Swallows in the morning racing around the home we were staying at. Notice the wonderful view out the bedroom window.

Today we went to Portofino which is a pretty fantastic place.

They had a pirate replica by the public bathrooms. I'm not sure of the moves Kindra's making on the pirate.

The kids loved playing in the water.

Ian overlooking Portofino.

The tranquil setting by the castle overlooking Portofino Bay.

My beautiful girls.

This is our special hidden gem in Portofino, our "private beach".

The kids playing in the cove.

Brecken sure looks beautiful.

Playgrounds of the rich and famous, or at least rich.

Portofino is beautiful with it's brightly colored buildings and shops.

Adam, Brad, and Megan playing on a float toy near Portofino.

How pretty is that?

No wonder rich people want to visit here, it's so beautiful.

Ian and Mitzi playing in the sand.
6-30-10 Wednesday
What a day! There is so much to see and do in Italy! Every morning we wake up to the sound of swallows flying around and around, “buzzing” our tower. I look out my window and it looks like they are racing! Adam says it looks like a Criterium (bike race). They make a chirping sound that is quite loud. I tell Mitzi that we are going to reach out the window and when they pass by I am going to grab one, she started to mimic me and together we almost caught a swallow! Today we went to one of mine and Adam’s favorite places, Portofino. It looks like the enchanted coast in Peter Pan! I almost expected Pirate ships to come around into the bay! We are not the only ones who are in love with this place, there are some very nice yachts that are docked here for some sight- seeing. We decided to take the kids to a hidden little niche with its own beach. We had to hike to get there and it was soo humid that it felt like a steam room at the gym! I am glad we decided to go to a private beach because in Italy (and the rest of Europe) it is not a big deal to take off your bikini top and lay out. I didn’t want the kids to see that (and I didn’t want to see that) so anyway we went to this beautiful spot. It is very interesting because there are cameras filming you on this path. The wealthy landowners want to keep people off their property. We stayed on the public path and as we got down to the area I heard men talking in the bushes, as I looked closer there were 3 guards that were armed walking the perimeter of someone’s property. Scary! The house on the property was beautiful and had a winding stairway carved into the craggy rock cliff which went down to “our” beach. There was also a boat garage there. The kids loved it. Megan, Brecken, Ashley and Mitzi went into the water which was very clear and clean. Megan saw a starfish and we got to hold it and then a little hermit crab. It was very fun! I sat and watched, I should have worn a swimsuit but didn’t think about it. Adam, Brad and Ian went exploring. They climbed the ragged rocks and had a good time. Megan said that she wants to live there! Sometimes I wonder if Brad is having a good time and then he tells me that when he is older he is “going to live in a house like that” or “drive a car like that” or “live in Europe”! So I guess he likes it. He is always the one who wants to go and see more even when we have had a busy day. After the kids played in the water we had some Italian Pastries which were very good. We looked at the huge and beautiful yachts and were amazed. I think some of the people in Italy are amazed to see a family with six kids! They stare and stare, unless you are in a cathedral, then I guess they just assume we are a devoted catholic family! After Portofino we went to a public beach and the kids swam and I hung out with Mitzi and Ian. They love the sand! It was a great day and we were definitely glad had made the trip.