We had such a great day today.  It started off with the kids coming into our bedroom telling us they were very hungry - I guess that was reasonable considering that it was 10:45 a.m.!  We roused ourselves out of bed and grabbed a quick coffee and croissant from the bakery downstairs then hopped in the car and headed to Pacengo.  We spent the day with family at their campsite on Lake Garda; what an interesting experience!

The first thing we noticed in the campsite was how packed in the people are, and they have such elaborate set ups with their campers!  Almost every small RV has a fancy extended tent attached to it - the one across from us actually had a mini fridge with a tv on top of it - plus a fan and a computer!  Quite a few had small satellite dishes set up as well, and yet you have to walk down the gravel road to take a pee!  Very interesting.  And these campers are small, not like the ones we're used to.  Even tent trailers are large and luxurious compared to the size of these teeny homes on wheels.  And it was hot, very hot.  The pool was absolutely packed and completely different than anything that would be allowed in the litigation-land of North America.  It was actually more like a wet mosh pit than a swimming pool - definitely a 'swim at your own risk' kind of place, but very fun and carefree at the same time.  The strangest thing was that bathing caps were mandatory; they had them for sale for 2€ but they were kind of crappy and would fall off pretty easily.  Because I love my husband and want to stay married I didn't take a single picture of him in his black cap, but he was definitely rockin' it.  We decided that with enough swagger and attitude it was no problem.

We had a nice picnic-style lunch with the family and it was so funny because with all the Dutch being spoken and the type of food it felt like we were in Holland but with a slightly Italian vibe - there was a bottle of olive oil on the table next to a giant hunk of Gouda if that gives you a sense of the situation.  The kids had a great time with their cousins and had a blast in the pool, then we moved down to the lake and rented some paddle boats with slides.  That was chaotic and fun but we were all a bit hot by that point and happily retired to the shady grass where we had some watermelon and wine and tried to cool down a bit.

Back at home every Sunday we have dinner with Jeff's side of the family, and tonight was no exception.  Instead of being in Calgary we were in Italy and had Sunday dinner with Dutch family - how nice!  There were 12 of us sweating in the Italian heat and we left the evening with a warm fuzzy family feeling.  We are so fortunate to have great relatives on the other side of the globe and it's wonderful that our kids get to develop a relationship with cousins that live a life so different from their own.

Tomorrow we pack up, return our car, and take the train to Venice.  It's our final Italian destination and I can hardly believe that this trip is winding down.  A few nights in Venice then a handful in Holland and back home again.  It's been quite the experience, we are very fortunate.

Oh, and PS - the thermostat in here reads 29.5C - we did it!  It actually feels cool which is so crazy.  Should be a nice sleep tonight...