The Suitcase Kids

Friday, December 04, 2015

Along the Brenta River...

Bassano was attacked by the Germans during World War II; the bullet holes in the yellow building act as a reminder.

The covered wooden bridge was designed in 1569 and was destroyed several times over the centuries, most recently during WWII.

Not only was the bridge a popular spot for photos, but acts as an open-air bar as people gather together to enjoy a grappa.

After a riverside dinner with Rita and Doug, Darlene and I took a walk along the picturesque river.

June 28 was an unusual day for our family as we all scattered in different directions. Veronica had a 5 a.m. flight to Malia on the island of Crete for the Year 13 Graduation Trip. Ashlynn had to be at school at 6 a.m. to catch a bus to Switzerland for the Year 10 Biology/Geography trip. Since Jimmy was also leaving that morning for his Renewable Energy Executive Management Program in Switzerland, I figured I needed to get away as well. Lucky for me that after spending almost a week with us, Darlene had headed to Italy to stay in her cousin’s apartment and there was space for me.

So on the 28th, I caught a flight to Venice and Darlene picked me up to take me to the apartment in Bassano del Grappa, famous for the invention of grappa. Her sister Rita and her brother-in-law Doug would arrive later that day; the apartment was spacious so they didn’t mind me invading their space.

Darlene and I walked around the historic center of Bassano and had lunch on an outside terrace.

Wednesday, December 02, 2015

Early Birthday Celebration...

Since Veronica’s birthday is in August and she rarely gets to celebrate with her friends, she decided to host a joint birthday party with Michele, whose birthday was in June. They booked a dessert and drinks package at one of the beach cafés and a good sized group joined them.

Veronica and Wendy

Veronica and Fiona

Veronica had a great time! After three nights of parties, she’d have one mellow day at home to pack before spending the night at Wendy’s so she could catch a lift to the airport early that Sunday morning.

Monday, November 30, 2015

Fun at the Grand Finale...

The boats finally pulled in front of the weigh house for some more dancing.

It was a bit chaotic, but quite fun to be part of.

This photo finally shows that our boat had a carnival theme complete with a king. Jimmy and I were clearly dressed wrong.

Not long after we pulled up next to the Gay Pride boat, Jimmy hopped across for some pole dancing...

...and photo ops.

I was more subdued and was happy to pose with the king from our boat.

No Longer Spectators...

When this boat pulled up right in front of us to allow someone to jump ashore for a pit stop, Jimmy asked if they minded if we came aboard. When they were ready to pull back into the parade, they assumed we’d get off. No surprise that Jimmy asked if we could stay. We had to promise to stay until the very end, but that wasn’t a compromise to us as we loved the idea of finally being participants instead of just spectators.

We were handed beers and danced along with everyone else.

I occasionally stopped dancing long enough to admire the views and take some photos.

Everyone was very friendly and thought it was great how excited we were to join them.

We regularly had to duck under the low bridges.

Leiden Boat Parade...

While Veronica was at the beach celebrating her 18th birthday (albeit two months early), Jimmy and I headed to Leiden to watch the Leiden Boat Parade. Getting there early for a change allowed us to pick out a good viewing spot where we could dangle our feet over the canal while eating our picnic dinner.