Sandy Perfection: Punta Braccetto

One of the most enjoyable parts of living on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean, is exploring all of the different beaches: the rocky black lava of the Cyclops coast, the pebbly beaches of Giardini Naxos, the beach balls of Vendicari, the stunning sunsets in Mozia, the dramatic Turkish steps, and even those beaches which are fringed with debris. They are all wonderful and enticing in their own ways, but a few weekends ago, we happily landed upon one of the very best beaches we have experienced during our time in Sicily.  A quiet, sandy cove with several clusters of campgrounds, Punta Bracceto was perfect for our little gathering of families. 

The kids spent the entire weekend dipping and dashing in the gentle waves. And when they weren't in the ocean, they were furiously digging an enormous hole. The adults spent the weekend chatting, reading, and admiring the incredibly clean beach (we were all pleasantly shocked to see actual recycling bins along the beach). The little cabins (more like little mobile homes), were new and comfortable. The daily visits from the vegetable man and the baker were delicious and convenient. The Scarabeao Camping staff were very helpful in organizing an very tasty dinner at a local seafood restaurant. But most of all the weekend was just plain fun. We all found ourselves wishing we had stumbled upon this little gem sooner.

In addition to the beachy delights, Punta Braccetto is also within easy reach of Donnafugata Castle, the Kamarina ruins, and the very lovely Ragusa Ibla.  And speaking of Sicilian gems, did you happen to see this last week? Looks as if we aren't the only ones who continue to be charmed by this place. We will certain miss island living.

Exploring: Tindari Lagoon

I am finally getting a chance to post information about our fabulous camping adventure to the Tindari area. We arrived at the Marinella campground after dark and thanks to our handy dandy pop-up tent we were able to set up camp very quickly. We then walked out the gate of the campground and had dinner at a waterfront restaurant in the town of Oliveri. It was nice to have such easy access to town when we were all so hungry. We had pitched our tent as close as possible to the beach side of the campground so we all quickly fell asleep to the sound of the waves. And when we woke up the next morning it was even more wonderful to discover that not only were we on a pleasant little beach, we were actually on the edge of an amazing little nature preserve: The Tindari Lagoon with stunning views of the Aoelian islands and in the shadow of the ancient Greek city of Tindaris and the church housing the remarkable Black Madonna. We spent part of  our first  full day to wind our way up to the town of Tindari to explore both of those interesting sites.

As I already mentioned, the trip was a much needed escape for all of us, but the time we spent exploring the lagoon filled me such awe and peace that it really was the highlight of the weekend for me. Striking vistas in all directions, remarkably pristine paths, a beautiful rocky beach on one side and a sandy one on the other. And it turns out that we weren't the only ones who were camping and re-charging in the lagoon. On our second morning, we were up early for one last walk when we came across a man with binoculars around his neck frantically scribbling notes. He stopped and excitedly waved us to his side as he pointed and drew our attention to a large gathering of black and white storks. They, too, were drawn to the "tongue" of sand and the lagoon filled with enticing critters and like us they had also decided to "camp" here for a few days. We were witnessing their migration from Northern Europe to Africa for the winter months. Huge white storks (with wing spans up to five feet) and black storks with their glamorous red legs and the story of their return to Europe. It was quite an impressive sight.

I wish, wish, wish, really wish that I had a good zoom lens. I wasn't able to get any great shots of them and we didn't want to be too intrusive so hopefully by writing this experience down I will lodge the memory of those beautiful storks in my brain. I am going to tuck it into the spot right next to the memory I have of my father coming home one night and hurrying us int the family van so we could head down the road to see something I will never forget: a pink, noisy, fluttering tree. A tree full of roseate spoonbills roosting in the faint glow of the setting sun. A truly magical memory.

It turns out that the guy who pointed out the storks in the lagoon is a professor from Palermo. A very friendly and excited naturalist who let us all have several turns with his binoculars. He is the guy pictured up above (with the birds being the dark specks in the background). After taking notes and pictures, Natale (we soon learned he was born on Christmas Day) settled down in the sand and smoked a cigarette. It seemed so incongruent with the stunning  surroundings and amazing nature show happening right before our eyes, and yet, it was also so very Italian. And in a very strange way his actions reminded me of my father. My father who was so excited and entranced by those spoonbills that I imagine he must have reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of Trident gum in much the same way Natale lit up his cigarette. Never thought I would find anything comforting about sitting next to a balding stranger smoking a cigarette while watching a group of very large, migrating birds wade along a beach in Sicily, but I did. I really did. 

