Day 4 and 5

Italy Day 4 Pisa

Today we went to Pisa to see the leaning tower. It was impressive. There were allot of tourists trying to get that photo of holding the tower up. It’s not as easy as one may think. I tried to get that shot but people kept walking in to my shot. So many people!!! Jessica was not happy to wait, so I said forget it. But the tower is cool. You need to buy tickets on-line to go up the tower. They charge you around 20 Euros and they only let 35 people up each half hour. You can not go up the tower if you are under 8 years old. We skipped that part! I also saw very little security. I would be careful not to bring anything important with you. I’m sure the whole square is full of pick pockets. I did have 6 people ask me to take their photos for them. They handed me their very expensive cameras. I’m not sure I would ever be that trusting!
I bought Philip, Thomas and Sarah new hats. Thomas wanted a BMW hat because he is German. That’s what he said! Sarah and Philip got Ferrari hats. Jessica got a T-shirt. I guess Nicole is saving up for something real nice (she has expensive taste). I bought the cutest little espresso cup with the leaning tower. Yesterday I bought a green Vespa espresso cup. I guess I’ll buy a small collection of espresso cups? We will see. If you don’t like espresso you can always use them for egg cups. Maybe I will have an Italian breakfast for my next birthday?

We drove to the coast to take a quick look. We had to try the ice cream. I have to say it was not as good as our local ice dealer. One must try! I guess it’s good news for us if the best ice cream in the entire world is at the end of our street! Oh, before I forget, Juergen bought the most amazing white bread with a hard crust for breakfast. The jam I have didn’t do this bread justice. It was great! I think it was baked in a wood oven. You can get super bread in Germany (understatement) but this is the best white bread I’ve ever had. It would be perfect with olive oil and fresh mozzarella cheese and tomato’s. Maybe a little prosciutto ham and fresh basil. I love the food here! Simple and wonderful!
Finally Juergen found me an internet connection at the tourist information center in Lucca. It cost allot (7 Euro per hour), and it’s very slow. The kids waited 45 mins in the car while I posted my blog. But the good news is they rent bikes at this tourist center. So now when I post my blog, the family will go for a bike ride.

We are back at the villa. Sarah and Philip are swimming. Juergen is teaching Thomas computer programming (visual basics). Jess and Nicole are taking a nap. I am going to make dinner. I feel good I could post my blog. I didn’t have time to read my mail. I hope everyone is well. I’m not sure what we will do next. We are having a good time.

Italy day 5

Jessica is not sleeping well. She goes to bed at 9pm and wakes up at 4 am. At home she will go to bed at midnight and sleep until 8 or 9am. This is more the hours Juergen and I are use to. Late to bed, late to rise. So we are taking turns with her. I slept with her, and was up from 4 until 7am. Then Juergen had her for a few hours while I slept. Jessica is not adjusting very well. I tried to drag her into the pool. I have scratched up arms, and she stayed about 1 minute. So I gave her a long shower instead. I think the pool will be easier next time. Autism is the pits what can I say. But you have to try to get her to move out of her comfort zone. It’s good for her. She will eventually swim even if it’s the last day of the vacation.

Nicole has a bad cold. She is in bed. I’m doing some laundry. We are taking it easy today. I’ll do some reading. It’s the weekend and I don’t care to face the crowds at the beach or museums. I can wait until Monday for that. We have another week.

I will not post again until Mon or Tues.