Rome with Kids

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July 28, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

We went to Rome for Christmas.

This was our family gift. We didn’t have presents under the tree. Experiences over stuff.

Then my son asked afterwards if we can stay home next year and do presents. Sigh.

We flew on Alitalia from Frankfurt to Rome Ciampino. I know Ryanair often has really cheap tickets, but I couldn’t find any when I was planning our trip, and honestly, it was so nice to fly and check bags and get free snacks.

A driver was waiting for us. It was so much easier than worrying about how to get to our apartment. Worth every penny. We asked for a return to the airport since we left early.

We stayed at Peter’s Nest in Vatican + St. Peter, about a block over from the entrance to the Vatican Museum.

We got fresh cornetti every morning from our hostess and she kept us stocked in fresh milk and juice too! A little Carrefour Express grocery store was right beside our building, so if I had known that, I wouldn’t have paid for the pastry delivery, but it was still nice.

The courtyard to the apartment building had a lovely floral fountain.

Day 1

After we got settled and freshened up, we walked over to St. Peter’s Square.

We loved seeing the huge lifesize nativity scene.

Then, we went through security to go into St. Peter’s Basilica.

And I got to see Michelangelo’s Pietà.

We walked down to Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II to see Castel Sant’Angelo.

We love the statues lining the bridge.

I highly recommend L’Isola della Pizza for incredible food. Glad we got there early for dinner – it was soon packed with locals!

The waiters brought out a medley of appetizers and salads and the kids all ordered pizza.

I love all the salads and breads and prosciutto. They brought arancini (fried rice balls) for the kids but Aaron and I loved it too! The fried artichokes were amazing.

It was too much food, but so amazingly delicious.

Day 2

We were at the Vatican Museum before they opened and we were ushered right on in.

I’m so glad I ordered basic tickets online. I had also ordered 4 audio guides for the kids and 2 adult audio guides for Aaron and me. The kids got great little scavenger hunt maps. We loved the guides!

We began in the Pinacoteca – the Picture Gallery.

It was completely empty.

We were following our audio guides and the kids’ scavenger hunts.

If I had known, we’d have scooted on down to view the Antiquities and Sistine Chapel and left the Picture Gallery for last.

We got to stare at Raphael’s tapestries and study paintings undisturbed.

I especially liked Leonardo’s St. Jerome in the Wilderness.

St Jerome in the Wilderness by Leonardo da Vinci

Then we went to the Egyptian and Etruscan Museums.

This was especially exciting for the kids since we didn’t get to experience anything or travel for those units.

Alex and Katie really loved seeing the mummy.

Love the colors here!

They save the best for last: The Sistine Chapel.

No pictures and they have guards to hush people.

But by that time, we were hot and almost exhausted. We stayed a while, getting a crick in our necks and trying to sneak pictures with our phones.

We got takeout pizza at Forno Feliziani for lunch.

The best gelato is at Old Bridge. We got some every single day. Super great prices and large portions.

We went to the Colosseum in the afternoon.

I ordered our tickets online and they were good on any day.

I don’t know that I’d recommend doing quite so much in one day, but we thought we could handle it. We realized our tickets included the Roman Forum and the tickets are only good for two days and we didn’t think we’d have time to go back down there the next day.

We got to look down upon Circus Maximus.

The Forum must’ve been very crowded. There was so much in such a small space!

It about did me in. We barely got through it before the loudspeaker announcement that they were closing. We rushed up the stairs.

I was about ready to collapse, so I begged to take a taxi back since we had no idea where the nearest subway was and I couldn’t walk anymore. The 6-seater taxi van from Piazza Venezia to St. Peter’s Square was only €8,00!

We got takeout pizza at Forno Feliziani (yes, again) for the kids for dinner. I love that place.

Aaron and I went to The Angry Pig for gorgeous sandwiches. Our contact recommended it and the eggplant pork tenderloin sandwich was divine.

Day 3

This was Christmas Eve.

We walked to the Galleria Borghese.

Again, I bought tickets online. I super recommend that.

On the way, we stopped by Santa Maria del Popolo.

We got kicked out because they were about to start Mass. But I got a picture of the Chigi Chapel first.

The Borghese Gardens are peaceful and lovely, even in winter.

We checked our backpack, used the toilets, got the audio guides and waited for our entrance time. The tour main entrance is outside and up the steps.

There wasn’t really any instructions for that, but I followed the crowds who seemed to know.

