A Wanderer's Guide to (two days in) Florence

Adam and I made plans to each take the kids somewhere fun this year while the other had a chance for some kid-free time. 

For my part, I took the kids to Florida to visit my snowbirding parents in Daytona Beach Florida, while Adam and some friends had a guy's weekend skiing at Pico. In turn, Adam was taking the kids to South Carolina with his parents to visit family, and I had a 4-day weekend to myself. I quickly started searching around google maps, the only way I ever book a flight, and instead of something "simple" like Florida, a round-trip flight to Rome priced at $380 caught my eye. From here, an idea was born. Why spend a long weekend in the US when I could spend it abroad for truly a fraction of the price. An inexpensive flight, cheaper lodging and food, public transportation and no rental car needed. And of course, the chance to explore Italy with a glass of wine behind a plate of pasta. 

While I was more than happy to go alone, I quickly ran through my friend list of people who would A) be interested in traveling abroad and B) were okay with traveling the way I travel. I choose to travel in a budget-friendly way, focused on wandering and experiencing the culture through good food and a lot of walking instead of high end resorts and seeing big ticket items through tours. Instantly, Corey came to mind as someone who was wildly easy-going, and was okay with skipping the tourist high-ticket items in exchange for a long lunch filled with seafood. It was a pretty quick yes and from there, our Girl's Trip to Italy was born. 

A week at Lake Brome, Quebec, Canada

I consider myself wildly lucky to be surrounded by friends who love to travel, especially the international ones. My friend Mary Ellen, who invited us to join her for a week in Italy, invited us out of the country again but this time, a little closer. She booked a house on a lake in Canada, making an out-of-country getaway a bit easier with kids by making it within driving distance to the amazing lake area of Lake Brome. 

Lake Brome is about a 5.5 hour drive from coastal Connecticut, and just over the border of our northern neighbor. It is only 40 minutes over the border but you instantly notice the change of scenery and culture and you enter the very french area of southern Quebec. While there is plenty to do in the area, you are also only an hour drive from Montreal and three hours from Quebec City. We went up in August which was the perfect time of year to float on the lake, bike the recreation paths, and enjoy a different culture so close to home. 

We loved the area, and loved this relaxing week away with friends and wonderful weather. It is truly a perfect family destination with outings to local zoos, a trip to the city, and slow days spent at local parks and playgrounds. Canada does open spaces and parks so much better than we do, and we enjoyed free access to public pools, splash pads, parks, and recreation trails. There is such an emphasis on the outdoors, and making it accessible to families, that makes you envious of a bit disappointed we don't hold those same values here in the United States. 

This post is a bit different than most as it isn't a formal travel guide. We truly just spent the week relaxing on the lake, enjoying all it had to offer. I included some highlights which highlight some of our day trips and activities as we ventured around the area.