BLOCK LEAVE HIGHLIGHTS

Before Ben left for Afghanistan, we were able to take a 2 week vacation down in Italy. We had such a crazy and fun time, the weather was blazing hot and we took over a thousand pictures. It was amazing! We stopped in Salzburg, Austria, and then visited Venice, Verona, Rome, Vatican City, Cinque Terra, Pisa, and Milan ITALY. We didn't rush around like crazy people trying to see everything, we slept in, would go swimming with the kids, and then see the city in the evening if that is what we wanted.

When we got home our laptop was loaded with the pictures and it was starting to slow down. So we transferred all the pictures onto a hard drive, re-booted the laptop and went to get our pictures onto our other computer to blog and relive the trip once more.

The moment I plugged in the hard drive cord and didn't see it register right away I began to worry. Surely this will work if I try it again and I will be able to see my pictures, right? Unplug... plug... unplug... plug.

NOTHING.

It is as if the hard drive sizzled up and died taking all of our vacation photos with it. I am so sad. All the places we went and photos memories gone.

We have had different people look at it. They plug it in: it clicks, maybe hums for a minute like it is trying to work- but our pictures haven't been recovered...yet.

We still hold onto the "non-working" memory disk in case we can have someone look at it.

So in the mean time, here is a "Google" photo search of all the places we saw. Just cut and paste our crazy family in the best locations and we are all SMILING!

VENICE, Italy (hot hot hot) we spent one day at Lido Beach, nice to build sand castles and play in the water





ROME, ITALY and the VATICAN (awesome to go into St. Peter's Square and the museums- the Sistine Chapel was packed, but awesome!)

Pisa, ITALY (below) fun to see the leaning tower- we should have walked up to the top

CINQUE TERRA (below)

Cael and Ben were jumping off of the rocks into the ocean to the right. There were teenagers who were afraid to jump, but when they saw a 7 year-old Cael do it they got more courage.
 

 

Milan, ITALY (by the time we made it here we were ready to be home)

We tried to see the famous "last supper" by Leonard Di Vinci, but the tickets were booked for the whole time. We did go into the Museum with many of the replicas and blueprints for Di Vinci's machines. Very interesting to see how this incredible man and the ideas he had regarding flight, machines, and bridges.

Venice

On our way from Austria to Venice we stopped for a potty break and found these hats and had to get them for the kids.  Here they are sporting their new ear covers and eating some icecream. 

On this trip we found one of the least expensive places to stay were camping grounds.  We were not sure we wanted to sleep in our tent, especially with the rain so we didn't bring it.  At these camping villages they have small trailers for rent.  These places were actually really very comfortable.  They have two rooms, one for the parents and the other for the 3 roudy kids.  The camping village also had a swimming pools, playground, restaurant, and small grocery store.  You wouldn't think it but this place was more comfortable than a regular hotel, and less expensive to boot.  Take a close look at Brecon, he is going down in his classic picture pose.  When he is getting serious about a picture he will kneel down, often trying to get us to do the same.  Watch for it in other pictures. 

When we went into Venice we got on a boat not knowing where it would take us, but hoping it would be something worth seeing.  There were street vendors everywhere and everyone trying to make a buck one way or another.  These were a couple posing for pictures. 

Cael lost another tooth just as we got there.  We were actually worried he was going to loose it because it was so loose so we ripped it out.  Very little screaming and only minimal bleeding. 

Gondolas in a small canal in Venice

We had a hard time finding any food besides pizza and pasta/spagetti.  The one thing we could all agree on is that icecream is an excellent breakfast, lunch, dinner, and anytime snack.  We have probably spent more money on icecream on this trip than all other foods combined.  Connor is the funniest because at first we would not buy him one and would just share.  That only happened the first few times, now he throws fits if he is not the one holding the cone

Cael has been constantly wanting to be the photographer.  Rarely do they turn out well, but this one was not too bad. 

 Cael and Brecon in the St Marks square

We did find a nice place to get some pizza.  We actually couldn't eat it all.

On a boat in Venice, going under a beautiful bridge.