I was really there just to see the Bernini sculptures.

The Rape of Proserpina is amazing with its emotions and realism.

The detail of the finger impressions:

Apollo and Daphne

Bernini’s David in mid-action (and a self-portrait)

We walked to the Spanish Steps. They were closed for repair.

But we love this fun fountain by Bernini – The Ugly Boat.

We walked to the Trevi Fountain. Super crowded and noisy. We threw our coins in and went to find lunch.

Nowhere on my list was open for lunch. We finally walked back to this place that smelled good when we walked by.

We got gnocchi, salad, pizza, pasta (carbonara and Bolognese), fried cod, and broiled fish.

It was delicious.

Locanda Giulietta e Romeo on Via del Lavatore:

We walked to the Pantheon. Right at dusk. Super crowded. Lighting is terrible for photos.

We walked through Piazza Navona on the way back. We really weren’t that impressed.

More Bernini fountains though!

We rushed back to the Carrefour Express next to our apartment building to buy some food to prepare for Christmas Day. We knew everything would be closed for the holiday.

Then we got overly expensive takeout from the only open cafe a couple blocks over. It was just ok.

Day 4

Christmas Day.

We went to St. Peter’s Square to wait for the Pope’s Christmas address.

It didn’t seem so crowded, so I wanted to wander around inside the Basilica to look at the chapels again.

We got to witness the Pope’s Christmas morning mass.

Above the Chair are two angels bearing the tiara and keys and then a gorgeous window of Bohemian glass, divided into twelve sections as a tribute to the Twelve Apostles, and in the center, a brilliant dove.

On the left, Sts. Ambrose and Athanasius and on the right, Sts. John Chrysostom and Augustine.

St. Peter’s Chair and Canopy were both designed by Bernini.

I asked a guard if we could view the The Altar of the Crucifixion of St. Peter. He led us around the velvet ropes to a little side chapel.

Ancient tradition claims that St. Peter suffered martyrdom precisely where this altar stands. Part of the basilica is actually built on the site of Nero’s Circus.

Then we heard the Pope’s Christmas address.

We went back to the apartment for lunch.

We walked through the Jewish district and found Bernini’s Turtle Fountain. Tori loves turtles.

We kept noticing these little plaques in the street. Later, we learned about Stoplerstein.

We walked along the river, crossed over at the island, and just leisurely walked back.

Surprisingly, several restaurants were open, but we made the pasta and sauteed chicken we’d bought for dinner and it was great.

Day 5

St. Stephen’s Day. Most shops and restaurants are closed.

We visited some churches in the morning.

All the walking had been killing me, so we took the subway and it was great. Only €4,50 for our whole family one way.

Our first stop was the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Papal Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran

Across the street is the Triclinium of Leo III, the apse mosaic of the former papal dining hall of remains of the old Lateran Palace.

The mosaics depicts Christ with the Apostles in the center, Christ with Constantine and Pope Sylvester I on the left, and St Peter, Pope Leo III, and Charlemagne on the right. Pope Leo III has a square nimbus, showing that he was alive when it was made. The mosaic has been dated to the year 800, when Charlemagne was crowned in Rome.

The Scala Santa are inside that building, but can only be viewed on guided tours.

We ate lunch at Hosteria La Vacca M’briaca.

We looked a couple more churches.

Aaron wanted to see the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli.

We finally made it to the Musei Capitolino.

The museum is HUGE. The kids got audioguides and scavenger hunt papers. And they wanted to make sure they completed them.

There are many levels and courtyards with lots of sculptures and art.

Alex was THRILLED to finally see his wolf!

We also saw The Dying Gaul.

We stopped in at the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. They’d already closed their Holy Door.

We loved going to Ai Balestrari on our last night. The pizza guy made our son a reindeer pizza as a gift after we watched him prepare pizzas.

We were exhausted and ready to go home. Rome is lovely – busy and crowded, yet so full of art, good food, and life.

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Our Trip to Ireland

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March 16, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

It’s long been my dream to visit Ireland.

Since I turn the big 40 this month, we took a short trip to visit some key places in Ireland!

We flew into Kerry from Frankfurt Hahn on RyanAir.

We rented a car. That was an interesting experience for my husband, driving on the “wrong” side of the road.

We stayed at Ashford Castle.

Day 1:

We visited Kylemore Abbey.

The drive through the hills was lovely!

We had a lovely tea at Ashford Castle in the afternoon.