Camping Notes for Marinello

Since we were camping during the off-season, the campsite was relatively quiet and empty. In addition to sites for tents, there are a number of spaces for campers and several options for cabins/bungalows. The older bungalows are attractive white stucco with tile roofs. There are some that are right on the water with beautiful views of the nature preserve. We did take a peek inside and they are very bare bones (tiny kitchen, bathroom and small bedrooms) and a bit dark, but if you were able to get one right on the water it might be worth a stay. The newer bungalow options are trailers that are managed and booked through a separate company, Camp 2 Relax. We spoke to one German family who was very happy with their trailer-stay. Those are also right along the beach area and we would consider staying there, especially during the colder months or if we went with a group of families.

The campground has a restaurant on-site but it is closed during off-season so I can't comment on that. We did find the camp store very helpful and had a nice little selection of fresh bread, salami, cheeses, and olives and fresh tomatoes. The staff all spoke excellent English and German. 

One other important note. When we were checking-in, we were asked if we had a Sicilian campsite discount card. We did not, but once we got the details we quickly signed up. It was free! And it gave us a significant discount for our stay and for future stays at the other campgrounds on the list.

Villagio Marinello

http://www.camping.it/english/sicilia/marinello/

Re-Charged

I really didn't plan to take such a long break from blogging, but I guess I needed it. In addition to adjusting to the start of the school, we spent last week dealing with sicknesses (fevers, pink eye, and allergies) and the related cabin fever. So this past weekend we loaded up the van and went camping and it was just what we all needed. A true escape....escaping the rain that seemed to be hanging over our area of the island all weekend, escaping the four walls of our house that had been full of sick, cranky people all week, escaping work, escaping dishes (we walked to the local restaurant for dinner instead of cooking at the campsite), and escaping any deadlines or busy schedules. I felt like I was able to exhale and breath deeply for the first time in several weeks. We rose with the sun and fell asleep to the sound of the waves. It was so good we stayed another night. 

I'll post more details and pics about where we camped soon, but for tonight I'll leave you with this:  

California Dreamin' in England: Vacation in a VW Van

We are back! We packed a lot into our trip which means I am still sorting through photos, laundry, and stories. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have someone waiting at your house when you return from a trip...a house elf who does the unpacking AND organizes all of your photos into an amazing photobook of your trip? I have such good intentions of making photobooks from each of our trips but somehow that just hasn't happened yet...


The trip was great. Our first week was spent living and exploring southern England in a fabulous VW California Camper Van, a seriously well-designed vehicle. I wish I could say we had beautiful weather the whole week, but we didn't, which actually made me appreciate the van even more. We rented the van from One Life. I had a hunch they would be good folks to work with because their e-mails were prompt, helpful, and full of good suggestions, but I have to admit I was still a bit nervous about this whole part of the trip. I shouldn't have worried. When David and Kate met us at the train station with the van, we were blown away by their attention to details. The van was fully stocked with every kitchen item we could possibly need including a few breakfast basics to get us started, very nice bed linens (down comforters which made the whole camping thing feel so luxourious!), and they even bought towels before our arrival because we had such limited space in our suitcases. My favorite items in the van were the complete set of VW van dishes.

The van itself was perfect for our family of four. Easy to drive and set up each night. It was great to have access to a kitchen any time of the day (I am now thinking all cars should have coolers/refrigerators!). When everyone was hungry, we would find a nice stopping place, pull over, turn the seats around and have lunch...very convenient and left us dreaming about owning one of our own. Sleeping was also pretty comfortable, except for the last night when we had extreme winds and driving rains. We started the evening just as every night before but when the weather continued to worsen and rain started to blow in through the tent walls, we decided to put down the upper compartment. That wasn't too much fun at midnight. It meant we had to turn the car on (which was against campground rules), wake up and transfer two sleeping children and then spend the rest of night with four people sleeping on a bed intended for two. I am very glad that happened on our last night and not our first...but I was even happier to be in a camper van that night and not in a tent like some of our camping neighbors.

We hit three different campsites during our week:

Home Farm: This was the smallest campground we stayed in during the week and it was also my favorite with it's beautiful views of the Chilterns, the amazing Red Kites, fresh eggs, walking paths, kids playing cricket, the delicious and friendly pub down the road, and access to lots of walking trails.

