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Abshire’s Abroad
  • Veronica Abshire
  • Gabe Abshire

Abshire’s Abroad

Gabe, Veronica, Andrew and Renee are spending some time traveling around Italy and hopefully visiting a few new places along the way, Read more
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    March 14, 2023
    Abshire’s Abroad

    Como

    March 15, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 9 °C

    We arrived in Como, Italy on Wednesday, March 15th. We flew into Milan airport and picked up our car that we rented for the duration of the trip. It’s a mid size suv, red. We packed in carry on bags and our ski gear in a separate bag. We each have a backpack as well. Somehow it all fit. We drove the hour to Como and found a perfect parking spot. I noticed that there was a school behind us and said I wonder if that’s Tommi’s school. It was! He was outside playing soccer. We got his attention and said Hello. We put our suitcases in the apartment and went to the grocery store. A foreign language grocery store is one of the hardest things to navigate in another country. We got a few essentials, mozzarella, prosciutto, milk and paper towels. Vitto made us one of her amazing crostada’s. We met Vitto, Tommi, Franchi and Nico for dinner at Riva Cafe. The pizza was amazing. They said its the best they have ever had! We agree.Read more

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    Como day 2

    March 16, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Today, we slept in from jet lag. Andrew and I went to Franci’s school and observed his class. We were asked by the teacher to answer questions about our school in Texas. It was kinda boring, because the Q&A could have been more fun, but I felt like the teacher cut us off. After Franci’s class, we went to Vitto’s class for 1 hour. Then, we met up with Tommi and we got panninos. Panninos or as we call them in America, a Panini, are warm pressed sandwiches. I got mozzarella and prosciutto. We also got a Nutella crepe for later. My dad came and got us gelato before dropping the boys off at tennis practice. I went home and relaxed with my mom. After tennis practice, we met up with everybody to say “Arrvideci!”
    The boys are off to a ski race over the weekend. We ate dinner at home and caught up on a few episodes of Outer Banks. Ciao, Renee    Read more

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    Como-Bellagio-Day 3

    March 17, 2023 in Italy

    Exploring Day - We drove 50 mins to the town of Bellagio on Lago De Como. This town is what the Bellagio Casino in Vegas is named after. The road was narrow and almost complete switchbacks the entire time. We were up higher than the lake. There were some really pretty views. When we arrive to the town we were starving of course. So we got some “toast”. Americans would call it a grilled ham and cheese. You can also get it just cheese. restaurants, cafes and bars serve different things in Italy. You cant get toast at a restaurant. Only at a bar. And a bar can serve alcohol, espresso or dolci (desserts or pastries). You mostly only find gelato at a Gelateria. The town seemed to be under a bit of construction so the path along the lake was blocked. We decided to take a cute little faux train on a tour around the town. It took about 25 mins. After we got back to started walking up, up and up more steps to the different streets. We found a place to eat that served fish n chips for Andrew and a Hamburger for Renee. Gabe wasn’t hungry and I got a GREEN salad. We chose this place quickly and because we were Hangry! As we left, we walked about 5 more steps and found a delightful quaint bistro serving truffle risotto. Fail!
    We took some photos, got a gelato and headed back to Como. We parked the car and walked to the Funicular stop. The Funicular is a tram that climbs the side of the mountain. This one takes 7 minutes to get from Como to Brunate. Deer Valley has a Funicular that we like. So this was very interesting to us. The town of Brunate is at the top of the Funicular. High above the lake. We took some photos and looked for a place to eat something. We chose a nice family owned trattoria, got some pasta and a Prosecco for Mom. We rode the Funicular back to Como and of course had to stop for a gelato. Gabe and Veronica decided to have a date night in Piazza de Volta. Andrew and Renee went back to the apartment. Ready to drive to France tomorrow!
    *History details to come….    Read more

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    Travel Day to Chamonix, France

    March 18, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Today we traveled from Como to Chamonix France. The drive took approximately 3 hours. The drive was easy, all highways and several tolls. Round trip this excursion will cost approx $200 in tolls. We stopped at our first Auto Grill. Its supposed to have great convenience store food. A smaller gourmet Buckeys. There is a tunnel through the mountain that connects Italy to France. It was over 7.3 miles long. It took 19 years to dig! We were talking about Oceans 13 and wonder if that’s the same “digger” they are referring to. We found our way to our apartment. It was a little smaller than expected and the location was not what Gabe was wanting. We have decided to stay here for 1 night and then we are moving locations. We went into downtown Chamonix and walked around. We decided on a place for dinner after looking at several menus. I of course wanted Onion Soup. We decided on a place and had our first cheese Fondue. The area of France is known for their Racellete cheese. We decided to wait to have that at another place. I got soup and mussels. Everything was ehh…checked the google rating and its a 3.3. We don’t really like to follow those rankings but probably going to have to rely on them more during our trip. So if you’re keeping track that 2 restaurants that were a HANGRY choice. The kids got gelato again but I got my first Crepe. Sugar and Lemon. It was amazing. Better than my dinner.

