Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Flanders WWI Sites

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We visited Flanders Fields.

It’s something I’ve always wanted to see.

We took a little trip to Bruges, Belgium…and saw the Flanders Fields WWI sites on the way back home to Germany.

It was emotional to see all the monuments and memorials to the Commonwealth soldiers.

The “Brooding Soldier” statue by Frederick Chapman Clemesha in the St. Julien Memorial was poignant and much taller than I expected.

We enjoyed the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917.

Open from Monday to Sunday, from 9:00 to 18:00. Last admission at 16:30. A museum visit lasts approximately two hours.

Adults: €6,5 or €10,5 with audioguide
Students: €4 or €7 with audioguide
Under 7 FREE

I read that it was a fun and interactive museum, but we were really blown away by how well put-together it is. We didn’t bother to get audio-guides. The plaques on each display were in English and we read every single one.

The kids loved the interactive exhibits, trying on body armor and helmets, gas masks, and cloaks.

The kids were excited to see a stuffed messenger pigeon like Cher Ami.

Cher Ami was a registered Blue Check Hen carrier pigeon, one of 600 birds owned and flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I. Download the Cher Ami real story here.

The exhibits were really amazing.

We really experienced history in the replicated dugout and trenches.

There was a gorgeous park with lots of walking trails. We had a picnic lunch by the pond.

The Menin Gate was breathtaking.

I really wanted to see the Essex Farm Cemetery and Memorials.

John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields.

It was memorable to see all these World War I sites and I’m so glad the kids and I got to experience this history.

Also, here’s my World War I Unit Study.

On this day, at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Great War ends. At 5 a.m. that morning, Germany, bereft of manpower and supplies and faced with imminent invasion, signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside Compiegne, France.

Learn about WWI, Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, and American Veterans Day

Books:

Movies:

Activities and Printables:

Learn the difference: American Memorial Day

Lest we forget.

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Bruges with Kids

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We left super early so we would arrive early.

We spent two nights in Bruges.

We spent the whole afternoon and evening at de Haan BEACH!

It was just a short drive to de Haan and it was such a lovely beach.

The water was quite cold, even though it was a very warm day. No one was really in the water.

We walked along the strand, collecting shells, for about 3 mi, then back.

We got gelato. Of course.

There was a fun beach playground.

We had dinner on the boardwalk.

Goregous Trappist beer and moules frites. Fish and steak. Everyone was happy.

The next day, we walked around Bruges.

We ate breakfast at our apartment.

I used the walking tours in Rick Steves Belgium: Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp & Ghent.

We went straight to the Basilica of the Holy Blood. There’s a lovely chapel on the ground level.

We got to view the relic up close. It was just amazingly perfect timing. The annual festival was later that week too.

We paid to see the Michelangelo sculpture at the Church of Our Lady.

The whole city is just lovely with the canals and old houses.

We ate lunch at De Halve Maan. It was delicious.

Then we did the brewery tour. The kids loved it.

We learned about barley and hops and methods.

We got to taste more beer. The blonde beer tasting is included with the tour. We prefer the Dubbel or Tripel Zot and the Straffe Henrik.

We got chocolates at The Chocolate Line and Leonidas.

We saw lots of fun historical sites.

We bought dinner at Carrefour and cooked it in our cute little apartment. Alex was thrilled with the wild asparagus!

Our last day, we toured the Flanders WWI sites.

We ate breakfast in our apartment and packed up.

We saw “The Brooding Soldier” statue at St. Julien Memorial. Our favorite was the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917. We had a picnic lunch by the pond. We drove to Ypres to see The Menin Gate. We saw the Essex Farm cemetery and memorials.

We got takeout for dinner.

We got home pretty late, but it was worth it. It was a lovely trip.


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Kaiserslautern Wildpark

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A great hike on a pretty day is the FREE Kaiserslautern Wildpark, across from the Quack restaurant, near the Volkspark.

There’s a little parking lot. It’s good to get there early, before the crowds.

