Love may be blind but marriage is a real eye-opener!

"You're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you, you'd be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much; At long last love has arrived, and I thank God I'm alive, you're just too good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you!"
Soul mate and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary this week, so in an attempt to commemorate the occasion, (and to make an excuse for another holiday,) we booked two nights away at Lake Garda. Lake Garda is the largest lake in Northern Italy, and as with any of the lakes, is a very popular destination during the summer months.

We arrived at Relais Du Lac, Desenzano on Friday night, after about an hour and a half drive north west of Milan. We had a lovely 2 bedroom self contained apartment, with plenty of old cupboards with skeleton keys to keep daughter amused (or to hide) for an hour or so. Greeted by heavy rain on Saturday morning, our plans of a bike ride with the kids and relaxing by the water fountained pool were quickly drowned. The children were both under the weather themselves, trying to fight off the cold and flu, (effects of princesses new childcare enrolment and germ gathering expedition). So with chesty coughs and runny noses, we decided it would best for the children to nap in and out of episodes of Dora the Explorer and Bananas in Pyjamas in the back seat, while we took in the sights out of the car window. (I am beginning to think daughter is only excited when we go on holidays because she gets to watch movies.)

I envisioned the drive around the lake only taking a couple of hours, but it was 9 hours after departure that we arrived back at the apartment. (This did include a lunch stop, 3 random photo stops and a quick grocery shop visit.) Heavy rain and little vision of distant scenery gave the lake an eerie feel and stretched our imagination of the "summer wonderland" that we had been hearing about. Inflatable crocodiles and li-los were being sold on every corner and we could only imagine them to be used as flood safety devises not luxury in the sun. Our photos were taken mostly out of the window of a moving car, or timed dodging the wipers thru the front windscreen. (Needless to say, did not get too many clear photos, hubby and I have decided to call them 'arty' shots!.)

We definitely found the scenery more picturesque the further north that we drove. The mountains peaked above the rain clouds and the lake was littered with windsurfers and kite surfers braving the rainy conditions. There were less towns to drive through on the eastern side of the lake and the journey was mostly via open tunnel cut into the mountain. The southern end is definitely pretty rolling hills and little towns, perhaps just a bit more populated therefor lost some appeal for me?

We stopped at a little town called Salo for lunch. 'Tip Tap' served us a yummy vegetarian antipasto and a pesto pasta while we watched the boats bop up and down on the lake. Salo was the birthplace of Gasparo De Salo, 1540 to 1609, the inventor of the violin. As with all of the towns along the lake side, it was riddled with restaurants, gelati bars and boutiques; but the promenade ran along the waters edges making for a nice after lunch stroll in between rain sets. Nice to stretch the legs after 4 hours in the car. Salo was pretty and had many little alleyways to explore, for princess anyway! (Maybe we also had some more gelati...)

A quick return trip to the restaurant to collect our forgotten umbrellas and we headed for southern end of the lake, (after a quick gelati of course, we are on holidays). We decided that we would avoid the stress of pretending we are a civilised family eating in a restaurant this evening, so opted for ravioli, tomato pasta sauce and bread for a cheats meal back at the apartment. The hotel had a great undercover area and playground for the children (infested with spiders, I am sure they were harmless), so with wine in hand, we headed down for a kick of the soccer ball, a game of table football, a turn on the merry-go-round and some wet slide climbing.

Soul mate did a quick return trip to the supermarket to replace the smashed bottle of pasta sauce, (daughter was trying to put it too sleep on the big table with a face washer when it accidentally jumped to the floor), then dinner plans were back on track.

Ok, I know I always comment on breakfast buffet, but to me it is how I judge the quality of accommodation; just like rating a good Aussie restaurant by their ceaser salad, or a good bar by its Bloody Mary. This is one of the few European buffets we have been offered that has had more than croissants, french stick, ham and cheese. Much to my children's delight sausage was on offer, many pastries, and eggs, fruit and salad for the oldies. After filling our bellies we had a quick play by the pool and then hoped to do the bike ride that we missed day prior. Unfortunately they only had one baby seat on the hire bikes (I knew we should of stopped at one child), so instead we decided to take princess to see a castle in Sirmione. The Scaliger Castle (13th century), included a rare example of medieval port fortification, which was used by the Scaliger fleet. (The noble family of the Scaliger were Lords of Verona.)

