Sweasey Adventure

After spending 24 hours in Paris and doing the whirlwind tour we flew to Nice, France where we stayed for 3 nights. There is a great professional tennis tournament in Monte Carlo just 30 minutes away and I’ve always dreamed of going to watch and take in Monte Carlo. So in March I bought tickets online and booked the few days in Nice at the Hotel Gounod at the recommendation of a friend who’s been to the tournament. The 4 of us took the train and found the tournament which was an undertaking in itself but we enjoyed some great matches and the kids endured their less than favorite activity.

From Nice we went by train to Marseille, then by bus to Marseille airport and flew to Madrid. In Madrid we met up with Juan Salas who, 5 years earlier, stayed with us as a summer exchange student from Spain. Now 20, Juan is studying in Barcelona and it was great to see him. After a brief lunch we got our rental car and made the 5 hour drive north to San Sebastian. That was a full travel day starting at 6:00 AM and ending at 8:00 pm. We got lucky and found the most incredible pension in San Sebastian (Pension Bella Artes) where a mother and daughter run the place with such loving attention to their guests that you instantly feel like family. We were all overwhelmed with their caring and thoughtfulness. San Sebastian is on the Atlantic and very near the French border. There is a strong Basque influence and most the street signs are in both Spanish and Basque (which looks like Latvian or something). This is THE home of Tapas. There’s a wonderful surf beach and incredible harbor that is the cleanest I’ve ever seen. Even the commercial fishing area was immaculate and there was not even the slightest smell of fish. We wandered the narrow ancient streets as the evening dwellers began to come to enjoy a plethora of drink and food Tapas style and the sound of the waves was ever present in the background. It was a wonderful experience and a wonderful place.

The next day we met Matthieu our contact in Biarritz where we were staying the next 7 days. Matthieu is 28 and just retiring as a professional surfer. He runs a surf school and surf shop, has vacation rental homes and is a former Biarritz Surf Champion. Most importantly, he is a wonderfully energetic guy with a great attitude and the boys took to him immediately. His English is pretty good but with a strong French accent which made for some interesting conversations and a lot of non-verbal communication. Biarritz started as a vacation spots for the likes of Napoleon and his cronies and grew from there. Consequently the town has some of the most beautiful buildings and homes, wonderful French restaurants and boulangeries and a vibrant surf/tourist economy. Our house was actually too small and we rented an extra studio on the property where Matthieu himself lives. An amazing Boulangerie was just around the corner and every morning we’d awaken to the smell of the most incredible baked goods. It was like living next to a Cinabon only with greater selection and way better quality. Just the other direction an incredible rotisserie where the sold the best chickens we’ve ever tasted. The surf was great although the water was closer in temperature to San Luis Obispo – around 60 Farenheit. There was a very big swell when we arrived so we had to do some searching to find waves that we could handle. The area gets a lot of rain and is so naturally beautiful we were really taken by it. Again, we had wonderful hospitality, got lost while driving almost every time we went out and slept like we were in basic training.

Our next stop would be Barcelona to catch a plane to Mallorca for another week. The drive through the Pyrenees Basque country from San Sebastian to Pamplona (running of the bulls) was like driving through the wilderness. This area is blessed with so much diversity we were simply awed by it. This is another place we will definitely want to return to.

After all the traveling, sightseeing, train hopping, bus hopping, taxi travel, rent a cars, walking, navigating, getting lost, getting directions, going to laundramats, eating out it was fortunate that we had set up to stay at a Marriott Villa in Mallorca. We took advantage of the spa and gym, sand volleyball courts, huge grassy areas and pools to get in some shape and relax a bit. Mallorca is a beautiful and historic place. Surrounded by the crystal blue Mediterranean it’s chocked full of natural rock harbors, massive cathedrals and open planes with and windmill on every farm. Germans are quite common visitors to Spain due to the cheap and varied flights and the warm weather. Americans are a bit more rare. This was a great place to relax, regroup and plan for our reentry into our lives back home in SLO.

The Town of Conil

We’ve been planning this journey for over 4 years. We’d made most the arrangements from Mid Nov in Australia all the way till April 5th in Lucca. But from the 5th of April till our return to SLO on May 15 was open. So about a month ago I started snooping around for places to see. Well, we went to Southern Spain in the Andalucia region. We left Rome airport Friday night and flew to Malaga (home of Antonio Banderas). The next day we rented a car and drove to Conil about 2.5 hours West along the coast. I found a surf school online to get the info on the best spots and the guy was great. Mattias, from Germany, is a kite surf instructor and local guide so he set us up in a house about 60 meters from the beach. We got in some great surfing and wonderful sightseeing. In fact, Mattias invited us to join him for dinner with his friends and we had a great time. There is so much to love about this very minimally developed coastline. Rolling hills with farms, towers on the beach to identify pirates from years past, hilltop cities that are the oldest in Europe and dinner at 10-12 pm with the locals. This is also a very windy place which makes it a Mecca for windsurfing and kite surfing. Take a look at our photos at