Hiking trails meander all through the forest, under the train tunnel. We easily did a 3-mi hike in under 2 hours, stopping to see the animals and pet the deer.

There’s a little water fountain that is perfect to wash hands afterwards.

The first enclosure has deer and goats.

The goats were curious, but didn’t come close to the fence.

This one deer trotted right over to check us out and get petted.

Our favorites were the baby pigs!

There are also cows.

This fluffy Highland cow kept rubbing his face on the fence to be petted.

And there are several horses.

The two lynxes were sleeping, but we could see them in the bushes.

There’s a great viewing platform to view the bison.

There are benches and picnic tables all along the paths. It’s a great place for a picnic. We saw lots of families and couples enjoying the warm sunny weather. Some even had mountain bikes on the trails.

We enjoyed walking and listening to the birds and seeing the animals. I can’t believe it’s FREE and there’s not even a donation box that I saw.

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Naturwildpark Freisen

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Naturwildpark Freisen is a great day trip.

It’s probably our favorite Wildpark.

The bags of food actually last a good while if you’re careful and keep them away from the greedy goats!

This one followed us for a loooong time.

My son was thrilled to see his favorite animal: FOXES.

There are lots of goats and deer and pigs wandering around.

Liz met an emu. She came running from the far side of her enclosure to meet Liz. They were both thrilled with each other.

There’s a bird of prey area with vultures, owls, hawks, and African sea eagle.

There were lots of peacocks around, screaming and displaying their plumage.

We got see the otter get fed.

We were thrilled to see the kangaroo mom and joey!

There’s a monkey habitat.

It’s a nice walk around the park, seeing and feeding the animals.

Hours and Admission

Summer from 01.03. – 14.11.
Parking: 10.00 am until nightfall.
Closing time: 18:00

Summer Entrance fees:
Adults: € 8,00
Children (3-12 years) : € 5,00

Winter from 15.11. – 28.02.
Parking: 10.00 am until nightfall.
Closing time: 16:00

Winter Entrance fees:
Adults: € 5,00
Children (3-12 years) : € 3,00

There is no bird show in the winter months. Park is closed in December and January. Dogs are permitted, except in the falconry, on a leash. A visit in bad weather conditions (snow, ice, & wetness) is not possible due to accident risks. When the ticket office is closed, the park entrance fee is collected by employees in the park.

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13 Best KMC Restaurants

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Wondering where to dine out in the Kaiserslautern area?

Our 13 favorite restaurants in the KMC:

  1. Zimtblüte

    This is probably our favorite place. We love to stop in for a quick bite when shopping at Globus or planning for a bigger meal at their larger location. The curry rice and stir fries are to die for. Their menu is extensive, with specialties from Vietnam and Thailand, and also sushi. Delicious iced teas. The hot tea is bland. Located right over the A6 bridge from Ramstein, towards Einsiedlerhof.

  2. Alom Dee

    Very fresh and delicious. The best Thai in KMC. The wait can be long, but it’s worth it. Located in Ramstein-Miesenbach, near the Kino.

  3. Café Konditorei Goldinger

    A super fun breakfast, brunch, or light lunch. It’s gorgeous in the conservatory and garden. We like to pretend we’re in Victorian times. Located in Landstuhl.

  4. Spinnrädl

    Everyone must go here once. It’s the oldest restaurant in Kaiserslautern. Local Rhineland-Pfalz specialties. It impresses. Located near the Stiftskirche in downtown Kaiserslautern.

  5. Hofbräuhaus

    I just cannot get enough of their chicken and salmon salads. We love eating here and it’s the best place on base, for sure. Located in the KMCC mall.

  6. Holzofen Pizzeria am Seewoog

    The best pizza in the KMC. Reservations needed. Takeout and eat by the lake is fun too! Located in Ramstein-Miesenbach.

  7. Metaxa

    Delicious Greek food. A few dishes have a German flair, but overall, it’s pretty authentic. Order a few days ahead for moussaka! They even have Retsina wine! Located in Ramstein.

