to market

I awoke to this:

fresh squeezed OJ from the garden. am i lucky or what.

Then it was to the kitchen for a delicious leisurely breakfast of crepes, fresh bread left at the gate, and goodies from the garden. 

Once we finally got our day started, Ben dropped us with bikes at the market. We perused the market which had everything from bras and belts to fish and flowers and everything in between. After collecting some goodies, we wandered the town to see what it was all about. Not much it turns out. Pretty quiet place. 

managed to drop our precious bottle of €2 wine

Finally settled upon a perfect little spot on the water. It was a beautiful day! Made even better with great company and a picnic of wine, cheese, bread, and cherries. 

Once we realized the time we hopped on the bikes and headed back for Ben's. It was spectacular. Peddling hard up hills only to fly down past grape vines and cows and obnoxious dogs. 

naturally the clothes came off to reveal his Michaelangelo biking shorts...

 And eventually we made it back to Ben's!

Perfect timing to take a rather refreshing shower and to stuff ourselves yet again with Ben's mum's culinary creations and local wine. 

to portugal

While Bakin returned to Oxford for a quick class (what a dedicated student), I toured around Rome in the midst of their liberation day festivities. There were hoards of people, parades, fireworks. Quite exciting.

got to eat at a delicious restaurant at the recommendation of Mrs. Winborne. Thanks!

Then it was off to Porugal to meet back up with the boy. 

would you just look at that

We spent the night in a nice little hostel by the airport where we were greeted by the most delightful woman, Marta. The 3 of us stayed up and talked for hours into the wee hours of the morning over some port made by her family.

She pointed us in directions to some sites in Porto as we only had a couple hours to see this quaint city. 

eiffel bridge

We hurried back to the hostel to meet Ben, our host for the next few days. He swept us up into his newly acquired land cruising, safari vehicle and carried us into the northern hills to his farm tucked away in the grand landscape. 

We were greeted by his friendly dogs and lovely British parents. And led to our humble abode for the week...

it was AWESOME

the view out the front

With no sense of time (and no need for it) we all headed to take the dogs for a walk/check out the local cafe. Unsurprisingly, it was filled with men watching futbol. 

Ben's "mum" prepared a delicious dinner and we all came together for great conversation, wine, and a warm welcome to Portugal. 

tour de roma

Thanks to tour guide Ryan (Bakin's cousin), we got a tour of all the must see sites of Rome. Together we navigated (or attempted to navigate) the train and subway system yet managed to still walk most of the city. 

the Vatican 

Trevi Fountain

Pantheon

Bakin and tour guide Ryan

the Forum

and the coliseum herself

when in rome

After a lot of talks, pro/con lists, research, I found a way to make a visit to Europe happen. I flew to London where Bakin (dressed in a size 13 y/o pink onesie holding a bouquet of roses) awaited having been there for hours in anticipation of my arrival. It was a reunion indeed. 

We spent the day in London catching up and enjoying the beautiful summer weather. After a few hours it was back to the airport and off to Rome to meet up with family. It was such a fun flight. We were some of the only ones. The flight attendants loved us. It was a great start to our vacation together!

Woke up bright and early in Rome to look out the window that overlooks the city in the distance. It was beautiful! Met Bakin's often talked about family. Full of characters. Can't wait to meet the rest of the clan.

And it was off to Pompeii/Mt. Vesuvius! Sleeping in the van for the few hours just wasn't an option w Bakin there...

not so pretty but the views were nice

cousins, aunt, and Bakin

that fishing vest though...

 After our hike in the clouds of Mt. Vesuvius it was down to Pompeii to see the place that was always talked about in my Latin glory days. 

the wheelchair used for alternative purposes

theater

original lead pipe

here we are in Pompeii. yes, that's a screen

took a walk through the brothel 

lover boys: Bakin and Uncle Allen

one of the many watering holes

mt vesuvius in the back there

cousins

and a quick stop in Naples.

Day 1 = great success! 

joe

After a hellacious J.O.E. (Junior Outdoor Experience. A mandatory backpacking trip for rising high school seniors at Lovett.) I decided to give it another go. The past couple years I haven't been around for the trip. This year though... I was in town and better yet it was Nate's year to do it. 

With 11 kids, a co leader and I headed into Pisgah National Forest. We had perfect weather and a fabulous group. I really can't imagine a better case. 

rigged fishing gear and salamander bait

Yes, we may have taken a short cut in order to have a base camp and stay put for 2 nights. Clutch decision. We played in waterfalls and learned card games and feasted on the rest of our all natural food.

and we had a birthday on the trail - banner, cheez-its, and snickers yums.

 New high school principle, Mr. Alig was caught red handed getting McDonald's while in town. Busted!

Thanks for a fun week! It far surpassed my expectations.