Wknd in Toledo & Madrid

Brian and I just celebrated our 14th anniversary.  So crazy how fast time can fly!  Brian had work in Madrid, so I was able to tag along for the weekend and we celebrated in Spain sans kids!  Because we only had two days here, we had to really pack our sightseeing in...we spent most of our time in the old city of Madrid and our favorite, Toledo.

After exploring the charming streets of Toledo, we bought tickets for the tower tour of the Toledo Cathedral.  The interior of the cathedral is super ornate and gorgeous.  And the views from the top of the tower were perfect.  I love how the architecture of every European city we've been to is so unique.

On Sunday, we made it to church and then walked home through Retiro Park, where a massive marathon was going on.  Not only was the park gorgeous, but it's always fun to feel the energy of a big race and the culmination of all of the hard work.  

Fourteen years ago on April 27, Brian and I were as happy as our young-twenty-selves could have imagined.  Who knew that life would give us so many tough AND fun adventures?!  

San Gimignano

We made a stop in San Gimignano- the epitome of a Tuscan hill town with 14 medieval towers still standing, this place feels perfectly preserved.

Entering the city through the Porta San Giovanni, or as us Americans may call it, the main street. :)  

This view is Tuscany in a nut-shell.  Rolling hills covered with olive, grape and cypress trees, studded with gorgeous villas.

We landed at the Piazza della Cisterna, named for the cistern that is served by the old well standing in the center of the square (above).  

Gelateria Dondoli- world champion gelato.  Say no more.  It was creamy, cold perfection.  

Hilltop views at the Rocca...amazing, and the perfect stop to end our tour of San Gimignano.

This beautiful old church was a stone's throw from where we were staying for the week.  Because Brian got sick during our stay, we spent a lot of time on the property of our villa while he recovered.  The kids literally spent 8 hours straight playing outside on one of the days.  Clearly, they needed the time to be outside with unstructured activities, using their imaginations and soaking all of this gorgeous nature in.  That is until they found some potent red berries that they used to write their names on the walls of our villa.  Oh man. We can laugh now because it came out after some serious scrubbing, but it was one of those moments where you want to scream "what were you thinking?!".

I'm so glad we came to Tuscany, we saw some amazing stuff, but I was even happier that we were "forced" to slow down and do almost nothing.  Just what we needed, as evidenced by our kids dirt-stained clothes and sun-kissed cheeks...always the sign of a great vacation.

Florence

We stayed in an Air BnB about 30 minutes drive outside of Florence, so it was only natural that we visited this amazing city...twice!  We just loved this culturally rich, beautiful, and exciting place- there is so much to do and see!

We parked our rental and walked about 15 minutes through the side streets and into the main square.  We couldn't see much as far as the main attractions go as we went, but the instant we came out from behind a building, the incredible Il Duomo di Firenze just jumped right out at us with its colorful grandeur...we don't know how we didn't see it as we walked because it is massive, but it was the most incredible surprise. Pictures just cannot do the colors and size and scope of this edifice any justice at all- I have never seen anything quite like it.  We waited a good long time to climb to the top of Giotto's famous bell tower for views of the city and the cathedral from above.  While we waited, the kids chased pigeons and each other.  Mom and Dad made sure we soaked in the people and sights as well as the beautiful music being played by street performers...oh, Italy, you just do it all right.

View from partway up the bell tower (above) and below is the view of the line we waited in.  The stairs to climb to the top of the tower were super narrow and pretty full of people- it definitely kept things interesting.  :)

The view from the top of the tower and the famous dome of the Duomo.  That Firenze skyline isn't too shabby either.  

I am so grateful for these sweet kids that are up for whatever Brian and I plan and really don't complain much.  I love them so much.

After our climb, we wandered the gorgeous streets and, of course, picked up some gelato to keep us company. We also stopped at the Duomo Museum where we saw Michelangelo's Pieta, Donatello's Mary Magdalene and Ghiberti's original bronze "Gates of Paradise" panels.

Walking up, up, up these steps to the Piazza Michelangelo for the very best view of Florence...

Being here you totally get why this was the capital of the Renaissance- its overflowing with amazing art, sculptures, gardens, buildings and eclectic churches.  Above, we let the kids ride this carousel because it looked too perfect to just pass it by.

These two are the best of friends.  They really are.  I mean, sure they fight, but they love each other fiercely and will happily play together for hours on end.  I love watching their sweet relationship build.