We chose Desenzano as our lunch destination and enjoyed a brushetta, pizza and mixed seafood, with a splash of wine and an apèritif. Apèritif is an orange bitter drink that is supposed to be served to stimulate the appetite before a meal, can't say whether it worked, have never seemed to have a problem with my appetite, drink was refreshing non the less. Desenzano was pretty and more of a little boat harbour than a lake side village; it seemed quite popular and a bit more modern than some of the other towns we have visited. The children had a play at the park by the water. Son is really starting to get around on his feet now, and shows a great similarity to a flapping chicken and a Bill Cosby dance. Unfortunately, it was time to face reality, and get home to unpack and do some washing. We had a lovely weekend away, deep down I am startinmg to panic that I am running out of lakes to explore.

1 year, 1 week and 1 day

I am now ruler of the world!!!

One Year, One week, One day old, and guess what.... I rule the world!!!!

This week I have accomplished many things, which include;

• People singing to me (expecting me to sing along), and think I am some kind of god that can extinguish fire with a single breath (grown ups can be soooo silly)!
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• On a special day, adults will feed you your favourite food, (tomato spaghettii) and will not feel the urge to wipe your chin between every bite (I love to get messy)!
  





• I can now rip up paper things and not get in trouble, especially if it has bows and pictures of trucks on it; "get into it!" being yelled by my parents; then quest conquored by older sister with reply "Oh look, I got new..." (Whose birthday was it again sister?)
  




• Being allowded to ride the carousel 3 times instead of once, so glad I can be like my big sister.
  






• I can now push a bike, ride a bike, flip a bike and dance with a bike

• I can now climb out of the bath, (much to my parents dismay), "now you don't see me... now you do!"
  
  
  
• I have learnt to walk and my mum says now I am a real man since I turned one!! My motivation to walk is to grab the television remote control and I climb up onto the couch by myself and get comfortable with my hand on my nappy crutch. (Man's comfortable position.)

I wonder what it is going to be like when I turn two .....

Bravo Baveno

Soul mate celebrated his 38th birthday weekend, (managed to talk him down from a week to a weekend), just with us and I was determined to make it special as there was lack of friends and family for celebrations. We started a night early with balloons, cake and a buffett of his favourite pickings (yes fish fingers were on the menu), and the children even backed up the joy with a sleep in the next morning. After speaking to family on birthday morning, we headed for the markets and then off to music shop to buy the birthday boy a guitar. Budget rose slightly and he left shop smiling like a teenager with his first playboy magazine. Once unpacking fruit and veges, hubby took out the rubbish and returned to the apartment to find packed bags for our overnight adventure. "So I can't play my guitar yet?"

After an hours drive north west of Milano, (and some more harsh words with Loise GPS advisor, for some reason she always wants me to stay at someones private house, hubby and her get along much better than we do), we arrive at Lake Maggorie. Baveno is our destination and faces the Borromean Islands, it is situated in both a lakeside and mountain setting, and is characterized by precious examples of architecture, 19th century villas and by its famous pink granite quarries. We have lunch in Baveno, very peaceful, overlooking the lake and watching the boats come and go from the islands. Soul mate braved the ordering of spaghetti, which son attacked while sitting on daddy's lap as there were no highchairs, Happy Birthday Honey... here have some spaghetti in your ear. We bought some floaties for the kids and headed to Hotel Spendid for a swim and to open birthday presents over a glass of wine. The name says it all; the hotel was splendid, so were the views, room, food and company.

We had a lovely swim in the pool with daughter jumping in and out with an abundance of energy, and son just happy to float and take in his surroundings. Soul mate and I got to relax for a little while in the sun (10 minutes is better than nothing), while prince explored the space of the patio and made some new friends, and princess jumped from day bed to day bed and removed and replaced all of the rocks from the pot plants.

Back to the room to plan our evening when son decided to party like a rock star by weeing all over the floor and throwing birthday boys cup of red wine across the room. We decided it was too late to bath then head into town for dinner, and room service was not an option as we did not have a menu in our room and we were both to lazy to organise one. A quick clothes change and we braved the A-La-Carte in the Hotel. This was not the ideal setting for children, but after making presence known, (by throwing cutlery, food and few colouring pencils) they attracted their self selected audience and were happy to entertain wait staff and other hotel guests. We had a lovely bottle of wine and the antipasto buffet, children were free (when will these people learn that it this is not in their best financial interests with the Gonzalez children), and also helped ourselves to the dessert buffet, (to later find out that it was not included, gobble, gobble, ooops)!