    I was very excited because this apartment had a washer / dryer como unit. Dryers are a luxury in Europe. The cycle options were in French, as expected. I translated them with Google Lens on the Google translate app. So handy. I know I only have 1 college degree and its not as Masters but I think I should be able to operate a washer in another country. WHY!!! Does it have to be so difficult ??? Yes, I looked up the manual. There was not an English version. Yes, I looked for YouTube videos. The dryer setting is for 2 hours and 20 minutes. I wanted to stop the cycle and check the clothes. Not possible. The auto lock won’t release for 3 hours according to you tube, if you stop the cycle before it’s finished. This morning I fought with the machine for 45 minutes trying to get the auto lock to disengage before I just yanked the door open. ERRRRRR….The saga will continue.

    *Editors Note- On the drive to Chamonix, we were very excited to stop at McDonald’s. For some reason European McDonald’s are better than the US. The kids were very excited.    Read more

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    Chamonix

    March 19, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    We got packed up and moved into our 2nd apartment. This one is in the center of Chamonix. It’s perfect. It even has a washer and dryer combo unit. I’m still suffering from PTSD from my last experience. So I’m going to skip the washing at this place. I will have help from Vitto at our next location. I’m going to record her directions because the rest of the trip will most likely be in Italian.
    We went to get our skis at the ski rental around the corner. All of the boots were so broken in. Mine didn’t fit great. We all tried on multiple pairs. When we came out of the store it was raining. We drove up to base of the mountain were were planning to ski that day and everyone was leaving. No skiing today. It ended up raining all day / night. We decided to go play basketball (yes, in the rain) and go ice skating. When we arrived at the ice staking / hockey arena there was an ice skating competition going on. So we stayed and watched. It was just like taking your kids to a swim meet or dance competition over the weekend. Andrew got some basketball in and we walked around town with our rain coats on.
    Gabe and I decided to have a date night. We found a Michelin “ranked” not starred restaurant. It was really good.

    **European apartment / rental differences from the US - The square footage of the apartment isn’t the real issue. It’s the amenities. They only give you 1 body towel per person. Maybe 1 hand towel. No dish towels for drying dishes. Maybe 1 roll of paper towels. Most of the kitchen supplies are bare minimum. We have bought our own supplies of salt, pepper, Evoo, paper towels. To take with us from place to place. I’m going to get some dish towels next. The other big thing are the beds and pillows. Our Como apartment was good. There were multiple pillows and they had toppers on the mattresses. The Chamonix apartment is not great. Only 1 pillow per person and its square shaped. The mattress is marginal. Sleeping aids are a must.    Read more

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    Chamonix, Day 2

    March 20, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ -4 °C

    Today was our first ski day, we had to hike up a hill to get up to the gondola, which mom did not like at all { I Beat everyone by 5 minutes}. After we got up the hill, we got on the gondola and started skiing. We did a couple of runs but it was very foggy and we could not see anything {Mom hated this even more}. We went and got lunch skied some more and then Dad went and got the car so we didn’t have to walk down. We had 2:40pm reservations for the last gondola / cable car to the top of Aguille Di Midi. The Aguille Di Midi a 12,600’ tall mountain. The cable car is the 2nd highest in the world. From the very top observation desk the height is 13,000’. The experience was very nice and Dad took a lot of pictures. After that, we rode down and got gelato. After gelato, we ate dinner in, Mom cooked and my Dad had several work calls. We just stayed inside the apartment after dinner. After my Dad got off his calls we watched Outer Banks and went to bed. We have a early ski day tomorrow.
    -Andrew