My favorite part of Florence was seeing the David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture beautifully created by a 26-year old Michelangelo in the early 1500's.  The detail is just amazing- it really is incredible.  The more time you spend studying the perfect carving, the more you want to study it.  It seriously is one of the most magnificent things I've ever seen.

While Florence may not be the best place to spend time with young kids, I am so happy that we came here.  The city itself is magic and the artwork here is so important for little ones to witness, even if for a brief moment.   

Siena

Our spring break started out with no shortage of excitement!  We loaded a taxi with all of our bags and drove to Victoria Station, so we could catch the Gatwick Express (speed train) to the airport.  When we arrived, we noticed the "closed for repairs" signs all over the entrance...ahhh!  Our taxi had already left, so we hurried (as fast as you can with 4 kids and 6 pieces of luggage) on the tube to London Bridge Station (changing lines once too!), where we would catch a slow train to Gatwick.  Stretched for time already, our hearts were racing- and not just because we were running through the underground with all of our kids/stuff.  Our flight was the last one to Florence on our airline for the day, so if we missed it, we were totally out of luck.  We made it to Gatwick with an hour to spare before our plane left, only to find our budget airline's line about a mile long and slow moving.  Because we had bags to check, we pretty much lost hope of making our flight.  Thank goodness the airline allowed the Florence flight customers to cut the line (big "phew!") and we made it by the skin of our teeth, as my mom would say! :)  After we stopped sweating, we buckled up for the short flight to Florence and our trip to gorgeous Tuscany!

Make sure you click the picture above for a scene from one of the recent Bond movies--shot in this exact place in Siena (and also where Tessa almost got hit by a car when she took off running down the hill!!) 

We arrived late into Italy, got our rental van for the week, and drove the 30 minutes to our villa in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.  It was super late (like 10 PM) when we arrived, but we were hungry and headed out for a dinner down the street.  I don't know why we pushed on, because our kids were toast, but it was a really yummy traditional Tuscan dinner with lots of meat and some pasta.  I couldn't help but notice all of the customers were also young families and they all seemed to be having a party...it made me realize how much the Italians treat dinner as a social experience- they are loud, happy and eat for hours.  I actually really enjoyed seeing the contrast between our American mentality of hurrying through a meal and this- it definitely made me want to slow down and enjoy it (even if my kids were begging us to get the check so they could go to bed!).  

We spent Easter Sunday exploring in Siena- we walked the gorgeous streets, pictured here, admiring the buildings, the gorgeous architecture and the amazing colors...the weather was pretty nice too!  We made an obligatory pit stop in the Piazza del Campo (as seen above), the city's gathering place and central square.  This medieval square- considered one of Europe's greatest- hosted a bustling market that began before the 13th century!  The square was surrounded by restaurants and gelato shops, it's a nice place to sit, stop and soak it in.  

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Duomo di Siena.  The cathedrals we saw in Tuscany were so unlike anything we've yet seen.  The black and white stripes, the massive towers, colorful marble facades...it was seriously so renaissance! 

We all really liked the interior of this duomo and with places like the Piccolomino Library inside, how could you not?! ;)  

How do we get the kids to behave on these walking tours of old cities and cathedrals, you ask??  Look no further than the above picture.  I think its fair to say that they thought it was totally worth it.  Gelato and Italy go together like peanut butter and chocolate...perfection.

And after you eat that velvety gelato, you have to run around and work it off!  Brian climbed the city hall tower while I relaxed with the kids in the sunshine.  It was one of those sparkly moments where you're looking around, perfect weather, perfect city, amazing gelato. I wanted to freeze time...I know the kids felt it too because they all said it was their favorite part of our day at their bedtimes.

We drove part of Rick Steve's Heart of Tuscany too, which took us to this gorgeous cypress-lined driveway....yes, there was a Tuscan villa at the top of this stunning road (you can kind of see it peeking through).  The tour also took us to Montepulciano and Pienza.  

This was the most beautiful church I have ever seen.  Montepulciano's San Biagio is a Renaissance Greek plan and was the epitome of understated elegance, with its perfect travertine outside and simple interior.  Its setting was equally as stunning, flanked by rolling green Tuscan hills and olive groves- it was a must-see and I'm so glad we got to see it.  

Lauren and Brian went on a long walk to find this little gem of a place...it was way off the beaten path, but a worthy place to hit up on our drive- a real photographer's dream.

York, and a hot shower...

