Buon Natale, y'all

Skating in Salzburg

Our group gathered in Salzburg for some ice skating near the Salzburg's Christmas Market.  This was the highlight of the weekend for our kids.

Probably because they got to have so much fun being silly with their friends.

After a few minutes on the ice, they quickly had their skating legs under them again.

Well, maybe not Cory, but then again I think he liked falling as much as skating!

Lucy, who had never been a big fan of Freedom Rink, really had fun skating around the rink with the various polar creatures as supports.

And with her daddy.

I chose to protect the camera and stay off the ice, but we squeezed together for a family shot with a statue of Mozart in the background.

It was a fun time for us all!

Thanksgiving in Salzburg Round 2

If you remember last year we were able to join up with a group and spend Thanksgiving in Salzburg just after arriving in Italy (we were still in the Base Hotel looking for a house).   We had so much fun as a group we decided to do it again.

I'll split this blog up into multiple posts.  Today I'll focus on people and time spend in the Chalet.

One of our friends found this amazing house that would sleep over 30 and had room for our 6 different families all with kids.  It was in the small town of Wagrain, about 45 minutes south of Salzburg.

The city has a link to the original Silent Night story but I'll get to that on another day.

Of course one of the first things I had to do was enjoy some German  beer.  One of the families that joined us lives in Germany now. They brought German beer and we brought Italian Wine.

Speaking of drinks.  Of course the place did not have the refrigerator space for 6 families and an American style Thanksgiving feast.  Luckily it was cold enough that the outside deck served as an extra large cooler.

We also used the same deck area to smoke our turkey's (x3).

The families all pitched in and created quite a feast.  There was so much food.  The leftovers kept us in business for days.

This kids enjoyed the small bedrooms and bunk-beds where they could relax with their friends.

The boys spent more time in front of the flat screen TV and the gaming system.

What would thanksgiving be without Football?  One of the guys has the NFL package to watch the games overseas.  With some creative electronic rigging we had a giant projection screen soon set up.

Standing tall for the National Anthem.

The Razorbacks are a tradition for me on the day after Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately CBS does not offer an overseas subscription service, so we had to be more creative in our internet viewing and the resolution did not support the projection.  But we still huddled around to watch some College ball.

Some of the german appliances required some team effort to make them work.  Here the three of us try to get the fan working.  We eventually had to call in the family that lives in Germany.  It was a multi-button maneuver to make it turn on.  Why not just an off/off?

The chalet had a hot-tub the kids all enjoyed.  It was not as warm as they wanted it to be, but the parents were all right with it being just a warm bath and not steaming with so many little ones playing in it.

The girls pose, showing off the stylish robes...

The robes were too big for Lucy, but I made her wear boots to walk out on the cold stone.

The Chalet also had plenty of internet...and we all took advantage of it.  There seemed to be iPads, iPhones, and Laptops everywhere.

The weather was very sunny and dry.  No snow.  The skiing season was supposed to have started, but the weather was not cooperating yet.

Some fun people pics.

Of course Cory brought Legos to share.  

Another cute pic of Lucy...is she ever not cute?

Family photo on the day we left...still no snow.

Ok everybody get together for a group shot...

Next up...Spending Friday in Salzburg...

I'm Smart!

I'm Smart--I Eat Tacos!

This is the phrase Mary's been telling us for the past couple of days...don't know where it came from.  She only recently started eating tacos, too, so it's an even stranger announcement.  Glad for her silliness!

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Today was Lucy's day.  The living room was decorated with balloons and streamers just for her.  We started by giving her a high chair for her doll Lauren.  She enjoyed cupcakes with her friends at school Co-Op.

We dined at Lucy's favorite restaurant - Mario's.

She's not one to pose for the pic unless she is in the mood.  She always orders this same dish at Mario's.  Tortelloni alla Panne e Prosciutto

Lucy snuggles with me while I read her Birthday card.

Just before we we lit the candles and sang the big song.

Are ya one...are ya two...

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Roma Movie

Here's a collection of some of the sights we enjoyed in Rome in full motion...

In Depth Coverage

Pumpkin Festival

Not long after our arrival here (nearly one year ago, now!), we were told about a pumpkin festival that was a MUST to visit.  So, for nearly 11 months we've been anticipating this festival in Venzone, a town only about 30-45 miles away (but 1 to 1 1/2 hours driving time away!)

We arrived later in the afternoon than we had hoped due to a Saturday afternoon play rehearsal (blog to follow of the Alice in Wonderland production)--the horrors, right?  Therefore, my pictures leave something to be desired.  However, here's a little of what we saw.

A walled city, with a bell tower beckoning us from our parking spot (we parked about 1/2 mile away).

Pumpkin everything!  Pumpkin crepes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin wine, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin gnocchi, pumpkin frico, pumpkin soup, pumpkin frittata...

Costumed people, flame throwers, torture machines, sword/shield and flower crown vendors, fortune tellers and games that we have on our iphone!

Skilled carvers, making amazing things from pumpkins and gourds, and taking pumpkin carving to a whole nother level!

An enormous cat that strangely resembles Mary Beth!

It was a fantastic evening in Northern Italy.

We'll be back next year, I'm sure!