Summer 2017, you were spectacular! It was one of those times. Blissfully drenched with inspiring sights, sounds and Mediterranean tastes. This European merry-go-round was unforgettable!

Challenging too I might add.

It’s only God who could have opened a door to absolute bliss for us while hacking away, coughing and struggling with asthma. Not even my daughters asthmatic emergency situation in Milan made us wish we hadn’t taken off on this adventure! As scary as it was, while struggling to breathe, standing by the glass door in the hospital – there we were – frantically trying to make ourselves understood in English!
Summer 2017, can you get more dramatic??
(The doctor, by the the way, was fabulous and we will be forever grateful to ‘google translator’ !).

So it was just the three of us. My husband, daughter and I took off to Rome for a few days. From there we took the high speed trains in comfort to Florence, Venice and Milan. We then took a flight to Paris shortly after the emergency in Milan. Yes, we stuck to our original plan, even though I was more than willing to take our daughter back home right then and there! Yet Paris was familiar, like going home and my daughter so wanted to eat her favorite duck and look at the Van Gogh paintings.

And so we did.
And thank God she recovered.

The Euro Star took us to London where we spent time with my family prior to taking off and returning to… home sweet home <3

To try and sum it all up in a single word would be – impossible, no? But let me try. Grounding. Grounding? Strange word to describe a holiday. Well it was just that. The atmosphere, ambience, the colours, the vibes, the people and the tastes in each place – was what really inspired. The life, the pulse, the rhythm of the place. And it made me feel more whole, more grounded somehow. More at peace. How to take a picture of that ?!! Well, I selected photos of a few fleeting moments that I felt captured the essence of it.

I don’t think I will ever forget our conversation while seated on the Spanish Steps in Rome before heading to the famous Babington’s Tea Room, just on the right of the steps. Or sitting together on the grass at the Jardin des Tuilleries. Yes we visited most of the iconic spots. The Sistine Chapel overwhelmed us and we did throw the coin into the Trevi Fountain. I don’t think our daughter will ever forget the water taxies in Venice. Oh and we never got lost in the labyrinth of the enchanting streets there because of google – getting lost is part of the experience – oops! Hahaha.  And we loved our walk by the River Seine, in Paris, just before heading to Musee d’Orsay.

My first time in Italy was at age eleven with my family. Again with my husband shortly after we married, and now to be here with our child was very important to us. It was yet another place we wanted to show her and share with her.

What I also hope is that my country, like Italy, will also preserve and conserve our heritage homes which are called ‘walawwes’ and ancient sites, to forever celebrate our uniqueness and our history ( I will post some pictures one day)!!

For now here are three more images of our time in Europe. Summer 2017, you were unforgettable! Thank You, God, for every last detail:)  x