  8. Sam Kullman’s Diner

    A fun American-style diner with their own beer brand. The prices are bit high, but the food and service are great. Located on MainzerSt in Kaiserslautern.

  9. Mr. Lian

    The best sushi in the KMC. Reservations recommended. Located on WeilerbacherSt in Kaiserslautern, behind Zimtblute.

  10. Safari Restaurant

    Gorgeous African and vegetarian food. A fun and unique dining experience. Located on HumboldtSt in Kaiserslautern.

  11. Brit Café

    Great for breakfast and lunch. The English breakfast platters are enough for two! Thursdays are curry and Fridays are fish and chips! Located across from Ramstein Library.

  12. Nick’s Fried Chicken

    The best coleslaw I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. A great fried chicken place for dine in or takeout. Located on Kaiserstraße, near Vogelweh/Pulaski.

  13. Bombay

    It’s like being welcomed into their home. The food is amazing. Best chai I’ve ever had! Located on WeilerbacherSt, behind Zimtblute.

Honorable Mention:

Belgian Bistro – Unique burgers with spicy sauces, but an amazing beer selection. Located in Weilerbach.

You might notice a few restaurants not on my list.

There are no good Mexican restaurants in Europe. There just aren’t. They’re ok, but they’re not right. There’s curry in everything. The tortillas are wrong. If you want Mexican or Tex-Mex or South American food, find a friend and beg her to make you something authentic. I know people sell tamales and pastries in the Facebook groups.

To us, most German food is very similar. I hesitate to say: all the same, but it’s almost true. Enough with the Schnitzel and roast beef! There’s better sauerkraut in Prague. I want something unique, that I can’t or don’t want to make at home.

And some places that others rave about have very poor service or hit or miss with quality.

We can cook amazing food at home. We’re picky and we want to dine out with good quality food and service.

What’s your favorite restaurant?

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Paris with Kids

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We took our second trip to Paris last fall for Liz’s 16th birthday.

We also had gone to Paris for Liz’s 14th birthday.

We went to Greece for her 15th!

October is a great time to travel. We homeschool, so we don’t have to worry about schedules and we can take advantage of deals and lesser crowds. We can coincide our trips with our studies.

She’s such a lucky girl.

I bought the Rick Steves Paris this time and it was great!

We got to stay a little longer this time and saw most of what we didn’t have time to see before. Which was super nice and almost leisurely.

But there are still reasons I want to go back! I still want to see the Rodin Museum and Carnavalet was closed. I would love to sit in the café at the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. I want to browse at the Clignancourt Flea Market. I want to see Paris in springtime.

The kids love practicing their French! We’ve never felt the attitude that others complain of in Paris. People are super friendly and helpful if you try a little and know the etiquette.

Day 1: Marais

We took the train from Kaiserslautern to Paris, then the Metro to our apartment. We bought week passes for the Metro for everyone.

We checked in to our apartment in the 3rd Arrondissement, at the edge of the Marais. It was really nice and had a rather large kitchen and a bathtub! There’s a sweet little bakery right across the street. It was quiet but close to everything!

We started out with Rick Steves’ Marais Walk – Bastille to Pompidou.

We ate an amazing lunch at La Place Royal in Place du Vosges. They had the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had. The staff were amazing.

The kids played in the park in Place du Vosges for a while.

Then, we continued our Marais Walk to Hôtel de Sully which has a gorgeous courtyard.

We got Amorino gelato by Pompidou Center.


We stopped by the G20 grocery to get some pizza for the kids for dinner.
Aaron and I went to A&M for dinner and got this lovely salmon risotto and rosé wine.

Day 2: The Louvre

We did the Louvre.

Surprisingly, I wasn’t that keen on going to the Louvre, but I’m so glad we did! I was overwhelmed by the size and worried we’d get all cranky before even seeing half of it. The kids were troopers! I wasn’t.

We bought tickets online and used the Mall entrance. No lines, super easy.

We got there right when they opened. We bought an app with maps and guides. There are also pretty good brochures at the entrance.

We all but ran to see the Mona Lisa first. There are signs and arrows, so you can’t miss her!