    *Editors note-Photos changed and re-ordered.    Read more

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    Chamonix, Day 3

    March 21, 2023 in France

    Today, Andrew and I were very grumpy getting up. As Dad made breakfast, Andrew and I slowly got ready to ski. Mom wasn’t going, because she was traumatized from yesterday. We left the apartment at around 9:30. We were heading to Le Tour mountain to ski. We hopped on the gondola and skied the first mountain for the morning and part of the afternoon. Then, we stopped and ate lunch, pizza, pasta and salad. While we were there, birds kept begging people for food! Andrew gave them pizza crust and pasta, and they LOVED the pasta. After lunch, we took the gondola down and drove to another mountain, which was way harder. So far, there was no fog and it was sunny, perfect weather for sking. At this mountain, there was a racing course that timed you. Andrew wanted to do it, so we did. It was fun, because there was jumps and turns, Andrew loved it. Then, we skied down and got on a lift to do it again. This time, Andrew betted gelato on it, 3 scoops if he beat Dad and I’s time. For me, 2 scoops if I beat Dad, 3 if I beat Andrew. In the end, Andrew beat both of our times. In fact, he got better! As for me, I did not beat Dad or Andrew, but Dad said maybe to 2 scoops. We were all tired, so we started to go down the mountain, but we missed the turn to the gondola! We had to ski this hard red, Andrew took it like a champ, while Dad and I took our time. It was really hard, but we made it! Dad then said that I could get 2 scoops, maybe 3! After we got our skis in the car, we drove to a little bakery for a little snack, then we drove back to the apartment. We met up with Mom, and returned our skis, then headed to dinner. We had raclette, which was like fondue, but it was on the triangle of cheese, and it was heated by a charcoal mini oven. It was really cool. We ate it with bread, potatoes and charcuterie. As the cheese melted, you scraped it off with a big knife. It was yummy 😋. We also had beef bourguignon, Mom and Dad said they have made better at home. It tasted like dry briscuit to me. After dinner, we got gelato and crepes, and went to sleep.
    See you tomorrow, Renee    Read more

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    Travel Day to Cortina d’Ampezzo

    March 22, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    We got moving early today. We packed the car up and got on the road by 10. We had our first lost item. Andrew’s GoPro. He left it inside his jacket and then left his jacket inside a store. When he went back to get the jacket, the GoPro wasn’t inside.
    In Milan, we exchanged the car and then stopped lunch. Gabe choose Turkish kebabs and pizza. It was good! Something different. We made a quick stop at a mall and then got back on the road.
    We arrived in Cortina around 7:25pm. We were trying to get to the ski rental store before they closed at 7:30pm. We didn’t make it.
    The rooms at the hotel we are staying in are huge. I think they have never been reconfigured from when people traveled with valets and maids. The rooms have small rooms inside them for a nanny or a baby’s room. We got to walk around town tonight before dinner. It’s another really cute town. More designer stores here than any other place so far.
    Tomorrow, we will head up to the mountain to ski and watch Franchi ski. Tommi and Franchi are on a ski team for the town San Martino de Castrozza. The event that is here in Cortina is the Finals for the season. You had to qualify to attend. We are looking forward to seeing the boys race in person.

    Cortina d’Ampezzo is a host city for the Winter Olympics 2026. The 2021 Sking World Cup was held here also.    Read more

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    Cortina Day 1 & 2

    March 24, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌫 3 °C

    Bright and early, we woke up and went breakfast. It was an all-you-can-eat-buffet, so we picked out our own breakfast. I had a Nutella croissant with some eggs. Then, we went to rent our boots, skis, poles and helmets. After that, we put our skis in the car and dove to the mountain to meet Vitto. We went up the gondola, skied down, got stuck, went up the gondola again, and finally made the right turn to meet Vitto! She was with Tommi, so we skied for a little bit, then we went down to watch Franchi race. Unfortunately, he lost. Franchi was really tired and hungry, so we went to a pizzeria. I had a Margarita pizza, which is a cheese pizza. After that, Mom and Dad went to the spa, Andrew went out with Tommi and I stayed at the hotel. After about 2 hours, my dad started getting on calls, so the rest of us went down to dinner. I had a steak with french fries. My dad got leftovers. He was not very happy. We relaxed the rest of the night, and went to bed peacefully.

