From Andrea: Years ago I saw a movie called “Under the Tuscan Sun.” I don’t remember what this movie was about but I remember vividly the scenery and the longing to find myself in an old house in Tuscany. Well, that’s where we arrived today!
While planning this trip, I anticipated us needing some down time after two weeks of non-stop exploring in big cities. It seems my timing was right because everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we arrived at the agriturismo. We are about 40 minutes outside Florence near Montespertoli on a farm that seems to grow olives and grapes. We are in one of six restored apartments and it has a shared pool, though we seem to be the only guests here for now. It took the boys exactly five minutes to unload the car, groceries and get in that pool! The building used to be attached to a church and I don’t know the age, but seems quite old yet beautiful. We are very much looking forward to a change of pace, fresh air, green space and the sounds only of nature this week!
Aaron left for Chamonix early this morning and arrived safely to his chalet. It was fairly easy travel for him- we weren’t sure what to expect regarding travel restrictions (we read everything available online, but rules change and are often unclear or conflicting) but with his vaccination card and passport, he got through easily, including his connection in Amsterdam, with no need to test for COVID. Not surprisingly, he has already made a friend who is also there on an adventure.
Looking to the weeks ahead, we decided to reroute our trip to Sweden to enter through Copenhagen due to the possible travel restrictions in Sweden. The rules are unclear depending on the website, but what is clear is that Denmark is open to vaccinated Americans and once in Denmark, we can travel freely into Sweden. So, we will have a few days in Copenhagen which is a welcome surprise! Then we will take the train to Kalmar, Sweden, where we will stay two nights in a hostel before continuing via train to Stockholm. We are looking forward to the journey!
