A day at the beach

I've tried to bottle up the excitement that my wee man had yesterday when I said we were going to the beach so he could play with the sand. You never know when I can use that feeling again. He said we are going on holiday to play in the sand. His simple definition of what it means to go on "holiday" is something to treasure.

We drove to Troon beach as we decided it would be a great opportunity to take advantage of trying the recommended fish and chips at MacCallums Oyster Bar and Restaurant.  We took our bucket and spade and well did the regular beachy things. We build sand castles and splashed about in the water the low tide had left behind.

After an awesome fish and chips lunch we walked back along the sea front searching for stones and watching our shadows from the beautiful sunshine. It was somewhat of a trauma to drag ourselves away from a rather amazing day at the beach.

 

Our Italian Summer: A week by the sea

So this was really the real holiday for everyone. A week by the sea in Vieste, Puglia. We stayed at the quite small and charming Villa Ascoli surrounded by olive trees. The apartment was comfortable and offered ample space for us all. With only a 5 minute walk to the beach there was not much to complain about though with the wee man the walk was often drawn out with distractions like hunts for snails and walking and jumping on the walls. He suddenly became fascinated with the cactus plants with their spikes and he loved watching the masses of butterflies fluttering around the plants.

There was a lot of sand castle building and by the end of the week we were digging tunnels and burying ourselves in the sand. The sea with it's waves and saltiness was a bit daunting for swimming for the wee man but he finally got the hang of swimming on his own in the pool which made us all really proud. He loved spending time at the play parks on the slides and in the little houses. It was great watching him eager to "play with others" and it is fascinating how play really breaks down all language barriers.

We ate lots of pasta, lots of ice cream and the wee man became a proper Italian discovering the joys of the brioche! Mummy and Daddy escaped for a lovely meal out for my birthday at Enoteca Vesta in the town. The town itself is a lovely mix of old and new and really worth a visit. We enjoyed a walk on an overcast morning and even the wee man eventually got into it. They have the most amazing local market with colours and local delights. I have to recommend the tarallucci!

As the wee man says it was a good holiday.