River Dart: This was the kids' favorite campsite. It really is a kid's wonderland and we could easily have spent our whole week there (Noah is begging us to go back next summer). Fabulous adventure playgrounds with huge slides, tree houses, zip lines, woods and creeks for exploring. Lots of kids and lots of spontaneous soccer games (and a very emotional place to watch the final World Cup game since many of our camping neighbors were Dutch). It is a very well maintained site with beautiful grounds. Great for a family vacation with easy access to Dartmoor National Park.Green Hills Leisure Farm: This campsite is actually on the grounds of a working farm with lots of interesting animals and chickens laying eggs right outside the van. Adam's favorite part of this campsite was the soccer field right behind our pitch. Close to Oxford, the Cotswolds and Blenheim Palace. Clean facilities, including a game room and a fishing pond.

So that's the report on our first experience with a VW camper van. Stay tuned for lots more travel pics and British posts. Hope you are all having some amazing summer adventures.

S'Mores to the Rescue

There were some rough moments during our Father's Day camping weekend. We arrived late and had to set up just as the sun was going down. While we were doing that, Camille injured her leg pretty badly on a cement step that she didn't see it in the dark. Noah was already limping around because of a bee sting he got on his foot earlier in the day. It was hot and there wasn't a breeze (luckily that changed in the middle of the night). The pump for our air mattress wasn't fully charged (luckily we had nice, Austrian, camping neighbors who let us use theirs). We were cranky and tired and just when we were all finally able to climb into bed, the disco music started. Loud, pounding music interspersed with commentary by a very enthusiastic DJ. At first we thought it was coming from one of the other campers, but then we realized it was coming from the local beach outside of the camp grounds. It was not a good first night. On the second night, Camille peed on the sleeping bag and the air mattress she was sharing with Adam. And minutes after we had hung all of the wet bedding on a line outside of the tent, it started to rain. That wasn't fun either, but happy to report that our new tent weathered it without any problems.

And yet despite those rough moments, we had a good time. In fact, a very good time. Funny how s'mores, citronella candles, and playing in the ocean always seem to make everything better. By the time we left on Sunday, we had decided to make it a family tradition. I have a feeling our Annual Father's Day Camping Trip will be the source for lots of funny, a few not-so-funny, and some sticky family memories.

Camping Notes for Scopello, Sicily:
Baia di Guidaloca Campground: shady camp site for tents and campers, clean bathrooms, free hot showers, small restaurant on-site (we didn't try it), with an easy walk to the beach (just across the road). The beach has small rocks/pebbles, not a sand beach but there is a children's playground on the beach and small paddle boats for rent. Also, be forewarned about the Friday Night Disco (only happens on Fridays). Just a few miles outside of the quaint town of Scopello and the beautiful Lo Zingaro Nature Reserve. 21 euros a night for our family of four. We would stay here again, but not on a Friday night in the summer.

There is a second camp ground near Scopello, Lu Baruni. It is located further away from the beach and when we drove around the site, it seemed to be pretty run down and deserted. We would not recommend this site.

Sicilian Camping

Our first family camping trip in Sicily was a huge success. It basically consisted of playing on the beach, reading, eating pizza on the beach, reading, and playing some more on the beach. How could that be anything but a wonderful escape? And in addition to the joys of lazy beach living, we also felt like we were having a truly European experience because we were sharing the campground with families from Germany, The Netherlands, France and other parts of Europe.

We also learned a few things, too:

1) Don't forget to pack toliet paper. Luckily I have a real van and we were able to find a box of tissues and half a box of baby wipes jammed under the seats.

2) Ask about all of the fees. We didn't realize until check-out that we were being charged one fee for the camp site, one fee for having our car, and one fee for each person. Still much cheaper than a hotel or agriturismo, but wish we had known there were all of those additional fees. We are also planning to get a discount camping card for the year.

3) Arrive early in the day to get a good spot. We got a much later start than we would have liked (I remember wondering as a kid why it always took my parents so long to load the car, now I know!). Our spot was fine, but it was hard not to notice the prime spots with large trees and better beach views.

4) Bring change. The showers were coin operated. Not sure if this is the norm for most European campgrounds, but it is good to be prepared.

5) Don't promise your kids s'mores. Our campsite didn't have fire pits and we didn't have a camp stove so the kids ate their marshmallows "raw". They were a bit disappointed about not having a campfire, but once we pulled out the flashlights things got fun again. Again, not sure if this is standard or not, but if you are set on having a camp fire contact the camp site prior to arrival to inquire about this possibility.

We had such a good time that on our way we home stopped by Decathlon to check out their tents (love the pop-up ones). We didn't buy one but we are actively researching tents so if you have any family tent recommendations, please share them. The same goes for any family camping tips. I found this article and checklist to be helpful, but I always love hearing your advice. We are working on putting together a box of camping stuff that will be handy to grab for future weekend get-aways. What are your must-have camping supplies?