Hello!
Last time I wrote anything, I was anticipating great adventures. Three generations crossing the Atlantic. A quest to the great International Cheese Festival in Bra, Italy, not actually the Holy Grail, but close!
I was not sure what to expect! I did know that there were two grownups and one baby and that the odds were in our favor! I also knew that my daughter was and is fearless, that she was excited about the chance to take Max to new places. I knew we would meet new people and experience new things, that Max loved people and loved being with his Mommy and I loved being with them, so we would be good.
When we arrived, after an overnight flight, which Max slept through, but we did not, we found our guide, she guided us to our rental car, we figured out the navigation system (by we I mean Anne) and took off. We did not know that we actually should have gotten some Euros at the airport because even though we had American dollars and American credit cards, we did not have what we needed to pay the tolls on the toll roads, of which we encountered our first one very quickly. We pulled up, tried our best to pay the toll, and then honked our horn a lot until a man appeared out of a tunnel and asked us what the #$% was wrong with us? We talked to him ( and again by we I mean Anne) in fluent French and explained that we were sorry but we only had American money and American credit cards. I think he may have thought bad things about us, but thankfully Anne is cute and we had a cute baby and she spoke French. He gave us Euros to pay the toll, more Euros for the next one, and then told us where to get off to find an ATM so we could actually get our own Euros...whew...first problem averted. Onward!
We found our way to the ATM, enjoyed a beautiful drive down the mountain, got our own Euros and drove back up the mountain to our first destination, Verduno, which was our home base while in Italy. We thought the drive would be about two hours, three and a half hours later, we arrived. The site for our stay, this lovely little village, was in the vineyards and hilltops ten minutes outside of Bra where the cheese festival was held. We were grateful to have arrived, solved a few more problems, like the fact that neither of our cell phones worked, even after numerous calls to the provider of paid for cell service, which shall remained unnamed, cause who knows who actually reads this stuff that I write, and were able to let all interested parties know we had found our way, and were not lost somewhere along the Mediterranean Sea. We then proceeded to get food that we would all like, given that Max had decided that baby food was passe, gave Max his first Italian sink bath, and passed out. We crossed our fingers that Max would sleep thru the night..... AND he did!
That was just the beginning of adventures and fun and exploration. We took Max everywhere, as I said Anne is fearless, I was the doubter at times, like the night we took him into a fancy hotel restaurant. As we entered the dining room, the head waiter and his staff all gave us the stink eye as we asked to be seated for dinner, I am pretty sure I was sweating by that point, BUT Max was a trooper, better than a trooper he charmed everyone. The dinner was lovely, the staff loved Max and Anne and I got to even enjoy a glass of wine! See, Mommies know their babies....Grammies only have opinions until they are in the fancy restaurant and get to watch their grandchild in action! We had many lovely nights like that. Two women and a baby on great adventures, lunches out, villages to explore, and lovely sites to be seen. We even managed when between the two said grownups we forgot the stroller and Anne carried Max all around the village of Barolo!
As for the Cheese Festival, Max charmed everyone. Anne met people she loves and spent time learning and exploring and anticipating ways to make Saxelby Cheese even more dynamic and current and interesting, along with providing excellent and new product. What fun to watch her in her element! This Mommy also knows her child. She is a force, a delight and such fun to watch. As our kids become adults and explore and create their lives, it is a gift to participate, and be invited into their worlds.
Helping our children be who they are supposed to be. Two woman and a baby on adventures through Europe. Me helping Anne be able to take the trip and provide support. Anne learning and exploring and designing new ways for her business. Anne with the added gift of her baby son along to enjoy and expose to life.... in all sorts of new forms and ways and places. Watching Max learn and become and be new each day! Wow...
What an opportunity!
So, I say, seize the opportunities and adventures and times of life to be fully engaged. Evolve, help your kids evolve, grow and learn.
I know these two women and a baby did just that!
Oh... as for the bug part, Anne and I got sick as dogs after we got back...
As for the baby...he is made of kryptonite and was just fine. Whew!
Until next time...
Pam....aka one of the two women