    Day 2, we woke up at around 8:50, and went to breakfast. This time, I had toast with jam. Then, we headed to the mountain to watch Tommi race. It was fun and fast, and he won 2 of his 3 races. He placed 5th overall. After the race, we came back to the hotel at around 4:00 and went to Tommi’s award ceremony, but he didn’t win anything. Then we went to the co-op store, where we bought groceries and a Kinder Joy Egg. After the co-op, we went back to the hotel and got dressed for dinner. We went to this real fancy place with some of Vitto’s friends. I had pork with potatoes and green apple gelato for desert. It was really good. After dinner, we went to bed, because we had to get up early tomorrow. Ciao, Renee

    *Additional photos added later    Read more

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    Cortina Day 3

    March 25, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    Today we got up early and headed to the mountain to ski before Tommis race. The parking was super busy because of all the racers. We found a spot on the side of a road and were able to walk onto a run with our skis. Today was Tommi’s final race. He did not do so well. One of his skis came off on a turn because of his bindings. We had lunch on the mountain and headed back to the hotel early because the snow was not good to ski. Dad and I returned the skis and went to the Audi driving experience. We drove an ETron GT. When we got back, we went to the co op and we got some snacks and shopped a little bit. We went to dinner and then the Tommi, Franchi and I worked out in the gym a little bit. We got packed up because we are going to drive to Bologna tomorrow.
    -Andrew    Read more

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    Travel day to Bologna

    March 26, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    On our drive from Cortina to Bologna, we decided to stop and see Vitto’s mom in Padova. We took a slight 30 minute detour because Google said a road was closed. The switchback road didn’t sit so well with Andrew early in the morning and he threw up. Barfy’s back! Andrew didn’t do very well on the road to Hana in Hawaii. In Padova, we found a street food market going on. There were a ton of people and very long lines. We decided to go get pizza at Vitto’s favorite place. Then we walked to Saint Anthony of Padova’s cathedral and went inside. It was beautiful! It was the kids first “big & impressive” cathedral.
    We got back in the car and I immediately fell asleep. So the drive to Bologna was short and I’m sure scenic. We found a parking spot and walked a short couple of blocks to the apartment. Gabe choose an apartment on the 3rd floor of a building without an elevator. The apartment is Ok. It was a little dusty and missing quite a few household items but we will manage. Gabe and I left and went to the store to get stocked up. We requested a few things from the management company to bring over. I rearranged the kitchen and cleaned up the apartment. Since we are in a big city Gabe decided to look for some Asian food for dinner. It started to rain and the restaurant wouldn’t deliver in the rain. So we got our rain coats on and went for a walk. The Italians in this city were very smart and all the side walks are covered! We hardly even got wet. The food was worth the walk. It was different from all the pasta and delicious. We are excited to get up and walk around this new big city!    Read more

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    Bologna Day 1

    March 27, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Woke up this morning and climbed the 498 steps to the top of the Asinelli Tower Located in Piazza di Porta Ravegnana. The stairs were very narrow, almost straight up, our feet didn’t fit on some of the stairs and we had to turn around. It was very windy and beautiful once we got to the top. You could see a 360° of the city and outside to the countryside. After we got down from there, we wandered around the streets and looked at all the amazing charcuterie and cheese. Andrew and I split a porkeccta sandwich. Andrew finally got to ride on electric bike around the neighborhood for a little bit while Renee had a fried grilled cheese and ham sandwich. Veronica and the kids ended up going back towards the house and doing some more shopping while I wandered around the streets for a few more hours. I had an amazing lunch by myself of burrata and mortadella. I made it back to the house and started cooking rice and gravy for dinner. It really hit the spot. I needed some down home cooking. We took a walk in a local park which was very over grown and run down. There is graffiti all over the city. It doesn’t appear that anyone is attempting to clean it up. Dinner was amazing and well deserved. You can take the Coon ass out of the country but he will always figure a way to to make rice and gravy.
    Ciao - A Presto - Gabe    Read more

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    Bologna Day 2

    March 28, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    Today, we had to wake up early because we were meeting a tour guide and professional chef to show us around Bologna and help us make homemade bolognese! We met at the Fountain of Neptune, walked around and rode a bus to get to the chef’s workshop, to start cooking! First, we made the meat sauce, then we started making the dough! We started off by taking some flour, and making a hole in the middle of it. Then, we cracked two eggs into the hole. Then, mix up the eggs and start mixing the flour in with the eggs, slowly. Next, start kneeling with your hands until it is not sticky and a light brown. Then, start rolling it out with a rolling pin, so you can cut it into pasta! We made two batches of dough, one for pasta, the other for Tortellini, which is like ravioli, but shaped differently. After we made the pasta, we put it all together and had an amazing lunch. The whole thing took about 4 hours, but it was worth it! After lunch, we found a gelato place and got gelato, then headed home. It was a long day. We rested for a little while, then Mom and Dad went for a walk. After they got back, we made dinner, ramen noddles, which was really good! After dinner, we watched the last episode of Outer Banks, and went to bed.

