Milan to Tuscany

Sorry we've been so behind in blogging...yesterday (Sunday) there was a storm here and it knocked out the internet. So starting where we left off...Milan! Our one full day in Milan was spent playing in the park and touring. In the morning, we went to a bakery and ordered a little bit of everything so that we could try it all. Then we went exploring through the castle and in the park. In the park there was a miniature train for the girls and a playground. Meilynn,Emma, Kami and Meghan went on the train...Meilynn loved it, Emma was a little bit scared of the Smurf and Disney figurines that were planted throughout the ride...but hey! What's new??? Then we went over to the playground and went on the teeter-totter, swings, and slides. The girls loved it and Dad took some time to sleep on the bench...again...what's new??? As for the tour, we went on what was supposed to be a "3 hour tour" (Debbie and Grandma...you catch my drift :) ) but it turned into a 4 and a half hour tour...LONG but very informative! We went to see Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" and then off to the castle. We had already explored the castle that morning, but our guide took us in the castle's museum and we saw a fresco painted by da Vinci. After the castle, we walked over to the gothic Duomo, which was beautiful. After the Duomo, our guide took us to one of the most famous gelaterias in Milan, where the flavors are constantly changing, depending on what's fresh or in season. We found the key to the tours for the girls is to give them Chupa Chup suckers, which occupy them for long periods of time and they love, so we will be buying more of those! That night, we went to a little local restaurant that was SO GOOD. The sauce was definitely homemade and the waiter was so nice. The next day, Saturday, we woke up and Kami and Dad went to go get the rental car...or bus I should say. We are driving a Ford Transit, a 9 passenger van with plenty of room. We packed up and drove south 4 hours to the Tuscany region, where we are staying for a week. Our "villa" is amazing! There is a castle here and we are staying in the 3 story villa next door. Our actual villa is 4-5 centuries old and the castle is just 1 century old. We are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by grape vineyards and olive groves, with many towns, such as Siena, Florence, and Arezzo in driving distance. Saturday night we ate out at a nice restaurant where apparently all of the locals were eating at as well...the food was good, the service not so much. Yesterday, Sunday, we had a relaxing day. Meilynn slept for 14 hours and only woke up because Mom decided that that was enough! Dad, Meghan, and Kami went to the grocery store in the next town. When we got back, Dad made us lunch and we ate at the villa. We went swimming in the morning, but that was cut short due to the thunder, rain, and lightning storm that was rolling through. We had so much fun watching the storm pass. After the rain, we went on a walk around the property and then decided to go exploring in the car. Well our exploring led us to dinner in the middle of Siena! The plaza there is gorgeous. After dinner, we stopped for gelato and then drove back to Lupinari (our villa). Today is Monday and the internet is back up and running. Now we are going to head out and explore some other little Tuscan city. As of now we don't know where, but tomorrow we'll let you know where we ended up! Ciao e baci a tutti p.s we'll add more photos later Playing Chess at our Castle The planter outside our room Looking at the grapes in our vineyard The center of  Beautiful Grapes Exploring an old scale on the property of the castle Our Dog at the castle On a walk Fixing Mommies hair during the storm A view from our room I The entrance to our villa Our Castle is so big Really, really, big