Snow in Roccaraso, Italy

LC had a Friday off so we decided to head to the mountains to go pal yin some snow. We had heard that there was a place fairly close to Naples where you can ski and sled and enjoy snow but we had no idea what we were in for. We did a little bit of research before we left and saw there was a few ski resorts and areas to play in the snow, but we also saw a lot of "secret" and "hidden gem" in the advertising and informational sites. It was about a ~2 hr drive and on the drive up we kept thinking, how could there possibly be snow. But once we started to get close we saw it with our own eyes. The road took us back in this valley and the roads kept going up. Soon we started to see the accumulation on the the roadsides and soon after that the accumulation was higher than our car.  We were blow away when we popped out of a tunnel and into the Roccaraso area. I had to pull over to put the chains on the car to make it the rest of the way. They had a ton of snow there and it was great. 

The weekend prior to Roccaraso, we thought it would be a great idea to hike up Mt Vesuvius.  It was a blue bird day -- the skies were blue and we were hoping for a nice view from the top. The info we received from others who have went said the road takes you to the 1km post, at which you hike the rest of the way up. We knew there was snow at the top and thought the roads would be clear.... but they weren't. After we started to spin out, we decided it was best to try again another day. So we parked the car and we just played in the snow. 

There is the top of the mountain... But the roads weren't clear. 

So this was in Roccaraso... we parked the car at the hotel and immediately put on our snow gear to go play in it! 

I think they just received a bunch of snow prior to us getting there. The snow tractors outfitted with son blowers were everywhere clearing the roads. They had to shoot the snow up and over the road because there was not room to grate it to the sides. The girls got a kick on how deep it was. They kept getting stuck when they trekked through the fresh snow. 

When the clouds started to clear you could see the valley.

This was about how high the snow was everywhere in the city. Crazy. 

We spent most of Saturday at the sledding hill. This place was great! 

This was the warm-up hill we hit a few times prior to going up to the giant mountain. 

This is the magic carpet that takes you up to the top. 

Up up up! 

Playing on the snow bank! 

We still couldn't get over how much snow they had!

This was the drive home.... we had to get a pic of the sides of the road!

We played in the snow the last morning before we left. E made a tiny snowman that she named "Peach."

This sledding hill had a ton of people.... and it was honestly like bowling everytime you went down. LC and I only got ran into one time but there were no injuries. Overall it was another great trip and good to know that there is a place close by incase we have another itch to go play in the snow! 

School Programs, Parties and Festivals

We are back into our routine now that the holidays are over.  The girls are back in school and I am on a work schedule.  It has been chilly here over the past week or and we have been staying warm with our fireplace and layers of clothes.  No snow, just cold temps in the low thirties.

While downloading all the pictures from our Christmas trip, I came across some others that were worth sharing.

This was E's first day of International School. She still loves school. 

Our December was filled with the girls' Christmas programs, festivals and parties. This was Ellis' school's party where they enjoyed foods and traditions from all over the world. E is holding a piece of cheese and LC has a piece of prosciutto. 

Here they are holding up a picture of E's class. 

LC had to get a cavity filled in her tooth. She picked the strawberry scented nose piece that helped pipe laughing gas into her body. It went as well as it could go -- she was a bit cranky once the numbing juice started to wear off. 

This is LC's friend, Maria. She is also in kindergarten (although a different class) and she is also our neighbor. 

Here is LC, Maria and their friend Carter (who is also a neighbor of ours). This was after their Christmas program at school. 

This is LC's class. Her teacher is Ms. Bidez and her helper is Mr "G". 

This was E's Christmas program at church.

Our 2016 Christmas Trip

I had about 11 days off in a row, which is rare, so we decided to pack up the car and take a road trip through Italy, Austria, and Germany.  Shannon did all the planning and had us driving about 3-4 hours each day to get to Germany. On our way to Germany, we stopped in two places, Orvieto and Mantova, places that we eyed while driving to and from Florence over Thanksgiving.  They caught our eye because they were little towns dug into the top of a hill.  We had a few hours each day to explore the towns and see the sights before getting on the road. We were a little worried about our drive through the Alps due to the possibility of snow, but the roads were clear.... and extremely scenic. We also stopped in Fussen, Germany to visit the Neuschwanstein castle. The girls loved that castle, probably because this castle was the castle that inspired the Disney castle. We made it to our destination, Garmisch, Germany a few days before Christmas and was able to enjoy the snow for a few days before leaving. On the way home, we stopped in Verona and Assisi Italy to visit the sights before arriving back home. Overall, we saw a lot of new places and enjoyed our time together. Here are some photos:

This was our first stop in Orievto.  All the cities we visited, for the most part were all decorated for Christmas with lights and trees and other festive stuff. We walked around the little town and grabbed a pizza for dinner.

Another thing we would try to do was to find a park for the girls to burn off some energy prior to getting on the road. This was the view of one of the parks we found in Orvieto. 

The streets were really neat and it felt very Italian. 

Nice view of the country side. 

The cathedral in Orvieto is well known for his size and beauty. It didn't disappoint. 

I think like the shrines and the Torii gates in Japan, after a few more of these we will have our fill of churches. However, they are quite spectacular and old. 

This was the town of Mantova. Again, all decked out for Christmas. 

Italian breakfast -- cold cuts, cheese, pastries and capochinos.  

As soon as we started to see snow on the ground the girls constantly yelled, "snow" whenever they spotted a patch. Needless to say, there was a lot of "snow" coming from the back as we drove thru Austria and into Germany.  We got to our hotel in Fussen and instantly dressed in our snow gear and went outside to play.

And after a day of driving and playing in the snow, we ate a nice German meal of sausages, soups, beer and gluhwein. Yum!

We got a kick out of this vending machine at the hotel. Chocolate, sodas, beer, wine, and Haribo gummy bears. What else do you need?

The next day in Fussen we visited the Neuschwanstein castle. 

And of course we took the "princess coach" up to the top. Princesses don't walk! 

The castle was quite spectacular. 

And the girls pretended to be princesses all day while touring their house. 

And we finished off our tour with a quick stop for bratwursts. 

We then pushed onto Garmisch. Shannon found a great place -- right in the main area of town. 

This was the house re rented. We were on the 2nd floor -- right about an Italian restaurant. When we arrived there was a lot of snow on all the ground but by the time we left, it had all melted thanks to the rain. 

Shops and Christmas markets.

We took the kids ice skating at the old olympic stadium. They had these seals that helped the girls stay on their feet. 

On Christmas eve we went to the base of the mountains, did some sledding, built some snowmen, and watched the town  congregate outside this church to sing Christmas carols at sunset. They were all holding candles and singing. It was unique  but a really nice ending to the day. 

The next day we went sledding. 

And the day after that I hit the Austrian alps and went skiing. 

This was Zugspitze. It is right on the border of Austria and Germany and the views didn't disappoint. The trails were perfect for an old guy like myself and the weather was perfect. 

On the way home we stopped in Verona, Italy and walked around the town a bit. ]

We checked out their old coliseum. 

And found the balcony/courtyard where Romeo and Juliet kissed. 

I think this bridge, Castelvecchio bridge, was one of the oldest in Verona. I think it was built in 100 BC. 

And on the last night we overnighted in Assisi.

This is the famous basilica of San Francesco. 

We had a great trip, saw a lot of great places and most importantly, had some great family times! Merry Christmas to all and we hope you all also had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!