    Tortellini vs Tortelloni: Tortellini are typically ricotta stuffed, larger ring shaped and served in a ragu, cream or butter sauce. Tortelloni are shaped the same, but much smaller and stuffed with some type of meat. They are typically served in Brodo. Which is a light broth.    Read more

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    Bologna Day 3

    March 29, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Today we explored a lot around Bologna. We started off walking to The University of Bologna. Its the oldest university in continuous operation in the world! It was founded in 1088. It has 6 different museums to tour. We decided to tour the one with a variety of exhibits. Its was very cool. We had to leave early because of a fire drill. After we did that we wandered around for a bit and shopped. We went inside the Basilica di San Petronio in Piazza Maggiore. Saint Petronio is the patron saint of Bologna. The front of the church is unfinished. My dad wanted a mortadella sandwich for lunch Mom, Renee and I went to a 4.9 pizzeria. It was really good. Then we went home and packed up and relaxed. Once it was time we went to dinner at the place below our airbnb. The food was good. After taking the cooking class, I want to learn to make ragu just like we made. It’s been my favorite so far.Read more

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    Travel day to Modena

    March 30, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    After we loaded up the car we drove about 20 minutes outside of Bologna to FICO World. It’s a food amusement park created by Eataly. I was very impressed. It was organized into sections. Each section was devoted to a different food that Italy is known for. Wine. Olives, Cheese, Pasta, Fish, Beef, Risotto, Pizza, Truffles, Vinegar, Gelato, Pastries etc…There were several school field trips there. It was a huge place. They had bicycles for you to ride around. Which seems like a good idea, until there are kids doing it. They offer cooking classes to the public. We took the gelato making class. We all enjoyed it and will be trying out the recipe at home. I thought it would be a good idea for Eataly to have a couple of presentations scheduled during the day about the different foods. It would of been more informative. Some of the sections had videos and very well done interactive touch screens that shared information.
    Italy has many Consortium’s. The Consortium regulates and controls the production and sales of MADE IN ITALY products. It’s purpose is to make sure that, for example, Parmesan Reggiano is made in the same way buy each producer. It helps keep the product special and the price higher for the producer. If you don’t buy Parmesan Reggiano made in the Parma region, you aren’t buying Parmesan Reggiano. You are just buying Parmesan cheese. Which is not the same!
    We arrived at the house we are staying in for the next several days. It’s very cute. It has outdoor spaces and is in more of a neighborhood outside of the city center. We are going to the grocery store and to the laundry to wash clothes. We plan to eat in tonight because Gabe has several work meetings. Ciao!

    *More photos to add later    Read more

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    Modena Day 1

    March 31, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Today we woke up early because we had a train to catch at 7:37am. It was about a 20 min ride and it was very smooth. Then, we arrived in Parma. We went to a hotel because that is where we met the driver and our tour guide. We drove about 20 min to the parmesan cheese factory. We met with other people and we had to put on hairnets. The tour guides also gave us something that looked like mini walkie-talkies, along with uncomfortable headphones Next, we went to the cow shed, where they make milk for the cheese. It smelled disgusting. Then, we went inside, where the actually made the cheese. They mixed it around in a big bowl, and then we got to try some. It was gross, but it was unsalted. Then, we went to a room with cheese in the water. It was weird. Next, we went to aging room, when thousands of cheese was in there, dating back to 2015! We had some cheese, then we drove to the meat factory. It was on a valley, so we got some pretty pictures. Before we entered the factory, we had to put our hairnets, walkie-talkie things, and a green vest. It was much bigger than the cheese factory, with pigs legs hanging everywhere. After all the factory’s, we went back on the train, which was about 25 min, we picked up the laundry and had lunch. Then, we went out to walk around and had dinner (late lunch). After dinner, dad had calls, so the rest of us relaxed and went to bed.
    Ciao, Renee    Read more

