Italy with the kids

In May of 2012, a brave thought began to form in my head - what would it be like to take the kids on my own to a holiday? This was partly driven by a desire to give Prachi a break, as she indeed takes a "motherload" of the caring responsibities, but also to prove to myself that I can do it. It would also allow Prachi to do some work in peace, if I could take some time off. She has been quite busy lately, and seems to be really getting into the research that she is involved in. I was not 100% sure how things would pan out, but definitely wanted to give it a try.

May and early June were also occupied by planning for the summer, when we will take off, what we will do, and how we will take care of the kids. In the end, things began to fall into place. We found some summer camps for Prarthna and also found a nanny for Prapti for some weeks. We were also going to take a driving trip through Norway and partly into Sweden, but more about that at another time. I had decided that I was going to take holiday in the first week after school closed, and we would use part of the week to go out on a trip. After some back and forth searches, we landed on going to Rimini, the beach resort on the Adriatic in the eastern part of Italy. Based on the ticket availability, we were going to fly on Wednesday evening and return on Sunday evening. 

The school ended on 15th June, and Prarthna had finished her 2nd grade, and Prapti had finished her 1st year of preschool. Time is really flying. Prarthna was 1 when we had moved to Norway, unsure of where we were going. Now almost 7 years later, it seems that we are well settled, but things are also very uncertain. But I suppose that is a story of its own. The kids started their summer vacation on the 16th. The weather has been quite nice this summer, and the weekend was nice as well. I do not remember completely what we did that weekend, but it was a mix of indoor and outdoor activities. I did play some squash with Hari and one of his colleagues and also a bit of TT. We then had Neha and family over for dinner along with Hari, and it was a night of good food, Dahi Bhalle and Chhole Bhature, and also a nice Mousse cake to top it all. We have also been doing hiking on the weekends, primarily with Tejbir and Hemant. On Monday, I took the kids to office for a bit. But I also had to prepare for the 2 master examinations that I was a examiner for on Tuesday. This involved a late night of reading the theses so that I could be ready for the interrogation. The two examinations went fairly smoothly and one of them even got an A. Tuesday evening was the big grillparty from Meny, the local grocery store, and this time was better than ever. It was a huge crowd, lots of games for the kids, 3 bouncy castles, lots of food, drinks, prices, and icecream. A great event where we spent a couple hours. The next day was when we were supposed to leave. Prachi had helped with the packing, and also came home early from office to see us off. We left around 3:30 PM, and suddenly the time had arrived when I had to spend more than 4 days alone with the kids.

I was feeling quite good, and was hoping for no major disasters. So off we went to the airport. The kids were also excited. We parked at the parking area, took the shuttle and reached the terminal building. The advantage with Bergen airport is that it is not so big, and quite quick and easy to navigate. I had checked in already to ensure that we sat together, and I had Prarthna punch in the keys at the check in machine to print out our boarding passes. We then went to the baggage drop, and sent in our bags after a brief wait. We then went up to the security check and the woman who was checking the boarding passes asked me whether I was travelling alone with 2 children (Yes, I was!) and let us get ahead so that we did not have to wait long. Things went quite smoothly at the security control and we were soon walking towards our gate. After a brief wait, it was time to board, and we got on first being a family with kids. Soon we had found our seats, and after a brief argument about who should be sitting where, we were settled in. I was feeling quite calm. Having travelled so much over the years, I do not get stressed much on the trips, although there are lots of things to remember. I only had to tell myself that I was alone with the girls, that mom was not there to watch my back, and I had to keep an eye of them all the time. But it seemed to be working fine! We had told Prachi we were onboard, and soon the plane pushed back and we were on our way to Amsterdam. 

