Italy: Miramare

After the incredible cave, we packed back into the van-- headed to Miramare to see an incredible castle and enjoy the downtown.

The views the GPS guided us towards were beautiful!

...only...

... soon, the GPS sent us down a road...

.... that doesn't seem to be built for minivans (it got worse, with stone walls on either side that we wouldn't have fit through if we didn't pop in our mirrors)...

...or for cars at all really.

(That's an overturned car that they just left there. I'm not surprised, the road could not support a crane to pull it back up!) 

After some legitimate terror that we'd have to attempt to back the van up the entire road (NO room anywhere to make even an 1000 point turn), many pleading prayers, and a scouting mission, by foot, of the road ahead (I spotted tire tracks in mud a hundred yards or so up, so I knew we'd survive if others had), some serious cursing of the GPS, we made it to the bottom of the mountain. 

The view was so beautiful! 

Italian Seagull... looks just like every other seagull around the world. Wonder if they speak different languages?

N flexing for his friend RR. ;) 

The boys were a bit restless, so N encouraged them to race as many times as they could around the fountain. :) There was a lot of enthusiasm at first; William LOVES to run!

Photobombed by Daddy. 

Run, my little guy!

Ah- you learn something new, everywhere you go!

The castle was huge, but not ridiculous. I loved visiting it! Just the girls went inside on a tour (no pictures allowed=lame). It was a good thing we didn't try to bring in the boys as we were constantly avoiding Italian school tour groups. 

Sitting at the castle's own private little dock. Inside the castle there is a painting of this same location commemorating some event. It was very cool to see it then and now.

I can't even tell you how overjoyed we were to not have to wear coats!! 

Visitors have access all around the castle. It was so neat! The views were gorgeous and all of the boys had fun checking out a containership sitting in the water that is much like the playmobile version that William just got for his birthday. :)

By the end of our visit here Nathaniel was pretty sick (probably from the disgusting anchovy pizza in Venice the day before), and the rest of us were a bit spent from all the walking the day before and also from the traumatic drive down the mountain (seriously), so we decided just to head back to the hotel and skip downtown. Elie and Nina played with the boys out on the playground at the hotel for HOURS-- heaven for those kids!