Can’t believe we were the first to arrive to Campo! What a sweet start to the reunion/birthday/summer party weekend to have a moment together at the very beginning.
The running joke for the weekend was how Seb’s birthday celebration fell on the weekend of Corey’s actual birthday. We celebrated this dynamic duo with feasts and games and friends. Sof and the girls drew up our itinerary each day so we were ready to parrrr-tayyyy!
Friday boasted Marina’s tour of Campo, a game day for the grown-ups and the first day of forest school for the kiddoes. It’s safe to say that a picture is really worth a thousand words.
At the first day of forest camp, the kids got to know their surroundings and were so excited to share about the creatures they found with their counselors.
I love that we started with a castle tour to ground us in our surroundings. The tour is different each time because Marina fields different questions from everyone. Sof shares her knowledge and previous guests pipe up to share what they remember from their past tours. It feels like you become a part of history with everyone’s narratives echoing throughout the castle halls.
Here’s the petanque match and gold medal lunch spread by Chef Neiri for the win!
We changed out of our team colors and into our Bonfire night attire. The final game of the night- beer pong- was a great one for novices and veterans alike. I hosted the novice table and Beatrix was a sharpshooter! Alexis and Seb reigned over the veteran table- quite apropos to close out game night on your bday weekend.
The kids found new creatures and hiked a bit farther on the second day. The adults competed in a three way kickball tournament! Lunch was well earned by all this day.
There was a novel moment of quiet this afternoon that the castle hadn’t seen all weekend. Everyone was showering, napping and getting some rest in before the gorgeous birthday evening. Nicola shared her sparkle and shine stickers and everyone cleaned up well. Sof, along with Seb’s closest friends, shared beautiful words about being blessed to have Seb in their lives and we felt grateful to have this time together to make memories with our families.
Sunday featured a boat ride on Lake Garda but was also the first day of goodbyes for some of our friends. Saya and I stayed close on this day as we felt sea sick even on this stunning lake. It was sheer joy to dock and jump in the sea when we returned to port!
For the final day, with the final guests, we did a lake day. The girls practised swimming and tuckered themselves out before the long trip home. I met one of Sof’s sisters and learnt about her teaching and improv and love of learning. Being together in Campo for this time together made me pinch myself numerous times over. It’s privilege and wonder to be spending a vacation like this and I’m grateful to take a moment to share these memories.
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