Instagram photos from our trip to Tokyo

We have been to Japan on a marathon trip. Armando won a place in the Tokyo marathon through the lottery, so we booked a trip for the whole family. We left on the 17th of February and arrived there the next day in the evening. Our trip home started on the 22nd in the evening and after a stop in Dubai we finally arrived to Rome on the 23rd. The flights took a long time, but were very comfortable with Emirates Airlines.
Here's a first glimpse of our trip with my instagram photos.

We stopped in Dubai and had a meal at Burger King at the airport

Finally arrived to Japan after two long flights and a stop in Dubai

At Narita airport in Tokyo.

Going to the hotel in Asakusa. We arrived in the evening and it was raining.

View over Tokyo from the Metropolitan Government building

The Shibuya crossing

A street in Shinjuku

Kabuchiko enterteinment district in Shinjuku

Shibuya shopping area

Shinjuku Gyoen Park, a beautiful park in the centre of Tokyo where we had a "bento" lunch (picnic)

The Sensoji temple in Asakusa

Entrance to the Sensoji temple

Japanese restaurant in Odaiba. The orders where made on the tablet screen and the food was sent with a "train". There was sushi, ramen soups and also french fries, so there was something for everyone

Street signs

The Ueno park with many temples and sanctuaries

 

Tokyo skytree evening lights

The marathon expo in Tokyo Big Sight

Odaiba entertainment district

The Yurikamome line going to Odaiba

Chocolate with green tea flavour

Ramen soup dinner in the hotel

The Sensoji temple in the evening

Our last dinner in Tokyo

A day at the hot springs

After a very rainy week it was wonderful to get out to have a bath in the hot springs near Viterbo! I went with the girls and my good friend who is, like me, always ready to have a relaxing get-away, when possible. The hot springs are called Terme di Bagnaccio and they are out in the countryside. You pay a little entrance fee because there is an association who keeps them clean and there are toilets, changing rooms and a coin operated coffee machine. There are 6 pools of different temperatures. The air was very cool, especially when the sun started to go down, so we wouldn't have wanted to come out from the pools at all. Afterwards we had our picknick lunch and a warm coffee before driving back home.

Week 52 - Christmas portrait

A family portrait taken on Christmas Eve with the self-timer ends this year's week photo project.
I haven't decided wether to do this again in 2015 or to try some other project.

Week 51 - Armando's birthday

This week was Armando's birthday. Carlotta is the only one in the family making these beautiful birthday cards for everyone. Armando also got a self made medal holder because he had kept asking for one and we have never seen one, so we looked in the internet for instructions on how to make one.
It has become a tradition to go to the Chinese restaurant for Armando's birthday, so we did it also this year.

Week 50 - Decorating the Christmas tree

This week we decorated the Christmas tree. In Italy you traditionally do it on the 8th of December, but that day none of us was at home, so we did it on Tuesday evening instead when I managed to find a moment when all my three children were gathered.
As always, I was very late with my Christmas preparations, but we put on some Christmas music and welcomed Christmas to our house and I decided not to stress!

Week 49 - Show jumping in Umbria

It's really time to finish the weekly photo project of 2014!
Week 49 we spent most of the week at a 4-day show jumping event in Alviano in Umbria. The weather was very variable and so were Sofia's and Topaz successes. It started very badly with a fall off Topaz, but ended well. One first place, one third place and one fourth place ended their show jumping year!
Rain sun and beautiful rainbows these days.

Greetings from Trentino

Greetings from Trentino! This is the first time I'll try to blog with my tablet. We are at our ski holiday in the Italian Dolomites right now. This is our last day here. The weather has been fantastic the whole week. There isn't very much snow, but almost all slopes are open. Most of the snow is artificial, though, but fine to ski on.
This time my photos from the slopes are all taken either with my cell phone or with my pocket camera, because I couldn't bring along my reflex camera.
Carlotta has been taking ski lessons 3 hours a day and I have been skiing with Sofia and her friend Francesca, who came here with us while my son Daniele is having fun at the Mauritius!
Our hotel is in Malé and the slopes are in the ski area Marilleva-Folgarida.
Every afternoon we relax at the hotel spa where there is a pool, saunas a salt room and hay beds.
After a good dinner at the hotel we are tired and ready to go to bed!
Here are my instagram photos from Trentino.

It was high season, so there were very long queues to the skilifts.

A beautiful view down the slope

We had half pension at the hotel and as always, you eat too much

This was a 3 km long piste called "Azzurra" that was opened on our last days there. They shooted artificial snow on the piste while we were skiing.

Carlotta got a medal and a diploma from her ski course

This was one of my favourite pistes

Afterski relax in the hotel spa

Deciding which slope to do next

One of the slopes. The trees are green.

A break with hot chocolate

And cappuccino and berry pie

Carlotta skiing with maestro Gabry

On the chair lift with Sofia and Francesca