New Year’s 2023

December 2022 - January 2023
Christmas 2022 Read more
  • 3footprints
  • 6days
  • 49photos
  • 11likes
  • Italy
  • Austria
Categories
Car, Family, Hiking, Short trip, Vacation
  • 1.6kkilometers traveled
  • Flight-kilometers
  • Walking-kilometers
  • Hiking-kilometers
  • Bicycle-kilometers
  • Motorbike-kilometers
  • Tuk Tuk-kilometers
  • Car-kilometers
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  • Camper-kilometers
  • Caravan-kilometers
  • 4x4-kilometers
  • Swimming-kilometers
  • Paddling/Rowing-kilometers
  • Motorboat-kilometers
  • Sailing-kilometers
  • Houseboat-kilometers
  • Ferry-kilometers
  • Cruise ship-kilometers
  • Horse-kilometers
  • Hitchhiking-kilometers
  • Cable car-kilometers
  • Helicopter-kilometers
  • Barefoot-kilometers
  • Heels-kilometers
  • 3footprints
  • 6days
  • 49photos
  • 11likes
  • 1.6kkilometers
  • Day 1

    Salzburg on The Way

    December 28, 2022 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    We decided to stop over in Salzburg on our way to our friends in Italy. The girls were particularly excited because this was the filming location for "The Sound of Music." That is a movie they recently discovered and truly enjoyed. Their little voices have filled our home with the memorable songs from the movie ever since they watched it.

    Poor Mabel's cough flared up again before we left, but we rallied despite the lack of sleep and everyone traveled quite well. Everyone was excited to be in adventure mode again, so the joy of traveling trumped the tiredness. We traveled by rental car which allowed us to encounter more of the countryside and the Alps. The snow capped Alps with lingering clouds and lush green valleys below were just a spectacular sight to see. Oh and all the long tunnels made for extra fun! One tunnel took Seth five breaths to complete. We went through many long tunnels this trip.

    Our hotel was fantastic and had a pool, but I forgot the swimsuits! Luckily, the kids were very understanding and kind about that. They were really just excited to see the city and be traveling again. We drove into Salzburg and hit the streets exploring. We walked along the river as dusk chased us and the city lit up with Christmas lights. We were drawn toward the town center by Christmas trees and the delicious smells of the Christmas market. We shared one thing savory and one thing sweet! The Schaumrollen was a sweet cylinder shaped pastry filled with whipped marshmallow cream topped with powdered sugar about the size of a child's forearm. We decided on Spätzell because we didn't hit our carb goals for the day. Ha ha! This dish consisted of drizzled, fried dough covered in cheese and pork.

    As we wondered further into the city, we encountered "Mozart" on every corner as this city is also famous for being the birth place of this incredible musician. This trip stirred their curiosity of Mozart and his impact on the world through music.

    We ended the night with an incredible feast at a restaurant with multiple playgrounds! We ordered not understanding how large the spread would be, but we could have fed at least two other adults easily. It was beyond delicious with meats, fresh veggies, sprouts, and freshly made potato wedges. Sehr lecker! Needless to say, we were stuffed and fell to sleep quickly back at it hotel after a full day.
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  • Day 2

    Aviano & Barcis, Italy

    December 29, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We got to see friends!!! Some fun military friends that we made in Vegas live near Aviano and they invited us to their amazing home. They showered us with Christmas gifts (including peppermint bark - I cannot find peppermint in Germany anywhere) and showed us around their lovely, old Italian city. They have racked up way more countries than us and will do mostly anything. They are truly adventurous. Recently, they swam in the ice cold Irish Sea with some locals for Christmas. I am not sure I will ever be that brave. Cold things and I do not mesh well.

    The "warm" fifty degree weather in Italy drew us outside everyday. After two weeks in the twenties back in Germany, fifties felt as though we were nearing the end of winter. I almost took off my jacket. Whoa!

    We walked around in the woods near their home, while their pup ran around in the meadows. As we stopped to take in the gorgeous mountains in the near distance, a large buck ran across the field. What a cool and rare sight to see! The girls really wished I caught that on camera. As we wound further up the path, we encountered some rocky hills. The girls, of course, did not resist the urge to climb around. Then they quickly stumbled upon two tiny wooden, nativity scenes. What a sweet little reminder of the reason for Christmas! Such a fun thing for someone to take the time to do. The day ended with delicious local food, toasty beverages and a warm fire!

    The next day we traveled to the Lakes of Barcis for a hike and car picnic. Seth grabbed some meat and cheeses from the local street market on the way, while Natalie ( the girls pronounce her name as Nate -alie) continued to spoil the girls with Italian sweets! We fueled up with good food and pottied in the woods before we headed for the hike. We did not find out until later that we ate HORSE meat! Addy was like "nope never again, that is my favorite animals." It tasted ok, but not my favorite meat, but the cheese was on point! Seth purposely waited to inform us, so that we would give it a fair evaluation.