Splendid weather the following day and we had a relaxing morning eating breakfast on the patio and planning our day of travel ahead. We took a ferry ride to two of the three Borromee Islands; visiting Isola dei Pescatori an old fishing village, now filled with restaurants, villas and gift stalls (350m long by 150m wide, so did not take long to explore), and Isola Bella, (320m by 400m, also not large enough to work up an appetite) occupied by a palace, large Italian garden, restaurants and stalls selling same t-shirt/ fridge magnet merchandise as first island, oh, and a 'nutella man'. Both islands have skinny rabbit warrened paths, and a walk around the outskirts; foot is your only transport and boat is your only escape. Not that you should need to escape but I did wonder how many tourist have slept on the pebbled beach after missing the evenings last ferry.

The children loved the ferry rides between the islands, as did the boat crew who would throw in a quick line to catch a fish between the docking and take off time of a few minutes. We disembarked at Stresa, had a quick wander, lunch of spinach canneloni, pesto gnocchi and fish ravioli. Boat trip back to Baveno for departing Gelati and 26€ of dried and crystalised fruit (kiwifruit, strawberries, apples, pineapples and pears; yum), got way too much but I think the market vendor spotted the suckers a mile away.


When we first moved to Milan, I found it bizarre that everyone left the city on the weekends, Sundays you literally have to dodge the tumbleweeds down the street. We were told that the summers were always spent at the lakes or in the mountains. Now I know why. Lake Como was gorgeous and alluring, Lake Maggiore was charming and relaxing, (or the small part we have seen anyway), hoping Lake Garda will be next on the list, I am sure it will not disappoint.

Happy Birthday soul mate!!! I hope you enjoyed it my sweet and I look forward to many exciting birthdays to come. Mwah. X

"DON'T PANIC!!!!!!!"

So if you are yelling "Don't panic!" at someone who is panicking, it may not help a panicked situation. Two hours into our trip towards home and the petrol light flashes, beeps, and I start to panic. Just a little. Okay, a lot. Winding roads thru the Alps, single lane 11km long tunnels, cars sitting on the speed limit of 130km/hr; not the ideal situation to break down in. Set the GPS for next petrol station, (that I miss the turn off for), aim for the next one, oh my goodness, there goes the exit, (Louis help me out here)! It has been over 20km, how much time do I have!!! Do an illegal turn and find ourselves in the single street town of Oulx. Wait at a railway crossing for 5 minutes (with the engine off, do not want to have to push car down the street), then find a little gas station. Could of guessed, "Gone to lunch, back in 2 hours!" Try for the other end of the street to find another gas station, unattended, but after a few tries we manage to work out the self pay/pump system.





As we had just crossed the border we enter a little pizzeria to be surprised inside by a bustle of families having lunch. Two wood fired pizzas cooked in front of us and 1 litre of wine later, we walk the street, take in the mountain views and decide we have procrastinated the end of our holiday long enough.




Apparently it is the role of the driver to keep their eye on the petrol gauge. Moral of the story; don't yell "Don't panic" at someone who is panicking; and maybe I let the petrol gauge get low on purpose so we could have a lovely lunch and views to finish our holiday, (maybe)??

Our one week's road trip between Italy, Switzerland and France, ended up costing us over 200€ in toll charges. We did not think that it would be this much, and next time we would probably avoid more tolls to see some little towns. It was a lot of time in the car for the children, but with snacks, stories, singing, naps and of course the DVD player, they were both very well behaved. Daughter managed to entertain herself by slowly tearing her sunshade each day and was actually wearing it as we pulled into home. Son managed to keep us entertained by waking (partly) for quick snacks, then back to sleep again. (See attached video.)










Thanks soul mate for our amazing memories and opportunities. I change my mind... I think we would be great on the Amazing Race!

Oh by the way, remember when we packed up to leave a week ago, I said that I felt like I had forgotten something. I remembered. The salmon cakes in the oven from the night before we left. "DON'T PANIC!" the oven was off, but the kitchen was pretty smelly!

"Get out of the gutter!"

