Fajardo Beaches | Puerto Rico

In Fajardo we beached it with the crowds and embraced the party scene at Seven Seas one day and then Playa Escondida was a separate full day. 

Seven Seas is excellent, but, Playa Escondida is what makes a stay in Fajardo so worth it!

Fajardo is for the locals. We hung with them and we got to know them and their stories when we immersed ourselves in the scene at Playa Seven Seas. Speaking of stories, I had posted this picture on my insta-stories with the update: drinking.rum.punch.pouches. As one does.

Seven Seas is a terrific beach for the little ones offering a sandy inlet with calm shallow waters and the opportunity for a casual beach walk. On the weekends everyone is here to party so prepare for crowds!

On the contrary, the hidden Playa Escondida is reached by a mile or so hike through a heavily wooded area. It is the same general parking area as Seven Seas but on the hike you've gone around enough outcroppings to wind up at a completely different beach. 

And it is s t u n n i n g.

Along the same hiking path there is a right that takes you to Playa Colorá. (We did not go to this beach.) 

Behold the serenity! I give the boys a lot of credit for loving an adventure and making our journey-of-a-day on a deserted beach simply incredible. 

Gran Sasso National Park | Assergi

We arrived to the L'Aquila province of the Abruzzo Region just in time for dinner as night fell over the mountains. Hard to believe we started our morning in Praiano and visited Pompeii and Ortona dei Marsi on our journey. After the Amalfi Coast and the most famous ancient city, Italy's alpine nature took center stage for this leg of our trip! 

We spent one night at Hotel Nido dell'Aquila in the town of Assergi among the foothills of Parco Nazionale Gran Sasso. We're in a ski town!!

After a fantastic dinner and leisurely breakfast here at "Hotel Eagles Nest" we were checked out and off to explore the Gran Sasso via Funivia. 

Funivia means aerial lift or cable car and yes riding in one is very fun! There was not a soul in the ticket line, what a peaceful place we have happened upon. We rode up with a few mountain bikers, a few hikers. I could not believe how serene our ride was. And those views! 

Cam definitely enjoyed the ride. Somehow this baby is no stranger to cable cars - just last month we took him up the Cannon Tram in NH. 

As we sipped a cappuccino at the peaks alpine bar, it felt so surreal being up here. It was obvious we had stumbled upon another dimension of the country. This is not the Italy of your fellow tourists. 

After exploring Gran Sasso peak we caught a Funivia back down to the base. We were pretty hungry at this point and lucky for us a food truck had set up. Piping hot, rich, crackling pork roasted inside that truck. Porchetta sandwiches for the win. I wish I took a photo! (I think I was holding Camden and planning out where his diaper change would be before we got in the car.) 

Either way, that Porchetta Food Truck was another welcome surprise in Assergi!

As we head to join the masses in for Florence the words below on Abruzzo convey my deep feelings of gratitude perfectly. (source)

It is hard to think of a lovelier corner of Italy. Alpine meadows. Lush mountain valleys, this region is one of Italy's secret treasures. No over-crowding, no heavy industry. Hiding away down its curvy roads are castles, villages and mountains made of stone and memory. Life in the Abruzzo hasn't changed that much over the years, and it's like wandering into a gentler, kinder yesterday.