Our European Vacation

It seemed so romantic: Vacationing in Europe with my children, some of it together, some of it apart. My son at soccer camp in Italy. My daughter at Girl Scout camp in Germany. And me? Well, I had visions of wine and lasagne followed by beer and schnitzel dancing in my head.

- Melinda Murphy

As the departure date grew closer, I began to think I was downright batty. Who trades in all their miles and takes two children aged eight and ten traipsing across Europe for three weeks? Me. The crazy lady. The lady who bowed to the pressure of her kids begging to go to special camps...

Part 1: ITALY

Venice

First up, Italy. I hadn’t been here since my twenties and, just as I remembered, there’s so much to love about it: food, culture, sites. How can you go wrong taking kids to a place where they can eat pizza and gelato every day? (I did some serious dieting when we got home!)

But I wasn’t prepared for the crowds. Holy cow. Where do all these people come from? Right – America. Like me. Seriously, it was the most crowded summer in Italy on record, which meant many Americans (and others, too) getting in the way of this particular American having a good time. Go home, people! Mental note: if you don’t like crowds, Italy in the summer is not for you.

We first explored Venice, a magical city for children, with wide-open piazzas where they can run free and find little bridges for climbing. Our adventure started at the airport where you catch a water taxi to your hotel. What fun! (This, of course, was before the awful floods that hit Italy in autumn.)