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.
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
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...
filled with indescribable sculpture and artwork.
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!!
PS....We may have eaten Gelato every single day we were there....
Oooooh, I miss that now!!
Comments
Glad you are home...morning coffe just wasn't the same while you were away!
Happy it was GRAND . .
Welcome home . . .
Gelato there is nothing like here . . .
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...