Saving the Italian Environment

Greetings from a very warm Barbados and Bank Holiday!

Unfortunately for the kids home school is still going on today so that we can take the whole of Thursday off to spend with Daddy!  However this week's blog is from my favourite Italian American blogger, Mozzarella Mamma and a very worthwhile cause she is supporting.  One that if all countries could do for themselves too would be awesome.  I just hope that people will stand up because it is not just for ourselves but our children and theirs and future generations.

Luca Castellano, Paolo Santalucia and Marco Cuomo are involved in a project called EcoOonda.  The project is aimed at saving the Gulf of Naples and the Amalfi coastline from the risk of massive pollution.  Although the Amalfi coast is a marine park it is under threat from a 30km stretch of coast where swimming is banned due to the massive marine pollution.  They aim to swim th 45km from Positano to Vico Equense over 4 days from the 10th - 15th July 2012.  They are trying to raise awareness of the project and supporters will be supporting them along the way!  You can also join them!

Please support this worthy cause by sharing with your friends and family!

Thanks!

Move

Yay!  We have finally moved house and we love it! 

The day arrived , school work was put on hold and finally on Tuesday we moved into our new little house.  The amazing thing is that it already feels like home!  Hot, but home!  We now have a house the colour of sunshine!  A garden you could almost fit a cricket pitch on and comfort!  No more staff car park, no more avoiding the outside!  Outside is good!!!!!  So much so that on hubby's days off we didn't go anywhere!  Did I mention we have a small sparkling blue pool?  The beach is still 200m across the road from us but we are so blessed!

So sorry peeps, but school work is now finished for the day and the pool is calling....

Swimming with the Turtles

So we got to finally swim with the turtles!  Jessica and Megan's squeals were priceless and they loved every minute of it!

We had been debating for a while should we choose the "glass bottom" boat option or the more sleek and sexy "catamarang" option?  The cats cruise through the bays like a smooth modern sexy beast and we were really drawn to hopping on one, music blaring, drinks flowing and jumping in the water to experience one of Barbados' biggest attractions... sea turtles!  However as this was a family outing we decided on the more family friendly (in our opinion) options of the glass bottom boat! 

The day was overcast but this at least made it a bit cooler and we parked down at Holetown beach and waited to be picked up.  The boat arrived and pulled up onto the shore and we all clambered aboard.  There was a couple on the boat who had just been swimming with the turtles but as snorkeling over a reef was also part of the deal were coming with us to do that as their last part of the trip and our first part of the trip. 

We arrived at the spot and the girls were given life jackets and they donned on their masks and snorkels.  Once in the water the giggles and high pitched squeals filled the water as they were inundated with fish!  Floating over a scuttled barge (not very exciting) the fish are fed bits of bread to attract them to the snorkellers.  I am not one for feeding wild animals etc as I don't agree with them becoming dependent on humans but in this case it is far too late for that and seeing our girls excitement and big smiles I'll forget about it on this occasion!

The team from Sea Spray looked after the girls so well, especially our youngest who when she got tired sat with La Ron and rested.

After we had swum to our hearts content amongst the fish and had seen the finger corals and fire coral, scorpion fish and others we boarded our boat again and dropped the couple off back on the beach before heading out to one of the family of turtles!

This was really special for the kids as none of the big "cats" had arrived and so between ourselves and one other glass bottom boat (who were not swimming) we had the turtles to ourselves!  Soon we had 2 turtles swimming about and were happy to be touched and stared at.  The kids stayed on the surface snorkeling while hubby and I dived down happy to at one with these amazing animals. 

A great day was had by all and whilst the kids enjoyed some Sprite and Cola we enjoyed the famous Rum Punch!  So if you ever find yourself in Barbados this is definitely #1 on the list of things to do!



St. Nicholas Abbey

The other day we decided to combine a few things and made the brilliant decision to visit St. Nicholas Abbey.  No it is not a church but a former plantation house which is now being "preserved" for history!

I highly recommend it!  Driving down the drive you are dwarfed by the huge Mahogony Trees lining the drive.  You receive a fantastic booklet and map of the house and grounds which of course was snapped up by 9 year old who loves to be "tour guide Barbie"!  We made our way around the front of the house and gardens first and found some awsome coloured flowers, a local resident and the "out houses".

The House



Mangoes!



This Chair is as old as South Africa dating back to the 1600's!

The house was interesting but you are only allowed to stay downstairs, a pity as I would have loved to have shown the children how people slept. 

We watched a movie dating back to 1904 of an English man arriving in Barbados and our 9 year old found it really interesting.  Back then they arrived by boat which took 3 weeks from South Hampton to Bridgetown and then they would have to be lifted down to the boat that would row them to the port.  Everyone wore hats as it was considered very impolite not too!  The movie also showed the plantation and how sugar cane used to be crushed and then boiled to form the molasses.  On our journey around the plantation the girls even got to sample some, they were not impressed!  Us adults on the other hand got to sample some fine rum and bought the beautifully engraved bottle which is numbered.  Honestly you buy it more for the bottle with the engraving and mahogany stopper than you do for the rum! 

It was however a great morning out for the family and I highly recommend it!