Being On Vacation

Taking a vacation is simply this:
(route of the word vacation is "vacate"...to leave) 
leaving the day-in, day-out experience of our lives behind for a given time
in order to experience something new.
Vacation can be as complex as foreign travel,
or as simple as turning off the electronic devices and opening our senses.
There are oh, so many ways to "vacate"...
and doing so lifts our spirits, renews us, and helps us to open our hearts 
to something bigger than ourselves.


The past two weeks we left our beloved farm behind and set out to experience
a world we had only dreamed of.
Italy.


Just it's name conjures images of romance, of history, of art, of abundant life!


And Italy did not disappoint us.


We saw breathtaking countryside...

Walked through ancient ruins...


Saw the wonders of inspired art...


And architecture...


Marveled at the skillful hands


and incredible minds


of the Renaissance.


 We ate amazing food...


and were greeted by the warmest of people...


We zigged and zagged our way from the Amalfi Coastline on the western shores of
Italy's Mediterranean Sea


northward through Rome to Florence, then Venice, situated on the eastern coast
of Italy's Adriatic Sea.


We were fortunate enough to have close friends vacationing there at the same time
and we overlapped our trips for 5 wonderful days experiencing Tuscany.


We explored ancient hilltop towns,


whose streets were bustling with life over 2000 years ago.


Each and every town, no matter the size had a cathedral...
grand and glorious engineering marvels


filled with indescribable sculpture and artwork.


We experienced a tiny taste of the beauty that mankind is capable of creating.


We walked through markets that have been in existence for ages


and that still offer the people the gifts of land


and sea


on a daily basis.


It is hard to encapsulate an entire two weeks in a blog post.
I took over 800 photos which, at some point, I will make into slideshows and share with you.
For now, I wanted to give you a taste of this incredible country.
We loved every moment of our travels, for sure....


but as I always say...

There's no place like home!
(I've missed you!)

While we were away, the good news is that it rained substantially
and our once parched earth's thirst has been quenched.
Our pond is full again!!
(And yes, we took advice given in your comments and had it dredged deeper
while it was so dry....thanks!)

PS....We may have eaten Gelato every single day we were there....
Oooooh, I miss that now!!


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Comments

colleen said…
Thanks for sharing. The photos are breath taking...can't imagine seeing in person.
Glad you are home...morning coffe just wasn't the same while you were away!
Lynne said…
Glorious recap . . .
Happy it was GRAND . .
Welcome home . . .
Gelato there is nothing like here . . .
Anonymous said…
Beautiful!!! Glad you are home and glad you had a great time. Thanks for the info.
This N That said…
Glad you got to experience that beautiful country. Happy that you are back to start my day. Your pictures look amazing. Love the architecture and The countryside and coastline. Have a happy week
Anonymous said…
Lovely! Thanks for sharing this taste of your trip.
So glad you had a wonderful time! Italy is wonderful!
Lenelle Roberts said…
Thank you for sharing Bev. I made a visit to your farm while you were away. Had to show Bill, my future spouse, your beautiful farm. I'm heading to Italy in 2 weeks for an educational program called 'Food is medicine.'
Junebug said…
I had my eye out for you the whole time I was in Italy. I see we visited all the same places. Love, love vacation but agree "There's no place like home".
daisy g said…
Looks like a glorious visit! Welcome home!
So glad you are back. I missed the critters and the grounds. So glad you had such a wonderful trip. The market looks wonderful and since it is lunch time I am hungry now. Lol.
It's on our list of places to go while still in our fifties and capable of some good hikes... thank you for sharing the pictures, what a beautiful, beautiful place. The Amalfi coast especially captures my attention.

Laura Sudderth said…
Happy to know you are safe and sound at home. These photos are truly beautiful. I cannot wait for more!
Anonymous said…
Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing them.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
such a wonderful trip! i think i have been lucky enough to only be in one place every time i've gone to italy. that way i've soaked in each town. i LOVE lucca! and milan. i've never been to sicily or sardinia. spent most of my time in northern italy!
diane in wis said…
Welcome home! Looks like it was an awesome trip. Love the pictures. Can't wait to see and hear more about it in due time So glad you're back. Hope everybody did well on the farm while you were away.
An American in Tokyo said…
Welcome back!!
It looks like you had great weather and even great friends to share your trip with! How wonderful!
Italy is also on my bucket list, especially after seeing your photos! Looking forward to seeing more...
Jenny said…
Welcome Home. I love hearing and seeing vacation pictures. It looks like am amazing country.
Sara said…
Welcome back!! Italia is an amazing place. Glad you made it to Civita di Bagnoreggio...such a charming small village. It is so beautiful to look at it from a distance. Nothing like fresh pasta, vino and gelato. I am sure the animals and farm missed you as much as you missed them!