not to step on the sand or it will burn your feet, not to get stinged by a jelly fish or a stranger will have to pee on you, not to get drowned by the waves, and all the while trying to maintain your composure and making sure your boobs don't fall out of your two piece as you walk out of the ocean.

Side note, Dory fish from Nemo was right. Jelly fish don't sting if you touch them at the top.

After the beach, you are exhausted from being in the sun, even though you did nothing but lay on a bench that you rented for $10/hr. You are dehydrated from the lack of fluids in your body. And now you have to take a mandatory shower (as if you haven't been in the water enough that day) to remove the salt from your hair and sand from your butt crack. As you step out of the shower into a pool of sand on the floor you are reminded of all the cleaning you still have to do to remove the lingering effects of going to the beach. Oh yes, I almost forgot... you did get sun-burnt so your ears and the backs of your legs will be hurting and peeling for a while.

So why, or why do we go to the beach I ask?

Horses Birds

and Ice Cream

Check out more photos from Salzburg here: Salzburg Photo Gallery

Ender's video blog about visiting Salzburg

The highlights included:

- visiting the Audi factory and picking up the Audi Q5 we will be driving while in Europe

- meeting Marianna's aunt who lives near Frankfurt

- THUNDERSTORMS ;)

- driving on Autobahn

- sausages and sauerkraut

The Lows:

- hot and humid weather

- Jonah's high fever

And here is what Ender had to say about that:

4 nights in Munich, Germany

4 nights on Lake Bled in Slovenia

4 nights in Jeselo, Italy (next to Venice)

3 nights in Monterosso al Mare, Italy (Cinque Terre region) 

5 nights near Avignon, France (Provence)

5 nights in Barcelona

And the rest in Marbella, Spain