To the Beach!

“Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone.”
--Anonymous

(Isn't it always a warm feeling to walk down memory lane as far as our childhood? Especially beach memories. Having lived south of Luzon, Philippines, we frequent the beach too when I was a little kid. )

Anyway, we were in Italy (Lignano) for a week, reason why my son has 'burnt' skin. =) We rented two apartments in a Villa which conveniently has a pool and is a short walking distance from the beach.

My want to have my older son breath some fresh sea breeze took us to a trip 8 hours away from home. My mama always said that kids with bronchitis benefit well from breathing salt air. So it was a vacation and therapy of sorts in one trip.

I collect shells from the beaches I go to...seems my daughter has the same interest as mine. Unfortunately, the shells there were small and scarce. Daughter asked why is it so and I just said, perhaps, the harsh waves had crushed them into sand already...

Though it isn't that bad, as Anne Morrow Lindbergh said “One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach; one can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few.”

Dawty during our first day there, color is still light...

He's the one suffering from bronchitis since 2006, it has affected his built a lot, he is thin for his age even if he has an appetite like mine.

Simply enjoying the water.

Trying to build a sandcastle. Youngest son, was so fond of playing with the sand, he stayed longer hours by the shore more than he did on water. All the more when he drank some saltwater lol.

Looking for some place to pick up sand and throw at us. (ala baywatch!)

Twa's a fun summer memory...glad that I saw my kids' smiles.

Lignano, Plaza

Plaza of Lignano, Italy.

A little walk behind the farther building and you'll find the beach. From here, you wouldn't perhaps think that there is one .

I was a little surprised as to how this municipality has been developed, mostly vacation houses, villas, apartments and hotels surround the beach or of walking distance from there. Still this commercial center is like a one-stop shoppingstreet. Food, souvenir items, bath/swimming gears and accessories plus a lot more can surely be found here. (There were Swarovski crystals and Murano glasses too!)

Eating Italian

When in Rome, eat as the Romans do...in this case, when in Italy, eat as Italians do!

Post transferred here.

The city of Bridges

The City of Bridges is not given its name for nothing...approximately 400 bridges connects Venice. Big, small, high and low bridges over the canals are an everyday walkway for the people.

The bridges are an additional attraction to the tourists, different rail designs and an elevated view of the water allowing for a good view of the gondolas that threads the waterways.

Venice is Europe’s largest urban car free area, unique in Europe in remaining a sizable functioning city in the 21st century entirely without motorcars or trucks.

View of a traffic jam from a bridge, and I thought it was a smooth sail all day through.

Tourists aboard a gondola as seen from the Rialto bridge, the most famous of all the bridges there.

More on Venice soon...

Swiss chocolate elsewhere

Swiss chocolates have earned a reputation of being the best in quality. Toblerone, Suchard and Lindt speaks well of this claim. Interestingly, a division of Lindt & Sprüngli, Ghirardelli chocolate company has been established in California in 1852, making it the second oldest chocolate manufacturer in the states.

There are plenty of cheap chocolates manufactured everyday, but they surely won't come close to the richness and difference that Ghirardelli chocolates has to offer. One of my favorite products of Ghirardelli’s is milk chocolate with caramel. The chocolate has that perfect smoothness with buttery center that is not too sweet.

At SugarStand.com, Ghirardelli's chocolates can be ordered in bulk as other candies too, it's your one stop shop for sweet fix! Their inventory lists more than 2000 different products with continuous additions of all that a sweeth-tooth is looking for. The site has an easy to navigate and search for listing categorized by types, brands and popularity, a search box is also provided for easier find. Sugar Stand brings wholesale and bulk candies directly at your doorstep. Quality control measures ensure that each order is carefully packaged and shipped timely and efficiently.

They also have lots of tips, recommendations and recipes in the site, check it out!

Sailing Away

Can This Boat Sail Correctly?

This helps the crew to remember these essential points;

• Course made good - The turning or steering of the boat vessel using the wheel or tiller to the desired course or buoy. See differentpoints of sail. This may be a definite bearing (e.g. steer 270 degrees), or towards a landmark, or at a desired angle to the apparent wind direction.
• Trim - This is the fore and aft balance of the boat. The aim is to adjust the moveable ballast (the crew!) forwards or backwards to achieve an 'even keel'. On an upwind course in a small boat, the crew typically sit forward to reduce drag.When 'running',it is more efficient for the crew to sit to the rear of the boat. The position of the crew matters less as the size (and weight) of the boat increases.
• Balance - This is the port and starboard balance. The aim, once again is to adjust weight 'windward' or 'leeward' to prevent excessive heeling. The boat moves at a faster velocity if it is flat to the water.
• Sail trim - Trimming sails is a large topic. Simply put however, a sail should be pulled in until it fills with wind, but no further than the point where the front edge of the sail (the luff) is exactly in line with the wind. Let it out until it starts to flap, and then pull it in until it stops.
• Centreboard (Daggerboard) - If a moveable centreboard is fitted, then it should be lowered when sailing "close to the wind" but can be raised up on downwind courses to reduce drag. The centreboard prevents lateral motion and allows the boat to sail upwind. A boat with no centreboard will instead have a permanent keel, some other form of underwater foil, or even the hull itself which serves the same purpose. With a daggerboard, on a close haul the daggerboard should be fully down and while running over half way up.