We have been back from Italy for a few days now. It was an amazing vacation. We landed in Verona and spent a few days there. We had a lot of fun walking around and exploring the city. We saw the main squares and pedestrian area on the first day, and the second day we went to Giusti Garden and then took the funicular up to Castel San Pietro. We didn’t even see the castle, we just went up there for the views.

From Verona we took the train to Peschiera Del Garda, and then from there the ferry to Bardolino. We stayed in Bardolino and took a few days trips. We visited Sirmione, Lazise, and Garda. We also spent a day at Movieland Park. We wanted to go to Caneva Aquapark, but we just ran out of energy. I tried to plan lots of breaks for this vacation, but we still got exhausted. The highlight of the trip was definitely the lake- we went swimming almost every day and we already miss the lake.

Public transportation was really easy around the lake. The buses were easy to use, and the ferries were fun. I definitely want to go back one day, but I want to go up north to see Limone and some of the other cities up there. All of the cities around Lake Garda are so beautiful. The food was decent, but we didn’t find enough of the non tourist places.

Overall the trip was amazing. It was a good mix of seeing things and taking breaks. We saw and did a lot, but there is still so much I want to see and do in that area. It was pretty hot while we were there, but luckily our accommodation had a/c, and the heat just made it even better to swim in the lake.

We have only been back for a few days but going on vacation made me remember how much I love going on vacation. So I have already booked too many trips and have to slow down now to save some money. I am going on a solo trip to Paris in November. I think that Sofia will love Paris, so I want to go visit so that I can become a bit familiar with it. Plus Paris has some places that I would love to see without being hurried along by the kids- primarily the Palace of Versailles. I’m pretty excited about the Paris trip.

In late January I am taking Leo to Barcelona for a few days. For some reason I haven’t been as excited about visiting Barcelona, but I figure it’s time to finally see it. I think I have been to Barcelona about 3 times now, but I have never actually seen it. We’re always just passing through. Plus Leo doesn’t like the cold, so that really narrows down the places we can go. It seems like there is enough in Barcelona that Leo will enjoy to keep us busy.

In April Sofia and I are going to the Netherlands to see the tulips. That is something I have been wanting to do for a long time now, but I keep missing it. This time I was able to book plane tickets and a place to stay before they sell out or become too expensive. We are going to be staying in Haarlem and going to Amsterdam for a day trip, or maybe two. I love the Netherlands and am always excited to go back there. I’m very excited to see the tulip fields and I think Sofia will love them.

All of these trips are booked, so I’m excited. This year is finally the year we owe a lot in taxes. I kept thinking we would each year, but somehow we didn’t- until this year. Luckily they allow us to make payments, so I am going to be paying off our taxes for 8 months starting in October. So for now I really can’t plan any more trips. You would think that 3 upcoming trips would be enough, but you would be wrong lol. I have thoroughly enjoyed traveling around Europe and getting to see different beautiful places and experiencing the cultures. There are so many places I still want to go.

The kids have another week and a half until they start school, though classes don’t begin until mid September. Leo is excited to go back and see his friends. Hopefully Sofia will make some new friends this year. We know she will be really sad going back and not having her best friend there.

I was able to make a passport appointment for the kids at the US Embassy in Lisbon. We will be going in early September. Unfortunately the latest appointments they have were for 9AM, so we are going to be having a really early day that day. They want everything printed out on American sized paper, which is harder than you would think because we can’t find it anywhere around here. Kyle was able to go to a paper store and they cut it to size. We just need to bring the application, their previous passport, birth certificate, and some pictures to show them aging over the years. Leo looks a lot different than he did when his last passport photo was taken. Kyle found a photo shop and was able to get American sized passport photos taken. All I need to do now is pay online and print the receipt and then I think we are ready to renew their passports.

Sofia’s birthday is also coming up next month and she wants a party this year. There is a place nearby that has some outdoor play areas but also has some pools. Sofia really really loves swimming and being in water, so she wants to have her party there. We already put down a deposit to reserve it. I’m more nervous about this party because they don’t do anything- it’s all on us. When we did her 5th birthday party they took care of everything, including food and the cake. We are figuring it out step by step though and hopefully she will love her party.