Beautiful Calabria

We said good-bye to Rome and arrived in Calabria -- where Real Italy lives according to our friend, Al, whom we trust in all matters. Of course, he was right. Calabria does not have all the glamour of Venice or Rome, but it has lovely people, wonderful food (Cipolla Rossa!), long white sandy beaches and the bluest of blue seas. We drove down the coast to a small resort in Capo Vaticano. During our week in Calabria, we never saw another American. We did spent lots of time with Grandma and Daddy.

Here's our schedule:

* Some time in the morning: wake up and go downstairs for breakfast

* Later, swim in the pool: swim races, practicing backstroke, diving for stones, floating on rafts

* When the sun gets really, really hot: take a break and have lunch by the pool

* While lunch digests: read in the shade

* Later, go to the beach: sand castles, wave jumping, paddle boating

* Optional: skirmish on the soccer field or swing on the play structure

* When exhausted and sufficiently sandy: meander to room and take a nap

* Post-nap: dinner and lots of dessert

Rinse and repeat.

It was a wonderful week (but the lack of internet access just about drove Ed off the edge). Here are our pics - the paddle boat (with a slide!) on the Tyrrhenian Sea was the highlight of the trip!