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    Modena Day 2

    April 1, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Happy April fools day. Today we went to the Lamborghini and Ferrari Museum. Both of the museums had a lot of cars and we got a lot of pictures. My favorite car was the Lamborghini LM002 or the Sian. The LM002 is basically a truck that looks like a Land Rover. There were a lot of engines on display at both museums but at the Ferrari museum they went into more detail about the engines and they also said a lot of stuff about the Founder, Enzo Ferrari. At both of the museums they had driving simulators, we did both of them. At the Ferrari, you could race each other which did not go well for me. (I crashed multiple times). Once we got done with the museums we got lunch at a pizza place and went home for a while. After that we drove up the mountain to eat dinner. The waiter was funny and the food was great.After dinner, we went to a place to get gelato, but it was closed! We went to another place and got gelato. After this, we went home and got ready for bed. Mom and Dad wanted us to watch a Netflix documentary about a fancy restaurant they are going to tomorrow. After we watched it we went to bed. Ciao - ReneeRead more

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    Modena Day 3

    April 2, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    Today is Sunday, we slept in and Dad made breakfast. He made eggs and bacon for all of us. We chilled until 12:00, because then Dad started ironing clothes. He is very good at that. Just when we were going to get out and go into downtown, It started to rain. So Mom and Dad went to the grocery store to get food for lunch and dinner. Dad cooked burgers with American cheese and fries. It was awesome! After having a very relaxing day at home, we drove into downtown to see the Duomo. The church was so different from the last few we have seen. It was 2 stories and very dark. We didn’t have any euros to light a candle. But they did have Holy Water. My mom did some shopping and we got frozen yogurt and crepes while we waited for her. My parents are going to a fancy dinner tonight so Andrew and I are going to have pasta and grilled chicken. Andrew and I have been watching “Young Sheldon”. It’s a funny show. Back to Como tomorrow.
    A Presto,
    Renee

    ~Gabe and I were extremely fortunate to get a reservation at Osteria Francescana. It’s owned by Massimo Botura, If you have watched Chefs table: season 1, episode 1. That’s the restaurant. It was an amazing experience. The menu was called “A journey from north to south” of Italy of course. The dishes were so unique. The seating began at 8pm. It was 12 courses and lasted 3.5 hours. There is an option to order a la carte if you don’t want to do the full tasting menu. The a la carte menu features his most famous dishes over the years. We ordered the dish called Parmesan 5 ways. It’s featured on the show. There are only 12 tables in the restaurant and at our dinner each table only had 2 people. I got up to use the restroom and when I was coming back to the table, Chef Botura was coming out of the kitchen. Another guest stopped and talked to him first but I waited so I could say Hello. I shook his hand and said Ciao. He then spoke to me in Italian and I said We are so happy to be here in English. He then smiled and said “we are happy you are here. Thank you for coming”. I said “Grazie Mille”. It was an experience that we will remember forever.    Read more

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    Travel Day to Como

    April 3, 2023 in Italy

    Travel days are the worst days for us. We don’t have a place to eat lunch, we don’t really have a plan, the toll plazas and roundabouts are confusing….Uggh. We are hangry and frustrated. Then we get to Como and everything settles down and relaxes.
    On our drive from Modena to Como, we were going to go to Verona but decided not to because the wine festival they were having was going to be really crowded. So we stopped in Piacenza. It’s surrounded by a wall and what used to be a moat. The moat is now covered with grass and flowers. The blossom trees are blooming along our dive. I need to get some photos of the beautiful trees. We made a quick stop in Milan to pick up my new credit card at FedEx. Chase used to not charge foreign exchange fees but now they are. So I needed another card to use.
    Today is Franchi’s 10th birthday. We met the family and some of their friends for dinner at a pizzeria on the side of the lake. It was really good. I should of taken advantage of the fish on the menu and ordered something different. I did have a poke bowl for lunch. Tomorrow, Franchi is having a birthday party after school. The kids were excited to see them today.

    On the next episode of Euro Laundry Struggles - this washing machine is very different. It has a stainless steel drum inside that you close and it locks. I washed a few things on the shortest cycle and the drum lock wouldn’t release. I had to call the owner and ask for help. Now the clothes smell like mildew. Why do I keep doing this to myself ?    Read more

