I'm not running, but I did find time for a vacation!
First stop, Paris.
We spent a week in the City of Light. We did a home exchange with a couple in Paris and stayed in their apartment for free! There was so much to see. We visited cathedrals, museums, gardens, and monuments. We ate crepes, croissants, and gelato. Unfortunately, it was cold the week we were there, and we had only packed clothes for warm weather. So, we had to go shopping! We bought pants and jackets to stay warm.
 |
| I have been to Paris 3 other times and have never visited the Eiffel Tower at night to see it sparkle. I am so glad we did it this time because it was a festive event. |
 |
| The Louvre |
 |
| And a visit to the Mona Lisa. |
 |
| View of the Seine River and the Louvre from the top of the Eiffel Tower. |
 |
| View of the street from our balcony. |
 |
| Versailles Palace and Gardens |
 |
| The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. |
 |
| Boating in the Grand Canal at Versailles. |
Second stop, Rome.
Next, we flew to Rome to see the ancient city. I had never been to Rome so I was very excited to go. We visited everything but the Vatican museum and gardens; they were closed all of the days we were in Rome. We ate pizza, bought a selfie-stick, and went letterboxing.
 |
| Vatican City |
 |
| Front steps of St. Peter's Basilica. |
 |
| Trevi Fountain |
 |
| Inside the Colloseum. |
Next stop, Tuscany.
After Rome, we headed north and met up with my daughter's first grade teacher, Ms. Longo. She lives part-time in a small hilltop village named Fivizzano in the Tuscany region. Ms. Longo took us to a medieval festival on my daughter's birthday to celebrate. I think we were the only Americans at the festival.
 |
| Village street |
 |
| At Ms. Longo's home, built several hundred years ago. |
 |
| At the medieval festival. |
Last stop, the Cinque Terre.
After touring big cities and small villages we took the train to the Cinque Terre, five small towns in the cliffs along the Italian Riviera. We spent a few days hiking on the trails between the towns and cooling off with swims in the Mediterranean Sea. It was very relaxing and my husband loved it!
 |
| The town were we stayed, Varnazza. |
 |
| Hiking on the trails. |
 |
| Hiking through vineyards. |
 |
| Swimming in the sea. |
 |
| Sunbathing on a granite bolder. |
We flew home from Paris so we took an overnight train from the Cinque Terre to Paris. It would have been a really cool experience for the kids on the sleeper train, but my son caught a stomach bug and had a fever and was throwing up all night.
I won't lie, traveling with an opinionated pre-teen was hard and I swore I would not travel overseas with her again. But, as I write this, I am already thinking of our next family on a trip . . . to Spain!
