Monthly Archives: August 2015

Cooking With Emma

Posted in Italian Stories, Italy, Recipes by

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After seven months in France, we took a break from r-gargling and brie bingeing and visited Italy as part of our very brave eight-weeks-on-the-road-with-three-young-kids summer road trip.  Michael and I have been there done that in Rome, Venice and Florence, so we picked a small country village in the hills of Tuscany and a quaint terrace house in Nesso, Lake Como as our Italian destinations of choice.  For six nights in Tuscany, we stayed in an old stone relic of a house with those classic terracotta tiles you wish you could afford in a new home.  They would never look as good as they do in a house that has been lived in for hundreds of years … it’s the scratches, divots and dents and the smooth, worn down steps that give it such character.  I had a quick look on the other side of the ancient door that led…

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10,000 Miles to Home ~ Meeting my Italian Family Part 2 {Marc Knight}

Posted in Italian Stories, Marc's Italy by

So I was finally in Italy, a place I had tried to imagine in my dreams for many years.  No matter how many photos I saw or the endless surfing on the internet looking at where my family were from prepared me for the reality of the real thing.

Fresh off the train my cousin took me into the town of Arezzo.  I was instantly amazed.  This place is old I thought.  My mind started wandering trying to soak in the history.  In Australia we think 200 odd years of white Australia is old and all of a sudden I am looking at places that are several hundred years old.

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First Passport Stamp – Tokyo, Japan

Posted in Japan, Travel, Travel with Kids by

In May 2013 I obtained a passport.

14 days later I left Australia. It wasn’t Italy, but I was on my way!
Tokyo was nothing like I had expected but so much more.
Beautiful.
Busy.
Quiet.
Exciting.
Calm.
Tasty.
Sensational.
With the trip so quickly arranged and a full schedule leading up to the departure there was no time to research my guts out (like I normally do).
And this was no small feat. Three adults (one 70 year old) Four teenagers/preteens and one toddler all to Tokyo for five nights!

Ginza was stunning

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6 top travel tips my Facebook friends loved

Posted in Italy, Top Travel Tips, Travel, Travel with Kids by

Some quick tips from my recent long haul trip to Europe. Add them to your repertoire if you haven’t already.

View from the on-off bus

Up, Up and away!

Your carry-on kit contains the only belongings you will see for many hours if you’re travelling long haul so it is important to have everything you need.

I have labeled each person’s passport with their name on the front. This makes identifying your passport through customs super easy and much less fumbling.

If travelling with a child, pack a turkish towel too. They roll up and are compact. They will service everything from water slippages all over your seat or clean blanket or pillow.

Inside your carry-on kit, along with all the usual suspects, should be a leisure suit for each of the travellers to change into for the long haul flight, or a spare t-shirt if you are just flying short haul. Change out into your comfortable clothes after take off and back into your nice outfit before landing. This will ensure you are feeling the best you can as you walk off the plane in your new destination.

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How to see the world like a local

Posted in Italy, Top Travel Tips, Travel by

This post was written as part of a Virgin Australia Problogger Travel Competition. Learn more here.

 

To truly experience a place is to pretend that you live there. Sure, you can visit all the tourist spots and follow all of the tips in the travel guide but to see how a place really functions is to live like a local.

You can get more out of travelling than you ever have before. You can leave a place with more friends and know that when you come back (even years later) they will remember you.

Here are my tips for experiencing the world like a local.

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