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    Como v2: Day 1

    April 4, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Andrew and I slept in while our parents went to go get breakfast. They got us chocolate and crème filled donuts. Then, we got ready and drove around Lake Como, stopped for lunch in Ossuccio, which was very pretty. We had a table right on the water. We were there for about 1hr and 45mins. We then drove back to Como and and went to the store to buy groceries and some candy for Franchi. It’s his party’s today. Then we went to the party. There were all of Franchis classmates, snacks and cake. Andrew and I had fun. After the party, we walked to a barber shop to check it out and see if they spoke English. Andrew wanted to make sure they were young barbers. Dad and Andrew are going to get haircuts tomorrow. On the walk back Mom and Dad decided to stop for apertivo, so Andrew and I went back to the apartment. When Mom and Dad came back, Dad made Andrew and I burgers, which turned out awesome! Mom and Dad went out to eat dinner. My Dad had some work calls so Mom worked on plans for Easter weekend.
    Ciao,
    Renee    Read more

  • Abshire’s Abroad

    Como v.2: Day 2

    April 5, 2023 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    Fun Fact: Did you know only 2 countries in the world have square flags? Switzerland is one of them! Today, Mom and Dad brought us breakfast and Dad made lunch for the car ride to a water park and spa! But first, Andrew and Dad went to go get haircuts. After the haircuts, we drove about 35mins to get to the waterpark, which was in Lugano, Switzerland. We didn’t have to be there until 3:00, so Dad bought us some tickets to ride the bobsled at the top of the mountain. The gondola ride was about 20 mins up and down. The bobsled was very fun and fast. Not to mention, it was FREEZING. By the time we were done, it was about 2:30. So we headed down to the waterpark, checked in and got our lockers. Mom and Dad went to the spa, leaving Andrew and I to ride waterslides and explore the place. There were 6 slides, three with tubes, two without. We rode all of them, one almost making Andrew fall off! We actually rode one with our parents, it was called the Galaxy Killer. It was short, but deadly. Mom hated it. After the ride, we got a snack and started packing up to go to dinner. We drove to a Lebanese restaurant, had some hummus and chicken, and drove back home just in time for bed.

    Disclaimer: We didn’t take any photos at the waterpark or dinner. Sorry!    Read more

  • Abshire’s Abroad

    Como v.2 Day 3, Genova & Portofino

    April 6, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    Today we woke up surprisingly early. We walked to the Como Yacht Club so we could go on Vitto’s boat. She just got it and this was her first time to take it out. We cruised around the lake for a while on the boat and we saw a lot of lakeside villas that were beautiful. We also saw several sea planes take on and land. Tommi and Franchi had to go to tennis so we took the boat back to the marina and helped Vitto put the cover on. After this we walked and had lunch at this place by our house. We ordered a Tacchino cotoletta. We had to ask our waiter what that was. We know a cotoletta is a pounded and fried cutlet but we didn’t know what kind it was. He told us it was a large bat!? Gabe said do you mean a turkey? I translated the word and confirmed it was turkey! It was really good. After lunch, my mom wanted us to go see the Duomo in Como. I'm not sure what our church count is up to. Then we packed up our stuff to leave. We loaded the car and drove straight to Genova. We parked the car and walked around for a while and tried to go eat dinner. It was Holy Thursday and everyone was out to eat. We tried 3 different restaurants. Then we finally settled on this small restaurant on the side of the street. Genova is known for its sauce called the Genovese pesto. It’s a green sauce that tastes very good. I had it on some Gnocchi. After we finished eating we went to get gelato on the boardwalk. After we got gelato we left Genova the plan was to drive to La Spezia and see Cinque Terre. But my parents decided while we were on the way to La Spezia that we did not want to cram in our day in Cinque Terre. We are going to visit that area after Easter. So we found a hotel in Portofino and drove there. It was dark when we arrived but the hotel was very nice. I want to see the water in the morning when we get up.
    Ciao,
    Andrew    Read more