The other factor that definitely helped was that the kids are used to travelling. Prarthna is also grown-up and can take responsibity when requested. But still I expected some interesting times ahead during the rest of the week! We got to Amsterdam pretty much on schedule and we went up to the food court where there is also a small play area for the kids. We had taken some food along with us, and I bought some juice for the kids. The kids played and had a small fill before it was time to board the plane to Bologna. On the way to the gate, we saw that the Nemo Science Centre in Amsterdam had made a small exhibit at the airport, but we decided to check it out on the way back. We also saw some nice new  "murals" on the way to the  B-pier. Soon we were onboard the next flight, which was a bit longer than the previous one. Even if I asked the kids several time to sleep, they did not do so, and kept playing and having fun. We ate some more on this flight and landed in Bologna around 10:30 PM. The luggage took some time to arrive and then we were off to rent our car. There were not too many cars in the night, and so we got a little smaller car than we had booked, but we were going to get a discount. We walked over to the parking area where the rental car was parked and soon got loaded. It was a bit difficult to find the hotel even if it was quite close to the airport - Prarthna insisted I use the GPS, but I wanted to still try my navigation skills. In the end, after some minutes of driving, we found the hotel. I checked in, got the keys, parked the car in the underground lot, and we made our way to the room. As soon as we entered, I realized that this was a smoking room and we absolutely had to change it. However, by this time, the kids were really exhausted and there was some crying when I wanted them to wait while I went down and got us a new room. In the end I took Prapti with me, and we replaced the room. We then moved upstairs, changed clothes, brushed our teeth, and were in bed for the first night. It is really funny how much importance kids place on some apparently mundane things, as Prapti insisted on telling Prachi several times about the "smoke" room and also about the colour of the carpet in our current room. It is one of the things that makes childhood special!




Anyhow, we woke up late as expected, went down to have our breakfast, and then checked out. This time I took out my GPS and we started our drive to our real destination - Rimini. We stopped at a rest area on the way, since it was about 1230, and decided to eat our lunch. We had to wait for a while, since the pasta had to be prepared, but in the end had a hearty lunch of some spinach gnocchi, and the classic, Pasta al Pomodoro! Then we were off again, and reached Rimini about 1:30 PM. Soon, we were checked in, and after putting on the swimsuits, were off to the beach which was within a short walking distance. The beach area in Rimini is very special and different, as the photos can attest much better. First of all, it is not for those who are looking for something pristine. It is very developed. The sea is not that azure blue. But it is great for kids and families, since it is very shallow for a very long distance and the kids can easily go in the water. It is also very long and the temperature of the water was just great. The beach is also divided into different areas "Bagnos" which are normally different themes, and cater to people in different "hotels" but contain nice toilets, change rooms and also play areas and beach volleyball courts. We made our way to our "area", number 35, surrendered the voucher that we had got from the hotel, and were shown where we could put our stuff. Our part consisted of two sun loounges and a large umbrella. We put our food, clothers, etc. there and then moved over to the water. It was a special experience being at the beach just with the girls. I did not have any reading material along, but was determined to spend the maximum time with them. We played in the water, splashing on the waves, and made sand castles. It was really relaxing. We were there for about 3 hours, taking a break in the middle for drying off and some food. We also bought a soap bubble gun and Prapti had a good time blowing bubbles. After that we went towards the hotel. I bought sunglasses for the girls and we also found a convenience store next to our hotel where we bought water every day and also some fruits.

After relaxing in the room for a bit, taking a shower, getting dressed for the evening (and I even managed to make their hair), we went out for dinner. We walked along the street, which was the main shopping street in Rimini (and of course Prarthna wanted me, several times, to buy her a toy too since Prapti had got one). We found a restaurant at a square close to the hotel which seemed nice, but had to wait for some time before it opened at 7 PM (quite different from Norway). We ordered three dishes, which looked to be too much to begin with, but the food was very good, and we were quite hungry, and so we finished it all! We then roamed around a little more, going into some shops, etc. At around 7:30 PM, we sat on a "train" that ran on the streets and took us around Rimini. It was quite interesting to see the entire beach front area and the marina. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel. After watching some TV, getting changed, and generally hanging out in the room, we went to bed around 10 PM. But soon we heard some loud sounds. Initially I was not sure what was going on, but soon realized that the source of the "mysterious" din was fireworks! When it did not stop (and having realized that it was impossible to sleep), we went to the balcony of our room and saw a nice display of fireworks in the sky. It was great, even more so since it was completely unexpected. Once the fireworks were over, we went inside and fell asleep.

