Week 47

Labor Day

The second week of school and the kids already get a day off!!

We decided to go into the Dolomite Mountains.  We stayed at the most picturesque little town called Cortina d'Ampezzo.  This is actually the town where part of James Bond - 'For Your Eyes Only' was filmed.

Hotel Alaska - where we stayed.  The mountains look fake!

It was actually really cold!!!  It was such a nice change from the heat in Vicenza but we did NOT pack enough warm clothes!

We actually forgot Whitney's entire suitcase!!  She had to wear Aiden's clothes and luckily some friends came up the next day to hike with us and brought some warmer clothes for her to wear!

Exploring the town

Breakfast at the hotel included a juicing bar!  The kids loved making up different combinations of fruits and veggies to try.

Ready for a long day of hiking!!

The crew before the hike (most of us anyway!)  Get ready for lots of pictures!!!

Poor Kayla!  This had to be hard for her but she did great!!

I was taking pictures and wearing the Go Pro! lol!!

Lago di Sorapiss

After hiking up pretty tough terrain for a little over 4 miles we finally reached the lake.  

The lake was sooooo beautiful and worth the effort!!

By the time Whitney and I got to the Lake the boys had already gotten in the water!!  

They immediately regretted getting in this FREEZING cold water and did not want to get back in to come back to shore

The girls were much smarter than the boys and only put their feet in

Finally dried off but still chilled to the bone!

After hiking another 4 miles back down the mountain the kids (and the parents and dog) were done!
It was a very quiet ride home!

This week Jeremy got serious about our mosquito situation!

I got to have lunch with Whitney and her sweet classmates this week

Since I can't have lunch with the boys anymore now that they are big middle-schoolers - I vow to have lunch with Whitney as often as I can!

The school did a special run in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11 - I loved running around the track with Whitney and her friends.

Ennio Morricone concert at the Verona Colosseum

This was one of those surreal moments when you can't really believe what you are doing.  Jeremy and I got to listen to a concert for one of Jeremy's favorite composers in a Roman Amphitheater, that was built in 30 AD, where gladiators used to fight! 

The arena was beautiful lit up at night!

The insanely long line of people trying to get in.  So glad Jeremy bought tickets in advance!

We ate dinner from our seats while we watched the place fill up!

The upper portions were original stone benches to sit on!

Ennio Morricone has written music for over 500 different movies!  

The music was beautiful and the acoustics were amazing!