Nice is Nice

We left Florence on July 29th, 2009 for Nice. The train trip was 8 hours long along the Mediterranean. I hadn't expected the view to be so beautiful. The Sea was a turquoise colour and the many vacationers seemed to be enjoying themselves swimming at what appeared to be random spots along the way. I wanted to jump off the train and join them but that would have probably made for a really messy time.

Rowan survived the train trip and after paying a ridiculous amount of money for a 10 minute cab ride, we settled in to our gorgeous modern flat. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of stairs up to the apartment (instead of the gruelling 66 we had to scale in Florence, we had about half that in Nice which makes a BIG difference when you are lugging a baby and all of that baby's stuff up with you each time you go out). We also were impressed by the welcome basket complete with coffee, milk, a Rose wine and a few other treats. We had to eat and so we headed towards the beach which was a 5 minute walk in the Old City from where we stayed. Rowan loved his pasta. He also loved sticking his hands in and out of his glass of water. He managed to make a mess of the ground, but the birds took care of that for us. We didn't stay out late because we wanted to get the monster to sleep which was difficult but not impossible even in the 35 degree heat (and no AC in the flat). It wasn't until midnight or so that I realized that our location in the Old city came at a price-- Nice is nice, but it doesn't sleep. The noise outside the window didn't stop until 5am and it was that way every single night. Needless to say, we were not impressed that the flat owners hadn't warned us off the noise problem even when they knew we were traveling with an infant. We considered complaining, but in true Canadian fashion we didn't. Instead we decided not to rave about the condo in the travel log book. Yeah-- *that* will show them!

The noise didn't put a damper on our time in Nice because we didn't let it. Yes, Rowan had an awful time sleeping (and so did we) but we managed quite well once we had 2 fans on full blast in the bedroom and we accepted the fact that he would most likely just end up in bed with us at some point during the night. It was crowded but I avoided getting a foot in the face (unlike Florence where I thought Rowan popped an eye ball-- I saw stars. Actually, it was more like an explosion.). We went to the beach twice, had many enjoyable meals of more pasta and pizza, ate Gelatto every day and walked and walked. It was a relaxing place to be and relatively kid friendly. We really didn't see too much because Nice is mostly just a beach town, but it was nice to just spend time with the boys.

We took a side trip to the Aquarium in Monaco. Really, it was a side trip to Monaco (total cost: 4 Euros). What's the difference? Well, if we hadn't gotten off the bus at the wrong place we would only have seen the port and the Aquarium which is all we wanted to do. Instead, we walked the entire length of the city. It was HOT and we were all very wet by the time we made it to the highest point in what is a really mountainous coast line but the aquarium was lovely and it turned out to be a very good day. We even caught the bus back without issue. Barely, but we did it.

I liked Nice for the beach. I think Florence as a whole though was a much more interesting place. And, I would take the 66 stairs over the lack of AC and the noise any day.

And a A Little More...

We spent a lot of time playing on the floor in the flat in Florence. Jane got Rowan these cute trucks for his baptism and they were a huge hit. I cursed them when we had to lug his stuff around, but they were a God send otherwise. A watermelon is also a great toy when everything else seems to be boring.

Rowan made friends with the Artist who painted the piece we bought in front of the Uffizi. We paid 110 Euro (a little pricy?) for it and still have to get it framed, but it is very good and it will be a nice reminder of the time we spent in Italy.

Around Florence

Here are some random shots of our time in Florence.

Florence is Where We Are At

It took us over 14 hours to get here. Our flight to Heathrow was torture. Rowan slept a total of 3 hours which meant that he missed his entire night's sleep and was in the ripest of moods by the time we boarded the plane for Germany. Luckily for us, he slept on the flight to Munich, then again on the flight to Florence but, 6 hours is not enough for a little man. He has adjusted quite well under the circumstances. We actually kind of like it that he gets up after a nap at dinner time and comes out with us to see what is happening in the city at night. I am not sure how long it will take before he is back to his normal routine, but regardless, he is really an easy baby to lug around.

Florence is a beautiful city. It is really hot though. I am constantly dripping of sweat and Rowan is drinking more than he does in a week each day. John seems to be just fine. It must be those lebanese genes or something. Surely a man with that much body hair must feel the scorching heat? It isn' fair! Anyway, we have all avoided sun burns even though we spend the biggest part of the day walking outside. We haven't really done all that much but we are enjoying ourselves and it is really nice to have John entirely to ourselves. He left his blackberry at home despite his project manager's insistence that he be available at least a couple of times per week while we are here. He is completely disconnected for the first time in well over a year and it is just lovely.

Here my favourite picture of us so far. We are near the Uffizi, along the river heading back to our apartment (which by the way is AMAZING).

Today Marks the Beginning of Another New Beginning

I took a pregnancy test a few days ago hoping that we might have gotten lucky without trying for baby #2. I was disappointed by the negative results and started to feel the pressure because we are one month away from sending Rowan to day care and the plan was to be pregnant before I went back to work. I was a little surprised at the results because I was having head aches and couldn't explain the hunger I was waking up with any other way. And so, after being a few days late, I decided to use the second test just in case. This time, 2 faint little lines showed up. Neither of us could believe it and so we immediately ran out to get another test and yep, 2 little lines again.

Unlike the last time, we are planning on keeping this little one a secret until someone asks because I am getting bigger or until about the 3 month mark. I think I want to spare everyone the long 9 month wait. Seriously, won't everyone be so excited when they find out that B3T2 is due around March 24th, 2010? Oh, they might be a little miffed that we kept the surprise to ourselves but I am pretty sure they will get over it.

Rowan is going to be the best big brother ever.

August 8th: So the news is out. Who was I kinding? I can't keep this stuff a secret. It's just too exciting. Everyone is really happy about the news of course.

oh and....

Have I mentioned that I think it is a little freakish how everyone we know is having boys these days? Honestly, we could be part of a medical study I think because it is NOT normal. Something is going on.

A New Friend

It just occurred to me that I forgot to mention that our friends Nat and Dave had their baby boy Cooper on July 1st! After 40 hours of possession (see my September blog entry re. R's birth), the 6lbs 9.5oz munchkin made it into this crazy world. Cooper is in for a very fun ride with parents who will be living abroad for 4 months of the year for the next few years and who will likely have him strapped to the back of their bikes before too long. Seriously.

We are so excited to watch Cooper grow.