Road Trip with Kids

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June 14, 2018 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Road trips can be fun…or nightmares.

We’ve done a lot of day trips. Those are like practice for real road trips.

Our experiences:

We drove from Atlanta to San Antonio with a preschooler for our first PCS.

We had to travel from San Antonio to Illinois with an infant and preschooler for a funeral. Breast feeding and diaper changes during a long road trip is…stressful.

We drove from Destin, FL, to Galveston, TX, with a screaming baby who would not be soothed for anything. We tried everything. She just wanted to be held and out of that carseat.

With four kids, we traveled to Yellowstone and Grand Teton for vacation.

We drove from Utah to Georgia over several days before PCSing to Germany.

We traveled from Atlanta to Ohio with four kids and two cats when we returned from Germany.

The key to road trips with kids is to be prepared.

Talk to your kids and explain what they should expect. Tell them and show them the route and how long it will take.

Bend the rules a bit during a road trip. Allow some things you ordinarily don’t at home – like screens and video games or special snacks. Load the tablets or laptops with books, videos, games – download beforehand from online sites or the library.

Throw the schedule out the window. If you expect it to take a certain number of hours to get there, tack on a bit. It will take you longer than you expect.

Plan stops every couple of hours to let off steam and use facilities. We love rest stops or parks with playgrounds and open nature spaces. We often plan to have picnic meals.

While it may seem like a great idea to drive overnight and let the kids sleep, it’s not always possible nor do they always cooperate, and then your sleep schedule is messed up.

If possible, consider seating arrangements. I often tried to sit near my babies and young toddlers to help them and soothe them when necessary. Older children can help younger ones too.

Stay calm. Meet needs. Stop often to refresh.

What to bring on a road trip with kids:

Emergency gear

Be prepared in case something goes wrong. It most likely will.

a change of clothes that’s easy to get to (for everyone)
first aid kit
spill clean up kit – for bodily issues or drink spills. I like using reusable wet bags for messy and wet clothes.
calming essential oils for tantrums. We’ve used them during long trips and they really work!

Snacks

You’ll want healthy ready-to-eat items that are easy to clean up. Offer a new snack every hour or so to keep it interesting – not everything all at once. It’s fun to keep snacks in little plastic cases or reusable baggies.

clear or light-colored drinks…or just reusable water bottles for everyone.
fruit – ready to eat or cut up in bite-size
veggies – small, bite-size or cut up
cheese
crackers
fruit snacks or gummies

Activities

Long hours in a small enclosed space can be boring and tiresome. Keep lots of items available to keep them occupied! Offer a new activity every hour or so to keep it interesting. Travel trays are a great investment. Also, teach and play car games! We went on road trips as kids and didn’t have portable electronics, so we had to occupy ourselves with car bingo and songs.

Books – either Kindle or real
Audio – Books on CD are still fun! Audible has lots of audiobooks. Cracker Barrel has a good selection.
Video – tablets, laptops, or players with shows, movies, and games.
Coloring
Stickers
Activity Books
MagnaDoodle, AquaDoodle (maybe), Etch a Sketch – These were a HUGE HIT with our kids.
Wikki Stix
Bag or Toob of small animals
Silly Putty (maybe) or Play Dough – you can make your own with calming scents
Magnets – there are lots of fun alphabet or theme sets or you can use a little magnetic tray
Pretend play sets- purse, doctor bag, maps, compass, toy camera
Comfort toys: Don’t forget the favorite blanket and snuggly!

Alex didn’t have much wiggle room as we drove from Utah to Georgia!

What are your travel tips for traveling with kids?

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Oahu with Kids

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August 14, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 4 Comments

We lived on O’ahu for three years. Living in Hawai’i isn’t the same as a vacation there. But every single day, there’s a rainbow!

My husband was stationed at Hickam AFB. We lived on base. It was mostly magical. The kids still call it home and we all long to go back.

The thing about living in paradise is that you’re living in paradise. It’s not a vacation every day. Dishes and laundry still have to get done. We homeschooled. Everything is expensive. Gas and food prices are high. Traffic is terrible. You have to watch out for centipedes.

But you can go to the beach whenever you want. There are lots of lovely parks and gardens and hiking opportunities. Those are FREE!

O’ahu is a great place for families!

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

Attractions in Kaneohe

The Windward Coast is a tropical paradise.

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden
Bellows Air Force Station
Sea Life Park
Hanauma Bay
Kualoa Ranch – Lots of movies and shows filmed there like Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, Lost, and Hawaii Five-O. There are ATV tours.
Kane’one Sandbar

North Shore Attractions

The beaches on the North Shore are best for families to visit during summer months. The waves get huge mid-November through March and host the famous Triple Crown of Surfing Championships.

There’s TONS to do on the North Shore of Oahu!