http://picasaweb.google.com/hsweasey

We became quite attached to Lucca. This beautiful and charming walled city was a perfect place to immerse ourselves in Italy. Before arriving on the 9th of March we had spent our final week skiing in Claviere. Sitting virtually on the French border (about 50 meters walk from our Hotel), Claviere was one of the sights used for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, we booked our stay through a British company online and let’s simply say they overstated the “amenities”, under delivered on their commitments and grossly overcharged. The snow conditions had deteriorated since it didn’t snow in all of February and the mountain was really not that great for skiing. The boys had no problem snowboarding the same run hour after hour and day after day. Other than that we had a great time. So rather than ski the last week we planned we headed to Lucca a week early. Not really having excercised much, I was able to connect with the local tennis pro and play some tennis on indoor red clay courts. The pro, Michaelangelo, was very nice and not having played for over 3 months I was sore in places I never knew existed after one hour of play. Tennis became a healthy part of my social life and my Italian language education. The house we stayed in was virtually across the street from the train station. So between guests coming to stay, day trips to beautiful places and schlepping bags around it was the perfect location.
Kyle got to practice with Dan Crozier,s club soccer team and that was a dream come true. Four bikes came with our villa and we used the bikes to get everywhere. It’s been great going the last several months with no car. Our friend Alex Crozier went home to SLO after 3 months here and immediately bought 2 new bikes to use. I’m sure we’ll be biking a lot more when we get home as well. We were able to make side trips to the Italian Mediterranean area of Cinque Terre – incredible, as well as San Gimignano, Florence and Sienna. These are all places that are amazingly stunning and historic at the same time. I would recommend anyone going to Italy to visit these places at least for 1-2 days each. Rather than go into detail just take a look at the photos we’ve taken as they come marginally close to reflecting the true beauty and charm of these magical places.

In front of Coliseum with Theresa

Going to Rome was like being a farm boy in New York city for the first time. It was fast, busy and bustling with activity. We were lucky enough to be pitched for a tour outside the coliseum by the many high pressure salesman. I was skeptical that we would even get a tour after handing this guy 90 Euro but he brought us right through the long line into the coliseum and joined us up with our guide. So rather than looking unwittingly at an ancient ruin we were given the context of the rise and fall of the Roman empire and the significance of the building, usage and history of the coliseum. This was followed by an incredible historic description and tour of Palantine Hill where the Romans got their start. Of course the most educational, and these were all VERY educational tours, was of the Vatican. Now imagine two boys ages 12 & 14 preparing to go into an art museum. There was no outward resistance for which we were grateful but in their heads Nate and Kyle were dreading this 3-4 hours of sheer boredom. Once again the guide was incredibly knowledgeable, enthusiastic and funny. Knowing the context of t he artist, the type of person he was and the circumstances under which he would do his work brought everything to life and the boys loved it. I can’t imagine a more interactive way to get the history lesson of a lifetime. Yet, after 3 days of sightseeing we were all ready for a little change so we took the train through Naples to Sorrento on the beautiful Amalfi Coast of the Mediterranean. The beauty and juxtaposition of this place overtook us. Perched on 300’ high sheer cliffs sits a town of about 13,000 that dates back to Roman times. The VERY narrow streets designed for horses and pedestrians give Sorrento the feel of an ancient City. We were lucky enough to find one of the cutest little casa’s to stay in the center of town. We made a day trip to the island of Capri which is home to the Blue Grotto and many Roman ruins. It’s surrounded, like Sorrento, by the crystal blue Mediterranean. We took a small boat to the Grotto and since it was high tide it made the entry that much smaller.

Once inside we could see how this natural wonder had earned it’s name with it’s rich blue water. It’s a must for anyone going to that area. The other highlight were the very cool towns of Capri and Anacapri (where we took a chairlift to the highest part of the island and saw the 180 degree view and the sheer cliffs upon which people were thrown to their deaths in the distant past), and the small harbor front. Yes, this was an area we had not planned on visiting yet we were very glad we did.

Who needs a station wagon to get the kids around!

