Tanti Auguri a Jake!!

Tanti Auguri a Jake! Jake turned 24 on the 26th of November, so, naturally, we had a wonderful Italian celebration! We went out for an Italian dinner on the 25th, and enjoyed a host of delicious Italian antipasti and three different kinds of pasta. This is one of the things that I love most about Italy. Where else can you eat six appetizers and three main courses and have it be socially acceptable, even encouraged. Oh, and I didn't mention the scrumptious chocolate cake. Have I mentioned that my jeans are feeling a little tight?

Back to Jake's birthday. Sara (the newest addition to our olive harvesting family) Jake, and I made a day trip to the island of Monte Argentario. It is a short drive from Bodo's farm and is connected to the mainland by a large land bridge. It is a small island, but we really only had time to enjoy one of its many beautiful cities, Porte Ercole. 

We arrived in Porte Ercole and found this lovely pier to enjoy the Italian leftovers from the night before. It is good that we carbo-loaded because soon after we climbed 2 hills of quite considerable sizes.  

Mary and the Birthday Boy after lunch at Porte Ercole. Jake looks so happy because I just promised to buy him all the gelato that he could stomach. 

After lunch, we ventured up hill #1 to find this breathtaking view of the Mediterranean. The weather was perfect (almost too warm!) and there was a nice breeze. Not to mention the beautiful sea in front of us. There wasn't a wave to be seen, just ripples made from sailboats. It was perfect, I must say. 

At the top of the hill was Fort Filippo. It looks deserted and unkept, but it turns out that for a hefty price you can buy apartments inside the fort. Of course, only the super rich can enjoy such luxuries as a hilltop fort mansion, but you would think that they could also afford a gardener. The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds and thorn bushes. It made trespassing on their land rather difficult.   

This was me on the way up hill #2. There were hundreds of stone steps, and as you can see, I was having a rather difficult time with them. There was a beautiful view at the top, but the fort that we wanted to see was closed. Dang! 

After hill #2, we walked along the harbor pier. Here you can see just how blue the Mediterranean is!
*Thank you, Fonte S. Vittoria fizzy water, for being our constant source of hydration over the last month. We didn't think we would ever like you, but we are slowly warming up to the idea of carbonation in our water. 

Handsome birthday picture!

Overall, we had a wonderful day of sightseeing and enjoying the beach. We were both a little homesick for Thanksgiving festivities, but we knew that there were going to be many more to enjoy! The olive harvest is almost over. We have one more field and then we move on to bottling the oil. That's all for now, but I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and weren't swallowed whole by the Black Friday monster. Here are some more photos if you are interested. Arrivederci!