Bi-Lingualdextrous

Courtesy of two women at a Naples cafe this morning: a reminder that we'll need to get fluent in both spoken and gestural Italian!

Nearly Naples

We've spent minimal time in the city, although enough to experience some near-perfect pizza and several near-death experiences dodging scooters in crazy Naples traffic!

Instead, J's brother D (who is now living in Naples) started us out by arranging an amazing all-afternoon meal in the mountains about an hour's drive inland.  The Italian reverence for family and food was on full display, as was the beauty of the countryside.

Then we were off for an overnight on the nearby island of Ischia, letting the girls frolic in the thermal-heated pools and in the sea, as a break from patiently accompanying us on adult activities.

It was a near perfect "reset" before returning to the chaos of Naples, which we'll be exploring for the remainder of the week...including continuing our quest for the perfect pizza!

City of Extremes

Charles Bridge

Much of our time in Prague felt like a study in contrasts: modern and ancient, capitalism and communism, freedom and oppression. 

The Jewish Museum was an especially difficult part of the visit, and we wrestled with making sense of the kind of extreme oppression and evil that eliminated over 80% of Prague's Jewish population.  

But our last day was mostly joyous, made more so by the extremely generous and wonderful Czech family who took us around.  (They are the renters of our home in Portland, and made time to see us before they move.) And by "took us around," we even mean carrying a weary Mattea along the streets of Prague.

Not to mention ending our day with fish-powered pedicures, for the viewing pleasure of those passing by the window on their way to Charles Bridge.

Next stop, Italia!!

Prague goes "Pop"

We packed in a few of Prague's main tourist attractions: Wenceslas Square, Dancing House, the Old Town Square and Charles Bridge.

In Old Town Square the girls befriended a woman making giant bubbles, and succeeded in making a few of their own.  

Old Town Square is also home to the remarkable Astronomical Clock, a 600 year-old marvel that includes an hourly show of the 12 Apostles, which we lucked into seeing in the evening (click here for a short video clip).

It also told us it was time for dinner, and a nice, cold Czech Pilsner!

Car Craziness

Many choices for our final post from Southern France, not surprisingly, most of them food related: funky French cheeses; dainty dogs under café tables at nearly every restaurant; not a single wine to whine about; and of course, “I never met a French pastry I didn't like.”

But we’ll go with Car Craziness, as a recurring theme from this last week: car radar constantly sounding the alarm as we parked or drove along narrow "streets" in Arles; the unusual traffic signs, some of which seemed to have a distinctly French flair; the occasional battles in the back seat over the imaginary border separating the girls (oh, that it had been a soundproof border!); and, the amazing sights that kept Jacqueline on her toes as we drove along.

We’re happy to leave the car behind as we head to Prague, and happy that the only damage was to our credit card when refueling!

Tres Hot, Tres Cool!

Okay, so we're really trying not to make this blog a "look at the fantastic things we've done" travelogue...but today was pretty extraordinary!  ;-)  We started with a visit to the medieval town and ruins of Les Baux de Provence, overlooking the spectacular countryside. 

Along with friends from Portland (who are in Arles on a summer house exchange), we finally succumbed to the heat, which was well into the 90s.

We decided to visit the enormous -- and cooler! -- rock quarry nearby. This quarry was used to extract limestone for hundreds of years, for constructing the buildings of Les Baux. 

We discovered that the interior, pitch black, cavernous quarry is currently an art exhibit of sound and music, Carrières de Lumières. The masterworks of Monet, Chagall, Matisse, Renoir and others are projected in high resolution onto every surface of the quarry.  The "rooms" are 30-40 feet tall and some are hundreds of feet long. It was truly jaw-dropping, and the girls danced and delighted as they were enveloped by the art. 

This is certainly a highlight of the trip thus far, although the girls seem to have found their bug sightings today just as memorable! 

Joie de Vivre

Easy to understand why artists have been inspired by S. France for centuries: Arles, the surrounding countryside, and the sea nearby are all breathtaking.  

As is my muse, during a visit to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. 

Relaxing by the Rhone to end the day -- Joie de vivre!

 

M’s London Highlights!

As you can see there is a dog. This is our host’s dog. Her name is Lily. She is a very sweet dog. 

This is icecream made with liquid nitrogen.  Yum! I had watermelon dill flavor.

And this was a really fun visit to see where Harry Potter movies were made.

Loopy London

My London is...

dizzy,

Dizzy,

DIZZY,

DIZZY!