Grandma Betty, Jenny, Jon and Andie visit the Netherlands and Italy

(posted by John)

Wow, it's been a while since we last posted.  Lots of fun stuff to bring you up to speed on.  I'll try to catch up over the next week or so...

Jon, Ryan & Matthew biking to the Gelatoria

On Thursday, April 14th Grandma Betty and the Donovan crew (my sister Jenny, her husband Jon and daughter Andie) made the trek accross the Atlantic to visit us in Europe.  We were long awaiting their visit and were excited to show them around our European home.  As is customary for everyone who pays us a visit, once you arrive we take you to visit the kids school, the international school of amsterdam http://www.isa.nl/.  Next the kids took Jon to our neighborhood gelatoria for the first of many gelato cones during their visit.   It was a bit difficult at first for 20-month old Andie to fight the jet lag so Jon, Jenny and Jen took turns during the night staying up with Andie. 

The next day Jen took everyone to tour Amsterdam.  Many of the stops I've blogged about previously were on the itinerary such as the Anne Frank house, Museumplein, Leidseplein.  The best part of this day and the entire trip may have been the weather.  We've enjoyed what is by all accounts an abnormally pleasant April with a typical temperature in the mid to upper sixties and SUN!  Yes, we have had an amazing stretch of sunny days and we are enjoying every minute of it!

Friday night I took Jenny and Jon into Amsterdam for the evening. After a quick stroll through the red-light district (no pictures allowed, sorry), we had dinner in the Leidseplein area of Amsterdam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leidseplein and then went to a bar to watch a couple of local bands play covers of American classics well into the night.  Lots of fun!

Saturday morning the girls went to visit the Keukenhof flower garden which was in full bloom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keukenhof.  Ryan and I went to his baseball game in Haarlem (they won both games!).  We took it easy Saturday evening since we had an early flight the next morning.

The girls at the Flower Farm



Sunday morning we departed for Italy!  Our itinerary called for two days in Rome and four days in the Tuscany region.  We flew into the Rome airport which sits about 45 minutes outside of the city.  Once we touched down, we took a train into the center of the city.  For those of you who have never been to Rome, this is a BUSY city.  More that eight million people and not one straight street!  Our hotel was located near Termini train station, very near the Colosseum.  After such a crazy day, we decided to check into the hotel and find something to eat.  Of course, finding something to eat in Italy is the highlight of any trip!  Lasagna, spaghetti and pizza...mmmm. 



Dinner in Italy...Mmmm



After dinner we wrapped up our evening by visiting one of the many famous gelatorias in Rome, and I know you'll think I'm exagerating...but there is nothing quite like Italian gelato....

Gelatoooooooooooo

Monday was our day to see some sights.  We purchased tickets for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour which is quickly becoming a favorite of ours as we tour Europe.  We saw the Colosseum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum, Roman forum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum, and Vatican City http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City among many other sites.  We waited in line to take a tour of the Vatican Museum, the highlight of which is the Sistine Chapel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel.  Amazing.

St. Peter's square

Our day was capped off by another great dinner and a bottle of wine (or two :))

Can you tell we like dinner in Italy?

Tuesday was our last day in Rome and we gave Grandma Betty the morning off (she enjoyed a leisurly morning of Breakfast on her beautiful terrace) and the rest of us toured the Colesseum.  We beat the lines by getting there early.  This was my second visit and I still find it amazing that they built this structure nearly 2,000 years ago.  One must see it to believe it.




Allie at the Colesseum


As we departed Rome, we made a quick stop at Trevi Fountain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevi_Fountain.  Beyond the fountain itself, the most amazing aspect of this stop was that I drove a nine-passenger van right to the fountain site.  Not an easy feat!




Tossing coins into Trevi Fountain


We departed Rome mid afternoon for Tuscany.  After a three hour drive was arrived at Bosco Della Spina http://www.boscodellaspina.it/.  This resort came highly recommended by Jen's cousin Julie who stayed here in the fall of 2010.  The hotel is located about 30 kilometers south of Siena in a town called Murlo http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=murlo,+italy&aq=&sll=37.230328,-95.712891&sspn=43.860855,123.134766&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Murlo+Sienna,+Tuscany,+Italy&ll=43.068888,11.25&spn=5.088194,15.391846&z=7

What a find!  Many thanks to Julie for recommending this resort.  Great location close to many fun sites and in the middle of the Tuscan wine country.  We ate dinner at the resort Tuesday night and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Grandma & Jenny - View from the Terrace

On Wednesday we spent the day in Siena http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siena, and this may have been our favorite day of the trip.  Fun shops, historic sites, great food & gelato in a city that has not changed much in the last 700 years.  Jenny, Allie, Matthew and myself clinbed to the top of the clock tower that dominates Piazza del Campo, the primary town square.  The girls also enjoyed the weekly flea market.

Piazza del Campo in Siena

We caught our breath on Thursday and stayed at the resort for the day.  Jen, Betty and Jenny did break away for a winery tour while Jon and I took the kids to the park, ate lunch, and swam in a pool that proved to be a bit chilly.  We at dinner that evening in Murlo.  We went to bed a bit early that night so we had plenty of rest for the big Friday we had ahead of us...

Andie loves Italian food!

We left the resort early Friday morning and drove to Pisa, location of course of the leaning tower of Pisa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa  We were again blessed with beautiful weather as we inspected a 1,000 year old building that truly should have fallen over quite some time ago.  Pretty cool.




The Leaning Tower of Pisa



We spent about an hour at the tower and then departed for Florence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence.  Florence is a past capital of Italy and the historic rival city of Siena.  Florence is also home to Michelangelo's David http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo) which we went to see in person.  We also toured the Duomo (Church) at the center of town and found another great restaurant for dinner.

Grandma & Kids in Florence



Saturday was our day to depart back to Amsterdam.  Our flight was in the evening so we were about to squeeze in another great meal and sight seeing on the ride back to the airport in the village of Montepulciano http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montepulciano.  One of the best meals we had!

Matthew, Andie and Ryan in Montepulciano

 

That night we flew back to Amsterdam.  Early the next morning Betty, Jon, Jenny and Andie flew back to the states.  We had a great time during their visit; we're so glad they came! 

Allie and Andie at Keukenhof

Hope to see you soon, plenty of room at the Hotel Feriancek in Holland!

John