La Famiglia Italiana

With so many family around the area the Lopezjoneses enjoyed spending time with everyone. One evening they had a great dinner with Caterina and her brother at a favorite restaurant in the hills of Marostica. Gaia and Liza were very excited to have Ada there, especially Liza.

Over the weekend Caterina and her brother Luca (and his wife Olga) hosted a family gathering of about 60 people. Not the most covid smart, but the numbers in Italy are so low the risk is very minimal. Some family members practiced social distancing (in Italy that means no kisses upon greeting or hand shaking). Ada and Navi had a great time with their many cousins. GianMarco even made an appearance, he flew in from Dublin for the weekend. As did their Canadian cousin MariaAngela and her girlfriend Nav who live in London.

On Sunday they took a hike on the hills above Bassano. They saw a beautiful waterfall and Navi decided to jump in. Followed by Ada, then Margherita, then Eduardo and many other cousins.

It was a great hike, ending with spritz and wine of course.

This weekend happens to be a particularly long one. Because of the Italian elections the twins had no school Saturday, Monday nor Tuesday. The twins took advantage and had aperitivo and pizza with Vanessa and her family.
 

Scuola Secondaria Primo grado di Bellavitis

On Monday the twins started their first day of school. It was a rough start as the dads drove to the wrong school. Who knew that a city would name two middle schools with the exact same name, except to add a "2.0" to the newer one.

Driving to the right school and arriving right on time, Ada began first at 9:30am.

Navi began at 10:00am. All students entered the school ground through their designated gate, with a mask, and joined their class on the school ground and waited for their teacher to arrive. They are to wear a mask until they are seated at their desk.

The twins saw their cousins many times from the time they arrived and through out the week. Pictured here is Margherita and Agnese, holding their dog Ninna.

The weather has been very pleasant and warm. Navi jumped at the opportunity swim at his cousin's Alberto's pool.
 

Bassano Del Grappa, Italia

HOME AT LAST! Friday, after a five hour drive from Munich (in our purchased car) with no border checks the Lopezjoneses arrived in Bassano Del Grappa.

They arrived in the afternoon, tried their best to unpack and settle in. That evening, not very hungry, they went out for a late dinner. Luckily they are living right on the Piazza Garibaldi, with many restaurants, shops and cafes at their door step - literally!

 Lucy doesn't know it, but this is her final stop for the next year. She warming up to the house, but has to be patient as we figure out all the comforts to make it out home. Lucky for her, the dads did find the brad of food she likes, exactly like at home, and she's now eating well again.

Everyone is very please with their new apartment, which happens to built in the 1600's, but inside it's new and very spacious. Everyone has heir own bedroom and the kitchen has natural light.

 

Kletterwald High Ropes Course

Just a fourteen minute walk through the beautiful mountains the twins went in search of some exercise.

There was a parkour ropes course high in the trees. They were super excited.

Navi took to the courses very well and was quick. He did not look graceful doing it, but was fast.

Ada loved it. It really challenged the twins', and daddy's, agility and strength.

They even did a partner course in which they had to work together to achieve the course. They did well in the beginning, but found it best to do things individually.

Almost all the courses ended with a zip-line to the ground. 

On their way home they spotted a cat. We all know what happens next, petting time.
 

Bavarian Fun

Now settled in Garmisch-Partenkirchen they found the apartment location to be quite enjoyable. Just a 7 minute walk is the start of hiking trails and a playground.

In the other direction, a three minute walk, a mini-golf course (not the best, but good enough for them). The twins enjoyed doing outdoor activities.

Also, two doors down is a gelateria. Navi's favorite flavor has been zitrone (lime) and Ada's vanilla.

One day they twins went to Oberammergau to ride the Alpine Coaster. After a long chairlift ride they arrived at the top of a mountain and had lunch.

Then it was time for the coaster. The start was at 1,270M and rode their way down to 850M, it was a fun ride.

One day the Lopezjoneses decided to go to Germany's highest point, the Zugspitze. It took three train rides to get up to the mountain...

And then one final tram ride.

Germany's highest point, 2,962M. In the back you can see the line of climbers waiting for their turn to reach the summit cross.

Navi found some snow to play with. In walking around searching for a place to lunch they found a restaurant which once they sat down to eat they realized they actually left Germany and were officially in Austria.