We decided to take advantage of some opportunities for quick and easy weekend getaways and York was right up there at the top of our list.  Its a relatively quick train ride (2 hours from King's Cross to York) and we've heard good things about it.  It's another old, beautiful English city steeped in rich history.  I loooove the history, but man, the architecture of this place was something else.  You can't help but notice the substantial church visible from any part of the city, the amazing York Minster.  Its the 2nd largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe, and the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England.  Brian, Taylor, and Lauren climbed to the top of the tower and the next few pictures are their aerial views...such a beautiful place.

We walked these streets many times- both rain and even snow were seen during our visit.  York has the corner on adorable chocolate and tea shoppes- they were like donut shops in Texas....literally everywhere you turn.  Because it was Mothering Sunday, I treated myself to some fancy and delicious chocolates from the oldest artisan chocolate shoppe in town, Monk's.

We've had our fair share of hot cocoa while living in the UK because we have spent a LOT of time outside in the cold this winter and its been one of our only bargaining chips with our kiddos on our trips.

Because having "tea" (an excuse to gorge on good old-fashioned bakery items) is such big deal in York, we indulged at Bennett's tea house, right across the street from the Minster.  We ate a delicious spread of chocolate muffins, lemon cake, crumpets (hello, America, we need these, stat!), and scones with clotted cream and jam.  Wow- it was so delicious.  Give me carbs all day long and I'd be happy. :)  

After our tea time, we headed back into the Minster to enjoy their Evensong.  I've wanted to go to one of these since we stepped foot on English soil, and this was my first chance.  We all went together and sat in the quire while the boys sang, amidst candlelight and a stunningly ornate church.  I'm so glad we got to go.  Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel (which we picked out based on the fact that it had a pool), so the kids could go swimming. I'm pretty sure this was their favorite part of the trip and I'm also sure they could have swam all night, but we made them get out eventually and they fall asleep to a movie in their room...such a rough life! ;)

We explored for a few more hours the next day and grabbed lunch right before leaving.  I might have eaten the best BBQ sandwich I've had since my days back in Georgia.  So, if you ever find yourself in York, you MUST eat a melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork sandwich with Apple BBQ sauce from Shambles Kitchen.  On our walk back after lunch, we made a stop at the Museum Gardens (pictured above) right off of the River Ouse and right as the sun started shining.  The kids loved jumping and running around on the old ruins and through the cute little play areas hidden by the huge trees.  It was such a beautiful park and was also one of the kids' favorite things we did while we were in York.

 The Shambles is an old street in York, with some stores dating all the way back to the 14th century.  It is a pedestrian street with overhanging timber-framed buildings and narrow alleys...closest real-life place to Diagon Alley we've ever seen (for all you Harry Potter fans).  

On another note, the hot water for our entire building came back on yesterday after being out for SEVEN loooong days.  When you wake up and its 28F outside and your radiator heating is not that spectacular, that is no small thing.  I took 4 cold showers, in which my body literally turned blue by the time I was done.  Torture.  I had to bathe the girls the first night it was out and I boiled 4 big pots of water, and it still didn't touch the temperature.  They were screaming bloody murder for all of our dear neighbors to hear.  Oh man, I felt so bad for them!

 So, I got smart and decided one day that I would lug all of my toiletries across town to Tessa's preschool drop-off and then straight to the gym (about 3 miles with a heavy backpack in the, you guessed it, freezing cold).  I assumed that my gym would have warm showers...I was wrong.  It was like the worst tease ever when their water never warmed up and I had lugged all of my stuff for the same shower I could have had at home! Ugh.  You can bet on the fact that one of the things we were all looking forward to was a nice hot shower at our York hotel, pictured above (by the time we got there, our hot water had been out for 3 days).  I told the girls they wouldn't have to bathe again until our heat was back, no matter how long it took.  It was 4 more days...I am never, ever going to take hot water for granted again.  And, yes, I did a major happy dance when it came back on! :)  

We also visited Clifford's Tower, the keep of York Castle.  At over 9 centuries old, its looking very good for its age.  ;) And, the beautiful dandelions are blooming everywhere you turn.  

Chefchaouen

The very last day of our Moroccan adventure was in the bluest town in the world, Chefchaouen.  Every shade of blue and all of the winding, hilly streets made this another of our favorite stops.  (The warm temps didn't hurt either).  We stayed in a super charming hotel overlooking the entire town and surrounding Rif Mountains.  The backdrop for this place was nothing short of seriously incredible- it was so dreamy.  And, it reminded us of our stay on Hydra in Greece- same layout of a city built into a mountain with great views, painted walls, winding alleys and shops, and the friendliest people.    

