Rastoke

This name of this town in Croatia doesn't sound the greatest, and it was not a place we had intended to go.  But it ended up being a magical spot that we are glad we didn't miss!  This was Terry's favorite spot of the whole trip!

From my journal:  

We were supposed to visit Lake Plitvice, but it was pouring rain and we knew the lower lakes were closed (where all the magic is with the paths right next to the falls).  Instead we made a plan that we would see the big falls from an overlook just outside the park (Terry and I scoped it out first) and then visit the town of Slunj-Rastoke, which our host suggested.  

The Overlook

So much water!  This is the biggest falls in Plitvice. 

We went back and saw the overlook from another angle later in the day when we returned from Slunj

Ain't skeered

Slunj

We just loved this little mill town!  Two rivers come together there, and there were falls galore.  It was also a time of extremely high water.  We ate a great lunch (my favorite meal so far) at Petro’s, in a little hut right on top of a waterfall.  It had a fire in the fireplace and was so cozy. 

Noah said we were eating right in the middle of a natural disaster.  I had some grilled veggies - and they tasted so good.  Caleb got bear meat goulash.  Noah got a burger (Hamby Bambi from the kid’s menu) and Meredith got a hot dog (Smiley from the kid’s menu).  We all cleaned our plates.  

Then we walked along the falls.  Amazing!  I just loved our time there - maybe more because it was unexpected, unplanned.  There was enough of a break in the rain to enjoy it, and I kept thinking that we would have missed this town on our original plan.

Venice

Terry and I actually got to visit Venice twice!  When we arrived in Mirano mid-afternoon on a Sunday, the kids were tired and didn't want to go into Venice.  Caleb was also feeling poorly.  So Terry and I went on a date to Venice!  It wasn't sunny, but it also wasn't very crowded.  

Thanks to FB, I had discovered that some dear friends of ours were also in Venice.  We arranged for all of us to meet them for lunch the next day.  After lunch we split up.  Terry and I hung out with our friends, Caleb and Meredith headed back to our AirBnB because Caleb had a fever, and Noah took off on his own to look at art and search for the perfect meal.

I'd been told that Venice was really overrated, but I quite enjoyed it!  We did not ride a gondola as it was about $100 each!  I was really wishing we could drive our own boat!

Rialto Bridge - Smile, Terry!

with the Franks

We really enjoyed going up in this tower!

there was a Batman boat playing the theme song

Noah love galleries.  I liked the colors the artist used here. 

Noah takes off

Pisa/Modena/Verona

 I kept a journal on the trip, so for this entry, I’m just going to copy/paste what I wrote there:

Yesterday, we left La Spezia about 9:30 and drove about an hour to Pisa.  We dropped off the kids and then found a place to park. We enjoyed taking goofy photos and watching other people take goofy photos.  I was surprised at all the other pretty buildings around.  They were also leaning - they’re just larger so it’s not as obvious. 

We drove to Lucca for lunch because I read that it was a better spot than Pisa.  But I imagined a little village with a cute town center.  It was actually a large town center with a wall around it, and we had to park and then walk in.  It would be a nice place to spend more time in, but I found myself a little aggravated because I just wanted a simple lunch.  Noah enjoyed it, though.  He got a margarita pizza AND a Nutella pizza.  I got a bean soup that was good but caused me quite a bit of discomfort later in the day.  

We decided to go to the Gelato Museum in Bologna on our way to Modena.  Turns out you can’t see anything without a reservation made ahead.  But they had a gelato store next door that we visited.  We all had some excellent gelato there!  Turns out that Noah loves pistachio gelato best, Dad and Meredith go for chocolate, and Caleb and I like lemon.  

 

We found our place in Modena easily, and it is very nice.  Turns out there is a luxury car show going on here, so we walked to the town square to see it.  This town obviously has more money than other towns.  I enjoyed being in the crowd of Italians and not an obvious tourist.  

Turns out there is a Burger King right around the corner from where we’re staying, and that sounded good to all of us.  I had hoped to do some farm to table eating here, but Caleb (who was the one most interested) didn’t choose a place, and I just didn’t want to spend that much money for something we might not even enjoy. 

The next morning we stopped by the Ferrari museum, and I drove a simulator with Caleb and Terry as my “Mother’s Day present.”  I was terrible at it!  The best part was hearing Noah and Meredith laughing hysterically in the background.  Caleb won the race, but Terry had the most consistent driving, if that makes sense.  I didn’t even finish!

We stopped by Verona on the way to Mirano, where we will stay while we visit Venice.  Here we are at Juliet’s Balcony.  I think that this town owes its popularity to Shakespeare.  

Cinque Terra

Five towns - Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso - which we just called #1,2,3,4, and 5. Awesome hiking and views! The only bad part (other than a little rain the second morning) was the fact that two trails were closed due to rock slides. That just means we have a reason to return some day!

We stayed in La Spezia and took a short walk each day to catch the train.

Town #5

Town #4 - my favorite!

We ate lunch here both days!  It was called Fritto & Pizza. 

harbor of town #4

Town #2

Starting the hike from Town #4 to Town #3

A bar along the hike.  It was closed. 

Town # 3 - Corniglia, in the distance.  This is the only town of the five with no harbor. 

Noah strikes a pose in town #3

On the water near town #1

This gull was guarding her nest, and we got to see the babies!

One of my favorite pics of the trip!  A little excursion down a path we discovered.  

Waiting for the train