It’s officially fall I realize, but I’m missing summer. I’m missing the rhythm of my family when school is out. The family we are during the summer months when I actually get to be with my school-aged kids. At the beginning of fall, as beautiful as the world is during this time, I find myself longing for the days when I get to spend more time swimming and playing with my kids rather than nagging them to hurry up and do something or be somewhere. Since school has started, I’ve found myself longing for this island. A few days spent this July with the dearest of friends and the bluest of seas. I always have a low-grade wanderlust, skimming travel sites and Pinterest collecting locales and restaurants in far off places that top our “must-see” lists. But each year, truer and truer as my kids get older, the transition to school-time family becomes more challenging for me. I spend most of my time with my kids doing one of several things; cooking, feeding, cleaning, homework, nagging, hurrying, shuttling or supervising. Thankfully, by the time fall gets into full swing, I’m happily nesting and enjoying our routine even if the first few weeks aren’t entirely smooth ones.
To feed my soul, I”m taking a little trip down memory lane (and taking you with me) as I spend a bit of time looking back on some magical days last July. This summer we had the amazing opportunity to travel to the beautiful island of Sardinia, Italy. We met our close Norweigen friends to share long summer days in this little piece of paradise in the middle of the Tyrrhenian Sea together. We each affectionately call each other family as in our Norweigen Family. Only 2 of our kids had met before, though it didn’t take long for them to fall in love, just like family.
We spent our days talking and laughing over long breakfasts and many macchiatos. We found gorgeous beaches to play on while watching the children get to know one another. Meals were long and lasting filling all our buckets with old stories and new memories. The kinds of days that make vacations like these incredibly special. The 9 of us could have been just about anywhere and had a lovely time, but because we were fortunate enough to reunite and come together on this island, we felt incredibly blessed.
When we weren’t on the beach, we were on a boat. Which is the absolute best way to explore Sardinia. The island itself is lovely, but the outlying archipelago was breathtaking. Tiny islands with spectacular water and sand that typically makes up the images you see in travel magazines. I could not believe my eyes. This particular day will be recorded on my mind as a day none of us will ever forget. We hired Dea de Mare, Shardana Sail to take us out on an excursion of a lifetime. Their crew was professional and welcoming. Their craft was amazing and the meals were phenomenal. Actually, in my experience all food tastes better on the water, doesn’t it? Top that with food prepared especially for us on a boat in Italy, and it was otherworldly. They were terrific hosts and were so fun with all our kids too. But really with this breathtaking beauty, it’s hard to go wrong. If you are considering a trip to that part of Europe, flights are easy to come by from all over Italy and England. Our flight from Venice was about $80 and approximately $100 back to London. I’d recommend staying on the Costa Smeralda. You can rent a car at the airport (Olbia) to explore the island. A small word of caution, the roads are narrow and wind around the cliffsides, distances are farther than they seem. Other than that, Sardinia is truly a magical part of Italy. We may have been the only Americans on the island, well other than Cameron Diaz anyway!