The clerk at our hotel told us that the original Jewish settlers painted their homes blue to set them apart, and eventually it caught on.  Plus, it had a practical side-effect.  Because it appears to mosquitoes as if it is running water, they stay away...major bonus.  The blue homes and orange tile roofs was too much perfection in one place!

Lauren lost a tooth in the car before we got to Chefchaouen (it was wiggly before we left and her "goal" was to lose it in Morocco).  If you look closely, you can see the gap, which I think is just about the cutest thing ever.  Something about a gap-toothed child makes me smile. 

Our cute hotel, like a beach-goer's dream.  Below is the view from our hotel, but these pictures just don't really even do it justice.  I could spend a lot of time in this city.  

After we checked in to the hotel, we all got ready to get out and explore.  On the way down the stairs, Brian pulled the muscles in his calf and couldn't even lift his leg.  Poor guy had to stay back and nurse it while we went out.  Nothing is ever as fun without Dad around (and we definitely don't get pictures as nice!) so we didn't stay away for long.  We grabbed lunch at a restaurant overlooking the city, did a quick tour of the biggest kasbah (large family home- this one had been made into a museum), and then headed home. We narrowly avoided a massive and sudden downpour, so we weren't too unhappy about leaving when we did.  We had a delicious dinner at the hotel that night and slept well after a beautiful last day in amazing Morocco.  Early the next morning, we headed to Tangier for our flight out.  

Its hard to summarize a trip like this one in mere words and pictures.  You really have to be there (smell, taste, sound and hear) to understand how this place can open your eyes and make you learn by leaps and bounds.  It was nothing short of magic...it certainly wasn't perfect, but thats what made it memorable.  And, we could not have had better traveling partners in my parents. They're so easy to be around, energetic, adventurous, and so loving with our kids.  Morocco was certainly a trip none of us will ever forget.

All The Way To Fez

From the desert, we drove to Fez, the "Mecca of the West" or the "Athens of Africa," the cultural, religious and actual former capital of Morocco. But on the way, we made some more interesting stops, including feeding monkeys in the cedar forests of Azrou...which happened to be covered in literal feet of snow!!  To go from the desert, to tree-topped mountains covered in snow and monkeys, to a massive old city in a day's time is a testament to the rich diversity of Morocco.   

Below: saying "layhannike" (goodbye in Berber) to our tent village and squeezing some last-minute sand-boarding in.

Apparently monkeys love vanilla wafers because they were so friendly and would take them right out of your hand.  This guy gave our girls several wafers and then lifted Tessa closer so she could reach. Such a fun experience in the Atlas Mountains.

Fez from above...it totally reminded us of Athens.

The mosque (rectangle pillar above) was a hallmark of every single village in Morocco.  There were over 300 in Fez alone, by which we heard many calls to prayer during the day.  I really admire the devotion of the Islamic people and appreciate it on a totally different level after spending so much time in a Muslim culture.  

We stayed in a riad, a typical Moroccan house with an interior courtyard, that is now used as a hotel.  Its really hard to describe the ornate homes in Fez- on the outside they were nothing special (see above), but on the inside they looked like little palaces, adorned with marble floors, tile-covered walls, a fountain, wood carvings, and intricately carved white plaster.  They were just incredible to look at.  Below is a typical geometric pattern of tile-work found in most riads and mosques.  We visited an old ceramic factory while we were there and it was utterly amazing to see all of the steps and hard work that went into creating a design like the one below.

This is the courtyard of our riad (most are open to the sky- ours was not- and have built in drains for rainy days).  We ate breakfast and dinner here and slept in the room with the door open and pictured below.  Can we talk about how beautiful these rugs are too?!

Fez is believed to have one of the world's largest urban pedestrian zones. Winding alleyways ran like mazes through the medina, or old city.  These alleys led to markets selling every kind of imaginable item- like the most gigantic Target of all time ;) filled with camel meat, nougat candies, dried fruits, handmade scarves, ceramics, metal works, clothing, leather goods unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Walking through these souks was a huge cultural experience that we loved...we spent the entire day on a walking tour with our local guide, Aziz.  He told us about all of the elements of design used in a riad and a mosque that tie to the Muslim religion.  It was all so interesting!