The first full day had gone quite well. No major problems, and I had succeeded in taking care of them quite well. The next day we woke up quite late, and got to breakfast around 10:30. It seemed eerily quiet there and not a soul was there to be seen. This was a surprise, since I remembered that I had heard that breakfast would be served until 11. I talked with the reception, and they made sure we got some breakfast, although it was a bit limited. After this, we went up, skipped the morning shower today, and got dressed for the beach. Repeated yesterday´s routine, and got settled on the beach. The beaches also had very nice play areas which the kids went to as well. Today we spent much longer, something like 5-6 hours, frolicking in the waves and building various sand objects. Prapti also got much braver and spent a lot of time in the water (guess the good temperature and the fact that it was shallow helped). We built castles, rivers, and in the end also a "Bergen" with 7 mountains. We also met an American family on holiday and the girls played together (they had 3) while I chatted with the mother. We also spent some time on our sun chairs off and on, when we felt like eating something. We went back around 5:30 PM. Even if we had tried to replenish the sunscreen several times, Prarthna had got a bit burnt on her back. So I gave her some treatment, we cleaned up, took showers and then went out for the evening. We decided to walk all the way towards the large ferris wheel on the end of the main beach area. Even if it was a long walk (may be 1-2 km), the kids did well, and it was all worth it when we got up on the ferris wheel. The ferris wheel was something like London eye, quite high even if not as grand and the gondolas were also not that big. But the view was quite nice. We could see the beach, the marina, and also the start of the sunset along with the city. There were something like 6-7 slow rounds that allowed us to enjoy the sights and then we went down. We ambled back in the direction of our hotel. We came to a park where there were some boat shaped benches and a large "camera" model. There was also a stage where some kind of show was going on. We watched for a little bit, and then continued on our way. We walked further and found a playground where the kids rode the swings and slides. After that, it was time for dinner and we went to the Indian restaurant that was right next to the restraurant we ate in yesterday. The food was OK, but Prarthna really wanted to eat there. Prapti also seemed to be eating well, so I was satisfied. After dinner, I bought the kids icecream (we are still a bit careful with this, due to Prapti). I also bought them nice "beady" t-shirts which they were very happy about. Prarthna also got a small angel decoration for her room. Soon it was getting late and time to retire. We went back to the hotel and got ready for bed. So was the end of a perfect day!

We decided to give the beach a miss the next day, and went instead to San Marino, a small country nestled high up in the hills, completely within Italy. The drive took us up and up, and was reasonably pleasing. Soon we were parked, and ready to explore the city of San Marino, which is the capital. It was quite charming with old castles, cute shops, and cobbled streets. We went to the top until the first gate of the castle, and then found a restraurant for lunch. We also took food along everyday (some extra stock for dinner) to keep us going. The view was great from San Marino, being so high up. We could see in all directions and it was a great sight. We did some small shopping afterwards and also bought a gift for Prachi. Then we went back to our parking spot and left.

The next destination was Miniature Italy. We had seen some mixed reviews, but decided to give the place a try. It ended up being quite good. Of course there was a minature of tons of Italian monuments, such as Leaning tower, St. Peter´s, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, The Milan grand cathedral, etc. but also it was made out in a pleasing way with trains running around, and also the model of the Fiumincino airport. It was sort of like "Miniature Wonderland" in Hamburg that we had visited last year, even if the model trains and airports there were much nicer! In addition, there were some rides and other things to do for the kids. There was a monorail that took us around the park. There was also a medieval castle where we could have water fights with cannons, a parrot park, and also some play areas. There was a carousel, a balloon ride, a ride through Venice, and the best for us, the splash ride that we did multiple times. The park closed at 6, and we went back to Rimini. We went back to the hotel, but found that all the parking spots were full. So we drove a bit around and found a parking spot a bit further away. Then we went to the beach for an evening walk after which we were lying on the sun chairs which did not go so well, and led to a mini crisis. The girls had a fight over something and Prapti ended up biting Prarthna, and that too quite badly. I had to scold Prapti, and then we had to go back immediately. I had to put bandaid on the cut, since there was some blood but they made up afterwards. I let them relax in the room and watch some TV, and I stepped out for 20 minutes to stock up on some Italian cheese and pasta to take back to Norway. After I came back, we went out to dinner. Initially Prarthna wanted to get braids, but I managed to convince her not to since she was going to go swimming on Monday in her summer camp and then would have to shampoo her hair. We ate pasta quite late, Italian style eating dinner at 10 PM, and went back to our room. This was our last night in Italy.