I was so excited to see Sleeping Hermaphrodite by Bernini.

The kids loved The Louvre. They especially loved the Egyptian wing. I was the one who got hungry and tired and wanted to leave. There was only one wing we didn’t see: The Richelieu Wing – Northern Europe Paintings. And some of the Spanish art wasn’t open, but we viewed it through fences. So, I think we did great!

We had lunch at a touristy Provençal restaurant down an alley. It was simple and fine and there were actually lots of locals who showed up as we were finishing up.
We went to Les Halles for Liz to go to Sephora and the kids to go the Lego store. We got drinks at a fun little café.


Aaron and I had dinner at Madame Tartine beside the Stravinsky Fountain. It was windy and starting to drizzle, so we had to rush our mixte charcuterie et camembert chaud.

Day 3: Montmartre

We took the Metro to Montmartre.

The stop is right down the hill from Sacré-Cœur Basilica.

Sacré-Cœur was lovely.

We rubbed Peter’s foot for blessings.

We had a nice quiet lunch at Chez Plumeau.

Delicious salmon pasta.

Gorgeous rose wine. At sixteen years old, Liz can have a sip now!

Enormous hot cocoa.

We walked Montmartre. It’s in Rick Steves Paris.

We got to see many famous landmarks, like Picasso’s studio and the houses where Vincent van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec lived.

Moulin de la Galette is in a famous Renoir painting.

And also scenes from the movie Amélie.


The Rue Cler and Pig Alley walks intersect here too. They’re boring for us though.

We got a snack of macarons at a bakery. And of course, a baguette. We stopped for drinks farther on at a corner café and ate our macarons. I’m a little obsessed with the Kir Royal Pêche cocktail – champagne with peach liqueur.

We walked the Rue des Martyrs and saw Le Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.

I finally got to see Jim Morrison’s grave.


We all had dinner at Ma Salle à Manger. We had a lovely memory of it the first time we came to Paris and Liz decided she wanted her birthday dinner there. They were out of almost everything, but we got steak and salad with an amazing Bordeaux wine.

Day 4: Versailles

We took the train to Versailles. Check out my detailed post about our Versailles day trip.
We made the kids dinner at our apartment. Aaron and I had dinner at Le Grand Cerf right around the corner from our apartment. Salmon and gratin dauphinois.

Day 5: Basilique St. Denis

We walked to Place de la Concorde. It’s absolutely gorgeous and a great location for pictures! (unlike its history)


We took the Metro to Basilique St. Denis.

All the royal families of France are buried here.

We loved the basement with all the gravesites for Marie-Antionette and her family.

We ate lunch at a café right at the entrance. It was just ok.
We found Laguiole Marais to buy some knives and a cool wine opener for Aaron. So cool it was open on Sunday!
We peeked in the gate at La Passage du Grand Cerf.


The kids got Nitrogenie ice cream.
We walked to the Eiffel Tower just as it started to sparkle. Such a great way to end our magical trip!

Everything was closed for dinner. I forgot that about Sundays. We should have had a very early dinner. I was hungry!

We just love Paris. It’s one of our favorite places!

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Versailles with Kids

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We spent a week in Paris and took a day trip to Versailles.

We took the train from Paris to Versailles.

We followed advice in the guide Rick Steves Paris.

The train stop is just around the block from the palace. We ordered tickets online.

We arrived early, before the crowds and it was perfect.

The chapel is right pretty.

I’m a little bit in love with Bernini (like, his self-portrait is the background image on my laptop). There’s a Bust of Louis XIV that he sculpted. It’s fabulous.

It took my husband a loooong time to get a single shot of me with the Hall of Mirrors.

Then, we got the kids in the picture.

I thought we would have tantrums that Marie-Antoinette’s apartements were closed for repair, but Katie handled it much better than I did.

So, we got some macarons at Ladurée.

The kids loved the Mesdames Apartments.

We chose to visit Versailles on a day the musical fountains are on. I highly recommend this, even though it costs a bit more. It was soooo worth it! We absolutely loved it.

