It is hard to believe we will be back in Canada in just a few days and I feel truly lucky that one of our last destinations was a personal favourite. It helps to appreciate this experience even more! We just spent 10 days in the south western Algarve (thanks to great recommendations from family and friends) and if you are an ocean/beach/coast lover like me, the scenery doesn’t get much better than this.

A four hour train ride or similar length drive from Lisbon will land you in the south western corner of Europe. The chilly Atlantic Ocean stretches out before you and paths down from the towering cliffs lead you to pristine beaches offering lots of personal space, as well as slightly busier ones where you can marvel at surfers in action. This corner of the coast is devoid of big hotels so the vibe is very sleepy. It also feels incredibly safe. Our hosts were relaxed and friendly, and it felt like a place where you you would never really need to lock your door. A perfect pace after being on the road for 5.5 months.

With a rental car you can choose a different beach everyday, pack a delicious picnic and you are set. The temperatures in June are around 25 degrees (perfect with sunshine and a breeze). The waters are a much colder 18-20 degrees so swimming is basically a no-go without a wetsuit. You don’t have to feel guilty about reading your book all afternoon while your kids make sandcastles/rock climb and then just run into the surf for a minute to refresh every so often.

There are also awesome walks and hikes to be had. You can stroll along the tops of the cliffs at Cabo Sao Vicente and look down at crazy, cliff edge fisherman while truly feeling on the edge of the Earth. Being close to the wilder, west coast makes for some stunning sunsets and our best evening included a drive along the Pontal de Carrapateira – a 9km dirt road between Praia Amado and Praia Bordeira. We drove this route with endless photo stops, but biking or walking it would also be very accessible.

By the end of our stay we were inspired to try some surfing lessons and while we would all qualify ourselves as true beginners, just wearing a wetsuit and walking on these postcard beaches makes you feel pretty cool. Our first surf day was at Praia Amoreira. This beach is unique as hills give way to dunes and then a wide sandy beach, while at the south end a river flows out to the coast alongside the cliffs offering a warmer spot to swim or take a dip. I am already planning a return trip (in my mind) to this corner of Europe one day, and will hopefully brush up on my Portuguese and surf skills in the meantime! Care to join me anyone?

Hello! It feels good to be posting again after my little holiday from the trip in the countryside. In this post I am going to tell you all about my experience in the Italian province of Tuscany!

In the morning, we walked from our Airbnb in Bologna to Autovia Car Rental. We picked up our car, it was a Hybrid Kia Niro. We started to drive toward our accommodation, Villa Barbaiano. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called La Martellina in a small town called Santa Cristina. We all ordered porchetta (pork) sandwiches and the adults got coffee and Chianti Wine (the wine from that area) . We continued to drive and eventually got to Villa Barbaiano. Denise and I were really excited because there was supposed to be a pool there. When we got there the host said the pool was closed. We were really bummed and mad because the place advertised that the pool had been open since June 1st. The host was also very unwelcoming and the beds did not have blankets. After the host left we decided to look on Airbnb for  a place with a pool. After searching Airbnb we decided to have dinner. After dinner I looked some more on Airbnb and found a place that looked good so I saved it, and went to bed.

The next morning we went for breakfast in the closest town to Villa Barbaiano, Monte San Savino. While eating at a cafe we booked the place I had found the night before. We walked around Monte San Savino, went up the clock tower and then drove back to Villa Barbaiano to pack up before moving to a better villa. We were happy to arrive at Agriturismo Tontenano that night and the next day we planned to drive to Siena for a daytrip.

Here is the Campo (main square) in Siena. We had bought groceries and had a delicious picnic on the Campo. The Campo is shaped like a shell. Twice a year on the 2nd of July and the 16th of August, the Palio di Siena bareback horse race is held around the edges of the Campo. This  event involves all 17 districts of Siena. The winner is the horse that is first to cross the finish line after three rounds with or without its jockey. (The jockeys sometimes get thrown off). A lot of people hang out at the Campo and have picnics. We wanted to climb the tower but it was too expensive💰and it was 503 steps to the top!

