As a vacation within a vacation while my parents were here, I suggested we go down to (surprise!) the Italian lakes…to Stresa on Lago Maggiore, where I had been last fall but didn’t have nearly enough time to enjoy all it had to offer, especially the Borromean Islands – I had missed out on Isola Bella the first time around, but I was newly inspired to get back there by this article in W magazine.
We traveled down by car, along some fun narrow lakeside roads through lots of lovely little villages.
In Stresa
Abandoned mansion
On the boat to the islands
Isola Bella
Close up of the tiered gardens
Another abandoned
Isola Superiore dei Pescatori
Inside the palazzo (pictures were technically illegal but you can see more in the W article). It was way cool.
The island’s special thing was silver peacocks, everywhere
And a giant unicorn
Next stop: Fishermen’s Island
silver olive tree leaves
Wisteria!
View from our lunch spot
trees growing just off the edge of isola bella
Isola Bella palazzo
Arrivederci, isola bella!
Yet another lovely stay in the Italian lakes, I highly recommend Stresa as a place to stay while exploring the Borromean islands.
A couple weeks after that, I met my parents in Biarritz for a long weekend. From the airport we went straight to the beach! Biarritz is my absolute favorite place to visit, of course for the family but also the beaches!
Here you can see the head of my cousin Eric, the only one brave enough to swim at Ilbarritz, where by my estimate someone drowns every summer, as the waves are so huge
Dad at the beach in Tarnos with an old bunker the next evening
My uncle Bernard’s choir performance
Bernard’s the one with the white hair, second to farthest right
A gray day at la Grande Plage
but there’s always good surf watching!
gaining some courage to go in…
Sainte Eugenie in the background of some tidepools
eventually went in…it was cold but also awesome! I love swimming here because you have to keep up with the constant waves
Some sun came out!
Me and my aunt Cecile on the beach
I was able to convince the fam (here-uncle Bernard, aunt Marie-Joseph, my mom and Dad, cousin Eric, and aunt Cecile) to do one of my favorite things…go down to San Sebastian in Spain (only about 40 min away) for a night of pintxos. My mom and her sisters apparently used to do this all the time as crazy teenagers.
Pintxos!
Basque!
Sunset in San Sebastian
The next morning at Rocher de la Vierge, Biarritz
My moncle (monk-uncle) Dominique came down from the monastery for a nice Sunday lunch
And before I left, I managed to get some new glasses from my cousin Marie-Dominique – totally sweet danish ones at that. Though I only need them for driving really, I have also found another good use for them..hiking! Have been doing quite a bit of that around here…for my next post!
Officially on vacation now…heading back to the States on Sunday!
Oh and, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dad!!
Great pictures as always, Sophie.
Thank you.
Dad
Nice abandoned mansions in Italy – how cheap do they go? – you should buy one for vacations