Day 112 - Slow Days, Beach Time and Planning the Road Ahead
Another early start today, with the kids up around 6:30 as the sun started creeping through the windows. One of the nice things about our routine now is that their schoolwork is already set out from the night before, so they can just sit down and get straight into it.
Maddie absolutely smashed through her work again today. She’s really getting into a rhythm with it and it’s great to see her confidence building. Emmett… well, Emmett did as much as he felt like doing before deciding he’d had enough for the day. That’s the beauty of this style of schooling though. There’s no rush and no pressure. The rest can always get done later… or tomorrow.
After that we had a pretty slow morning around the accommodation. The kids played outside most of the time, making up their own games and exploring the little spaces around the place. It’s been nice seeing how easily they create their own fun when they’ve got a bit of freedom and time.
Kia and I spent most of the morning bouncing between website work, video editing, and trying to sort out our next accommodation in Bari. What we thought would be a quick booking turned into a bit of a mission. For some reason Italy has been surprisingly difficult for us to plan.
Normally we can get a pretty clear picture of where we’re going and how things will flow, but this section of the trip feels a little bit messy. We know exactly what we’re doing after Italy, and we’ve already locked in our time in Lake Garda, but the stretch between Bari and Lake Garda still feels a bit uncertain.
We spent a lot of time throwing ideas around, checking maps, looking at trains, browsing accommodation options and trying to piece together something that feels right. It’s one of those travel puzzles that will eventually fall into place, but right now it still feels a little unresolved.
By the time we finally looked up from our screens it was lunchtime, and the kids were keen to head down to the beach.
They had already been playing happily all morning, but the moment we mentioned the beach they were all in. It’s only a short walk down from where we’re staying and once we got there the kids disappeared straight into their own little world of sand, water and exploring.
The beach here is mostly pebbles and sand mixed together, and the water was calm and clear again today.
At one point Emmett came running over saying his foot was burning. It looked like he might have been stung by something, possibly a small jellyfish or something similar. There was a little lump on his foot and it was stinging for a few minutes, but after a while it settled down and he was completely fine again.
We never actually saw anything in the water, so it remains a bit of a mystery.
The kids played for ages. Digging in the sand, splashing in the water and just enjoying themselves. It’s one of those moments where you realise how simple things can be when you slow down.
Kia and I mostly sat back watching them and chatting. A lot of our conversations lately seem to revolve around the trip itself, where we’ve been, where we’re going next, and what the coming months might look like.
Travel planning always sounds exciting, but the reality is that it can also be surprisingly time consuming and mentally draining. Especially when you’re trying to balance cost, travel time, accommodation, visa limits and what will actually work for the kids.
Italy in particular has been a bit of a challenge for us to map out.
We know where we start.
We know where we finish.
It’s just everything in between that we’re still trying to figure out.
Eventually we wandered back up to the accommodation after a few hours at the beach. The kids were happy but tired and decided they wanted to watch a movie while we got dinner sorted.
I jumped into cooking duty again tonight, which once again resulted in the smoke alarms going off. Apparently I’m building a bit of a reputation for this now. I had to pull the smoke alarm apart to quiet it down before finishing dinner.
Not exactly Michelin star kitchen skills, but it got the job done.
After dinner it was a quick wind-down before bed. Another early night for everyone after a pretty relaxed but full day.
Nothing huge.
No big adventures.
Just a simple day of schoolwork, beach time, planning the road ahead and enjoying this strange little travelling life we’ve created.
And honestly, those days are often some of the best.