After Milan, we headed to Lake Garda, where we met up with Sam and his family. Having everyone together in one place was a little chaotic at times (because a big family group always is!), but it was also exactly the kind of chaos we love. Lake Garda was the perfect spot to slow down after our busy city days.
We spent time relaxing by the pool, played bocci ball, some of us braved the lake swimming, and we explored the beautiful towns around the area. There was shopping, sightseeing, good food, and of course plenty of gelato. Between Bologna, Milan, and Lake Garda, we ate our weight in gelato. We had dinner together every night at the resort, which made planning with 13 people much easier.
The resort was also a thermal spa and we took advantage of that every day. Lucas and Henry are old enough now to appreciate that amenity.
One of the highlights was our day at Gardaland, Italy’s largest amusement park. Because while our family loves castles, museums, and historical sites, teenagers (and mom) also need roller coasters and a little adrenaline. The rides were a huge hit, and it was fun seeing everyone laughing and enjoying themselves. Lucas and Henry also got to do an E-bike tour with Sten. They rode through the Italian countryside and even stopped at a winery along the way. The winery experience itself was probably a little lost on them — but they liked the E-bikes.
Of course, no family trip is complete without a few travel stories. My dad had some frustrating travel issues both getting to Italy and making his way home. We also had a few other travel hiccups, and Sam dealt with delayed trains. It seems like these days traveling without some kind of delay, cancellation, or unexpected problem is becoming harder and harder. But that is part of the adventure. After years of full-time travel, we have learned that things rarely go exactly according to plan. Sometimes you miss a train. Sometimes you wait longer than expected. Sometimes you have to completely change your plans. The trick is trying not to let those moments overshadow the reason you are traveling in the first place.
This trip was about family. We were so grateful that everyone made the effort to come visit us. It is not easy coordinating flights, trains, schedules, and life from different places, but having everyone together in Italy was worth all of the logistics. Our kids got time with their cousins. We got time with our siblings and parents. We shared meals, adventures, laughs, and a few “well, that didn’t go as planned” moments. After years of our family reading about our experiences around the world, it was really special to have our family come find us.