Due to my theory that the big dots on the map are not always worth visiting, we did a drive thru Lyon. It looked beautiful and very similar to Paris, we should of had an overnight stay; instead we will return for a weekend. Lyon is the 2nd largest city in France and is also known as the culinary capital of France. Happiness is food remember! Although with the window down at one stage, there was a funny smell. "I think Leon smells" I said. "No I think it is Lyon" Daddy replied. "That's what I said" I said. "Yes Lyon smells!" There was a little confusion.

Our last nights stop was in Grenoble, France, and the city was much larger than I had expected. At the end of the day (a very long day), we arrived at our hotel safe and sound... Although it was a bumpy road as Loise (GPS advisor) was very confused driving through the city, and hubby was getting a little frustrated with my erratic driving, (I had been driving for about 6 hours). "Get out of the gutter, not your side of the road , look out for the tram , you are making the pedestrian sprint accross the road, blah, blah, blah!"

The hotel was more than comfortable and it was nice to spoil ourselves on the last night of our holiday. Views of the mountains, super soft pillows, our own bedroom, a personalised greeting waiting for us on the television and an elevator for the car, (see, I can be easily pleased without food). The children are now well adjusted to late nights, so we hit the town to explore for some dinner. We found a little restaurant, where we sat outside and watched the trams go by while dining on snails, squid, mussels and scallops;apple juice for princess, and a bottle of French wine for us. Daughter showed no interest in eating snails again, but did show a liking for trying to eat the snail shell, (where do my children get their eating habits from)? After a quick play in the water fountain on the way home, time for an early night, (11pm).

After another Gonzalez ambush on a continental breakfast, we visit the world's first cable-car ride that was opened to the public. It took us 685m up the mountain to panoramic views of Grenoble, the river Isère and the various mountain ranges. We enjoyed the view and took ample photos before visiting the museum. Museum was interesting to see but all in French so a little difficult for some; we tried to make a donation but were told that the military could not accept as they are not allowed to be handed money. (Unlike the Malaysian officer who advised I bribe him with money to avoid a traffic ticket a few years ago.)


Back to the car, and time to head back to Milano. Poor soul mate is back to work in two days, it has been so lovely having this time together and experiencing our first real family holiday.

As long as we are well fed

Our Disney adventure had finally come to an end and the troops climbed aboard the Gonzo mobile for a 2 day road trip back to Milan. After a few nasty words with Loise, (our GPS advisor) and a little drive through the one street town of Le Subdray, we found our Novotel accommodation. Our hotel was just out of the small town Bourges; next to the freeway and surrounded by several other hotels (a little hotel commune), not the best scenery, but very comfortable none the less. It seemed very family friendly, with a games room, and we did not receive any dirty stares as our children threw their cutlery around the restaurant. We were entertained by our energised Matre De who sprinted around the restaurant like our princess in a Disney store. I tried a delicious lemon veal dish; hubby had a fresh salmon pasta and the children happy with meat and chips. Easily pleased, the Gonzalez family is always happy if well fed!



We headed into Bourges in the morning (old town city centre) for coffee and breakfast. The streets were cobblestone, houses and shops all timber thatched, each leaning with its own particular character. The streets intertwined showcasing patisseries, hair salons, shoe shops, and some restaurants and bars thrown in for good measure.






Arriving at Cathedral Saint-Etienne de Bourges, we were a little overwhelmed by the size and could not help but notice its resemblance to Notre Damme in Paris. It displayed Gothic architecture and picturesque arch ways carved full of patronage to the saints. The outside was currently being restored, which is understandable for a building that is over 800 years old. (Don't they say you should paint your house every 10 years? Wonder if that applies for churches?)







Bourges was a nice little stop, but would not necessarily make as a weekend destination. If done again, then we would get accomodation in town to experience it a bit more, something to be said about a new town at night time. (It's darker?)

When you wish upon a star...

Eurodisney was everything I anticipated it would be, I will not tell you about all the fantastic rides, (I would hate to tell you the punchline to a joke too early, or the football score when you have taped it to watch later), the magic is discovering it for yourself. But I will tell you...

"It's a world of laughter, a world or tears, its a world of hopes, its a world of fear, there's so much that we share, that its time we're aware, its a small world after all. Its a small world after all, its a small world after all, its a small world after all, its a small, small world. There is just one moon and one golden sun, and a smile means friendship to everyone. Though the mountains divide. And the oceans are wide. It's a small, small world."

