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.

Beach bum

So we made it to the beach twice in Jamaica. I think we quickly realised it was worth doing things twice with the wee man as he seemed to always get more out of it the second time around. We visited Fort Clarence Beach which is just a 30 minute drive from home beside Hellshire.

 He was excited when he saw all the water of the sea the first time but was maybe not too sure about the movement of the waves. There was lots of curiosity about the sand between his toes though and he quickly got the hang of filling and emptying his bucket with it. I used the excuse of playing with the sand to get him closer to the water and it worked to the point where he was happy to get his feet wet though the depths were not that attractive.

Well the second visit Nana was amazed when he just walked with her straight into the water. 

Of course the arm bands were immediately shouted for and before I knew it he was crashing about in those waves like a seal. Nana was laughing hilariously as they were both knocked about. There were times when his feet were not even touching the ground.

He then let go of our hands and was running in and out of the water, kicking his feet in the sea. There was serious risks of getting my camera wet as I tried to capture it all. It was like once he was out of the water it just called to him to get back in again. He was tossed in the waves at points, water rising above his head, but up he got laughing ready to go again.

It's now fact! I have got a toddler beach bum!

By the Sea

We went for a week by the Italian Seaside. The wee man started gently with some sand play before venturing close to the water at which point he would pretty much turn around saying quite firmly "no no no no" as he discovered not only waves but cold water. By the middle of the week with a few screams we were in the water and toys worked as a good distraction and he started to enjoy being in the water though he was holding on pretty tight around our necks. By the end of the week he was taking no notice of the waves, venturing into the water by himself not interested in holding your hands, kicking his feet and splashing his hands. Extra benefits to the holiday included early morning walks with the Nonni, bicycle rides with Nonno, ice cream in the afternoons, late nights and sometimes sneaking into mummy and daddy's bed! Once he learnt his way around the camp and the beach we really had to keep our eye on him as he was happy to wonder off in the direction he preferred and would only belatedly look behind him and shout for his Nonno. It was a good time had by all and it was not until the end that the clouds came over and told us that as my wee man likes to say "All done".