We woke up around 10, and went to breakfast. Today (and also yesterday) we got a much better breakfast since things had not been removed. We ate our fill and went back to finish packing. Soon we were ready to go, checked out, I got our car, and then we loaded our things and went off. I had decided that we will slowly move our way back to Bologna, but will not take the motorway. So we drove on smaller roads. We stopped on the way at Ravenna, an old town with several Roman buildings. We drove through several small towns along the coast, before making our way to Bologna. There I filled gasoline, which was a bit of a challenge, as it was difficult to use non-Italian cards at some places. Then we went over to the airport, returned the car, walked over to the terminal, checked in, and went into the departure lounge. Soon we were inside the plane, although the flight was somewhat delayed due to high winds in Amsterdam. We arrived about 45-50 minutes late, and therefore, did not have time to get a proper dinner. I grabbed some sandwiches which we ate in the Bergen flight. I managed to convince them to sleep this time, so that they would not be too tired the next day. So both of them were asleep when we landed in Bergen, around 11 PM. I slowly woke them up and I must say I admire this thing about Prapti that she has never been cranky when woken up like this. She is very cooperating and it was the case this time as well. I had also met my new colleague Vincent on the Bergen flight and said goodbye to him at the baggage claim and then we found the shuttle to the parking lot that took us to our car. Soon we were on our way home and this was the end of a wonderful trip.

Prachi had also had a good relaxing time while we had been away. She did some work of course, but also had fun. She went to the late night shopping on Thursday with Neha and Sangita and then to Lagunen on Saturday, and also spent the night at Tejbir´s on Saturday.

The next day was Monday and of course we had a little late start. I dropped Prarthna first to her sports camp and then took Prapti to her first day at the nanny before going to office. I picked Prarthna up at 3 and then Prapti. In the meanwhile, Prachi had come home. I dropped the girls before going back to the office. This routine continued for the next 2 days as well, although was dropping Prapti by 9. The week was quite hectic at the office with lots of things happening, sending offers, finish preparations, and other usual things. Unfortunately, the nanny got sick on Wednesday night and so I had to take Prapti in to work on Thursday morning. But had managed to arrange with her best friend Noemie´s mom and she went there on Thursday afternoon and I could work for some hours. We went to Lagunen for some grocery shopping on Thursday evening. On Friday morning, I stayed home with Prapti and Prachi took care of her in the afternoon and I went in to work for the company meeting as well as farewell for Olav and Mathieu, who are both leaving us! We took prarthna for her first piano lesson on Friday evening, and we will see how that goes. In the meanwhile, I bought some new formal shoes and then we also bought a new cycle for Prarthna. 

On Saturday, had a late morning, and then took the kids to Fysak where they could jump on the jumping mattress, and then to the office for a little bit since I had to take some print outs. Then we came home and got ready since we were invited to a party. We had asked Yogita to take care of the girls, while I and Prachi went to Hari´s birthday. It was nice to go to an adult party after a long time. He had invited a lot of people, and there was lots of chatting and dancing. We left around 10 since we needed to get home. The kids had already slept, having had a nice time with Yogita and we also went to bed soon since I had to wake up quite early on Sunday.

Why is that? Because I had to take another trip...after 2-3 months of lull, it is hectic travelling time again. I am on my way to Brazil, and am writing this from my usual place, i.e. the airplane. I am quite excited since I am going to a new continent. But more about this trip later!