When I started choosing photos from September 2021 for my monthly calendar post, I realised it won’t go as easy. The first week was so busy that it deserves its own post. This is it.
The proper September 2021 post will follow soon, and on Thursday there will be doors only from this eventful month.
But first, here is the first week as spent in splendid company all the way from Oregon. Crystal and Pedro braved all pandemics, flew in on the last day of August and off we went: two daytrips in Tuscany and then to Slovenia for a few days, only to drop them off in Venice and be reunited in Fiumicino for a farewell dinner on the night before their departure.
Which you will all see now in twenty images. And if you wish for more, here is how Crystal experienced the day when we visited Padua and entered Slovenia. What a most excellent visit all around!
Right now it’s raining gently, uncle declared his swimming season over and will return home soon. And then, who knows when the next visitors come.
One of my favourite photos of the lovebirds. People in love make the best models. In Pitigliano. Here Pedro was shooting a Tuscan panorama in which Crystal had to run to the other side of the frame so that she got a twin. Miracle! A Terme di Saturnia moment. Photo: Pedro The next day we discovered Santa Fiora. On the left side of this wall is a large fish tank which you will see in my next post. Santa Fiora is an old mercury mining town. Here is a museum which we didn’t visit. But we did find a most excellent restaurant Il Barilotto. Crystal’s pasta was made with chestnuts. We drove almost to the top of Monta Amiata and walked some more to this cross. We couldn’t cross this meadow nor did we take a weird electric pulling construction on the right. Instead we walked around. Arcidosso below Monte Amiata. Then it was off to Slovenia by way of Padua. In Padua (Padova) one tree was already in autumn. In the evening, Crystal got her Piran. Beware what you wish for. This restaurant is called Pirat and my parents joined us for a lovely sea food dinner. In Piran sharks are only on the walls. We had one day to stroll around. The sea was tested, as well as the view. This is Croatia opposite. Then Ferraris came in town to greet Crystal. Pedro helped her descend. Nothing like home cooking by my parents. The next day we were off again. We reached Tonka’s Hut and our lunch over the mountain pass Vršič. This is Slovenian food. The grey stuff is žganci. My stew is called obara, which amore remembered as Obama. Russian Chapel by the Vršič road, built by Russian prisoners in WW1. The next day Crystal and Pedro spent the day hiking to the Seven Triglav Lakes. Lake Bohinj is where we fetched them beaming and proud and tired. Five days later we reunited for the farewell dinner in Fiumicino where Rome has its airport. Till next time…
Oh the memories. It’s hard to believe these photos and memories are real, but there they are. We really did pack our days, didn’t we? It’s extraordinary. Thank you thank you. We will never be able to adequately express how grateful we are to you and Amore and your parents and your sister for the huge generosity and love and kindness. Thank you for your adventuring spirit to take us all around Tuscany and Slovenia, and for driving all the way south to give us a ride from Rome to Fiumicino on our last day. ❤
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Oh! And thank you for helping me make my dream come true of visiting Piran. It was even more than I imagined and I can hardly wait till the real estate deal goes through and I can move next door to your parents, ha ha.
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Crystal, I still find it hard to believe that you two were actually here in the middle of the pandemic. 😀 It just proves that EVERYTHING can be done if one really strives for it. I think we did it perfectly and more than adequately. My mom has high hopes for you as a neighbour. One never knows… Much love.
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My love to you and your precious Mom. I truly do fantasize about being her neighbor. To take it down a notch, Pedro and I thought the pandemic was pretty much over back then. We got lucky and hit a travel window. Yes, it’s still amazing, but we were ignorant about the true nature of the pandemic, ha ha!
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Oh, what fun!
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That looked like a wonderful time Manja 🙂
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This is what a good time should be, great location, great food, and great friends! This post holds all the brilliance that a holiday should hold, and from the photos, I agree that nothing beats a great home-cooked meal ~ my hat is off to your mother 🙂 It seems you had the perfect ending to the summer of ’21. Wishing you well as we all venture out into autumn ’22. Take care ~
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Hallo, Dalo. 🙂 I’m glad that you find it as brilliant as it felt to us. In the middle of the pandemic and all. It was both, mom and dad, with a slight stress on the latter, who did the cooking but truth be told, none of the food in the pictures was home-cooked. But that was last year. Now, after 3.5 months in Slovenia back to Tuscany and my 2 guardians again. Wishing you a fun autumn too.
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What gorgeous photos, and so much to see in one week. Love every single one of them 😊
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Great memories for you in these images!
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Fun Manja, I just finished reading Crystal’s latest post about her recent trip to Idaho with Pedro. We are in the midst of a four month trip around the US and I’m hoping we can see the two of them when we reach Washington/Oregon.
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Lovely, al of them. You can tell you guys had lots of fun together.
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Amazing in every way. So glad you all met up and had such a lovely time!
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