Road Trip Days 1 & 2

We really went for it on the first day of our trip and drove all the way from Zurich to Savona, Italy to catch the ferry. That was insane. Here is Coco just a few hours into the 9 hour day in the car. Not miserable, but not exactly happy.

Instead of going through a really long tunnel, we decided to go over the St. Bernard Pass. It was gorgeous! We loved stopping for a bit to take in the views and scenery at the top.

We stayed there about 10 minutes. Then we had to get right back in the car and keep zooming south so we wouldn't miss the ferry. Uggh.

In the end, we just made it! We zoomed into the empty shipyard and right up to the ferry, had our ticket scanned, drove straight onto the ferry and then like two minutes later they closed the hatch and set sail. Yikes! Talk about a close one. We head out on deck to see the sunset and Coco was a bit frazzled. She had spent all day in the car and had no idea where we were. That's not to say she didn't think it was pretty cool. We got settled into our room and she played on the floor with her toys and blocks. Then we all J went to sleep and Coco was so wound up, I had to take her for a walk around the ferry to get her to calm down. Finally, a while after midnight, she nodded off. I woke up exhausted at 5 am to this.

Getting a room on the ferry is the only way to go. It's so comfortable and it's outfitted with a full bathroom with shower so you can arrive refreshed and ready to go! We disembarked in Bastia and headed down the east coast of Corsica to find a campsite for the night. As we started driving, I realized that Corsica was a lot bigger than I thought it was. After a few hours in the car, I realized that day 2 was starting to feel a lot like day 1. No! Finally, we had to stop at a restaurant on the side of the road where we ate some of the worst food ever. Mental note, don't stop at touristy places on the side of the road. Then again, stop wherever you can when your baby is unhappy and crying miserably in the back seat. 

One useful contraption we bought ahead was this highchair that goes anywhere. It's a mess of straps and buckles and if definitely makes you feel like a fussy parent while setting it up (and there is absolutely no way to do it quickly, or break it down quickly) but it's really handy. Lots of restaurants don't have highchairs, so this was good to have and Coco seemed to like it.

That is where the pictures of days 1 and 2 end because our trip started to go seriously downhill. The day was long and spent in the car. Again. When we finally found a campground, it was so crowded and not really that enjoyable. We thought we would finally feel like we were on vacation once we got down to the beach. Wrong again! Being on a beach with a 9 and a half month old baby is awful! Coco put every rock, shell and leaf she could find in her mouth. It was windy. Like really, really, really windy. Our umbrellas weren't even shading us because they were so blown over. Coco wouldn't drink water and was getting dehydrated. The climax of the day's agony came when Coco started choking on a leaf she'd put in her mouth when we weren't looking watching her like a hawk. I was so freaked out! She was making these awful noises and turning all red. Finally, she threw up all over me and out came the leaf. Poor baby! Poor mama! I took her into the water to rinse it all off and that was the only time I went into the Mediterranean on the whole trip! Pitiful.

Somehow, optimism prevailed and we didn't drive straight back to the ferry that minute. Maybe we should have. I took Coco into the bathrooms, scrubbed one of the big sinks for washing laundry, and gave her a cool bath. That cheered her up immensely. Then we ate dinner at the overpriced campground restaurant and afterward went back to our campsite for the night. 

It was hot. The temperature barely dropped once the sun had set and we found ourselves with a dehydrated, screaming baby in our tent. We managed to force some water into her by pouring it in the cap first and then into her mouth. The poor little dear didn't have a clue what was going on, or why she felt so awful. After a sufficient amount of water had entered her system, she took her pacifier and fell asleep in about five seconds. It was a little scary. Ok, very scary. Between the heat and checking on Coco, it was another night of 4-5 hours of sleep. Oh my. Vacation was turning out to be pure exhaustion and stress. Thumbs down!

That wraps up days 1 & 2. Days 3-8 of our weeklong trip to Corsica (yes, you did that math right ;) coming up later this week.