Post #357

С разрешения Инессы, которая живет в Калифорнии на заливе, публикую ее пост по поездке в Италию, он очень вдумчивый, доброжелательный и показательный. А следующим - напишу, на какие мысли он меня навел - и как жительницу Италии, и как туристку. Some long winded thoughts after our family trip to Italy. - Venice. I could not shake the feeling they kinda hate you everywhere because you are a tourist and are not very subtle about it. Like Alena David you mentioned lots and lots of tourist traps. I did enjoy the parts where we wandered off away from the usual tourist routes enjoying narrow streets with laundry hanging to dry outside, little cafes, workshops where they make leather purses, masks or bind books. I liked Peggy Guggenheim collection and surrounding area the most but probably mostly because of the company of Ksenia Duxfield-Karyakina. The fact that Venice stands on water and has no cars is pretty cool and unique and kids were excited to ride a gondola but I would not recommend Venice for a trip with kids, especially if you have a stroller (bridges!) and especially in the summer (around 100 degrees all day every day). - Dolomites - Alp region at the border with Austria. I had never heard about people visiting Dolomites when going to Italy, it's usually the cities or the lakes. Although yesterday I accidentally learned that Dolomites are trending on Instagrm and "everyone is going there now". I did not notice everyone. It was very serene, not crowded, much cooler weather-wise, better service, more diverse food and the mountains are stunning. Stunning. And the little villages with their little churches and their farms. One of the most kid-friendly places we have visited too. Playgrounds everywhere, and not a standard plastic ones, I'm talking about wooden pirate ships, trains, little play houses. And there would also be a cafe with espresso and aperol to sip on while kids are playing. Zip lines and rope courses, horse riding, lots of opportunities to see animals (i thoroughly enjoyed owl park). 10 stars out of 5! Thanks for recommending Ivan Shamaev and Natalia Lazutkina - Lake Garda. The lake is beautiful and clean, there are nice spots around the lake such as Rive del Garda. Verona is relatively close and worth a visit. Beaches are not fancy and IMO could be developed better. Family camp was a good experience but I think is best suited for extroverted kids that make fast friends. OVERALL, I think having moved to the US I have been idolizing Europe quite a bit -- Europe is where the beautiful people, the better food is, people are more cultured, better dressed etc. I think I was wrong based on *MY* experience in Italy compared to the Bay Area and places I recently visited - Japan and Oaxaca (Mexico). This is where I saw less than I expected in Italy - Culture seems to be stuck in far past. I wish I could see more contemporary art, design, takes on food etc. Oaxaca and Japan feel very much like living organisms because of that fusion between the ancient past and fresh statements from the new generation. - Italian fashion seems like too much and honestly tasteless to me most of the time. - Food was not always as good as I expected. We went to a Michelin star restaurant on Garda and it was extremely underwhelming on all fronts. - The service was incredibly slow (and I did not expect McD's, believe me), and when we asked to make very simple modifications for kids, they were literally rolling their eyes. Things would be randomly closed, late etc. Even trains, but it’s good they exist for sure. - Simple conveniences like AC, drinking water or public bathrooms were surprising rare. When Lizzie needed to go on our last day in Venice I had to plead to a restaurant employee to let us use their bathroom and he reluctantly let us on the condition only she goes and I do not. I realize Italy will still have a ton to offer and can appreciate that but I do think it's somewhat less multidimensional than it could be.