We were able to go back to the US for a quick trip in November. My sister’s and my birthdays are 2 weeks apart and for the last couple of years we have exchanged gifts for the 15 days between her birthday and mine. So I had to go home to get (I mean give) my gifts.  I LOVE this tradition we have created. I love getting (I mean giving) gifts for 15 days! My birthday is around thanksgiving so it was perfect timing. I stayed longer than Andy because we didn’t want to leave the dogs for too long without one of us.  We also celebrated Christmas with our family while we were there. Another tradition that we have started is to sign our family tablecloth. You can barely see it in the first picture. I bought a white tablecloth and some fabric markers and we each sign the tablecloth at family dinners with our name, date and sometimes a drawing. It has been really fun. Here is a couple of pics of the gifts I got. Stacey ordered me Sully socks!

Oh, I forgot to mention that Penn Yan received 13 inches of snow while I was there. It was all plowed and delt with by the time Andy arrived! The whole reason we went in November was so that we could avoid the brutal NY winter.

But having our grandnephew stay with us made it all worth it! We had so much fun with Billy and Melissa’s kitten Ollie!

Andy and I stayed in Italy for Christmas. We missed our family and friends but we made the best of it.

We decided to go to Salzburg, Austria right before Christmas to see some snow and the Christmas Markets. We splurged and booked the Sacher Hotel. I always try to reserve a hotel that allows dogs just in case we decide to bring them. The Sacher is a five-star hotel and they welcome dogs so we brought ours. When I say welcome, I mean they spoil them. The bellmen and front desk staff all new their names and would give them treats when we entered. I’m sure it was not easy to welcome us because it rained the whole entire four days that we were there and two soaking wet dogs in their lobby was not ideal. They always seemed happy to see us though! Lucky we brought our boots!

 

Salzburg is an amazing place even in the rain and wind. We really enjoyed the Christmas Markets too. We definitely want to go back without the dogs and in nicer weather so we can explore more.

 

I wanted to do something different for New Year’s Eve so we packed up the dogs again and drove to Genoa to ring in the New Year.  I should have done more research on the city. I assumed a city on the coast of the Mediterranean would be awesome but sadly, it was not. Genoa was scummy and there wasn’t a lot to do so we left a day early.  I assumed the port would be full of shopping, restaurants and entertainment but it was empty and very much a port. When I told Stacey about it, she said it was our first Italy fail! The hotel we stayed in was supposed to be a five-star hotel but after staying at the Sacher, it in no way compared. The hotel itself was nice but the customer service was severely lacking. At least the weather was nice!

The dogs travel much better with their Thunder Shirts on. Thanks Aunt Karen!

We are still enjoying our time in Northern Italy. The weather has been mild and sunny. It is soooo beautiful here! Come visit!