Travels in the EU - Weeks 1-3

We are entering our third week of travels in Europe and I am reminded of how different life is here, compared to California. We are in a walking and biking culture that supports a healthy lifestyle, being outdoors and in nature, one that really cares about the environment in both small and big ways. I have walked about 3-4x more every day here compared to my best day in San Diego. 

We spent the first 10 days touring the Marche region of Italy from our home base of Porto Recanati. There, we were reunited with our German side of the family after 3 years of the pandemic. 

We loved the blue Adriatic beaches of Porto Nuovo, Neumana, Due Sorella, Sant'Elpidio, and many others. We ate wonderful Italian pastas, pizzas and seafood, including sushi from a Japanese chef who is living the ex-pat life in Le Marche. Did I mention getting fresh bread from the bakeries every morning? This is one of the things we can't access in San Diego, unless we get in the car and drive to the 1-2 good bakeries (Bread & Cie) about 10 min away. 

In Italy, we appreciated the slower pace of life. Though there were tourists aplenty, most were Italian from other regions of the country. In July and August, the hordes from neighboring countries would be swarming in, so were lucky to miss some of those crowds. I had a blast practicing Italian and being the de facto spokesperson for our group of 8. We were greeted with abundant hospitality everywhere as if the shop keepers and restaurant staff were hungry to have customers again after the long pandemic.

On the way back to Germany, we stopped off in Tirano, Italy and took an Alpine train ride on the famous Bernina Express. The landscapes there were awe-inspiring, with many remote villages nestled in the Alps. I imagined what it would be like to live in a place where time seemed to stand still, and where the Alpine passes might be blocked with snow for weeks at a time. We took a brief tour of the lakeside town of St. Moritz with is breathtaking views, before taking a terrifying drive back to Germany in the middle of a thunder & lighting rainstorm. I forgot that Germany and Switzerland are so green because it rains a lot!