Archive | Sicily

Scala dei Turchi

April 2, 2013 at 2:51 pm

Here at last are some pictures from our beautiful sunset walk to the Scala dei Turchi! It’s harder to write a blog post these days with two little kiddos needing lots of TLC. I think they’re both asleep for a little bit now…

While my parents-in-law were visiting last week, we took a trip to the southern coast of Sicily with them for a couple of days. We wanted to show them a beautiful rock formation and also visit the Valley of the Temples outside the city of Agrigento. We hadn’t been to either of these places since last February (here is a post about that trip), and so we were looking forward to enjoying this beautiful part of Sicily again ourselves.

We drove to Agrigento last Wednesday, checked into our agriturismo (more photos from there soon!), had naps all around, and then drove on to the Turkish Steps (or Scala dei Turchi) around 5pm. The walk along the beach toward the giant white rock formation was peaceful and beautiful. Lena loved walking along the ocean; Gil loved sleeping in our beloved Moby wrap.

Finally we reached the white rock and began to climb…

My father-in-law took this photo just as we got to the top of the Turkish Steps. The view behind us was stunning with the ocean stretching off forever into the setting sun! We spent a long time on the rocks, climbing and resting and taking photos.

Quite a picturesque spot for a diaper change, right??

If you’re like Lena, you also enjoy looking at whatever photo was just taken of you!

I love the photo above but am bummed that I was smiling for the camera and not looking at Elliott. Our matching silhouetted faces smiling at each other would have been so cool!

Below, my parents-in-law pause for final iPhone shots…

And the sun has set. Isn’t it such a magical place? In the setting sun this could almost be Antarctica. But instead it’s warm and sunny… and before too long the beaches will be covered with Sicilian sunbathers. I’d like to go back then!

9 :: in family, hiking, Italy, pretty places, Sicily, travel, visitors

happy weekend!

March 29, 2013 at 5:11 pm

Hello there, friends! Do you have any plans for this Easter weekend? We’ll be celebrating Christ’s resurrection with some friends on Sunday; I’m looking forward to that.

We’ve had a wonderful week here with Elliott’s parents visiting. We spent Wednesday and Thursday of this week with them on the southern coast of Sicily, and one evening we watched the sunset on the Scala dei Turchi (the Turkish Steps), a massive white rock jutting out into the ocean. Elliott’s dad took the photo above with his iPhone, but I’ll have more to share (from his camera and mine) next week.

Thank you for all your kind comments on my post about our family’s growing pains. These past few days have been better with the help of Elliott’s wonderfully supportive parents, and I think Gil also is just… growing up. He’s slowly starting to sleep longer, sleep more consistently, and sleep in his own bed (!). He’s also cooing and smiling now, and that makes all the difference in the world. He can respond! He likes me! He loves me? I love him! We can do this.

Happy Easter and happy weekend!

5 :: in family, Sicily, travel, weekend

lunchtime in Siracusa

March 26, 2013 at 5:09 pm

Uncle Eric and Lena enjoy some figs. I love their matching expressions!

While my family was visiting Sicily, we spent most of our time enjoying quiet days in our villa. At least one day, though, I wanted to get out and show them a little more of our lovely island home. On Wednesday Elliott was at work and therefore we could all fit in one car, so we loaded up and drove to Siracusa.

Siracusa — or really the old center, called Ortigia — is my favorite place to visit in Sicily because of the beautiful architecture, old ruins, quaint shops, and delicious food. See other trips I’ve made to Ortigia here with friends and here with my sister-in-law Jess.

Above, Lena enjoys the beautiful central piazza in Ortigia. The piazza is blindingly white in the summer sun but was still beautiful this gray March day. On the right my dad admires ruins while I attempt to comfort a fussy little Gil. Playing tour guide and being a mom of two was impossible without a lot of help from all members of my family!

She looks so sweet and pensive (and tired… it was nap time) in the photo above. Below, we attempted to get a family photo while we waited for our pizza lunch to arrive at my favorite trattoria.

Sicily is known for its Grillo grapes, which make delicious white wine. In the photos above and below Lena enjoys the music of a wonderful accordion player. Usually when I visit Siracusa the accordion player in the piazza is a little boy… but this time maybe his grandfather was on duty to charm the tourists? He certainly looked the part.

Come visit me… I’ll take you to Siracusa too!

7 :: in family, Italy, Sicily, travel

life in an Italian villa {Part 2 of 2}

March 22, 2013 at 3:47 pm

For so many reasons, this week away with my family (read Part 1 here) was peaceful, joyful, and in every way the perfect Sicilian vacation. In others, it was somber and tainted with grief. As many of you know, my youngest sister, Julia, died in a car accident this summer. This was our first real family vacation without her and we felt her absence at every turn. Although we have every confidence that Booie (our nickname for her) is in Heaven experiencing fullness of joy and rest, and although we have so much to be thankful for, we will be missing her the rest of our lives. I would be leaving the biggest thing out if I tried to write about this week and didn’t mention the thing that was most on our minds.

We continue to ask for your prayers as the weeks and months go by. We’d especially appreciate them tomorrow, March 23, which would have been Julia’s 20th birthday.

Here are some more photos from this week. Thank you, family, for coming so far and living life with us… newborn and all!
We took another walk on the beach mid-week and snapped some of these photos. Below are a couple of attempts at a family portrait… easier said than done!

Above, we enjoy some reading outside as a family. Below, some photos from our last lunch together as a family, which we ate at a little restaurant built into the seawall in the tiny town of Brucoli.

Em wasn’t so sure about the steamed octopus, but Lena enjoyed it. Her attempt to say “octopus” sounded more like “apple-de-guts.”

I love this photo of Emily and Gil! Below, a photo of how we spent many evenings: watching Downton Abbey (some of us for the first time, others of us for the second or third…).

8 :: in family, grief, holiday, Julia, memories, Sicily

life in an Italian villa {Part 1 of 2}

March 21, 2013 at 10:39 am

Because our house was too small to host my family (six adults and two kids), we decided to rent a house while they were visiting last week. Of course, in Italy “a house” is called “a villa,” and by just calling something “a villa” you have upped your rental experience by about 50%! Wouldn’t you agree?

Our villa was located about an hour from our home in Sicily, on the coast near the tiny town of Brucoli. We spent almost the entire week in the villa except for one lunch in Brucoli and one daytrip to nearby Syracuse (or Siracusa, as the Italians call it). I’ll share photos of these experiences soon, but in the meantime, here are a few photos from around the villa.

The beach was within walking distance of our house, so of course we went every day!

Elliott found the biggest worm we’d ever seen. Lena was amazed, and then I was amazed when she held it!

Gil and Lena were usually both up around 6am (yikes) and so I spent a lot of my mornings playing games with Lena and soothing Gil. becca-garber-villa-puzzles-blogging becca-garber-villa-sisters-cat

That brown streak is Siena, the cat, escaping from Lena’s prison. The pretty girl on the right is my dear sister Emily!

becca-garber-villa-lounging-siblings

Enjoying a spot of good weather with Eric and Em. Below, the crazy cat that we decided to bring with us… and thankfully she added a lot of joy and cuddles to the week away.

becca-garber-villa-cat becca-garber-villa-early-baby

Photos from early mornings with my Gil.

becca-garber-villa-baby-swing

We squeezed the swing into our little Honda Civic (along with groceries and supplies for a week, our family of four, and the cat… on my lap). We were so grateful for the swing that week!

Below Gil relaxes with my dear dad, Gil’s namesake.

becca-garber-villa-grandpa-baby