~ our joyful moments - week 26 ~

We're half way through our project ...I love looking back over the beautiful photos we've shared on our blogs and on IG (#ourjoyfulmoments).

This week we've spent a lot of time in the pool...and my husband has done a lot of tossing of children! So much fun. 

Karin is back in the beautiful greenhouse she shares with her mother...it's such a calming space...and look at those grapes growing!

What's been your joyful moment this week?

~ Roma ~

It was thundery, hot and humid in Rome - very Latin weather if you like.

Rome never changes - its crazy beautiful.  

Loud, fast and furious.

Majestic even amongst the filth, crumbling buildings and revolting smells.

The traffic is insane ... the numbers of tourists even more so.

As we approach the tail-end of our grand adventure its becoming harder to walk the fine line of educative touristing and trying too hard.  Here we skipped the queue (because we could) at the Vatican and marvelled at the room of maps more so than the Sistine chapel (because you could hardly breathe in there) and we left St Peter's for next time (because the queues were over 2 hours long...and you do need a reason to come back).

We wandered and soaked up the essence of Roma.  We sat in the piazzas and crowd watched as we slurped our gelati.  We drank espresso and campari and ate fabulous pizza. 

We will be back

~ our joyful moments - week 25 ~

Different reasons to be joyful this week. 

I'm celebrating a second summer for the year in a Tuscan villa...this is my view from my sun lounge...it's heavenly. 

Karin celebrated mid summer (a big holiday in Sweden...I didn't know that) with friends and this amazing looking pavlova. I will have to get the recipe when I get home. 

#ourjoyfulmoments is a weekly photography project shared here and on Instagram. 

~ cinque terre ~

Eighteen years ago we fell in love with Italy.

We'd worked for a year in the UK and were flush with pounds and seeking some sunshine and fun.  We had 6 weeks in spring time - travelling by train, exploring with no set plans - and yet we didn't make it south of Rome.

We learnt to drink espresso standing up, to defy the crazy traffic, to use our rudimentary Italian with a smile.  We ate better than we'd ever done before - the gelati, the pizza, the risotto, the pasta  -  and we vowed never to try limoncello ever again.

So when we were planning this trip Italy was a must - and the Cinque Terre was near the top of the list.

Last time we walked between the 5 towns in a single day.  Admittedly the coastal track was still in place (it was washed away in several places by the devastating floods of 2011) but I remember it being a big day with several hard climbs (and several stops for refreshment).

This time we based ourselves in Monterosso for 4 days.  We did 3 sections of the walk over 2 days and had 2 quiet days on the beach and exporing the little towns.

     Riomaggiore --> Manarolo (in the past an easy, flat 850m stroll - now a very steep climb along a path built for goats through tiny farms and vineyards).  About an hour

     Corniglia --> Vernazza  An hour and a half

     Monterosso -->Vernazza An hour and a half

The last section is the only one officially open at the moment - we were charged to enter the National Park here (less than 20 Euro for the family) and there were heaps more people on a very clearly marked track. All 3 sections were spectacular but did require gelati bribes at the next town to help the little legs up the steep bits (and they're very steep - these are not walks for the faint-hearted or the off-balance).

We fell in love all over again.

It won't be so long before we're back next time.

~ our joyful moments - week 24 ~

Classic images from Italy and France this week. 

We've just arrived in Italy and the gelato is the BEST. This is strawberry and straciatella. 

Karin had a little holiday in France and found lavender fields in the Luberon valley. 

#ourjoyfulmoments is a 52 week photography project where we share done of the little joys of our daily lives. 

~ our joyful moments - week 23 ~

Lots of strawberry yumminess this week. 

We have a mini project whilst travelling...comparing citron tarts to our favourite one from home (Daci&Daci  in Hobart).  The strawberry one was an extra we couldn't resist. 

Karin made her own...I wish I could go to dinner at her place one day. 

#ourjoyfulmoments is a shared photography project between Karin and I ..sharing the little bits of joy we find in our daily lives. 

~ some French blues ~

I like France better than Spain.

Mainly because it's prettier (which is an incredibly shallow reason for choosing one country over another but there you go).

There are some other reasons;

     I love the hearing the French speak french (I can even understand a little bit)

     The food is to die for (that bread, the cheeses, citron tart...)

     I can operate the postal system - ie I can find an open post office, purchase stamps and post items

     They keep more civilised hours ( we can put the children to bed earlier)

     We've had better weather here and everyone knows the index for liking a country is weighted towards those countries with a higher blue sky incidence

     Ummm....Paris

We've been driving without purpose for much of this week

Stopping next to fields with white horses, interesting signs, pretty wheat or towns with great names

The weather has been kind and the adventuring is good.  

~ joyful moments - week 22 ~

This weeks moments are both from nature again.  

I keep gasping at the beauty of the poppy fields we pass and making my husband screech to a halt for more photos. 

Karin was lucky enough to have this view near her work conference. 

#ourjoyfulmoments is a weekly photography project between Karin in Sweden and me (usually based in Tassie but currently enjoying  a crazy family holiday in Europe).