Day 2:

In the morning, we went on a Hawk Walk at Ashford Castle.

We walked around Galway City in the afternoon.

Day 3:

We drove over to County Meath to see Trim Castle, Newgrange, The Hill of Tara, and the City of Kells.

It was a loooong drive but all of those places were close together once we got there.

We got back to the castle pretty late that night.

Our trip was too short.

We lost two days just traveling there and home – and I had hoped we’d have more opportunity to take side trips on the way to/from the castle/airport on those days.

There were several places we longed to see, but we just ran out of time.

The speed limits on the crowded little 2-lane country roads and the rainy weather made the going very slow.

I’d love to go back to Ireland to see The Cliffs of Moher and The Burren and to visit Dublin to see The Book of Kells.

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Porto with Kids

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January 21, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 5 Comments

We needed sunshine.

Ryanair ran a sale for €10 tickets.

We went to Porto, Portugal, for Thanksgiving weekend.

It was 50* and sunny!

We stayed at Look at Me Loft apartments. Right around the corner is a market where we bought breakfast pastries, eggs, and juice.

Our first stop was to Santiago for lunch to try the Francesinha sandwich:

The girls and I ate fish. Alex enjoyed an omelet.

We loved all the tile on the buildings.

These are the Carmo and Carmelitas churches with a tiny house in between which was to keep the monks and nuns separate.

The churches are gorgeous inside.

Porto Cathedral is lovely.

We went to the Bolhão Market and bought souvenirs and had a port tasting.

It was by far my favorite port, perhaps because of the personal service.

We bought canned tea for the girls at a shop across the hall and the waiter brought the girls glasses. It was sweet and a nice respite from walking all over the hilly city.

Nata Lisboa serves the best and freshest natas.

We climbed Clerigos Tower for a lovely view.

Lello Book Shop is a must-see for any book lovers.

We bought tickets at the little red booth:

The kids loved the bookshop.

We love the pretty pastel buildings by the river.

Don’t bother eating in any of the overpriced touristy restaurants.

We walked a few blocks in and ate at Largo de São Domingos – or the LSD Restaurant.

Also recommended: Cantina 32, but their menu was a little too fancy for our kids.

Across the bridge, are the port caves.

We walked along the lower car bridge to get to the port caves and returned by the upper train bridge so we bypassed the lower riverside and didn’t have to climb back.

The Sandeman Port Tour was the highlight of the trip for all of us.

My kids are now well-versed on how port is made.

There’s a great little museum open to the public.

The comprehensive basic tour had a costumed guide who taught us how port is mixed and bottled.

She explained temperature and vat levels and showed us how they keep the humidity level stable.

There’s a wall showing the river floods thoughout the centuries.

The kids got glasses of water when we got our port tastings.

Everyone had fun dressing up and posing as the Don.

The Calem Port Tour was ok.

We had pizza for lunch at San Martino. It was very good!

We also visited the famous tiled São Bento train station.

The Equador Chocolate Shop is a feast for the senses.

Just look at all that gorgeous chocolate!

We had our Thanksgiving Dinner at O Buraco.

I liked Antunes better. It was more cozy and the food was tastier.

We enjoyed our little vacation to Porto. It was a much-needed break from clouds and cold.

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Our Greece Itinerary

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January 4, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

I’d looked at cruises and travel packages but none of them really did what I wanted.

In our homeschool, we studied ancient times in history this year and I wanted to go to Greece to see the places we learned about.

I’ve always wanted to go to Greece!

I used Airhint to find great flight deals with Ryanair. I used Booking.com for hotels. We rented a van in Athens and in Thessaloniki with CarRentals.com.

We flew from Frankfurt Hahn to Thessaloniki, then to Athens. We drove all over the peninsula, then back to Athens, flew back to Thessaloniki and explored for a couple days, then flew home to Frankfurt Hahn.

I wish we’d had more time to explore some of the islands and some other historic places.

Here’s our itinerary for our weeklong tour of the Peloponnese:

We arrived late into Thessaloniki, ate a lovely meal at the hotel and crashed before our next morning early flight into Athens.

Athens

We rented a van and parked it the whole time we were there. We spent 2 days exploring the city on foot. It’s charming and friendly.

We were able to spend the afternoon at the Parthenon Museum and have the best meal of our entire trip before crashing our last night before flying back to Thessaloniki.

Mycenae

We retrieved our rented van and drove all over the Peloponnese. We visited the archeaological site on the way to Kalamata.

