From Milan to the Tuscan Countryside Farmhouse: Driving for 7 hours with 3 kids in tow

Our first day in Italy was not the tremendous success you and I were hoping to read about here. And that's okay. With three kids - an almost 9 hour red eye flight in which no one slept longer than 30 minutes (in total), it quickly became evident that our only goal was to survive the day. If we can at least go to bed for the night at the right time of 9pm-11pm, then we can say we made the first important step in adjusting to the new timezone. And we did, hooray!

So leaving the Milan airport in our Citroen SpaceTourer was a breeze. The car rental associate helped us understand the GPS (who knew you would need a two minute training session? Take it, you'll need it!) and got us going. The trouble was that we weren't ready to hit the highway yet. We were STARVING for really good food. 

I pulled out my yelp app (I had internet thanks to the Verizon daily $10 travel pass) and chose a couple of quick spots. After driving past the second spot, we realized parking was going to be impossible. But we really wanted to just breathe for a few minutes. And we knew that once we got on the highway, the two toddlers would fall asleep quickly - meaning no more stops (who would want to wake those kids after they hadn't slept all night?!). And it was the perfect NEW nap time (it was around noon). So we tried and pushed harder. Finally found parking about 7 blocks away and found a random lunch cafe spot. We ended up with what we later discovered to be the best lasagna of our lives! There is light in this tunnel!

We ate, skipped, stretched, and rushed back to the car. We finally got on the highway around 1:30 (officially PERFECT napping time). All three kids were asleep within minutes. After driving for about 90 minutes, husband (the driver) began to get sleepy. We found a gas station and discovered the BEST espresso of our lives! More light! The kids eventually woke again (we made about two espresso stops before they did - unheard of!). They started to get grumpy and restless. So we found another spot and gelato off an exit on the highway. It was delightful. Piled high gelato (we later learned that this piling means poor quality gelato). And of course, Julie (the teenager) realized her foot has swollen up to approximately 50% larger than its normal size! There was a pharmacy in the same plaza as the gelato - and it had Zyrtec pills! Saved for the day! Zyrtec in Italian is Zirtec, so we understood each other well :-). 

After spending over 5 hours in the car (on and off), we started going through many tunnels. This made the husband terribly sleepy and he finally caved in and let me drive - for a whole 5 minutes until he decided we were safer with him as a driver. He hates my driving!! :-(

I will never recommend anyone do this. Never ever accept a drive longer than 90 minutes on the same day as such a long flight. EVER! Don't do this. I will never do this again!

Minutes away, we realized how hard it was going to be to find the house! Thankfully, I had the local street directions printed and referenced those to identify the exact driveway and the home. Directions likes "pass the first bridge and over the second on your right" (what?! is this a kids story book?!) finally led us to the Tuscan farmhouse we were to stay in. Around 7pm, we were just hoping to make it in time before sunset. And we did!! We got there around 8pm (sunset around 9pm). The last bit of driving was off the highway and the local sightseeing kept us awake. Things like finding the Aqua Panna headquarters (near our "home!").

And we were thankful. All in one piece. I cant even remember what we had for dinner. Maybe gas station food? (Italian gas station food is actually really good!). The last few hours were so horrible in terms of trying to stay awake and keep the kids from screaming more than 5 minutes straight because they were so restless from sitting for so long, that it was a survival mission. I just don't have any clue.

Anyway, at home, we were welcome with two bottles of wine. One pink and one red. The red was delicious. We drank that fairly quickly! Maybe before unloading the car, haha. 

We explored the house, property. Explored (just a few steps) the flowers, plants, and views. Connected the sound machine and classical music. Had some snacks we purchased. We did make a stop at a supermarket on the way to the house - because our previous trips have taught us that no matter how tired you are and how long the drive is, never arrive to the house you're renting without groceries. Don't say you'll drop off and then go. It won't happen. It's so hard to get back in the car after you've driven for so long and screaming, hungry kids make it harder. 

We survived day one! Kids were in bed around 10pm. Corey (husband) and I were in bed by 1 or 2am! We made the timezone adjustment!