Matsumoto’s Shave Ice
Shrimp Trucks
Ted’s Bakery
Haleiwa Joe’s
Uncle Bo’s
Ray’s Chicken
Art Galleries
Surf Shops
Puu O Mahaka State Monument
Waimea Beach and Falls
Turtle Beach
Sharks Cove

Honolulu Attractions

Honolulu is the Hawaii state capital and of course, there are lots of fun things to do in the big city!

Honolulu Zoo
Waikiki Aquarium
Discovery Center Children’s Museum
Pearl Harbor
Pacific Aviation Museum
Diamond Head
Ko’olina
Bishop Museum
Friday Night Fireworks on Waikiki Beach (FREE)
Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden (FREE)

We loved living on Oahu for three years, exploring most of what the island had to offer. Some things we didn’t get to see or do since we had very little children. We’d love to go back!

We also traveled to Mau’i, Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, and The Big Island.

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Honolulu with Kids

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August 9, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 32 Comments

Attractions in Honolulu, Hawai’i for families are plenty!

Honolulu is the Hawaii state capital and of course, there are lots of fun things to do in the big city!

Honolulu Zoo
Waikiki Aquarium
Discovery Center Children’s Museum
Pearl Harbor
Pacific Aviation Museum
Diamond Head
Ko’olina
Bishop Museum
Friday Night Fireworks on Waikiki Beach (FREE)
Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden (FREE)

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

Honolulu Zoo

This is a nice zoo with mammal, birds, and reptiles. There are also lovely gardens to enjoy.

There’s a great children’s area with a petting zoo and playground.

We loved the exhibits you can climb inside for closer looks!

General Admission
$14.00 – Adult 13+
$6.00 – Children 3-12 yrs.

Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$8.00 – Adult 13+
$4.00 – Children 3-12 yrs.
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children 2 and under

Waikiki Aquarium

A lovely Hawaiian aquarium with coral life, monk seals, aquaculture, seahorses, and jellyfish.

We loved viewing the shallow aquariums and experiencing the touch pools.

General Admission
$12.00 – Adult 13+
$5.00 – Children 4-12 yrs.

Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$8.00 – Adult 13+
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children 3 and under

Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center

A fun children’s museum featuring the temporary special exhibits and permanent exhibits like the human body, busy town, world cultures, farming, rainforest, and Hawaiian habitats.

General Admission
$12.00

Kama’aina/U.S. military*
$10.00
* I.D. required for kama’aina/U.S. military rates.
FREE – Children under 1

Friday Night Fireworks in Waikiki!

Every Friday night around 8 PM, Hawaiian Hilton Village sets off a fireworks show – and it’s FREE! It’s great to plan a picnic, watch the sunset, and then view the fireworks!

Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden

Portions of this garden were once the property and favorite picnic grounds of Queen Lili`uokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. She later donated her land to the City and County of Honolulu to be used for the public’s enjoyment. This developing garden is devoted to native Hawaiian plants. It’s FREE!

Diamond Head

This is a great hike with gorgeous views!

$5.00 per car or $1 per person for pedestrians. CASH ONLY. NO PETS.

The 0.8 mile hike from trailhead to the summit is steep and strenuous, gaining 560 feet as it ascends from the crater floor. It was hard for us with little ones!

Pearl Harbor Historic Sites and Memorials

USS Arizona Memorial
Battleship Missouri Memorial
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park

Kids have to be over 8 years old to go on tours, but most of the smaller memorials are accessible to military ID holders.

We took my parents on the private tour of the USS Arizona for military members and it was something we’ll never forget!

Pacific Aviation Museum

Over 70 years of Pacific aviation history. Full access to 50+ aircraft and all exhibits, including WWII Hangars 37 & 79, MiG Alley, historical videos, the Museum Store, Laniakea Café and the award winning Pearl Harbor documentary East Wind, Rain.

General Admission
Adult: $25
Child (Ages 4-12): $12
Kama’aina & Military Admission
Adults: $15
Child(Ages 4-12): $10
FREE – Children under 4

My daughter is a history buff and went to a Tuskegee Airman presentation and book signing.

Bishop Museum

Hawaiian cultural heritage and natural history, a planetarium and science museum.

We also loved the Farm Festival in July.

General Admission
Adult: $22.95
Child, ages 4-12: $14.95

Kama’aina/Military Admission
Adult: $14.95
Child: $10.95
FREE – Children under 3

Ko’olina

Kapolei has great quite lagoons and kid-friendly beaches. It’s just a short drive from Honolulu.

Whale watching is another great activity in this area. We saw honu, dolphins, a few spouts, and some fins.

Ko’Olina is a romantic location for couples to stay or dine or visit. The marina offers lots of options for fishing, snorkeling, and whale watching. Ko’Olina also has the Aulani Disney Spa and Resort now.

The area around Honolulu offers so much for families!