Kalamata

We spent 2 nights at this beach resort. It was a much-needed rest.

Olympia

We took a day trip to the training grounds for the first Olympics while staying in Kalamata. We were surprised how much we loved this!

Nafplio

We visited this picturesque town in the morning on the way back to Athens. Great views and a bead shop.

Epidaurus

We stopped by the temple of Asclepius and the ancient theatre in the afternoon on the way back to Athens.

Thessaloniki

We rented a van and spent 2 days exploring this lovely city before flying home.

Check out our Eating Through Greece post!

Tips for traveling in Greece:

I bought Rick Steves’ book on Athens and the Peloponnese for my Kindle app on my iPad mini so I got to view it as we walked around. It was SO helpful!
Be very aware on public transportation. We didn’t even use it, but we still put our extra money and passports in our hotel safe so it wasn’t a worry. We were even warned about the metro and the Central Market by our hotel clerks.
Restaurants serve ice-cold pitchers of tap water. I love that! Be aware that some places add a charge for it. We noticed a Euro or two for water and bread on some of our bills. It didn’t bother us because we needed it after walking all day long, but you can always ask and decline if you’re on a budget or gluten intolerant.
English is spoken very well almost everywhere. Euros are the accepted money. ATMs are widely available. Cards with the pin and chip are accepted at most restaurants and shops. Cash is still needed for lots of places.
Don’t throw anything – including toilet paper! – into the toilets. There are handy little containers to place everything into beside the toilets. The pipes are apparently so easily clogged in Greece that this is the solution.

We loved our trip to Greece.

We’d love to return someday and explore the islands and other cities we didn’t have time to see.

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Eating Our Way Through Greece

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January 4, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We fell in love with the food in Greece.

We love the olive oil and oregano and fresh salad! We love the bread and grilled meats – and Tori and I love the fish!

Where we ate in Athens:

Enteka for lunch the first day.

Kid-friendly. Affordable. The staff is very friendly and fun.

Amazing souvlaki and gyros. Fresh and quick.

We went to the Horiatiko Bakery for treats.

It just beckoned to us every day as we walked by.

Super friendly. Gorgeous, pleniful selections of cakes, pastries…BAKLAVA.

Street food!

Roasted corn on the cob.

Pretzel and sesame bread rings.

Nuts and coconut strips.

The kids loved it all.

One morning, we went to Grand Dionisos for omelets.

I finally got to try Greek coffee (Ellinikos Kafes). It is SO good. We bought a set to bring home!

It’s thick and sweet and gorgeous. It comes in these little copper pots that make the coffee taste better than anywhere.

After the Acropolis, we had lunch at Dia Tauta, a touristy little place on Adrianou, near the Ancient Agora. We were starving and got a couple platters of mezes that were plenty for all of us! Delicious salad, bread, olives…and pitchers of ice-cold water kept coming! This was a place we noticed a small charge on our bill for that, but it was well worth it.

The advantage to having a teenager is that we can let the kids have street food in the hotel for dinner and go out for a date!

Great local mezes at Rozalia in the Exarcheia district.

We got zucchini fritters (Kolokithopita), meatballs (Keftedes), hummus, gorgeous salad, and wine.

Amazing organic local food at Yiantes – also in the Exarcheia district.

I wanted to try Taramosalata (fish roe dip) and I LOVED IT. My husband? Not so much. We also got some hummus so he was happy.

I got the fish with onions and tomatoes (Psari spetsiotiko).

Aaron got the hamburgers (Mpiftekia). These are not ordinary hamburgers. They are flavored with cumin and oregano and oh, so moist and tender!

The best food we had in Greece was at To Kati Allo, around the corner from the Acropolis Museum.

We felt like family staying for dinner. They didn’t have my first choice from the chalkboard menu – he said it wasn’t good enough quality to serve – so he kept bringing us dishes of everything they had.

Roast chicken, roast pork, stuffed zucchini (Kolokithia Yemista), ratatouille (Briam), salad, pita, and this amazing tomato rice pilaf (Pilafi me Saltsa Domata).

He hugged and kissed us when we left.

We all plan to go back someday. It was that good.

Where we ate in Kalamata:

We ate at the hotel the first night and had lovely pork chops and pasta with salad. Even simple food in Greece is just amazing.

Look at that gorgeous sunset!

The second night we ate at Lemoni.

It was expensive and there was a huge wedding party that arrived a few minutes after we did. I think we might have done better at one of the cafés on the beach strip.

