The Tuscany trip

(photo of where we stayed)

So, here I sit with a piece of Crostata di Prugne* and a mug of decaf tea (both holiday purchases) knowing full well I shouldn't eat one more sweet thing today but what the hell, it's the last day of my holiday and tomorrow I go low carb/low sugar and repair days-worth of bread/olive oil/pasta/cheese/biscuits/pizza damage...

We ended up leaving just after 9pm on Tuesday night after picking the dvd player up from Christine C's place. The girls were quickly asleep which was relaxing for Michael and I. Lucinda rang on my mobile and it was fun telling her we were on our way to Italy.

I slept a bit which is really strange for me but I was so knackered. We arrived at Alessandria just before 1am, got our room key, put the girls to bed (they were already in their pj's) and got into bed. The junior suite was good - enough room for what we needed and clean.

Breakfast was included so the girls and MK had their cereal, pastries, bread roll and I stuck with fruit, youghurt and dried bread with jam. It was all down hill from there.

We left around 10am and the trip was bearable. The dvd player was brilliant, even got Charlotte watching a bit of Humphrey B Bear (which was funny as it looks like the only way we can interest C in the telly is by strapping her in front of it). We found our way to Cavriglia then came to a dead-end at some mini-castle thing on a hill overlooking these valleys. Called the bloke and he came to rescue us. I mean, he showed us the way back to the place we were staying.

Which was set in olive groves. The setting was gorgeous - looking out over the valleys and even across to the castle-thing we'd been stranded on. Picture perfect. I can see why they do photo shoots in Tuscany. Not a bad pic around us. Old, beautifully preserved stone building with flowers creeping up the side? Tick. Wooden farm gate with interesting tree? Tick. Valley across to mountain with soft lighting and olive trees? Tick. Old stone steps leading up to old farm building? Tick? Stone wall bordering vegie patch growing rosemary, sage and assorted greens? Tick.

So where we stayed was part of a bigger building being converted by the owner into wine tasting rooms and direct sales for his olive oil and wines. Our part had stone (brick?) floors and a high roof with space for a four-burner hot plates and sink and microwave that didn't work. In this open space was a big open fireplace and dining room table. Off from this main space was a living room with tv (only used by Lily to watch tv in the mornings), a bathroom (with a washing machine that we used), and three bedrooms (he'd only made up two of the rooms - one with a queen and the other with two singles...there was no cot and they one we bought with us didn't click into place so Charlotte had her first go at sleeping in a big girls' bed which went ok all things considered, especially as she was so tired each night).

Michael made a fire each night as this was our only source of heat and it was freezing. First night wasn't so great but the next two nights his fires were excellent. After the girls were in bed he and I would sit by the fire and read. He'd read his maps or guide books and I'd read In her Shoes, the book he bought me for my birthday (and I finished it the last night). Which makes a big change from most nights here where I am on the computer and he is usually reading.

After we settled in on Wednesday afternoon we headed into Montevarchi to the big IperCoop. We are nerds cos we love supermarkets. Not gonna apologise for that. And this hyper-Coop was a beauty - the fresh foods were outstanding and the choice was amazing. They were making fresh pizza and the toppings looked so yummy. This is what we ended up having for dinner (a good choice as they were busy so the pizzas were fresh) and the crust alone was to die-for. Thin and crunchy, just perfect. Ok, so I can't remember all the toppings - margahrita for the girls and for us? But it was the best pizza and I'm glad we didn't order pizza again while we were away as I'm sure it wouldn't have measured up. We also bought supplies for breakfast and some other bits n' pieces.

The next day (Thurs) we had a quiet day around our place. The girls played outside for a bit, then close to lunchtime we went in to Cavriglia and bought some lunch at the small Coop there. Back at the place we set up the outdoor table and had green bowtie pasta with arugula, olive oil and cheese and bread for lunch. Then a fruit and nut bread for dessert. The weather was mostly sunny and mild and I indulged by reading my book outside for a lot of the afternoon. We tried putting Charlotte down for a nap but there was no chance in a big girls' bed. We gave up easily and let her and Lily play together.

Back to IperCoop late that afternoon and bought lots more goodies - stuff for dinner (including slices of pork from a real pig that was heavily seasoned with salt and rosemary), olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I ended up bringing 5 botttles of olive oil back including a bottle made by the guy at our place...when we arrived there was a small bottle of his olive oil and a regular bottle of his red for us).