The lady at the gate to the gardens was super helpful and circled the best fountains to see so we didn’t have to waste time, since it is really quite huge. It can be overwhelming. Here’s a good guide to viewing the fountains at Versailles.

There are lots of little fountains that are lovely, but it’s also a lot of walking on gravel. And don’t think of stepping a toe on grass or leaning on anything because guards will blow their shrill whistles at you! They need more benches.

Our favorite was the Mirror Fountain. It plays to synchronized music every 10 minutes. I think we watched it two or three times!

VIEW IT HERE> Mirror Fountain Versailles

The Latona Fountain is quite large.

The famous Apollo Fountain

We ate delicious baguette sandwiches by the Grand Canal.

We walked past the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon. We just weren’t that interested.

We really liked The Grotto. It was really quite pretty and idyllic.

The map really was a bit deceiving, making Marie-Antoinette’s little peasant hamlet seem a lot closer than it was.

After my tantrum – because I was tired and sore and really wanted to see it, especially since her apartments were closed in the palace, we finally got on the right path and found it.


We took the Petit Tram back to the Grand Canal because I was done.

I sat on a bench while Aaron and Katie went to view the Dragon fountain.

We had a snack of crêpes at Breton Café right across from the train station before heading back to Paris.


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London with Kids

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Our family loved our trip to London.

Fall is an ideal time to go since kids are back in school and the crowds aren’t so bad. The weather was perfect!

This was my second trip to London. I was more comfortable and knew my way around a bit and I showed the kids everything I loved.

Day 1

We had an early flight out of Frankfurt Hahn to London Stansted on Ryanair.

We took a National Express coach into Victoria Station from London Stansted.

We had a lovely English brunch at Frankie and Benny’s, then got our Oyster Cards for the Tube.

Then we walked up to Buckingham Palace.

The kids and Aaron were kinda disappointed in the plain façade. We didn’t even make it back that way for a changing of the guard. They didn’t even want to do a tour. I was a little disappointed, but ambivalent about spending all the money for a tour.

Then we walked down The Mall to Trafalgar Square. The lions were fun and the fountains are lovely. There was nothing on the fourth column! wah!

This is where we should have caught the Tube to Holborn, but we walked. It was hot and we were exhausted by the time we reached our apartment.

We stayed in a lovely apartment, Holborn One. It was quite huge.

We took a little rest, drank some water, walked a block to Sainsbury’s to stock up on English candy and breakfast items. I can’t even express how much I love British sausage and bacon.

Then we took the Tube to Abbey Road for the iconic image:

We took the Tube again to Baker Street, but the kids were disappointed with the touristy museum and cosplay guard at 221B.

We did brass rubbings at St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields.

Such a unique souvenir!

We tore through The National Gallery to see the Arnolfini Wedding and some Impressionist paintings, like van Gogh Sunflowers. They were closing up and shutting off wings as we were ushered out.

We got fish and chips takeout for dinner. The portions were humongous!

Aaron and I had a pint of ale at the pub around the corner.

Day 2

We made breakfast in our apartment.

We took the Tube to The Tower. We had purchased tickets online, but it wasn’t a bit crowded.

Alex loved the armory!

Designed by British artist Brian Catling, the circular Memorial to the Executed focuses on the ten executions that have taken place on Tower Green, within the Royal castle’s walls.

Comprising two engraved circles with a glass-sculpted pillow at its center, the larger circle of dark stone bears a poem – written by the artist – around its rim, whilst the upper glass circle bears the engraved names of the ten famous and not so famous individuals executed in front of the Chapel Royal.

We got to see some guards up close.

It was a little drizzly. We beelined for the Crown Jewels.

We then hurried back to the entrance for the Beefeaters Tour. After that, we explored the White Tower and the Bloody Tower.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with The Tower. It seemed expensive and I’m not sure what I expected.

We were hungry, so we took the Tube to Leicester Square and ate lunch at Garfunkel’s.

We walked around Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown, then headed back to our apartment for a rest and to get ready for our show!