ICECREAM, ICECREAM, ICECREAM- Platt family diet for hot days in Venice

We took an afternoon and went to the beach at Lido Island.  Connor has been loving playing with dirt on this trip. Every time we turn around he is picking up the dirt, especially after we have cleaned his hands and they are still wet.  He also has a thing for rocks and will stop frequently to pick some up.  Sometimes when he is in a rock pickup mood we can just give him a big one to hold and he forgets about picking up all the other ones.  At one point Cael thought it was funny to give him an especially large rock that he was trying to lug around and didn't want to leave behind.  Sometimes Cael isn't the most helpful brother. 

Its hard to actually get them together without a wrestling match breaking out.  Here was a special moment where they just sat for the picture.  Classic Brecon kneel. 

Doge's palace. 

Cael in St Marks Square

 Brecon has occasionally not been happy with what is going on.  There has been much weaping and wailing at times.  The good thing is it doesn't usually last long, especially after threatening no more icecream. 

Here the boys are feeding the pigeons.  Connor is funny about animals because he gets so excited when we see them.  He will practically jump out of your arms to show you an animal he thinks you didn't see, but when the oppertunity to touch one comes he usually won't do it.  He likes to keep his distance from them and will only go near if you go with him and help. 

Many people have taken pictures of the boys on this trip.  It is usually the asain people.  I think there is something about the boys blond hair they like.  We are frequently asked if it is alright if they take the boys picture.  Sometimes they don't ask, which is still alright with us.  Sometimes we will let them hold Connor or Brecon in the pictures but when we do that the boys will always make a pouting face for the pictures.  It is actually kinda funny.   This lady below wanted her picture taken next to the boys. 

Here area the masks we bought in Venice.  Cael was so excited about them.  All he would talk about after seeing them was when were we going to buy some.  They when we finally did he wanted to wear his right away, all through the town of Venice.  We waited until we got back to the campground to put them on.  Now we just have to get them through this trip without breaking them. 

The Eagles Nest

We visited the Eagles Nest, which was a birthday present for Hitler.  It is in an area that he loved to vacation in.  They built it on the top of a mountain and it only took just over a year to build.  They built a small road up to the top along with this building/house that was named the Eagles Nest.  Hitler didn't go there too often because he was afraid of heights.  This first picture is at the place where you get on a bus to go up to the Eagles Nest.  There is a museum and documentary of Hitler and the Nazi's.  It was a cold day and rained off and on.  The kids were cold and again we had no jackets for them except the ones we brought for the grown-ups. 

This was in one of the bunkers at the museum.  The boys loved running through the bunker.  Connor figured out that when he yells in places like this it is really loud.  Ever since then he has been yelling when he gets into places like cathedrals and other quiet rooms.  It has been a bit embarrassing.

 Cute family at the top of the mountain. 

The boys were pretending they walked up this entire mountain.  The brochure said it was a 2 hr vigorous hike. Had we hiked it, it likely would have been the end of most of the Benjamin Platt family.  Luckily there was a beautiful bus to take us to the top. 

As I said before, it was cold and rainy.  We were a bit scared because one family at the bottom of the hill said they were just coming down and it was snowing at the top.  Cael had this jacket on and was walking up the stone stairs and tripped.  He had no way of catching himself and chipped a tooth on the stone.  Luckily it was one of his baby teeth.  This was just after that.  If you look close you  can see those big tears as we are telling him to smile for the camera.



Beautiful.

There is a small hill you can walk up at the top of the Eagles Nest.  This is looking back at the structure and the surrounding landscape. 

This is the view walking up from the building.  It was sure cold. 

The Salt Mines

That same day we made it to the Salt Mine tour (thanks Leslie for reminding us) I thought all my boys sure looked awesome in their jumpsuits, especially little EWOK Connor. It was fun dressing up like "miners"- which made us think about our friends THE MINERS... They sure have an awesome name!

 We rode in on a train and the whole family slid together down the wooden rail slide that actual miners have used for making their way down into the mine shaft. The boys loved it. I was amazed at how fast it got going, but luckily it came to stop at the bottom.

 Deep inside the mountain we arrived at the salt lake. We couldn't believe how crystal clear the lake appearred. We were suruprised to find out it was actually the relection from the ceiling!

It was very interesting to learn about how they excavate salt from the mountains and how once salt was sold as the same price as gold. The pictures they took inside were pretty funny of us so we got them- even though at least one person is making a crazy face-- ya gotta love it!