Boys Trip!

Tom and Uncle Jim are both history buffs...so they took advantage of adding on some time to one of Tom's business trips to head to the beaches of Normandy!  They started their trip flying into Amsterdam and the drove all the way to Normandy stopping at Mont Saint Michel and the small town of Bayeux, France along the way.  They had an awesome time relaxing and exploring!
And, were really happy to have such a varied and full trip.  They thoroughly enjoyed the time they spent at such a special and holy place in Mont Saint Michel.  It is actually a small island that is surrounded by water when the ocean tide comes in twice a day.  During the other times you can easily cross onto the island by foot.  It is most famous for its Benedictine chapel that has been around since the Romans in 460 AD.  It is considered by many to be an incredibly holy place and many people take religious pilgrimages there.  Tom and Jim were also struck by this special place and enjoyed soaking in the city and the sunshine.
They spent the evening in the small village of Bayeux, France and were up early the next morning for an eight hour tour of the Normandy beaches.  The guys had a tour guide that was as interested in history as they are....so they were in heaven.  It's hard to believe that such gorgeous beaches were a place of such destruction and sadness.  Tom loved learning about all of the stories and details of the war.  And, it was surreal and sad to think of all of the young men that sacrificed their lives to make such a strategic and pivotal move in the war.  Tom is still telling me stories about the photos from their time there.
After a jam packed weekend the guys drove back to the airport to head home.  It was a special trip in many ways and some great guy bonding!  I am so glad they got to share in this trip together.

Northern Greece

We have been so lucky to have Tom's Uncle Jim stop to see us on his adventure through Europe this month.  Its been really great getting to spend time with him.  We decided to take a long weekend and the 4 of us went to Northern Greece - Thessaloniki.  It was fabulous .....I don't think anywhere in Greece can't be fabulous.  We rented a cute and comfy townhouse for the weekend where Finn became obsessed with stairs since we don't have any in our apartment.  We definitely enjoyed our time and gorgeous views!  We spent most of our time outside and on the water - swimming, lounging and building sand castles.  One day we rented a boat and got to explore the natural lagoons and islands that exist all over.  The water was literally crystal blue and we had so much fun!  Finn seemed to really like being on the boat and loved the wind blowing in his face.  We had one day of  gloomy weather so we went on a big road trip adventure to Bulgaria (since we were right on the border).  We went to a small and dying village called Pirin in the middle of the mountains where one of Tom's colleagues grandmothers lives.  She was so thrilled to see us.  And, even though we couldn't communicate due to the language barriers we were all happy to see each other.  She was enamored with Finn!  It was incredible to see this old old village that is slowly dying off.  We were so happy we could brighten Grandma's day!

Greece has become one of our favorite countries and we were so happy we got to explore another part of it and enjoy its natural beauty!