Ok, so by this stage I hope you are at least humming the tune in your head. Great song, but is like that annoying jingle, (just like "saa-kaa-taaaa" or "I like aeroplane jelly"), I am still finding myself humming the tune in the shower and singing it at the fruit and vegetable section at the shops. It is however the theme for the ride that I felt necessary to go on twice. It is very sweet, and I am officially now putting patent on "It's a small world" for the name of a children's play and learn centre. (I have a memory like a goldfish, remind me about this in ten years.) Check out the attached video at the end of blog.

GOOD POINTS

• A lot of the rides allow young children and son could go on the majority of the family rides (he got to go on 12 different rides and see 6 different shows), we decided he had his birthday two weeks early this year, they needed to be over 1 year old for rides.




• It did not appear to be an issue to bring in your own food into the park (unlike Seaworld/ Dreamworld Australia). They check everyone's bag on entry but are purely checking for alcohol and explosives.



• Food to buy is expensive but not ridiculous.



• There is plenty of opportunity to have photos with the characters, (if your child does not freak out when they reach the front of the line, which may be unfortunate after waiting half an hour).



• They give you estimates at the front of each ride for wait time and they are generally spot on, do not be put off by the length of the line as you are constantly moving and it is a good opportunity to people watch and make up stories about people, (I know you all do it).
  
  

BAD POINTS

• The rain, but I am sure it will not be there when you visit.




• Queues; or perhaps just the Gonzalez luck? Everytime we joined a queue it was long, then nobody would join for at least 5 minutes, making it look short to others. I have this problem all the time; at the shops, short queue, then the lady in front needs a price check; at the tolls, shortest queue, then the man in front misses the tray with the coin throw; 'constantly chasing the fast lane'. What is our rush anyway? "We need to entertain a baby and toddler!!!!!" There should be a special fast lane...



• Fast pass is only valid for one ride at a time...



• Patience seems to be lost, survival mode kicks in, and it appears that it is every family for themselves while at the toilets, line queues, gift shops, restaurants and MOST definitely photo opportunities with characters. (Soul mate was standing with pram and 2 children, when Minnie decided it would be her photo spot; there was a definite squeal from my husband, and he experienced his first paparazzi moment with hoards of Minnie fans bombarding him).



• The fireworks were on too late for our children, (11 months and 2 1/2 years). Probably could of stretched them out and could of if we had an extra day? Due to the sun not going down until just before 10pm in summer and the hours of the park, it makes sense for the finale to be so late. Hopefully there will be another visit for us.
  

ADVICE FOR PARENTS

• Pack your own food BUT allow for special treats. It is a special day and dried apricot is no substitute for fairy floss. (Did not participate and now feel guilty!) Pop corn and some drinks come in special novelty containers, so you may be saving on a souvenir later on.



• Buy your souvenirs at the end of your last day. This means you do not have to leave belongings in your pram, which is left at the queue for every ride, and you have a few days to decide what you want, diminishing the impulse buy. (Take note of your child's "cutey" face and do not fall for the "but I love it", unless there is promise of your late entry into the retirement village in 50+ years time.)







• Definitely utilise the bus service from your hotel, it is free, frequent, convenient, and you do not have to look for the car park.



• Plan your day and beat the queues. Make the most of the fast pass (one at a time per ticket), this allows you to book a time for your ride, may save you an hour a day!




• Be 'understanding' to a bored child. Half an hour wait is a while for us but forever for a toddler. Be patient and allow climbing over chains, playing peek-a-boo with strangers, reflecting on fairy tales, colour/ shape/number recognition games, and of course (if you are familiar with my children), a perfect time for snacks and refreshments!







• Plan the shows into your itinerary. We lucked the 4 leaf clover and stumbled on our shows in perfect agenda; the shows are all pretty fantastic for the 'littlies', so worth the planning if you are a planner.



• Do not, I repeat, DO NOT wait an hour for the train ride around the park. Thought it would be a great way to see 'behind the scenes' but purely showed us bush and was not worth the wait, (unless you have a husband "that is totally into railways and stuff")!



• Research your special deals as far as accommodation and tickets go, do not hesitate, and just remember, you are paying for memories. What is it worth to you?
  

Mr Walt Disney, you are such a clever man, thaw out and see you in Los Angeles...