Sardinia

In January, we planned a beach escape for late June.  We originally focused on Greece, but the exuberant plane prices pushed us to look for other options.  My neighbor spent three years in Sardinia and praised the little Italian Island for its food, wine, beaches, and people.  We booked our cheap Ryan Air tickets, picked our hotel, and dreamed of summer.
 
The day before we left, the kids refused to eat their cereal.  It tasted funny.  "You asked for this breakfast,"  I scolded as I walked out the door for work with a queasy stomach.  Panic ensued as I turned on my computer thinking the whole family would be struck by the stomach flu.  Fevers,  hacking coughs, and vomiting affected our last few family vacations.  "The milk is sour."  Dave informed me an hour later.  "Maybe we should believe the kids sometimes."

We arrived in Alghero Tuesday afternoon and spent an hour waiting in line at the wrong car rental shop.  Once we secured our car from Thrifty, not Hertz, we checked into our hotel and walked to the centro storico - the historic center.  Considered a modern city by Sardinian standards, the Genoese established Aleghero in the 11th century.  Signs from long ago stil hang throughout the city.

As we walked, we noticed he Italy game on flat screens on every corner.

The Spaghetteria Al Solito, known for its relaxed atmosphere and pasta with a range of sauces, kindly seated us at 7:00, thirty minutes before their usual opening time.

Owen and Emily joined some local kids in a World Cup soccer match in the courtyard while we ate.

The reasturant owner loved the kids.  He invited Owen to watch the game in the front row and then gave them ice cream cones as we left.

The next day, we arrived early at a white sand, crystal clear beach.

In the evening, we strolled the old city wall

and checked out the boats.

Emily pretended to be me.

Hiking in Taunus

A few weeks ago, while Emily partied with her friends, Dave, Owen and I completed a two hour hike around Celtic ruins in Taunus, a town 15 minutes from Frankfurt and home to Emily's school.   Owen's stamina and enthusiasm surprised us both.

He apparently worries about his aging parents as by the end he insisted we use walking sticks.

Final Day of Cooking in Tuscany

We woke up to cappuccino, cantaloupe, and fresh bread.  I quickly learned to froth milk on the stove with a simple tool that costs a tenth of the "Aerochino" price.  A family from Westchester, NY joined us at 9:30 for this class.  The mother, a lawyer, entertained us with the story of how she met her husband, a man 15 years her junior.  We made pici pasta-native to Tuscany, tiramisu with hard lady fingers, and veal cooked in a broth.

After we ate our meal, our Italian driver returned us to the airport to fly back to our real lives.