Cheeky Navi. PapaJason asked Ada to take a picture of him and daddy, they didn't know Navi was in the background.

Garmesch-Partenkirken, Deutschland

After a two hour drive, with some heave traffic, the Lopezjoneses arrived in Garmisch-Partenkirken. With a few hours until check in to their next accommodations they had lunch at a German stube, their version of traditional fast food (rotisserie chicken, pasta, chicken tenders, and fried fish).

With more time to pass they found a playground and stayed there until it was time to check in.

Right around the corner from their apartment is the cutest street ever, right out of a fairy tale. Their location is so ideal to walking. So many restaurants and shops are near by including supermarkets, gelaterias, parks, and hiking trails.

There is plenty to see and as the town mostly caters to people on holiday for hiking it is very relaxed in the evening, especially during happy hour (real aperitif culture here). Navi enjoyed a walk one evening where he got to see the local oompah band perform.
 

Auf Wiedersehen München

The days in Munich drew to a close. They made it to their main square, Marianplatz, only because they need new underwear for Ada (next size up), a book store that sells English books, and they upgraded to a bigger rental car which their offices were near by.

A special treat, Philipp, whom they last saw five years ago made the trip into town to see the twins. Philipp is Malte's best friend, Malte is Magnus' brother. Maltu and Magnus are living so far north a quick trip to see them was not possible. But they will meet in the next year.

With an even bigger car, the twins comfortably drove to their next destination deep in Bavaria...
 

Rainy Munich

Airport covid-19 test results - negative, all four!

Since arriving to Munich the weather has been rain, rain and more rain. It has not been much of a problem since everyone is tired and jet lagged. Ada and Navi are sleeping through most of the night and are now waking up at their usual 6AM-ish time.

One day there was a long enough break in the rain. The twins walked to and through the English Garden for some well needed exercise and fresh air. They stopped to watch the surfers in the canal and at a biergarten for lunch, that happened to be next to a dog park. The place was filled with dogs wondering around everywhere, Ada and Navi loved it.

They walked for almost 10 miles. Something special they got to do that they have not done in over 4 months - a playground.

The next day the twins joined their dads in search for a car. The idea is to buy a car in Germany and drive it to Italy. They loved this sparkly new one, but the dads are searching for a used one. After lunch the search for a car continued, but the twins stayed home that time. Car shopping was not very fun for them.

At dinner last night Ada was excited to see beef tartare on the menu, they had an English menu. The dads enjoyed their wines that came in 1/4 liters.

And Navi... he ordered a cheese burger. It was a huge burger and he finished the entire thing. 

Restaurants in Munich can serve food indoors. Patrons wear a mask upon entering and fill out a contact tracing form, masks can come off once seated. Bars that do not serve food are still closed, but everything else is open. Masks are not required outside, but must be worn inside businesses, public facilities, transit, farmer's markets and where social distancing is not possible.

München, Deustschland

 

The day has arrived and the Lopezjoneses are moving to Europe. Packed with six big pieces of luggage, and Lucy, they headed to the airport. They will fly to Germany and quarantine and then move on to Italy.

SFO was practically empty. With so little travelers due to the many restrictions around the world they had an easy check in, It took a little bit of time to review PapaJason's Italian passport, the marriage certificate and the twins' birth certificates. Since Americans are not currently allowed entry into Europe they flew on PapaJason's Italian passport which allows the entry of their spouse and children under the age of 21.

The twins had one of the best transcontinental flights ever. On a plane with a capacity of over 300 there were only about 50 passengers. Which means each kid got to share a row of seat with their dad & papa.

After an almost 11 hour flight, they landed early in Munich, another empty airport.

Lucy did so well on the flight, but the poor thing has been in her carrier for over 15 hours.

The Lopezjoneses grabbed their rental car and filled it to capacity. It was a very tight squeeze, but they fit everything and everyone.

Now, it's time to get over the jet lag in quarantine while they wait their covid-19 test results they took at the airport upon landing (awesome job Germany). This time around it was a mouth swab and not nasal.

A Neighborhood Farewell

On their last evening in San Francisco, the Lopezjoneses welcomed many of their neighbors for a farewell drink. The twins were excited to see everyone, especially the neighborhood dogs. They also got to play with in the neighbor's tree one last time.