It's been an exciting (and exhausting) few weeks for our little family! We decided in May to go ahead and book this trip to Italy since my sister would be there with her in-laws and it was a sort of halfway point between where she lives and Dubai. At the time, we didn't know we were moving back to Houston, otherwise, we probably would have chosen something a little more local.
In fact, we almost cancelled the trip at the last minute. L picked up an ear infection about a week before we left, and she didn't respond to the initial antibiotics. 2 days before our scheduled travel date, I took her back to the doctor for stronger antibiotics, and her fever finally broke the morning of our scheduled flight.
We decided to try to pack light since there are no cars in Venice, and we'd have to haul all of our luggage around - so we limited ourselves to 2 big suitcases, 3 backpacks, a yoyo stroller, and a mountain buggy bagrider suitcase. No carseats! Since we opted not to take carseats, we took the Dubai Metro to the Airport in the morning. I was trying to take photos of the girls being cute (specifically L), and in the middle of a photo, G suddenly jumps up and says, "I forgot my backpack at home! I have to go!" and starts running for the door. His backpack had all of our documents - passports, paper printouts of train tickets and flight info, all the things we needed for the trip!
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| Daddy forgot something very important!! |
Fortunately, we were only 4 stops away from home - he rushed home, took a taxi to the airport, and actually beat us there! He actually had to lug our 2 big suitcases with him since Miss J was carrying L, and I had Baby H and her stroller - the two of us didn't have any extra free hands to carry more suitcases!
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| Daddy still beat us to the airport - we're all checked in and ready to go! |
The flight to Milan was ok. Baby H slept some, L slept a little bit, and we kept crying and breakdowns to a minimum. It was definitely a long 6 1/2 hours, followed by a 1-hour train ride into the city from the airport. We checked into our hotel across the street from the train station around 5pm, ordered dinner, and all went to bed - no photos at the hotel because we were so exhausted! Plus, G, L, and I were all still sick, coughing and congested, so we were doubly tired. We did our best to get some sleep, and it was still a pretty rough night. The next morning, we had a low key breakfast, then wandered around the train station before boarding our Frecciarossa high speed train to Turin!
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| Off to Turin we go! This is pretty much our only photo in Milan since 3 of us were still coughing and tired. |
In Turin (aka Torino) we rented a lovely little AirBnB about a 15 minute walk from Piazza Castello, the main hub of tourism in the city and the area where G's Aunt Robyn and Cousin Hilary were staying. So far on this trip, we'd been on an airplane and two trains, so it was time to take an automobile -- we took the bus from the train station to our AirBnB. It was a SUPER bumpy bus ride since many Italian roads are still cobblestone, and poor L was hanging on to Miss J for dear life! I was also hanging on to Baby H's stroller so unfortunately no photos of the bus. Fortunately for all of us, it was only 5 harrowing stops!
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| As we explored our neighborhood, we found so much greenery, compared to Dubai! |
We had planned to meet up with G's family for dinner, but they got stuck in some traffic on their way from Geneva and were tuckered out that evening. We decided to meet up at the Egyptian Museum the next day, and we all called it a night.
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| The girls showing their Texan roots from abroad - both outfits purchased by Daddy |
The next morning, we bussed down to Piazza Castello and slowly made our way to the Egyptian Museum. We had to stop a few times to feed Baby H and change some diapers, and we met up with G's family. It was so good to see them again, and introduce them to Baby H! We also met Hilary's 2 sons, and had a lovely time at the museum. Granted, museums are somewhat lost on kids under 5 years old, but the Egyptian collection in Turin is pretty incredible! Afterwards, we had lunch on the piazza, and it was like something out of a movie - Hilary, her kids, G, L, and Miss J were running around chasing birds and feeding them bread while Baby H napped in my arms and G's Aunt & Uncle relaxed at the table. I couldn't have been happier, it was like the quintessential Italian moment. I was so content, I forgot to take pictures!
The next day, we relaxed and wandered around our neighborhood and Miss J took the girls in the evening so G and I could have "adult" dinner with Hilary. We're so thankful to have been able to bring Miss J with us, both because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for, and because she is a huge help to G and I so we can also relax on our family vacation!
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| Delicious risotto...and not pictured here is the yummy wine! |
Our last day in Turin, we took it easy, meeting up with Hilary and her older son, and going to the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptiste to see the Shroud of Turin. We had some snacks, and coffee, and ice cream, and another lovely morning with family before going separate ways. Hopefully we'll get to see them all again soon!
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| Miss J and L took this photo of the rest of us (after changing Baby H's poopy diaper on the ground haha) |
That afternoon, we packed up and got ourselves ready for next leg of our journey. G, L, and I had finally turned the corner on whatever illness had been plaguing us, which meant everyone was sleeping better and was generally in a better mood. Next stop: Venice!
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