Our plan for Friday was to go into Florence by train from Montevarche, which was 15mins from where we were staying. After lots of stuffing around and mis-information about the train (ie the train didn't go into Florence at 10 past the hour and only take 15mins, all trains took at least an hour) we ended up driving into Florence which took just under an hour. Once we found a park (not so hard) we walked toward the main area and found a place for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering around Florence. Well, as much as you can wander with a 4.5 year old and a nearly 2 year old. They actually did quite well and I only lost the plot once (with Lily as she kept whining she was hungry and it was driving me nuts). As usual Lily wanted to ride in the stroller and Charlotte either wanted to walk or be carried (and me with the dicky back history was the chosen carrier). We didn't see a lot of other little people in Florence and our kids seemed to get a bit of attention. Positve attention which is always the kind you crave.

I'm not good on sights which is just as well as we didn't go inside anything, nor did we spend oodles of time in one place. But we did see the Duomo (is that what it's called?), a big statue of the underwater guy in some big square, the Uffizi gallery and the Ponte Vecchio. Oh, and outside the Uffizi Lily wanted her photo taken with a busker dressed like a statue. So she paid her money and had her photo taken.

We left around 5pm and it took us a while to find our way out of Florence and onto the autostrada. Then Charlotte lost the plot somewhere along the way and screamed and screamed. MK and I tried singing songs to distract her but she just screamed 'stop' so we did. Eventually. She was happy as a clam when we got home and she could play in the car and not be strapped in it (I have no idea why but she loves playing in the car, weird).

Yesterday (Sat) was Siena so we drove in the opposite direction along a windy road for nearly an hour, once again found a good park and climbed five escalators till we reached the top (near a church called San Francesco) and walk into the main area. Siena was really groovy with the architecture and being a walled city (ok so I'll never get a job as a travel writer). We found a place for lunch just of the main square (recommended by our travel book) and the kids ate more pasta. I had a Tuscan bean soup with bread in it (the lady told me to have olive oil but not parmesan on it) and then a big salad. MK had a mushroom soup then gnochhi with a delicious sauce (and ditto for never getting a job as a food writer).

Walked around a bit, eventually bought Lily her much desired asked for icecream and went and sat in that big square with the old building surrounding it. The sun was shining, the crowd was mellow, the kids were happy. It was pretty nice.

When we left there we had a look inside the entrance area to the big tower and Lily lost the plot when we told her we couldn't join the queue to got to the top of the tower. But she could come back as an adult to have a look.

Like the journey to Siena, the journey home was very relaxed. Spooky. The kids were quiet and mellow (yes, I can use the word twice). I 'blame' the kids french song CD...they are nice songs and the girls always enjoy it.

Because breaking the trip up on the way there had worked so well we decided to do the same thing for the return trip. So I booked the same hotel in Alessandria and when we got home from Siena yesterday afternoon we spent our time packing, cooking and eating dinner, loading the car and showering the girls. It was a bit much but we managed to get it all done. We left our place in Tuscany at 7.45pm. The girls laughed and played in the backseat for a while, then C fell asleep. It took Lily a little while longer, and then it was all quiet. Once again I dozed off (a couple of times) and we arrived in Alessandria around midnight.

Which is when I remembered that I had left our passports behind. Sh*t. I had put them in our bedside table before we went to Florence then completely forgot about them. Usually it's Charlotte who puts weird things in cupboards that you have to double-check for. Anyway, MK had bought the photocopy versions which he handed over to the hotel last night (in lieu of the real document which for some reason they require at hotels here). And this morning I tried ringing Mirko at Poggi del Chianti with no luck. So I texted him and he responded later. The up-shot is he got our passports (passaports to him) and he will send them by registered post tomorrow. Good man.

This morning we had the hotel breakfast and were on the road at 10.15am. I had put everything we needed, like today's clothes, at the top of our suitcases so there was no big unpacking to find things business like there was the first time round.

We stopped a few times for petrol and food but not long stops. The girls ate junk all day (as did I) - lots of different cookies mainly and then I gave them the chocolate milk. And then Lily went nuts saying she needed to do pee-pee. So we found the closest petrol station (around Martigny). By which time it was too late (in our defence she had given us like zero warning, in her defence nothing). So we stopped for a change of clothes and a wipe down.

But on the whole today went OK. A day filled with watching tv and eating snacks is pretty much Lily's idea of heaven (Lion King and Nemo today, other day it was also Cat in the Hat). Charlotte is a bit harder but she did alright. Only had a 35 minute nap though.

We got in a bit after 3pm so it was a five hour driving day. Long enough for me. And now I am knackered. It it nearly 10.30pm and if I went to bed now it went be an early night. Should I push the boat out and treat myself?


*a yummy prune tart I bought in Siena along with a mix of orange, sultana and almond cantucci (like biscotti), breads and chocolate milk for the girls.