On our 2nd day at Agriturismo Tontenano we went to a sheep and goat cheese farm near a town called Montalcino. We got a tour of how they milk the sheep and the goats and they showed us their sheep, goats, pigs, and dogs. The tour guide said the farm used to use Sardinian Sheep but they needed to graze far out of the farm and apparently wolves would hunt the sheep in the daytime while they were grazing far away from the farm. The farm used to have 1000 Sardinian Sheep but they have lost 500 due to wolf issues. Now the farm has invested in French Sheep that are fine with staying in the barn most of the time.  At the end of the tour they gave us  6 different cheeses to try. My favourite was the fresh goat cheese.

This is me diving into the pool at Agriturismo Tontenano. The pool was 16 x 8 metres big and ranged from 70 centimetres to 3 metres in depth. I think I might rate the Agriturismo Tontenano pool a 9 out of 10. This was my 2nd swim since Koh Chang in Thailand so I was excited to have good enough weather to swim in.

Here is the playground at Agriturismo Tontenano. The 2 ring hoops were good for doing flips. There was also ping-pong but you can’t see it in this picture because it is beside the pool. We had a great time in Tuscany and I hope I get to go again! 

Hello loyal readers. It’s Becca – Evan & Denise’s aunt and Jess’ sister. What a thrill to be a guest writer on this blog! And what a treat to join the Rosen family on part of their travels in Italy. It is a country I have been wanting to explore.

When Jess and Dan suggested going to Bologna, I said sure! I did not know much about Bologna, and didn’t have much energy for travel research – as many of you know, I have a 3 month old baby who has been keeping me occupied 🙂 The little I did know about Bologna is that it is famous for food – and as many of you know, I am famous for eating, cooking, and just thinking about food. So this sounded like a good destination to me. Happily, Bologna offered delicious food and more.

A unique feature of Bologna are the porticoes that cover its sidewalks. We learned that there are 45km of porticoed sidewalks in the city. We walked only a portion of them, but we covered a lot of ground. Pushing a new baby cousin in the stroller was a good motivator for our walks, as you can see in the photo below. I don’t think I pushed it once the whole time.

One of our longer walks was to the university, which is the oldest in Europe founded in 1088. There we visited a museum showcasing scientific artifacts, experiments, and wax replicas of body parts used in the medical school. We also ventured just outside the historic centre to a big park called Giardini Margherita. This was a highlight for me. It was a sunny warm day, and there were lots of people enjoying the park – lounging in the grass, playing in the playground, and strolling on the paths.

Our accommodation was an apartment in the Centro Storico, close to many of Bologna’s attractions including the Due Torri (two towers), Piazza Maggiore, and Quadrilatero district. The Quadrilatero is home to delis, fishmongers, and produce stands. We did some good eating and shopping in this area. One day we had a lunch of fresh handmade pasta and another we bought picnic food at Salumeria Simoni. Some delicious highlights included marinated white anchovies, caramelized figs, and squacquerone cheese (kind of a cross between fresh mozzarella and cream cheese, native to the region around Bologna). On our last full day in Bologna, we took a mini train/bus to the Santuario Madonna di San Luca, situated on a hill with beautiful views over the city and countryside. It is also possible to reach the church on the Via San Luca, a nearly 4km walkway with over 600 porticoes leading from the city and up the hill. This route is used by people participating in processions to the church, and from what we saw, also by joggers and dog walkers. The story of the church is that there was a sign from god to bring an icon of the Madonna from Turkey to this exact location in Bologna (don’t quote me on this! It’s just my best recollection from the audioguide on the mini train). It was certainly a scenic setting.We finished the day back in the city at Piazza Santo Stefano where we partook in the local custom of aperitivo, early evening drinks and snacks. Jess had an Aperol Spritz, I had a Campari Spritz, Denise had a virgin mojito, Evan had a mixed fruit smoothie, and Dan had a local micro-brew beer.

While we were sitting in the square, we spotted our arch nemesis – a boy wearing a Golden State Warriors t-shirt! We had a good laugh trying to think of one liners to razz him with. In the end, we let him be as he was just a kid. Raptors in 7 baby!!!