November 7th is an important date for us. First, it’s Chris’s 27th birthday, and just as it was so difficult to be away from Caroline on September 21st, the celebration of her 24th year, we hate being so far away from our son as he turns another year older. But the second reason this is a critical marker makes being at a distance a little bit easier. One month from today, the kids fly from DC to Milan to travel with us for two weeks in Italy. And while we certainly don’t want the next four weeks in Spain, Portugal and Morocco to fly by, we’re eagerly anticipating the arrival of our children across the pond. The itinerary for the four of us includes five nights in La Spezia where we’ll hike the Cinque Terre, visit the leaning tower in Pisa and have lunch in Portofino; one night in a Relais & Chateaux property, L’Albereta, in the lake district; five nights in the Dolomites where we’ll ski for a couple days; and finally, two nights in Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet (in fact, our Verona hotel is appropriately named, Hotel Giulietta e Romeo). Reason number three to note the date is that two months ago today, we flew out of Dulles to start our one-year sabbatical. We’ve had our ups and downs, but overwhelmingly ups, and have learned so much about ourselves and the world already. So, with two months under our belt and two months wiser, we’re immersing ourselves in Spain with the glimmer of our visit with our children on the horizon.
Pictures of our adventures: http://gapyeargirlgoestoeurope.shutterfly.com
Just jumping in to say I'm so happy for you. And that I admire you for your bravery, your sense of adventure and your ability to plan. Without those three traits, this year abroad wouldn't have been possible, it seems to me.
ReplyDelete