Medieval Dreams Do Come True

After Mass, a market comes to the piazza.  Roo got a new hat, and is sporting her new boots from Florence (this is all she wanted for her birthday), with her jacket from Paris.  (spoiled much? - sheesh)  Also wearing her new pink pearls Aunt Rachie bought her and eating Uncle Fede's sweets, that my children promptly robbed from him.  Kind and patient people, I tell you.

Gid couldn't live without this Cars2 backpack and winter wear.  I'm a sucker.  Plus, it was cold and he looked cute in it.

After the market, Fede drove Sam back down from the village to their house and let him ride the quad bike.  Sam was in heaven and only wanted two things for Christmas this year: To go back to San Ginesio and have a snowy Christmas there - and get a quad bike of his own.  (bummer for him - he didn't get either, but it sounds fun!)

Everyone wanted a ride, and got one.  But I think they were pretty happy just trying on the gear.  Gid got into Fede's boots and gloves as well.  You should have seen him walk.  Very funny, as the boots go all the way up to his diaper!

Last stop before heading home was the coolest, hands down, coolest place.  (well, at least for a bunch of little boys that want to be knights and a little girl that wants to be a princess)  This is a neighboring village with a castle, still used today, by the same family.  They've been there since the 800's.  And they let you tour it! 

It's castle is at the highest point of the village.  So there was a lot of uphill walking.

Inside there was everything you could think  that would have been in a castle for a thousand, plus, years.  They asked you not to take pictures, but man - you should have seen the place.  And it wasn't like a museum, where things are donated and replicas made.  Everything in the place lived there.  It had been there forever. 

All of the things of a working royal kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, grand halls, armory rooms, stables..everything.  We were in awe the entire time.

Don't they look in awe?  Actually, this is just a picture on the way up.  We actually ate lunch in an old part of the castle.  I think they should have served drinks from giant pewter steins, because that's what it felt like.

AND, they had dress up.  Yep.  They had a dress up room where you could try stuff on.  If you don't know this about the Tennis kids - dress up is their middle name.

Real chain mail, btw.  Totally heavy.  Biggest regret of a non purchase?  We didn't get our own chain mail.  I know.  What were we thinking?!  It was 40 euros, and Peter and I are still talking about how did we pass that up??  (I know - we're weird like that)

This picture right here says why we love Aunt Rach so much - look at her.  She totally got into it.  We pretend fought for a while, lived it up, and bought a whole lot of weaponry to take home.  To be exact, 2 four and a half foot bows and arrows, 2 two foot ones, a sling shot and a small cross bow.  Their prices were great, and my kids were in heaven.  That is, until the airport authorities in Bahrain tried to confiscate them.  But alas, after 20 minutes of arguing/begging, we got them through.  Phew!

What can I say?  Truly the greatest trip ever.  I say this in a very humble way.  We were so blessed this entire trip.  The fact that we even had the means to take it is the biggest gift.  Then it was one blessing after another.  Ruby was sick during our time in Rome, but was able to keep up the whole time.  We were able to do and see everything we wanted.  The weather was great.  The van worked wonderfully through tiny Roman side streets, up little village hills, and across miles and miles of freeway. (Luckily Peter is a great and willing driver)  The kids got along really well.  We had a much needed dose of wonderful family to reconnect with.  Honestly.  I can't thank Rachelle and Federico enough.  They made a vacation that we thought couldn't get better -into  one that we will never forget.  The entire thing from start to finish was amazing.  I said in our Christmas letter that 'we came home dripping with olive oil and culture' - and that's the truth.  We saw more than I ever had imagined.  Fede said, "You guys are on a Japanese version of a trip to Italy.  It's too fast."  Haha. While that's true, we get what we can.  And with a big, young family, this is the way it works for us.  Some day when I'm old, I will saunter through Europe.  But it will never be as crazy and fun as it has been with our kids.  Just quieter.