We stopped at M&S and got some sandwiches and snacks for dinner.

Aaron and Alex went around the corner and got all cut and shaved.

We saw Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre. I have waited over 25 years to see this show and it was magical.

When we stepped out, we noticed the full moon. We walked down to the Thames and back up to see Big Ben in the moonlight.

It was a full day.

Day 3

We ate breakfast in our apartment.

We took the Tube to Westminster Abbey. We did not purchase tickets online, but the line wasn’t very long and we inside in just a few minutes.

I had downloaded the audioguide (narrated by Jeremy Irons – swoon!) a week earlier and had listened to it, so I was familiar with what we would see. The place is huge and packed with memorials and statues and plaques and tombs. It was very crowded.

We were starving afterwards, so we took the Tube back to Piccadilly Circus and ate at a unique hot pot restaurant, Shuang Shuang. It was Alex’s pick and it was so fun and yummy. A little conveyor belt brought little dishes around and you just grab the ones you want and make your own hot pot. I love that the kids try new things!

We took the Tube to Euston to get photos in front of Speedy’s Cafe, BBC Sherlock’s front door.

Then we headed to King’s Cross Station to get the kids’ photos at Platform 9 3/4. I got a latte from Pret a Manger and watched.

We walked a block over to go see the British Library. It was a tad disappointing. At least a copy of the Magna Carta was there, but they didn’t display the Lindisfarne Gospels, Lewis Carroll, or any original Shakespeare. Alex got a kick out of seeing pages of Leonardo’s notebook in my compact mirror.

We got the kids some sandwiches and easy-prep dinner items at M&S.

Aaron and I ate at Doggett’s Bankside. I had impeccable halibut with kale, edamame, and quinoa with lovely ale. The lemon rose tart was delightful.

Day 4

Today was Sunday. We ate breakfast in our apartment.

We rushed to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. I had bought tour tickets for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre Tour and Exhibition on Viator and wasn’t sure how it would work. It was super easy! We walked right in and showed the desk clerk our email confirmation printout and joined the tour beginning that moment. Perfect timing!

The kids say this was their favorite tour of the week! The actor/guide was Cockney and funny and delightful with different voice and great jokes.

See my post about Shakespeare here.

We ate a delicious carvery lunch at Punch Tavern.

The portions were huge. Liz and Katie ordered fish and chips. Tori got the fish of the day: a gorgeous salmon with lemon sauce. We were the only ones in there, so we got lots of attention and weren’t rushed at all. The girls got English Rose mocktails that were so pretty in pink!

We did the Bankside Walk from Rick Steves London.

We went to the Choral Evensong service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The kids wanted to sit in the first row, right under the dome. They were perfect seats and we could see everyone and hear quite well.

We got on the Tube to Earl’s Court. We viewed the only blue police call box in London – the only T.A.R.D.I.S.!

We had wanted to eat dinner at Byron (there’s a big, fancy one at Holborn, near our apartment), but there was a fun, bright little Byron right beside the T.A.R.D.I.S. Perfect! They have American-style burgers and fries and fun natural sodas and beer. The girls all got huge Oreo milkshakes and those were the kids’ portions! We haven’t had a good restaurant burger in almost 3 years!

Day 5

We ate breakfast in our apartment. Aaron and Alex walked across the street to Pret a Manger to get coffee.

We walked around the corner to get a picture of Charles Dickens’ house.

We packed up and took the Tube to Whitehall.

We saw 10 Downing Street and got pictures with the Horse Guards.

We walked down for one last look at Trafalgar Square. We took the Tube to Queensway for Kensington Gardens.

We got pictures with the Peter Pan statue and looked at the condors in the lake.

The kids played in the Princess Diana Memorial Playground and Aaron, Liz, and I sat at a table with elderberry lemonade.

We got pizza for lunch and cupcakes for the coach ride to the airport in Victoria Station.

We bought chicken sandwiches at Leon in London Stansted airport to eat on the plane home.

It was a fun-packed trip. We saw and did so much! 

