Hiawatha Trail with Abby

 While Sydney and Wynn went to FSY, Abby and I went camping for a few nights. We spent the day together in Courdalene Idaho, and then our friends from La Grande came up to meet us. The next day we went a biked the Hiawatha Trail. It is an old decommissioned railroad track that is 15 miles long. You get to go through 7 train tunnels and cross 5 bridges along the way. Its all downhill so thats nice too. Abby had a lot of fun visiting with her friend Stark and getting super muddy in the tunnels. It was so much fun :).

Family Reunion on Oregon Coast

 The Shinsel family has their biannual reunion on the Oregon Coast in Depoe Bay this summer. We didn't get much sunshine to enjoy the beach, but the kids still looked for seashells and creatures every day. We visited some tide pools, bought saltwater taffy, and went to a really cool glass-blowing studio where they created some pieces for us. The kids also spent a lot of time in the swim spas with their cousins. All in all, it was a good trip! 

Pisa and Tuscany

After leaving Cinque Terre, we made a quick stop at the leaning tower of Pisa and then moved on to spend a relaxing couple of days at a villa in Tuscany to end the trip.

 

Florence and Cinque Terre

 For the first two days with the group, we visited Florence and then Cinque Terre. We hiked between two of the cities each day. The first day, we hiked from Corniglia to Manarola and then visited Vernazza on our way back to La Spezia, where our hotel was. When you aren't hiking, the only way to get between the cities is by train or boat. The second day, we hiked from Manarola to Riomaggiore. The hikes were challenging but so worth it. The views were beautiful, and I loved seeing how the locals used to get from city to city in days past. 

Rome

 The owner of the travel agency where I work asked me to accompany her and lead a trip to Italy this summer. The tour started in Florence, but I arrived a few days early to explore Rome on my own. My favorite parts were the potato pizza, an e-bike tour outside the city center, and the Pantheon. The architecture of the Pantheon and the symbolism it represents around the seasons and the stars were impressive!