A few words about some family time
I’ve just come back from a one-week vacation at the seaside. And it happens every single time: when I start unpacking the suitcases, I already feel nostalgic for the whisper of the waves.
Living close to the Lake of Como, in the North of Italy, means the closest decent sea is about 2-3 hours drive from home. Let’s put it this way, it’s not somewhere you can go when the work day is over. And for someone who’s profoundly in love with the deep blue like I am, this is torture.
Generally, in the past years, we used to plan our holidays at the end of August because, until the end of July, our kid was busy with the summer camps organised by his kindergarten.
This year, however, he started primary school, which ends in the first week of June, and the summer camp begins just before the middle of July. So we decided to have a first taste of vacation right now and then go again at the end of summer.
Now, you probably don’t know, but we had the worst spring in countless years. It rained hard and continuously for weeks, including the one just before our travel. I kept my fingers crossed all the time until the moment I headed my car to the destination.
It appears it worked because we had amazing weather during the whole vacation.
We stayed at the Hotel Eco del Mare, which is a very clean and comfortable hotel. The food is great and the staff is very kind and friendly. It was our first time here, and I guess not the last. Beach services were provided by Bagno Milano, a structure that’s literally on the other side of the road when exiting the hotel. Again, a great experience.
From a photographic point of view, holidays have never been my best time. I shoot portraits, and, don’t get me wrong, I love taking pictures of my kid when playing on the beach.
However, he doesn’t seem to agree any more and the occasions become more and more sporadic. At the same time, it’s not like when I used to travel, when visiting a city, a country could make me come back with thousands of pictures to edit.
So, in the last few years, I’ve changed my approach and decided to leave the camera in the hotel most of the time to fully enjoy the beauty of spending hours with my family.
I love playing in the waves, building sand castles and entertaining the other kids my son can become friends with. It’s a different way to live the holidays.
I’ve rediscovered a slower way of taking a break from work. I moved from running as much as possible to collect photos of a million places to a more restful routine made of simple things. I can’t tell which of the two is more recharging. They are different, however, equally enriching my soul.
I’ve learnt again to close my eyes and take a deep breath.
And relax.
Take care and talk soon!