  • Abshire’s Abroad

    Pisa & Travel Day to Lucca

    April 7, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We woke up in Portofino and had breakfast on our terrace. It was such a pretty view out to the Ligurian Sea. We walked around the hotel and explored the pool. The beach area at most hotels won't open until Mid to Late May. Because it's still pretty cold here.
    We loaded up the car again and drove about an hour to Pisa. I found an app called Wonders of the World and downloaded the Pisa walking tour. We found a parking spot and walked to the Square of Miracles. This is where the Tower of Pisa is located. There is also a Cathedral, a Baptistry and 2 museums. One is a cemetery. I read somewhere the Cathedral is prettier than the one in Florence. I'll get back to you on my opinion of that.
    The square is surrounded by a high wall that you can walk on like soldiers would do. The wall is the reason the tower and the church have been so well protected. The square has never been attacked. The Cathedral is said to have the vase that Jesus used to change water into wine.
    The Tower is really pretty in person. It's not quite as tall as I expected but its radius it much larger than it appears. We decided not to climb to the top. The line was also very long. The square overall is very beautiful. I would not skip on seeing this place.
    After we toured all the sites, we got back to the car and started our drive to Lucca. The drive was about an hour. We got a little lost trying to find the villa. Once we arrived we met the property manager and she showed us around. The villa is huge. It has 3 floors, 3 kitchens, a secret room, mutiple staircases and a servants floor and it's FREEZING! After a couple of hours we realize the heat is not working. Then we notice there is not any hot water. We call the property manager and she comes back and determines the furnace is not heating the water. The landscape person calls and tries to walk Gabe through fixing it. He isn't able to. So we have to sleep in this huge freezing house. We get all the blankets we can. Andrew slept in front of the fireplace with the fire going. We wake up super early to let the repair people in to fix the heater. Ultimately, we decide to move to another house in Lucca. Gabe gets in touch with the property owners and they get it ready for us quick. What an adventure!    Read more

  • Abshire’s Abroad

    Lucca Day 1

    April 8, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We moved from our freezing cold villa to a townhouse closer to the center of town. It’s 3 bedrooms with a nice backyard and a pool. Still too cold to use the pool tho. We dropped off our stuff and drove to the town to meet Vitto and her family. The center of Lucca has a wall around it. The wall was used to protect the city a long time ago. Now it keeps cars out. There is a really nice walking path on the inside of the wall and the outside of the wall. We are going to rent bikes and ride the perimeter. We found a pannino shop to grab a quick lunch while we wait for our friends. After we met up, we walked around the very busy streets. Most of Europe has a extended Easter break and the city is bustling. We explored the narrow streets and made a plan for dinner. The boys requested Gabe to grill them Texas steaks. Vitto decided to go to the store for us and get everything we needed for Easter dinner. Everyone came over to our townhouse and Gabe got the grill going. For dinner we had, warm focaccia and cacio e Pepe as our first course. Then we had the huge bissetecca steaks Gabe got from the macelleria (butcher) with mashed potatoes, salad and spinach. The spinach was just like my Nani used to make. In almost every market the spinach is sold in balls ready to eat. It’s so good. For dessert, Vitto made us fresh crostada. We saved some to eat for breakfast. Bunoisimo!!Read more

  • Abshire’s Abroad

    Easter Sunday

    April 9, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We woke up to a beautiful Easter Sunday. After having our delicious crostada and espresso for breakfast outside on the terrace, we got ready for church. We walked a couple of blocks over to St. Anne’s church. We walked in right at 10:30am. It was packed. Gabe and I found 2 seats on a bench along the side wall. Andrew and Renee stood in the back. The church was relatively small. The pews only held 4 adults. Maybe 5 if you wanted to squeeze. Mass was of course in Italian. We have been to mass in Italian before and what is cool about mass is that the order of mass in any language is the same. So you should know what’s happening no matter what the language is. The best part was communion. In true Italian fashion, it was chaos. Everyone just rushes to a person handing out communion. There is no order or waiting for the pew in front of you to go. It was so funny. On our walk home we stopped to get some hot focaccia bread. We also picked up a few fried snacks. We piled into the car and drove to Pistoia. A town about 40 minutes away. We met Vitto and her family for a light lunch. It took forever. We tried a new green vegetable called Agretti or monks beard in English. It was delicious. We walked around Pistoia and it started to rain. We decided to go and visit another town can San Miniato. It was set high on top of a hill. Thankfully we were able to drive up and park close. We walked to the top were the bell tower is. There was a nice grassy space for the boys to play soccer. The sun was starting to set and it was time to make the drive back to Lucca for Easter dinner. Our Easter dinner was a very Italian Easter meal. First we had a long pasta with a white Parmesan bechamel sauce and fresh peas, then we had a baked pie with fontina, speck and potatoes. It was amazing. I want to try this when I get home. Our 3rd course was rabbit, lamb, and vegetables. We have gotten to try so many new vegetables on this trip. After dinner we had 2 very traditional Italian Easter desserts. A egg made out of chocolate and covered with pistachios. And a Columba. Which is a bread with some type of fruit filling. It’s a very light filling on the top. We had a great time cooking and talking with our friends. The boys all get along so well and its nice to see their friendship grow. We plan to see them again in Como before we head home.Read more

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