Finally found internet!

gotta be quick - we are sitting here in a parking lot with a spotty internet signal!
Time to play catch-up!
Well we have had a wild couple of days here in Italy! I will start where we left off on Friday.

We left Germany at 8 am Friday morning and headed to Milan via Switzerland. We had a 4 1/2 hour drive according to the GPS, so we figured we had plenty of time to get into town and get settled before meeting the homeschooling families at the Duomo at 3pm.
Switzerland was beautiful, breath-takingly beautiful! We stopped a few times along the highway to take some pictures, figuring that we would stop in Zurich for a short visit. Then the GPS had us head toward Lucerne and away from Zurich, so we decided to visit Lucerne instead. It was Good Friday, and we soon realized that we were sharing the road with many traveling families and others on Easter vacation. As we got closer to the mountains, Switzerland became the land of tunnels. One after another until we finally hit a long line of cars, all waiting to take turns, we found out over an hour later, to go through the Gotthard Tunnel. A marvel to behold, the Gotthard Tunnel is over 10 miles long through the heart of the mountains. By this time I was frantic! We still had over two hours to Milan, we were in pretty heavy traffic and I have no cell phone to call Erika to tell her we are running late.
We didn't have anymore delays and head on into Milan and straight to our hotel. Check in, dump our bags and dash out the door to the Metro. We arrive at the Duomo 40 minutes late, but hang around in hopes of catching the families as they exit. Praise God! Erika's husband comes out and finds us and we are introduced to a whole new group of homeschooling friends! We talk, we walk, we get ice cream and play in the big open courtyard of the Sforza castle. Then play and talk some more in the grassy park beyond.

"The Best!!" ice cream with our Italian homeschooling friends

ice cream buddies



Sforza Castle in Milan

 Homeschooling in Italy is legal but uncommon, only about 200 kids in the entire country are being homeschooled! Erika DiMartino is a pioneer in her country, trying to educate others about their options and make changes to the testing requirements to begin with. Isolation, lack of materials and support, along with government harrassment are some of the challenges they face. With the recent developments against homeschooling in neighboring countries, Switzerland and Germany, we can imagine the apprehension these families are experiencing. First, let's pray for these brave fellow home-educators! Next, let's see how we can help! With the vast resources available to us here in the states, as well as our own experience and friendship, we can do alot to help! More on that when we return in May!
We said good-bye to our new friends just before dark, and headed out for pizza and another round of ice cream before heading back to our hotel. A quick Skype visit to Bryan, Susan and Claire (hi guys!) and off to dreamland. Saturday morning we were onto to Canale Monterano, Rome and the Vatican for Easter ... but that will have to be another post!

Duomo in Milan

Duomo in Milan - wow!

We do not have internet here, so I am trying to figure out how to stay current on our entries. Stay tuned!