The 5 elements of Moroccan design are in this mosque: 1. tile 2. marble 3. plaster 4. wood and 5. a fountain (for cleansing before prayer)

These pictures are from our tour of the ceramic factory.  Above was the first stage of making pottery and the final stage of cutting tiles for intricate patterns below.  Most, if not all, of the people in this factory work here because their fathers worked also worked here- jobs are passed down from one generation to the next.

We bought some pretty salt and pepper shakers in their store, but they broke during the flight home. :( Grandma happened to buy an extra set, and she gifted it to us before she left.

This is probably after some stranger tried to pick Tessa up :)  She was not having it at this point of our trip. How cool are these handmade copper pots for sale? The shop owners were banging them out all right here.

Camel meat for sale!

We visited more rug shops than I'd like to think about (I'm pretty sure Poppy could have done that all day long every day!).  But, this one was the best.  It was in an old gorgeous riad and the salesman was just as charming as they come!  Yes, we bought a rug from him and its in our entry way right now!

The rug we took home is on the floor on the right.

We loved Fez so much...it was a cultural explosion unlike anything we've ever seen.  The people of Fez were so nice and welcoming and they live in a beautiful city full of so much richness.

Sahara Desert- Erg Chebbi

From Marrakech to the Atlas Mountains and the Dades Gorges to the Erg Chebbi dunes of the Sahara desert, we have already seen so many different and incredible landscapes in Morocco. But, this was by far our very favorite.  I've never seen desert like this (outside of the movies) and it was kind of surreal- the orange colored sand dunes as far as you can see, with the amazing blue sky providing a perfect contrast.  It totally felt like the set for Aladdin (they actually have filmed quite a few movies here).  When we arrived, there were camels waiting for us to ride to our campsite...this was my favorite part of our entire trip.

Getting up on the camels was equally terrifying and hilarious.  These amazing and huge animals rise up on their back legs first, which throws you forward so you better make sure you're holding on tight!  Our guides informed us that these were actually dromedaries, not camels (one hump versus two) and that we had to have both hands on the handlebars at all times- it would have been a big fall if you went down.  There had been an unexpected cold front sweeping through Morocco, so it was really, really cold and we all bundled up as best we could for the 45 minute ride to the tents we would be sleeping in.  The ride itself was just awesomely different and so cool- its just one of those things that you can't do anywhere else in the world and in those moments, it feels like this fantastic memory that you can keep forever and ever.

These traditional camel hair tents at Bivouac Merzouga were top-notch camping.  They came with nice beds and LOTS of covers for the cold.  Hot showers, a toilet, working plugs and a sink meant that they were right up my camping alley. :) We had 3 tents between the 8 of us and because we were the only families there, we had the place to ourselves.  For meals, we would gather at the open tent at the top around a big table and ate some of best traditional Berber food--tagine of meats, traditional Moroccan bread (called khobz and its served at all 3 meals every day), rice, french fries, vegetables and always finished with a dessert of fresh fruit (one night they served it sprinkled with cinnamon- so good!).  The food here was so delicious.

On our first morning, we had a traditional breakfast of Moroccan pancakes (called msemen) smothered with cream cheese, honey and jams finished with boiled eggs and more khobz.  We got back on the camels and rode them to our cars so we could visit some local sites.  We went to the black village of Khamlia to see and hear the Gnawa musicians followed by a trip to the old coal mines, where the kids could have spent hours picking out colorful rocks to keep.  We stopped by to see the nomads and how they can make a life in the desert with their families. 

For lunch, we ate traditional Berber pizza at the cutest outdoor cafe right off of the dunes.  It had a swing too (see above), so the kids all took turns swinging in the desert.

At the mines (above and below), picking out rocks and Tessa getting some love from one of our drivers.

(at the pizza cafe above and below).  It was soooo Moroccan and really eclectic.

At the nomad village (where they slept is above and where they cook their food is below).

After we got back from lunch, it was time for the kids' favorite part...sandboarding!  We used old snowboards and climbed the dunes to glide back down.  We spotted the highest dune and decided to climb to the top, which was much harder than it looks so we all got a great workout at the same time! :)  On the way down this really big dune, the sandboard would get going super fast, which was a little bit scary too...I totally bailed on my run because we were going way too fast for my liking.  By the end, the kids were standing up and riding the boards down the dunes instead of sitting...they had so much fun!

Staying in the desert for a couple nights was so singularly unique...I hope this part of our trip stays embedded in my kids' minds forever.

More pictures of our trek into to the camp