We loved living on Oahu for three years, exploring most of what the island had to offer. Some things we didn’t get to see or do since we had very little children. We’d love to go back!

We also traveled to Mau’i, Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, and The Big Island.

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North Shore with Kids

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August 2, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

North Shore Attractions

The beaches on the North Shore are best for families to visit during summer months. The waves get huge mid-November through March and host the famous Triple Crown of Surfing Championships.

There’s TONS to do on the North Shore of Oahu!

Matsumoto’s Shave Ice
Shrimp Trucks
Ted’s Bakery
Haleiwa Joe’s
Uncle Bo’s
Ray’s Chicken
Art Galleries
Surf Shops
Puʻu o Mahuka Heiau State Monument

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

There are several pretty and safe beach spots for kids!

We loved visiting new beaches year-round.

Waimea Beach and Nature Park
Turtle Beach – great for honu viewing!
Sharks Cove – great for snorkeling!

Polynesian Cultural Center

It’s an absolute tourist trap, but a must-do! We all loved it.

Kids receive a “Passport to Polynesia” booklet which includes:

Spaces to collect stamps from each island village to show they completed the games or activities
A schedule of the day’s activities geared toward the family experience
Space to write down the greetings for each island
A fun illustration and the name of each island’s games or activities to help the keiki remember it when they return home.

We learned about all the Polynesian Islands. Each island exhibit showcases games, dances, costumes, art, and more about that island’s culture.

General Admission
Adult: $59.95
Child: $47.96
Under 4 FREE

Ali’i Luau and General Admission Package
Adult: $114.95
Child: $91.96
Under 4 FREE

The canoe parade showcasing each island with its representatives dancing in traditional dress was stunning.

We had great seats for the show.

We gorged ourselves at the Ali’i Luau Buffet & Dinner Show.

Dole Plantation

Originally operated as a fruit stand beginning in 1950, Dole Plantation opened to the public as Hawaii’s “Pineapple Experience” in 1989.

The Gardens are lovely. The Maze is fun. The Pineapple Express Train Tour is not to be missed!

Combo tickets for all three tours (best deal):
Adult 22.00
Child $18.00
Kama‘aina/Military $20.00

The North Shore of Oahu is a must-see!

We loved living on Oahu for three years, exploring most of what the island had to offer. Some things we didn’t get to see or do since we had very little children. We’d love to go back!

We also traveled to Mau’i, Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, and The Big Island.

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Kaneohe with Kids

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July 26, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We lived in Hawai’i for three glorious years. We loved learning about the culture and history. We enjoyed the food and traveling all over the islands!

Attractions in Kaneohe: The Windward Coast

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden
Bellows Air Force Station
Sea Life Park
Hanauma Bay
Kualoa Ranch – Lots of movies and shows filmed there like Jurassic Park, Pearl Harbor, Lost, and Hawaii Five-O. There are ATV tours.
Kane’one Sandbar

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

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden

This was one of our favorite places!

Ducks and flowers are exciting.

Waimanolo Beach at Bellows AF Station

117 recreational lodging rentals: cabins, condos, camp cabins, campsites, and RV sites. Rent equipment or take classes at Turtle Cove.

We loved just going to pretty tree-lined beach. The surf sometimes got a little rough and the lifeguard would warn us about the children getting knocked over by the waves.

Sea Life Park

This is the ocean park shown in the movie 50 First Dates with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

You can opt for encounters with dolphins, sharks, sea lions, rays, and more!

Admission
$39.99 (13 and older)
$24.99 (3-12 years)
FREE – Children under 2

The Windward Coast near Kaneohe offers so much for families.

We loved living on Oahu for three years, exploring most of what the island had to offer. Some things we didn’t get to see or do since we had very little children. We’d love to go back!

We also traveled to Mau’i, Kaua’i, Ni’ihau, and The Big Island.

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European Travel with Kids

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July 11, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 29 Comments

We’ve been blessed to live in Europe for the past three years.

We’ve taken advantage of the cheap travel opportunities to see much of Europe with our kids. We’ve seen most of my travel bucket list locations.

European travel is an adventure, even more so with kids!

Our traveling priorities are museums, culture, history, and food!

Travel makes you modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” Gustave Flaubert

Necessities

Travel passports for everyone, including babies.

Since we’re Americans, living in Germany, we are issued passports with a SOFA stamp for free, but we only have those to prove we live in Germany, for traveling back and forth to the USA. We also had to purchase travel passports to move freely around Europe.

Tourist passports are necessary for everyone to cross a border, even if they are open, not posted, or you’re traveling by car or train.

Pin and chip cards haven’t caught on in America so much yet. Europe still prefers cash. We ordered a pin and chip credit card from USAA for travel ease. Our bank now offers the pin and chip check cards. We notify them when we travel outside of Germany, but they’re still often declined when we travel. It’s embarrassing.

