Soave Castle

Today we went with our friends the Tolmans to a castle about an hour and a half away in a cute little town called Soave. I will tell more about that later but first, check out our little wino. We may have a constant supply of wine bottles next to the garbage can tower (I will share more about that in a post dedicated to learning the recycling system here) waiting to be taken to the large green community glass trash can on the street (see what I mean, confused already?!). I looked over the other day and I had to snap a few pictures because well, duck face and because those little hair whispies are the cutest! So far she has only managed to break one wine bottle that is laying on the floor so I think I will continue to let her play with them while I do dishes until there is blood (kidding, maybe). 

 

Also our town is having its big festival this weekend so on Friday we headed downtown to grab dinner and hopefully some music. Ends up our neighbor was playing the music for the evening but thanks to having children and Leo doing a headstand in the middle of the walkway because he was so tired, we got dinner, gelato and left before the music started. However, the food was good, we chatted (kind of) with some of our neighbors and had a good family evening. Quinn had an Italian version of a grilled cheese sandwich and it was pretty delicious. The food was so good and we even enjoyed caffes (coffee) and cake before walking over to have gelato at our favorite gelato place. We are getting pretty good at ordering in Italian!  

 

Today, we headed to Soave which is about an hour and a half away from us to check out a castle with our friends. We met them at a store before hand and when we pulled into the parking lot Quinn yelled, "this is my favorite store!" (because the first time we went she got a toy......) and Leo yelled "this is NOT a castle!" (clearly he didn't yell exactly that, but that is what he was trying to yell). John gave us our walkie talkie for the trip, seriously the most fun and convenient idea ever, and we hit the road (after getting Mcdonald's). Finley and Quinn fell asleep about 5 minutes before we pulled into Soave, so that was helpful. I loved that you drove through the outer walls of the castle to get inside the city center. 

 

 

We drove up to the castle and were pretty lucky because it wasn't very busy at all. Our first stop inside the castle was the bathroom. They were squatty potties and Quinn yelled, "I love squatty potties!" I think she was the only person that felt that way. I think they are a horrible idea but they get the job done. 

The castle was very cool and the views were amazing. I really should have read the brochure about the history of the castle so I could share it with you but it was hot and I was making sure Leo didn't fall off any staircases. I believe it was built in the 10th century originally to protect against Hungarian invasions. It is now privately owned and I am pretty sure they current owners sell the tickets to the castle out of the front porch of their home. We got a book about the castle so I want to read that and learn more about the history. The kids loved exploring and it was very beautiful. During our time at the castle we saw two different bride and grooms come for pictures. I can't imagine how beautiful wedding pictures would be with a backdrop like this one. 

 

 

 

At one point at the castle I volunteered to take a picture of a couple that was taking selfies and they happily gave me their camera. I took a picture and gave it back and they said "gratzie" (which means thank you) and I said "gratzie" (which also means, thank you) so my Italian still needs a bit of work. I was cracking up after I walked away because they probably thought I was crazy!  

Quinn was super excited we got to go to the castle with her friends Parker and Joey. 

   

  

 

Leo was actually very excited about the castle and the flag that was flying at the top of the castle. He had a great time. I love watching him become a little boy and learning all the things that interest him. 

 

 

The details on the walls and ceiling were hand painted. I can't imagine how long it all took but it was beautiful. My friend Shannon and I liked how they had a wardrobe about the same size as the ones we were given when we moved into our houses, so not much has changed in Italy in that department! 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE this. Leo was playing in the rocks at one point and he kept saying something over and over. I wasn't sure what he was saying but Shannon said, "he is saying thats my flag." And he was! He had made his own castle out of rocks and put a flag at the top, just like the real castle. I thought it was the sweetest thing. He also said his castle had a horse, one for him and one for Quinn. 

After the castle visit we headed back into town and got some gelato. Shannon ordered what she thought was peach gelato. Dave said, I think that says fish and we all thought he was joking. She tried it and said it was definitely not peach. After some google translate we are pretty sure it was "fish of the sea with aloe" gelato. So she pitched that one and got a different flavor. I keep cracking up thinking about that. 

It is still so cool to me to just walk through these little towns in Italy. They seem unreal. They are just beautiful and I love the little shops and the people eating and drinking on the sidewalks.  

 

 

Finley has figured out sippy cups and she is a big fan. She would not put her cup down for any pictures I was wanting to take. Leo is also the world's worst ice cream eater from a cone. One would think that with the amount of ice cream he is eating lately that his skills would improve but they have not. I am hoping to convince him that he would actually get to eat more ice cream if he gets it in a cup because with the cone method he loses half of it on his shirt and his face. 

We walked around town for a little bit and then Dave wanted to go to a winery before we left to grab a bottle of wine. When we were walking there, Joey just sat down in the middle of the road because he was so tired (poor guy!). I wanted to snap a picture of that because Shannon and I were just talking about how Italy with toddlers could be a little challenging. After getting in the car on the way home and looking through my pictures I noticed that down the street a little ways, Leo is falling on his face! I laugh every time I look at this picture. Really, Italy with children can have its ups and downs!!! 

We got a bottle (okay, 2 bottles) of wine and headed for the car. They had a bookstore right downtown and I still needed a few things for Quinn's school so Shannon and I went in there to get what I needed. The things she needs here for school are so different than at home. For example, she needs a bib, towel with a loop and a smock. After all the shopping for the evening was done, we hit the road to head home. We ate dinner at an Autogrill (an Italian rest stop type of thing) which was a first for us. Random but hilarious. We drove past several horse carriers on the autostrada (highway) today and they were being pulled by small SUVs which I think is very interesting. But on the way home (it was dark and kinda late) but as we approached one, Dave asked, "is that a rabbit?" ... wait, wait, WHAT?!  I was cracking up, I said "um, no that is a horse!" We both started laughing. I guess he was extremely tired (so probably should not have been driving us...) but really a rabbit? What kind of carrots is that rabbit eating?!! Also today, Dave learned that the red Red Bull in Italy is actually not cranberry flavor, it is "Red with citrus flavor". 

We had such a fun day and made great memories. I love that we have friends here we get to experience these new adventures with! 

Castles are good, life is good.