Our Week in Italy

   This last week Paul and I were lucky enough to have a week off to take Julia and meet up with grandma in Italy. She was traveling with a group through Switzerland and then to Milan, the Cinque Terra, and Florence. We joined the group in the Cinque Terra and then on to Florence for 6 days. 

  We flew into Florence and immediately caught the train to Vernazza in the Cinque Terra. This town is not meant for strollers as there are hills and stairs all the way to the sea. Colorful houses line the hills and gave great views of the area. We stayed two nights here and loved walking around and tasting the gelato. 

   Our main activity while there was to hike between towns, but after the first hike to Corniglia, we were worn out and tired. It was very steep with lots of stairs, and Paul did it with Julia on his back! We chose one of the hardest parts of the trail to do, but we were glad to have left in the morning when it was cool. 

  We left for Florence the next day and arrived during a thunderstorm in the city. With Julia we couldn't take a taxi, so we arrived at our hotel wet and tired and ready for lunch. We stayed at a lovely hotel which used to be a convent and had nice spacious rooms. 

   I liked Florence and feel like I got to know it better this time around (I last went when I was 18 and only spent a day and half). After the first day we had pretty nice weather and Julia did really well overall. We had to go at a slower pace for her, but I think she still had a nice time. 

Now we're back home and back to work! Till next time Italy!