Now as you all know from my blog posts, I am indeed very happy to be home but as home life returns to normal and my old routine settles back in, I can’t help but recall some of the truly memorable moments from my family’s time abroad.  Could I be suffering from a bad case of the ”grass is greener” blues?  When I’m there, I miss here, When I’m here, I miss there.  So here they are, the top 10 reasons why I miss Europe…

 1- The magic of Venice (What could be more wonderful that walking everywhere or travelling by boat?  A city with no cars = a happy toddler that seemed to run and run for hours.)

2- The best gelato (ice cream) in the world  (I don’t even really like ice cream all that much, but I have to say, handsdown, that Florence has the absolute best ice cream in all of Italy.  You have to go to Vestri the next time you find yourself in this little piece of the world.  My daughter still talks about it and she had enough chocolate stained outfits to prove it!)

3 - Cheap but good wine that you can actually buy at the supermarket! - I never thought that a $3 bottle of wine could taste so good.  It seemed almost impossible to find a bad bottle of whine in Europe.  Chin Chin!

4 - The shopping, oh the shopping… (Whether it was for yourself or for your kids, the clothes were just so much cuter! The strollers that much cooler!  The shoes looked like something out of a fairytale princess’ closet!  And the toy stores were fun and filled with innovation.  Of particular note was Imaginarium.  We stumbled upon it in Portugal, but they are a Spanish company with outlets across Europe.  I cannot recommend their awesome and truly affordable finds to moms everywhere.)

5- Scabbard fish with passionfruit sauce - I know, the name is not the most appetizing, but I have to say that this delightful little fish is the best thing to land on my plate since, well since just about any fish I can remember.  While not a fish lover, I can honestly say that I could have eaten this meal everyday.  Even my daughter loved it - no fish taste here and the texture?  Divine!

6- Grilled polenta - Who knew corn fritters could be so damn good! 

7 - Medeival towns - There’s something magical about sitting atop a fortress wall and looking down over the city below you. You feel like a royal ruler and the best part is that the little ones get a real kick out of it too!

8 - Sleeping in a castle - Okay, this is a treat for any age.  I mean come on, doesn’t everyone deserve to be a princess?

9 - The Alps - I don’t think that I could ever get sick of the view.

10 - Sardinia, Sardinia, Sardinia - I cannot imagine a more breathtaking place, except for maybe Thailand.  Sardinia is the kind of place where time seems to stand still because the beauty is so infinite.  We often found it hard to tell where the sky ended and the sea began.  Oh and those Sardinian iced teas, oh my….

 So you see, there is something wonderful to be found in every part of the world.  I guess the secret is finding that special spot on the globe that fits each of us best. My goal?  To keep exploring, I mean come on, how else can you make an informed decision? ; )

 Powered by Max Banner Ads