Birthday in Italy, a Tradition…

We took a trip to Lago Maggiore in Italy on New Year’s Day and stayed until my birthday on January 5th. It’s the second year I spent my birthday in Italy — last year I met my friend Christine there because she had a work conference. We chose the Lago Maggiore region because we hadn’t been there before and even though we knew it wouldn’t be warm, it was still sunny.

Drinking coffee in the sun. We rented a great little apartment right on the lake.

It’s a gorgeous area. See the snow-capped Alps in the background? It was super sunny and the lake was so sparkly. It’s the off season so not crowded. Unfortunately it also meant most things were closed but we were able to find the good stuff that was still open.

We took a boat out to see Isola Bella and the Fishing Island and we rode a gondola up the mountain to see the amazing views.

There are incredible villas and palaces and massive hotels all along the lake front. It’s very Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. We were more like the Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich and Famous. “Do you like mustard or are you a sauerkraut man?”
We drove to Milan for the day. It was fun to be in a bustling city.
James and JW took a cooking class with a very nice Italian lady who taught them how to make three types of traditional pasta in her own kitchen.
I explored Milan while the guys cooked.
Charming Italian cobblestone streets

The morning of my birthday we went out to a super fancy breakfast at one of the all-the-way-up-scale hotels. It was soooo lovely. Such a decadent way to celebrate.

These fancy kitties were at breakfast

We flew home after breakfast and James and JW got me a birthday cookie so I could make a wish. I’m wearing the kimono (caftan?) James bought me in Milan and I LOVE IT!! It’s good to be home. I’m excited to get back to regular life.