Italy here we come

We are so excited. We will be flying out to Italy in less than 2 months.

On the agenda - the first 8 nights will be spent at a ski resort that is on the Italian/France border. We will stay in Italy then have lunch in France - as an Australian that sounds unbelievable. Only occasional ski school for the kids as they are getting to the point where it's more fun to ski with them than without them....but we may need a break for a few hours every few days.

C girls birthday and christmas will be spent skiing or doing other winter fun stuff. Best way to spend christmas, open your present - then get on out their for skiing.

(Please note - we have room for 1 more person on the skiing leg of our journey - visitors most welcome - you know who you are!!!! We can meet / drop off at Milan airport).

Then off to Florence for 2 nights. During the middle day, we will hop on a train and see the leaning tower of Pisa, then get back to Florence for a walk around.

Then off to Rome for 7 nights (including new years eve). Fingers crossed a day trip to Pompeii while we are there (it doesn't look too far in the book, a few 100 kms). Think that will be very cool. Bear is learning all about archeologists at the moment - so that is appropriate.

Then off to Bologna for 2 nights -with the day inbetween going to Venice. Don't want to kill the Venice experience with the kids - but I want to go on a gondola ride and see the piazza etc. We will go back there without kids one day and see all the sights.

Can't wait for the food in Bologna (we are going there because of a book by John Grisham - yes we are easily influenced). Plus I want to see the towers that were built for the rich families and see a little university city.......such a romantic.

Then off to Parma or Emilia Reggie or Milan for the last night - that is dependent on the football match we can get tickets to - whether it's a local game or a bigger game. But it's part of our tradition - to see the local obsession sport (see Melbourne AFL and Vancouver Giants) - okay it's a new tradition - but they have to start somewhere. Plus - I have to see the last supper in Milan.

Not expecting to see any of the artwork or buildings for very long - but would like to see them. I can go through a museum or aquarium in under an hour - as opposed to going to the war museam in Canberra with J - it took 2 days.......but I definitely think the kids should go, see. WE tend to take a photo of the captions that are really interesting and then read them when we get home (J in Germany with Bear in 2006 - but he was 4 and he was there to see the world cup not the berlin wall) - but I don't believe in torturing them - or they will torture me.....later, or the next time I want to see something.

Yes - push over parent, but it works for us. C girl has been to the Louvre (8 hours), british museum, london natural history museum, every museum in Canberra and Sydney, Vancouver planeterium, Dachau (plus munich beer hall to finish), Salzburg underground salt mines, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, London Eye, Madam Touseu, Tower of London, Singapore Science centre..... plus seen Circus de soleil (twice), every disney on ice when we lived in Aus (front row seats), lion king, mama mia, swan lake, we will rock you, billy elliot, kelly clarkson, hilary duff (front row), last but not least - THE WIGGLES....... plus a few more musicals that I can't remember (she has always been my date because they were 3 hours from home and I hate taking someone who doesn't love it (picture J at this point).....oh and Disneyland for 6 days.

C girl will either come back eating a lot of different food - or she will be very skinny. I bought her a phrase book and cd for italian language today - she is studying it (has even put on her ipod so she can learn on the way to school) - she is going to be responsible for ordering her own food (we will eat whatever they want to serve us). But she will be eating everything she is given.

We are planning a lot of day trips I guess - but we aren't ones to sit around and twiddle our thumbs - so hopefully we will come back exhausted - but having seen lots of wonderful things.

Can't wait for the skiing, eating, drinking and the constant walking that we will do in the beautiful cities of Italy. Can't wait to be cold as well......brrrrr.....yippee.