Road Tripping through Greece and Italy
At long last, our return to Canada has begun! It will still be weeks before we land back, but our journey has commenced.
We left Struga and drove down to Ioannina, Greece for an overnight. We had driven through here on our way to Struga the second time and loved the few short hours we spent here. We had really wanted to check out the Silversmith Museum but didn’t have the time. We knew for sure that the night before our ferry from Greece to Italy departed, this would be a perfect spot to spend a night so we could explore this beautiful little town a bit more.
We walked around the town, loving how cute it was, and enjoyed some delicious Greek food again. We also spent several hours at the Silversmith Museum. It was truly fascinating to learn about how important silversmithing was to this area, how expert and well-respected the craftsmen were in this area all over the world, and the general processes that are used in this fascinating craft. We learned so much about silversmithing and saw some truly spectacular works of art. We particularly loved that there were videos showing craftsmen doing the various stages of silversmithing to help us understand it that much more. It’s a shame this is such a dying art in this era of cheap, mass-produced items from China.
The next morning, after a sleep-in and mostly relaxing morning, we made the short trip to Igoumenitsa where we stocked up on a few basics for lunch and to bring onto the ferry for our dinner. We went through the extremely confusing and not well-run process of boarding us and our vehicle onto the ferry. Once on board, we staked a claim at a table with some comfy, upholstered chairs to begin the seven-hour journey to Brindisi, Italy. It was a bit of a mini introduction for the girls to a cruise ship, with the various bars, restaurants, and small entertainment areas they had on board.
Once we got to Brindisi, we made our way to our Airbnb, where Jon had a hell of a time trying to park our car! Europeans are outstanding drivers, being able to maneuver in tight quarters that many of us North Americans would think a vehicle would never fit! As Jon struggled to park the car, our host told us via Google Translate how easy it is, and he does it multiple times a day. Not the most helpful thing for Jon to hear!
The next morning, we continued our journey up the east side of Italy, stopping overnight in Pesaro. It was a beautiful spot! Our apartment was spacious with tons of games, books, and puzzles to keep the girls entertained. We managed to put together one last delicious home-cooked meal with some bits we travelled with and some meat and cheese Jon picked up at the local grocer’s. We then headed out to enjoy the evening in Italy. The downtown area was beautiful and quaint. The girls were beyond thrilled to find their favourite store in the entire world, Flying Tiger Copenhagen! It had been a few months since we saw one, so we spent a good chunk of time browsing in there! We walked over to the waterfront and enjoyed some beautiful views. We were tempted to stop for a glass of wine to end off the night after all our walking and exploring, but by then it was already 9:30 pm and we thought we should drive back to the apartment and get the kids settled for bed so they weren’t cranky on the road the following day. Nothing worse than exhausted kids in a car for seven hours!
The next morning, we decided to have one last beach morning before heading up to our apartment next to Malpensa airport. We drove to the nearby beach town, Cattolica. After parking and walking to the beach, we enjoyed some time there while the girls played in the sand and we enjoyed some last suntanning in Europe. We walked through the pedestrian streets, looked at some restaurants, and browsed some shops. We finally got an Italy magnet, too! While we planned to have lunch here before hitting the road, it was almost exclusively fish and seafood at most restaurants. Being allergic to most of the menu, we decided to just carry on and eat on the road along the way.
We did make it to our apartment near the airport in Malpensa in the early evening. After settling in, we went to the local Italian restaurant recommended by our host to indulge in that yummy Italian meal we had been wanting for breakfast. The restaurant choice was outstanding!
The next morning, bright and early, we dropped off our vehicle, which we had named Mediterrania. The girls said their goodbyes and gave the car some big hugs! Then we were off to the airport to fly to Iceland. I must say, our experience arriving at and departing from the Malpensa airport was outstanding! It might be our favourite airport we have ever been to. Everything runs so smoothly and efficiently here, and it doesn’t feel stressful to go through their airport at all.
Exploring and spending so much time in Europe has been amazing, and we were all a little heartbroken to get on the plane and bid farewell to her. While we look forward to Iceland and our cruise home, none of us are looking forward to returning to Canada. If we could stay and live this travelling, nomadic life, I think we would all gladly be on board for that. We had so many amazing experiences, met some great people, and have memories from this year that will last forever.