February had almost no snow in Italy and after 3 great weeks in Livigno we headed to Claviere, Italy which is about an hour West or Torino (home of 2006 Winter Olympics) and where some of the Olympic downhill events were held. Unfortunately our hotel was grossly overpriced, our "room" was like a dorm room and the conditions on the mountain were horrible. We muddled through a week and headed to South to Lucca a week earlier than planned. We originally going to be in Lucca for 3 weeks but it's going to turn into 4. A beautiful walled city with loads of charm, Lucca is in the heart of Tuscany and about 20 Km from Pisa. We have a very nice home just outside the wall. The incredible wall of Lucca was constructed in various time periods starting in the 1300's to keep out intruders. There's also a mote surrounding so now the wall serves more to keep out cars and keep in cafe dwellers and fashion conscious Italians. We have 4 old fashion single speed bikes and a we use them to get everywhere. We shop at the local butcher, fresh fruit and vegetable markets, baker and the "superstore" grocery as well. We're learning Italian with Maria and Kyle in a class a few hours a week and Nate & I join in with our tutor Stefania for a couple more hours. It's been relaxing and I've had a chance to play some tennis at the indoor clay courts with the likes of Michaelangelo, Leonardo and Marco. There's also a skatepark for the boys which they love. The only challenge is that it's been raining more than normal so we're working around that which makes it interesting when you're only biking.

A wonderful Easter day with friends

We made an incredible side trip with the Crozier family to Sienna, Greve and San Gimignano. The towns had so much charm and history with San Gimignano taking the cake as the coolest. Even the local Italians rave about the beauty of this 12th Century walled city on a hill with 13 towers of the original 60 some still standing. Perfectly maintained it's like honey for a beehive of tourists. The Duomo in Sienna is truly inspirational, massive and ornate. The huge piazza in Sienna is home to an annual horse race where people from different neighborhoods have their representative horse and rider preparing for months in hopes of winning bragging rights in Sienna for the entire year. They even bring the horses into Church to bless them before the race and it's considered good luck if the horse poops in the church. Only in Italy.

The walled City of San Gimignano

Downtown Milan after arriving from sweltering Bali

Well there was quite a transition going from 90 degree temperature and over 90 percent humidity in Bali where my pores were essential locked in the open position. As I mentioned I think I actually got heat stroke while surfing and was wiped out and exhausted the rest of that day. So after leaving Bali on a Friday night and gaining about 10 hours in time zone changes we ended up 7:00 am Saturday in Milan…temperature 29 F…ouch. I know I’m not getting any sympathy here but I hadn’t put on any pants for about 3 months and then it’s cold & raining in Milan. But the ONE pair of pants I did bring sure did come in handy. We checked into our hotel by the airport and I didn’t expect much of the “Italian feel” that close to an international airport 30 miles outside of Milan but we got it. Walking down the street we found a local bakery with incredible focaccia and pizzas. We got the train into Milan and enjoyed the beautiful Duomo which is the 4th largest church in Europe. Milan, the “commerce” hub of Italy compared to Rome’s claim as the cultural center is a wonderful place and there’s definitely some healthy competition between the two cities. Of course the big adjustment - for we Californians who are from a City that was the first in the U.S. to ban smoking from public places- was the prevalence of smoking. It seems everyone does it and It’s taken some adjustment but we’re getting used to the smoke. The boys haven’t had the benefit of being around in a time when you could go into a bar and come home smelling like a chain smoker so it’s even more of an adjustment for them.
After a couple of days enjoying Milan we got on our first train to Lucca to visit the Croziers. Now up to this point we didn’t know if we’d be renting a car or going by train or…….? So for an American who can speak some Spanish and no Italian I was in a bit of a bind trying to buy train tickets, at the automated machine for a departure in 5 minutes on a train you’re “recommended” to board 10 minutes prior to departure. Well I got some guidance and ended up with the right number of tickets to the right place but all this with the looming thought of being ripped off the whole time. You see in Rick Steve’s guide book on Italy (I highly recommend it) he talks of how in the larger cities you keep an eye on your bags, don’t carry a wallet and use a money belt securely fastened. Then, the sweet lady at our hotel as we left Milan for the train station said to watch your bags closely. So I was ready for battle. Of course, nothing happened and it was a wonderfully smooth trip.
Lucca is an incredible place and we’re so impressed with Alex & Judy’s decision to spend 6 months there, enroll their kids in school and totally immerse in the area. We have the benefit of being tourist for a few weeks in the area, enjoying the sights and then moving on. Just imagine taking your children to a new school, where you don’t know a soul and…..ready for this….don’t speak their language. That’s gutsy. But they had been there a month and were adjusting well. I know it’s easy to be the parent in this case, the tough thing is being a student. Imagine you’re a kid in class, everyone’s chatting away and you can’t understand any of it and then you have to do your school work…Wow, my hat goes off to Dan, Bo and Angie. I know they will learn a ton but it’s got to be so challenging!
So the train and bus system here has been very easy to use and comfortable. As the main driver in most of our road trips it’s a real treat to sit back and relax. No navigating, wondering where to go, stressing about killing someone or being killed, breaking a law, missing a turn, trying to figure out where to return the car etc. Just sit back and enjoy the view, a book or some conversation OR…..go to the dining car! Ya, that’s my kinda trip, letting someone else drive while you relax and enjoy a meal in a restaurant. If they only had ESPN sports center or a movie in the dining car then who would ever get off the train?