    We hiked around Barcis Lakes and explored the woods. As we reached a high point we saw an overlook. The big girls ran for it! Mabel is still building up her stamina, so she was quite winded by this steep hike. Thankfully, no one slippes on all the moss (I love moss - the color and the feel) covered boulders while running. Natalie does not love heights. However, she could not resist Mabel's persistant requests to walk to the end of the small overlook with a view of the steep, cliffy drop into the beautiful teal lakes. Mabel pulled her out there and they both survived! I mostly feel the same as Natalie about heights, but I try to just do the things in hopes that my girls will not grab hold of my fears in life. I walked out slowly, while holding the rails tightly and taking in the view THEN Seth jumps to make the overlook shake. Oh that guy!

    The girls, Seth and Nathan took turns seeing who could throw rocks the farthest for a while. Nate made things so much fun for our girls! The girls for some reason decided his nickname is Rock Star Dude, but I am not sure why. Another awesome day exploring the gorgeous landscape of Italy.

    Next up a twisty, turny ride that almost made us all puke...
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  • Day 3

    Poffabro, More Hiking & Pizza, Italy

    December 30, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Natalie and I loaded up in her car with Addy and Bowser. Addy and Bowser are quite a cute pair. Nate and Seth drove the rental with the other little ladies. We began our trek toward Porffabro and the uphill drive. The road grew more narrow and began to twist and turn A LOT. The last time we drove this intense of a switchback was in Montenegro in the summer. However, this one came with more warning signs and construction. Natalie and I were questioning our husband's judgment as we followed. At many points during the naseating ride, the road was only wide enough for one car with the added fun of drop offs. Surprisingly, we didn't encounter any traffic coming from the other direction and we made it there without throwing up.

    The zigging and zagging up a questionable switchback road to the town of Poffabro made us all woozy. I do not typically get car sick. That was some kind of RIDE! This did not detour us from following our noses to yummy food. We ate delicious paninis, beer and crepes.

    This "Nativity Hunt" makes for one of my favorite Christmas memories we have made thus far! This sweet town, known mostly for its history of making house shoes, puts out unique nativities during Christmas. I think many towns in Italy do this through the holiday season as well.

    The girls loved the scavenger hunt feel as they ran up and down the narrow streets discovering a different nativity at every turn. You had to keep your eyes peeled, looking at all heights so you wouldn't miss one. They used all types of materials to create these nativities, from colored pencils, hand carved figurines, paintings mimicing Van Gogh's Starry Night and a silly one with baby Jesus in a motorcycle side car. It was so fun to see all the varieties.

    Along the hunt, we stumbled upon a man carving little creatures outside his home. He was so kind and had the girls sit on his wooden reindeer and hand made sled. He made an impression on Mabel and she kept saying, "He is super kind, momma." Natalie decided to buy our girls three carved creature. Demi chose a bunny, Addy chose a hedgehog and Mabel chose the squirrel. So fun! Natalie has been too kind along this trip.

    We explored all through the town and ended up finding a hiking path. We followed and found statues depicting the story of Jesus' crucifixion. This hike was a steep climb! The twelve statues took us through the story from Judas' betrayal to the empty tomb. I found this hike to be beautiful, especially during Christmas, because it pointed us to the cross and resurrection of Jesus creating a full picture of the gospel story.

    Demi found this set of statues to be incomplete though. She was quite bothered that it ended with an empty tomb. She suggested they create two more statues showing Christ going up into heaven and Jesus reappearing to his disciples. And Mabel was mostly excited about a plastic slide at the end. Ha ha! Addy was relieved the steep climb was over and we could now go back downhill.

    On the next and last day, we hiked and picnicked again near Aviano. The girls loved being outside so much! They raved (and even journaled) about all the hiking and playing outside. What a beautiful place and with great friends that go back nearly 20 years!

    Oh ya... One last thing! We popped into the city of Sacilly for the Christmas market and delicious pizza! This pizza place made these bread stick things that tasted like a savory Texas style donut stick topped with arugula. Their special kind of pizza was extra soft with a bit of sweetness to it. The pizza came out in one large piece. They don't cut the pizza at all and it's usually a serving for one person. It's is fun to experience all types of pizzas! We haven't encountered a bad one yet. This one was quite different from any other pizza we have had. Addy went from silly to almost sleeping really fast that night. She is notorious for falling asleep at dinner ever since she was little. She managed to stay awake for this pizza though. :)

    What a fun trip! Friends, hiking and food! So thankful to have had the opportunity to reconnect with such great friends!! Natalie and Nate are just awesome, generous people. The girls have so much fun with them!
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