a quicksy-roo

After a busy week, we are back in Gatineau, swallowed up by our life-before-Greece once again. In a way it feels like we never left... but we did, and I'm trying not to think about how much I wanted to stay in Patra and continue with the list-free, minimalist (of sorts) life we had going on there. We stayed in Bowmanville for a few days and had a weekend in Toronto (Steve and I went to a wedding in Oakville and enjoyed the following: seeing friends, having space from the kids, spending time with each other, shopping), and it was great, but here's what I miss about Patra as of right this second: the size of the city (even Ottawa, with the highways and sprawl, seems too-too-big), having an outdoor space, the coffee, the friends we had there, and the food (bougatsa, the fruit veggies, souvlaki). I love being close to family and friends here again, and it is nice to be home with our own stuff and in our own space. Steve was back to work this morning, and I'm dreaming about the beach we visited last Friday near Constantina's summer home. We had a great three-day getaway there before we began the trek home, and since I'm tired and pressed for time I'll let the pictures do the talking. Hopefully the kids will get back on a regular routine here - and I'm talking bedtime closer to 8:00 - and I can get some more blogging (and reading and planning) done in that time in between kid bedtime and adult bedtime. AND I want to watch Frozen; Hendrik was not into it (scared I think), so we had to press pause in Greece and save it for Gatineau, where there's space for Mom and Dad when the kids go down for the night. I could ramble and talk about jet lag (almost over it), traveling with kids, beauty products, unpacking or our empty refrigerator, but I won't. Those beach pictures? Here they are:

And a few more from last weekend, before they get lost in time....

Nik and 'Tina, late dinner (apres 10:00), the cot
kiddie nightcap, looking down on the village, above Parga
a la parc, walking, underground at an ancient necropolis

(Missing Greece!!!)