Nate in the boardpark going off jump with valley in the background.

Kyle likes to launch his body off things

Now just because the train system is good doesn’t mean we know how to use it. Some trains have assigned seats with power for your laptop and fold down tables and some have seats a slight step above a Greyhound bus. And with no assigned seating we ended up in between cars in the loading area with our luggage stacked and us sitting in a couple fold down chairs and on the floor. We didn’t realize there would be other stops and by us monopolizing this area we were right in the flow of passengers boarding and departing. So…….as a seat would open we would be more aggressive and move into position and stake our claim. For someone like me who loves to talk to people, see where they’re from and find out the best places to go it’s tough to sit in total silence. It sucks being a stupid monolinguistic American.

Mottolini is the name of the mountain

But we made it again and Livigno is a real treat. Maria found this incredible alpine valley online and did an AMAZING job. It’s quaint with old chalets, just two streets running almost the length of the valley, tons of restaurants and two great ski mountains on either side of the valley. It’s a difficult place to get so they RARELY have Americans here and you can be on the chairlift and hear Russian, Italian, German, Dutch, Sweedish, Swiss, Hungarian, Slovokian etc….There are a fair number of Brits here as well. In fact, I tend to lose context of language so when I met the gentlemen renting the unit across from ours and he greeted me I was about to say “non parla Italiano”. I then realized he wasn’t speaking Italian at all so I almost blurted out “no Sprechen” and finally I realized he was speaking English as they speak it in Scotland – I owe Mike Myers a lot for all his good Scottish impersonations which kept me from embarrassing myself in front of this Scottish Lad.
So we have a cool little apartment in a large remodeled chalet that probably has 4-5 apartments in it. It’s right on the road and near the bus stop. We have a store, a butcher and a hotel with great cappuccinos, pastries and internet access. We can walk out our door & go 30 meters to a Poma lift that will take us to another Poma and then to the main Gondola. We bought a 20 day lift pass (all the days we’ll be here and it worked out to about 15 Euro/day to ski….that’s soooo much cheaper than in the US!). The food is very reasonable and even at the Mountain lodges meals are only 5-7 Euro and are very good. Yes we eat mostly incredible Bolognese pasta or pizza and bread and we’re loving it!! The snow has been very good and they take excellent care of the mountain with grooming and snowmaking. It doesn’t look like we’ll get any fresh powder here which is disappointing.
After 4 days of skiing the boys got to try snowboarding. Maria and I really wanted to have the boys get proficient at skiing because we figured once they went to snowboarding they’d never go back to skiing. Well they took right to it and within a couple days they were going down the steepest sections of the mountain and didn’t even seem worried. So Maria and I decided to give it a try. After skiing for 35 years it was time for us to really suck at something and wallow in our suckiness. Well, you get wet when you snowboard cuz you have to sit almost every time you get on or off the lift to buckle into your board. So we lasted one day, turned the boards back in for our skiis and Maria tweeked her neck so bad she had to stay in bed the next day….who says you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.
The boys to continue on their school work. Nate already finished his Algebra course online and started into the Geometry text and Kyle is keeping right up with his work in advanced 7th grade math. The boys are NOT being home schooled , in my opinion, but are self-schooling. When we started on the RV trip it was hard to know what to do as parents/teachers and hard for the kids to know what to do and when to do it with no formal schedule. But we’ve worked it out and we’re very pleased with how the boys take the initiative, do their schoolwork on their own every morning with only an occasional question to tap their parents limited brain capacity. They journal regularly and do pushups 3 days a week for PE – Fridays are “100 pushup Fridays” so they’re getting quite strong.

[b]St Moritz, Switzerland....what a place

Before we left Livigno we made the trek to St. Moritz, Switzerland. Probably only 20 miles away as the crow flies it’s about an hour van ride then another hour or so by train. What a great decision that was. We had asked around in Livigno about St. Moritz as to run and snow quality and most Livignians are very proud and would only say it’s more expensive and the mountain wasn’t any better, nor would the snow be since the altitude’s are the same. Well, it was more expensive but the mountain is really a set of mountains and the terrain was quite diverse and boy, was it more upscale. St Moritz is where skiing was born, where James Bond made some great escapes on skiis and where the rich all over the world love to keep their hoards of cash. The train ride alone was well worth the trip.