We're on a Trip, not a Vacation!

Last Monday-Tuesday, Bryce had freshman orientation. On Tuesday, he showed up at the same bus stop as 2 middle school friends of his: Frankie and Isa. Frankie's mom has a Vietnamese rice noodle company that supplies products to Thistle, and I used to work at UCSF with Isa's mom. The Saturday before school started, Bryce invited 4 middle school friends to see Wolverine and Deadpool. Kyusik treated them all to drinks and popcorn, which ended up costing more than the discounted tickets I'd bought at Costco that also included $60 in food vouchers. Afterwards Acadian and I met them for ramen in Japantown and Japanese soft serve. (Thai tea and kinako were the flavors of the month.)  The next day, we celebrated Acadian's birthday 3 months late with a pool party in Burlingame. This is one of the few public pools on the Peninsula, and all SF public pools are indoors because it's never warm enough. Although I'd called and asked in advance, when we arrived the front desk t...

Here are photos we took with the owner of the San Gimignano sandwich shop. Since it was late afternoon, and his shop was tiny, we were the only customers, which made for a very memorable experience. Bryce and I really liked a sandwich with truffle spread, and we all loved the last one he made that had red pepper crema, that I've since replicated at home.  I'm also including the panini we ate on the sidewalk in Siena, one more gelato photo for good measure, the cheese, olive oil, and wine tasting we did at one farm, and my favorite meal at another farm that produces its own olive oils and cheeses with beautiful views of the Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The last photo is just one part of the breakfast buffet at the fancy Florence hotel where we had to share the bed with Acadian and only stayed for one night before departing for the Tuscan countryside. 

On the first day in Italy, we got off of the plane and walked to our super fancy hotel which was only a few minutes away. Once we got there, Daddy tried opening the door to the reception but it was locked and he had missed the doorbell that said very clearly, “RING HERE”. Daddy went around the building and Moun, Frog Pet, and I spotted the doorbell and called Daddy over. He soon came back and after a few rings of the doorbell, they opened the door and let us in. It air conditioned which was something we were not used to because in Switzerland, they don’t like using AC because it’s bad for the environment. There was also some sparkling water that we drank in the reception area while we waited for Daddy to check us in. A man who worked there showed us our room and when we got in, there was only space for three people and he asked wether we wanted another bed for me or if I would sleep with Moun and Daddy. We decided that since the bed would cost extra, I would sleep with Moun and Daddy. ...