Bo et Obi's Diary : Pisa Land...

Once upon a time, in the land of Pisa, Italy
The Frakarsas was back on the road again.
Determined to explore the beauty of the southern part of Italy, my family of four set their heart on making a road trip from Geneve, where we resided from 2007 - 2011. And after stopping by at Cinque Terre as well as Firenze or Florence, we visited Pisa and its famous Leaning Tower.
And here's the story.

WARNING: this is a super #throwback post as the trip took place in 2011, 9 years ago LOL.

Pisa has long been known for its incredible landscape, yummy food and of course Pisa Tower. 

I bet many of you are familiar with this campanile, or  the freestanding bell tower of the church, as I read in the Wikipedia read. The city of Pisa. I came here for the first time in 2002 then 9 years after, I came back with my petite famille. 

It was the last road trip we took from Geneva, Switzerland. Months before we were scheduled to go back to Jakarta, we took the road trip to Cinque Terre and some cities in Tuscany, Pisa and Firenze. We drove from Geneva and stopped at those beautiful cities. Bo was 4 years old and Obi was 3 months only! It was quite a trip because we traveled with baby and the place was quite far. We drove for around 6 hours to Cinque Terre and it took around 1.5 hours to drive here from Cinque Terre.  As I said, besides that famous 5 villages that becomes one of the UNESCO world heritage. On our way to Tuscany, we stopped at Pisa. This cute city is indeed included because it has unique landmark, the leaning tower.

Before I shared more stories,  ere are some of the photos we took during the trip.

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Throwback Tuesday: A Day in Milano

Time for another Throwback Tuesday!

This time my snaps from my second visit to Italy and first time visit to Milano.

And Bo was still a cute toddler.

This is the city where Bo first learned to run, chasing the doves :).

It was back in 2008, when I was posted in Geneva, Switzerland, for my first assignment.

My mom stayed with us for 6 months and we managed to travel around whenever we had time. 

I remember  vividly that it was our first Easter Break trip in Europe.

Good thing about Easter Break in Europe is that it lasts for 4 days.

Yuup..Friday to Monday it is.

And we practically stayed in the central of the continent, where traveling around Western European countries are super easy.
We took the liberty to visit Lugano and Mendrisio in Switzerland, before heading to Milan and stayed day for a day.

First destination:  the Duomo.
The one in Milano is the third largest Gothic cathedral in the world and many have been captivated by its intricate details. 
When we went there, the Cathedral was undergoing quite a major renovation.

The next stop was Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II.

Window shopping only  it was, as we had just had a crazy shopping session at Mendrisio Factory Outlet :).

 

We went to Castello Sforzesco, an imposing architecture full of history as well.

 And as I said, this is the place where Bo started running around chasing the birds.

The flocking birds around those magnificent buildings!

That's my #throwbacktuesday.
What's your wonderful memories today?

p.s : I will keep my Throwback Tuesday features but will post it every Wednesday or Thursday :).

Throwback Tuesday: Duomo, Firenze, Italy

Throwback Tuesday: Duomo, Firenze, Italy.

Right before we were heading back to Indonesia from Geneve, we managed to have our Easter Break trip to Firenze and Pisa, Italy.

It was back in 2011.

Bo was merely 4 years old at that time and Obi, my daughter, was a happy 4-month old baby when we made this trip.

Firenze, or Florence, is indeed one of my my favorite Italian cities!

The trip in 2011 was actually my second visit to this fantastic city, as I first came here in 2004 while I was having my internship in Brussels. The magnet of the incredible history, remarkable architectures, top-notch art, delicious culinary and warm-hearted people lured me back to Firenze, this time with my petite family.

Of course, those visiting Firenze can not miss the Duomo.

Florence's most famous Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore.

Please enjoy some photos before I share more stories and details about it.

Here are a few family (and close up) photos we took from our hotel room in Duomo, Firenze, during the trip. We were so lucky we got this room right across this magnificent building.

So that's my little Throwback Tuesday this week.

Have you been to Italy and/or Florence?

Which one is your favorite city?

p.s : I will keep my Throwback Tuesday features but will post it every Wednesday or Thursday :).

The many corners of Cinque Terre, Italy

Apparently, I still can't get enough of telling you the story of our trip, years ago, 

to Cinque Terre.

Some episodes have been spilled on Throwback Tuesday, Cinque Terre in a glimpse.

But guess what...

Just found that I have many more photos (surprise surprise :)) 

depicting the beauty of mother nature along Liguria coastline if Italy.

And the sky....

Vastly stretched above our heads.

Constantly changing colors, but never the beauty.

Remind us how small we are...

Amidst the grand masterpiece of our Creator. 

I hope you enjoy Cinque Terre, and its mesmerizing vibes, as much as we do :)

we were enjoying lunch right next to it...

on our way up to the hill...

look at that rugged cliffs...

locking our love in Via del'Amore :)

till our next trip :)

Join us on Skywatch Friday and as always, you will have the fantastic snaps of the skies from all over the world.

Check out more of my stories at #Steller :)

Throwback Tuesday: Cinque Terre in a glimpse

Imagine this.

One beautiful starry night.
We walked along Via Dell'Amore, the path of love. serenaded  by the melodious sound of the waves as they gloriously meet the rocks at the shore, I was holding hands with Bo and my hubby, who were pushing Obi's stroller.

So serene.

So beautiful.

Manarola, seen and captured by my hubby, Rudi :)

It was Easter Break 2011.

On our last months in Geneve, Switzerland. Obi was about to be 6 months when we decided to 'abuse' our last spring break in Europe before heading back to Indonesia in summer. So, we searched for the nearby cities with fabulous landscapes and we found these strings of 5-city which have been included as the UNESCO world heritage villages. Five beautiful cities in a row? Why not.

The fact that Obi was 5 months old didn't stop us from planning this joyful trip.
And we did :).

It took around 6-7 hours drive from Geneva.
Taking Mont Blanc tunnel, we drove around the scenic route and stayed in La Spezia for 2 nights. From there, the visit to the villages of Cinque Terre is very managable. We bought the ticket for entering the villages and took the train to go there.

A lot to see for sure, as we strolled around those 5 UNESCO-world-heritage villages.

Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore.

Here come our lovely memories in Cinque Terre, Italy...

Four of us really enjoyed our time...

Having light lunches near the sea, fantastic seafood for dinner in those local rustic restaurants, and endless photo sessions for sure. Most of the time Udi, my hubby, was behind the camera. While I took some as well, as I just couldn't stop admiring the surroundings. So many beautiful things to see.
The art works, the colorful houses, beautiful landscapes.
Truly the feast for our eyes!

We walked around Via Dell"Amore.
Hiked in the olives trees trail.
Sat under the sun.

Relaxed by the sea and the rocks under the sun.

Bought some local fruits and stuff.
Laughed and enjoyed the bond of our petite famille.

Priceless.

Still from Manarola...

Well, it was another beautiful journey indeed.
And memorable.
I sincerely hope the kids would also remember that.
The warm and reassuring heart, as we strolled along Cinque Terre, hand in hand.

Obi was sleeping so it was just the 3 of us :)

What memories that you'd like to share today?