There’s tons to do with kids in London. The kids agree it’s one of our favorite trips.

Check out fun these food festivals!

What’s your favorite thing to do in London?

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Our Ni’ihau Day Trip

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In March 2009, Aaron and I spent a 3-day weekend in Kaua’i.

The Hawaii ITT trip was an all-inclusive (plane, hotel, rental car, meals) and Ni’ihau helicopter tour!

I don’t remember it costing more than $500 for all of it. It was an amazing weekend, the two us, alone. We’ve never had a weekend alone, before or since.

The helicopter tour was about 30 minutes from Kaua’i to Ni’ihau. Then we had a couple hours to explore, ate a picnic lunch, and flew back to Kaua’i.

About Ni’ihau:

Keith Robinson and his brother, Bruce, own the approximately 70-square-mile island of Ni’ihau in the Hawaiian island chain, which has been in the private possession of their family since their great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth McHutchinson Sinclair (1800–92), purchased it from King Kamehameha V for US$10,000 in gold. He is also the manager of a private botanical garden on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. Robinson makes his home on Kaua’i, but visits Ni’ihau at least once per week on average.

We flew in the helicopter from Kaua’i to Ni’ihau.

I’d never been in a helicopter before!

We zoomed all around the island…saw whales near the surface, the lovely Lehua Crater, and wild horses!

I love how all the Hawaiian islands have their own interesting and original landscape.

We landed and were given our instructions.

We had only a couple hours to explore. It was chilly and rainy.

As soon as we landed, I rushed over to see the beach!

The water was pretty chilly.

There were seals sunning themselves and a couple turtles bobbing in the waves.

We walked along the beach, exploring and gathering shells.

The shells on Ni’ihau are exquisite and the jewelry made with them are very expensive.

Common colors are ke‘oke‘o (white), ‘ākala (pink), lenalena (yellow), and ‘ōma‘oma‘o (green).  Shades of colors are often identified as ‘āhiehie (light) or ikaika (dark).  A few other terms include kahakaha (striped), ‘ōnikiniki (spotted), ‘āpu‘upu‘u (bumpy), and even waha ‘ula‘ula (red mouth).

We loved our time on the Forbidden Island of Ni’ihau!

Be sure to check out:
Hawaii Activities
Non-profit Sustainable Tours
Reef Safe Advocacy





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Our Kaua’i Weekend

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In March 2009, Aaron and I spent a 3-day weekend in Kaua’i.

The Hawaii ITT trip was an all-inclusive (plane, hotel, rental car, meals) and Ni’ihau helicopter tour!

I don’t remember it costing more than $500 for all of it. It was an amazing weekend, the two us, alone. We’ve never had a weekend alone, before or since.

We stayed at the Kaua’i Hilton Beach Resort. It apparently is now an Aqua hotel and not a Hilton property.

We stopped at Fort Elisabeth to get a picture because our eldest daughter is named Elizabeth!

We enjoyed local beer at Brenneke’s Beach Broiler.

We stopped at Kaua’i Coffee Plantation and got a sample.

Chickens are everywhere! Some places, we were scared to get out of the car since they seemed ready to attack.

Monk seals are protected. In Hawaiian, they are known as Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, or “dog that runs in rough water.” You can see the rope on the sand to keep people from getting too close. It’s illegal to get closer than 50 yards to a monk seal or sea turtle.

Turtles were swimming near the rocky beach!

Another was sunning on the beach.

All sea turtles in Hawaii are protected by both State and Federal Law! It is illegal to kill, capture, touch or harass sea turtles. Fines can be as high as $25,000 and may include a year in prison.

There’s a place to pull over and park to view Spouting Horn, a rock and wave phenomenon that is quite lovely.

We enjoying seeing famous Wailua Falls!

Waimea Canyon was misty when we first got there, but then it cleared up for a picture!

We loved seeing Kaua’i. It was a special time without the kids!

Be sure to check out:
Hawaii Activities
Non-profit Sustainable Tours
Reef Safe Advocacy




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