Power adapters for the camera battery and devices.

Activities for downtime. We like travel pencils and journals or coloring pages or info sheets about where we’re traveling. These are great for rainy mornings, long waits in restaurants, airport delays, airplane rides, and boring trains.

Air Travel

Carry-ons for airplane travel are cheaper than paying for checked luggage, but not necessarily easier. We picked up six small rolling suitcases for about €30 each that abide by RyanAir guidelines. We have been able to use these for three years just fine. It’s amazing how much we can pack in them!

Toiletries must be packed in see-through quart-size zip bags, one per passenger. This includes all liquids, gels, powders, creams, lotions, etc. All containers must be under 3 oz or ml. We all got to be quite handy with packing these baggies with all our necessities and whipping them out for security checks.

We use RyanAir almost exclusively for our European air travel.

WizzAir is another cheap airline, but your free carryon can only be a backpack. We didn’t attempt this.

EasyJet is another discount airline we haven’t used, but we’ve heard great things.

We like Skyscanner to compare rates.

It’s good to be flexible. We are flexible on dates and times. Early morning flights can be stressful, so we stay in a hotel right beside the airport the night before. Some airports are cheaper than others. It’s good to check surrounding airports for better deals. We pay for parking online for a discount and to ensure a spot in the lot.

We don’t have to wait until school breaks or holidays since we homeschool. My husband saves up a lot of leave so we can travel frequently.

I planned trips to coincide with our homeschool studies.

We went to Rome and Greece when we studied Ancient Times.
We went to Ireland and Paris for Medieval Studies.
Several Italy trips covered the Renaissance.
We went to Worms for a Reformation Unit Study.
We went to Dachau the American Cemetery in Luxembourg when we learned about WWII.
Prague is a bustling international tourist attraction since the fall of Communism.
London was learning across the ages.

Road Trips

Road trips are…interesting.

Gasoline is expensive. They measure in liters, so it seems even more expensive to Americans. Many stations require prepay. Some are cash only.

Some cities require special stickers for your vehicle, which can be purchased either at the border – or at your inspection, so be aware!

The rest stops in Europe are superb, with actual restaurants serving a variety of local cuisine. It’s much nicer than the fast food of the USA.

There are lots of toll roads, so you need to keep change on hand. Some took pin and chip cards, but it’s good to have plenty of Euro just in case.

Road trips are nice since we carried whatever toiletries we needed and cooking items for apartments saved us money from eating out.

Train Travel

We only used trains for 3 trips.

It was much cheaper, quicker, and easier for us to travel by train to Paris. We didn’t want to deal with driving a minivan in Paris or paying for parking.

Kids and youth are cheaper than adult tickets. Sometimes first class is the same price or even cheaper than coach!

Tickets must be validated before boarding. The validation centers are usually inconvenient little orange boxes at the far end of the station.

Each time we traveled by train, we were confused as to where our assigned seats were. We’d get on the wrong car because the labels are confusing. We had to get an attendant to move people from our paid assigned seats. It was ridiculous and embarrassing.

My husband wanted to reenact his trip to Heidelberg by train that he took years ago. That was a miserable day for all of us. It was super hot out. We didn’t have enough water or snacks and we were tired and irritable.

Toilets

Finding toilet facilities can be stressful.

We like apps like Toilet Finder or WC Finder, but you have to download all of it before you go if you don’t have cell service or Wi-Fi. Lots of cities and restaurants have free Wi-Fi, so that’s really nice.

Many public restrooms require payment of up to €1,50 for each use. It’s good to be aware of this and have plenty of change.

Our Priorities while Traveling:

We love museums!

We tend to focus our trips around art, history, culture, and food.

We don’t do amusement parks or frivolous entertainment.

Traveling is educational. We don’t need busy work or worksheets. I sometimes print or buy trip journals for the kids, but they are never mandatory. We planned trips around our studies in history, literature, and other subjects – to reinforce what we read about or watched.

I aim for exposure. We don’t have the funds or time to immerse ourselves for long periods of time. Yes, we’re just tourists and not really travelers. We were so blessed to be able to introduce our kids to other countries and I pray that my kids return to favorite locales when they grow up and take their own families!

Our Favorite European Trips:

France: Paris, Normandy, Wissembourg
Italy: Rome, Florence, Venice
Germany: Dachau, Cochem, Mainz, Black Forest, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau…See all our Germany travels here.
Peloponnese, Greece
Porto, Portugal
Netherlands
London, England
Ireland
Prague, Czech Republic
Bruges, Belgium, to include Flanders

Do you have travel tips to share? Where’s your favorite destination?

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Bruges with Kids

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June 14, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 15 Comments

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 the 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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Paris with Kids

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May 3, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 44 Comments

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 La 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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May 3, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

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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April 26, 2017 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

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!