Adventures in Europe

I've finally sifted through the plethora of photos we took in Italy and Istanbul and distilled them down to the best.  What a feat.  One thing digital cameras are good at is allowing the user to take way too many photos.   Before I looked at the photos I knew I had carried Elliot in the Ergo a majority of the time, and I knew that because of the coziness he had slept quite a bit during the adventure.  In fact it was funny the number of times passersby, shop keepers, or restaurant staff were caught completely by surprise when they realized that the lumpy backpack thing I was wearing was in fact a baby.  It was a bit entertaining to see that ~90% of the photos I'm show Elliot not only in the Ergo but asleep in the Ergo.  I'm sure he has fond memories of Italy and Istanbul.

While in Rome we hit the highlights -
Vatican - the tour under the Vatican was amazing 

 Forum and Coliseum

  

We kept a pace that was somewhat quick by adult standards - luckily it was possible for the kids to tag along even when they were completely exhausted.

 Enjoying the view (and the FRESH air  and space not available in Dhaka)

Florence was blissful.
Views from where we stayed

One day we took a road trip which included a stop in
Sienna

 Where we climbed a tower

 

And then we, of course, visited a Chianti winery and snagged a classic 'I love Tuscany' photo

Keeping with the theme of climbing, we went to the top of the Duomo where we were able to look out over Florence

And a church above Florence

We spent Thanksgiving in Florence which meant that Bob, the lead family chef, had his pick of meats.  My oh my was that was a delicious Thanksgiving meal.

And just a few more random ones:

Henry so excited to get a stylish Nike hat and glove set that Uncle Fish snagged through his job

Bonding through technology...the amount of evening hours spent on iphones, itouches, and ipads was....a sign of the times  I guess.

 Crazy Merrills

On the last day in Florence, sadly after Seth and Grant had already left, we went to La Specola (the Museum of Zoology and Natural History) which Scott discovered while researching what to do on the day he was supposed to lead activities.  The museum was certainly off the beaten track and well worth the hunt. An added bonus of going there was being able to sneak in to the Boboli Gardens where we spent a long time exploring.

 

The beautiful backdrop the gardens provided was a great opportunity for some family photos.

 I had to include this one because Elliot is actually captured on film outside of the Ergo!!

 One of our favorite photos:

 

 After a great time in Italy, Scott, Henry, Elliot and I had a few days alone in Istanbul. We slowed the pace a bit and spent our time lazing around explore the must-sees, the markets, and the food while allowing Henry ample time to chase pigeons. We stayed right in the city near the Galata Tower which meant that it was an enjoyable ~40 minute walk over to the Spice Bazaar, the Hagia Sophia, and all the other great spots near there.  We absolutely recommend Istanbul (and Turkey) for a vacation spot - especially if you have young kids since they just LOVE kids there. 

On top of Galata Tower:

We could have spent hours allowing Henry to chase pigeons. Much to Henry's dismay we let him go wild for only 20 minutes at a time.

 Even when enjoying a fish sandwich Elliot was in the Ergo

 The cisterns

If only we could go on vacation more often....

We're back after our month away filled with a 2 week vacation to Italy and Istanbul and Elliot turning 6 months.   I am happy to say that after the 2 weeks away I remain so refreshed and relaxed. 







 

Here's a snap shot of one of the many highlights from Italy - enjoying gellato!  

Has it really been half a year since Elliot was born? I don't believe it.  We're having more and more fun learning his personality which seems to be fairly laid back.  He and Henry have a great time playing together!  Henry likes playing peek-a-boo with him, pointing out things to look at during our morning walks, giving him hugs and kisses, and coming up with new games.  Just the other morning, Henry came up with a game to play to their strengths: Henry would build a tower and then get Elliot to charge over and knock it down.  There were times when Elliot got distracted but for the most part they were entertained for awhile.  I just can't believe he's already getting around on his own.  Another aspect of fun that comes with Elliot getting older is his increasing interest to eat.  Right before we left for Italy we fed him his first bowl of cereal.  Henry jumped (quite literally) at the chance to participate in feeding Elliot.  We quickly learned that Elliot is avid eater!  He demands that you keep up the pace of providing bites.  Unlike Henry who enjoyed cereal and purees for a bit, Elliot is ready for the real stuff and within his first week of eating he has already had cheerios, pieces of chicken, a sprig of broccoli and cauliflower, and so much more.  Check out this series below taken during Elliot's first feeding session:
All pretty and ready to go

 

 

Oh no, Henry walked away and I had to fumble to get the spoon and bowl ready for the next bite...HURRY UP...

 Ah, phew, I got another bite in him.

On the topic of eating, Henry is starting to love vegetables, finally.  The other day when I asked him what he wanted for his school snack he yelled out "cauliflower!" and ran to the refrigerator to grab the cauliflower head for me.
 I leave you with Henry preparing for rain...