I got the fish special and it was good. Tori got this shrimp spaghetti that was good, though not fresh. I think since it was the end of the season, they didn’t have as much to offer. The chicken souvlaki Liz got was tough but flavorful. But you don’t go to a restaurant on the dock and not get seafood.

Where we ate in Nafplio:

We stopped first at Antica Gelateria Di Roma for really delectable gelato.

So many flavors! Tiramisu, hazelnut, fruits…decisions!

We had lunch at Epi Skinis before heading out to Epidavros for the afternoon.

I got the amazing moussaka. We shared the saganaki (fried feta cheese).

The kids had fun signing the guest book and looking at the decor.

Where we ate in Thessaloniki:

The first night in Greece, we ate at our hotel.

Salad, soup, and pasta.

It was divine.

I’m not a big fan of white wine, but I love Greek white wine!

The Last Slice for lunch – for the most amazing fresh pizza. Just a fun little corner place.

We watched them twirl the dough and top it for the oven. We kept going back to order more!

Plaisir for amazing waffles and ice creams. Fun sugary goodness!

I got a sandwich and coffee. But it came with brownies and cookies!

Oval Cafe for a very expensive dinner. Nice view of the White Tower and bay.

The pastas and hamburgers were really very good. Homemade lemonade was a hit with the kids.

The desserts were pretty amazing. Rose lemon custard and this cheese tart (Kalitsounia) from Crete. It was a like a cream cheese-filled sopapilla.

Greek beer is refreshing and flavorful. Fix was our favorite. Mythos and Alfa were also good. These are all lagers.

Aaron likes ouzo but I did not care for it. The presentation is neat though.

We loved, loved, loved Greek food!

View our MAP of where we ate in Greece!

Check out our whole Greece itinerary here.

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Monkey Mountain

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December 1, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Our whole family enjoyed a visit to Monkey Mountain, La Montagne des Singes.

This zoo is about 45 minutes from Strasbourg, so it’s a perfect side trip.

Information:

More than 200 Barbary macaques roam free in 60 acres of beautiful forest.

The visit lasts approximately one hour
The path is 800 meters long
No pets are allowed in the park
Popcorn given at the entrance is the only food allowed in the park
Feeding talks are about every 45 minutes

The guide at the entrance opens the gate and scoops out about a handful of popcorn for each group. There are guides posted around the park to ensure safety of both the humans and monkeys.

The boys were a bit nervous at first.

The kids enjoyed feeding the monkeys.

Only 1 piece of popcorn in a flat, outstretched palm.

The monkeys interested in eating perched on the fences and benches.

I felt like I was in my very own National Geographic special – up close with all these gorgeous monkeys!

I love how the babies get piggyback rides.

There’s a lookout point on a hill that gives a nice view of much of the park.

This little guy was all by himself, playing on the logs at the base of this tree.

These acrobatic monkeys romped on the ropes and tree. One fell in the water and looked mighty embarrassed.

These “teenage” monkeys displayed by shaking this sign and screaming.

I made sure everyone had fed the monkeys plenty before I had my turn. They’re very quick and gentle with soft fingers.

This was a memorable trip. The kids all loved seeing the monkeys up close and feeding them!

Opening times 2016:

Open every day from 19 March to 6 November. Also open on the 11, 12 and 13 November.

March*, April: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-17.00
May, June: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-18.00
1st July – July 10: 10.00 to 18.00
July 11 to August 23: 9.30 to 18.00
August 24 to Aug 31: 10:00 to 18.00
September: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-18.00
October, November**: 10.00-12.00 / 13.00-17.00

* from the 19 March
** only from the 1 to 6 and on the 11, 12, and 13 November

On Sundays and Bank holidays, the park is open without a break at lunchtime.

Last entrance: ½ hour before the park closes

Prices 2016:

Adults 9,00 €
Children (5 to 14 years old) Free

Monkey Mountain is about 2.5 hours from Ramstein and 3.5 hours from Spangdahlem.

See our entire Black Forest Weekend Itinerary.

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Maui with Kids

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November 3, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

We spent Christmas in Maui right before our son was born.

A week in Maui was a blissful and relaxing time, even with kids.

Where we stayed:

We flew from Oahu to Maui on Hawaiian Airlines. They often post deals for inter-island hops.

Get an affordable rental car on Maui.

We stayed at Noelani Condominium Resort, near Lahaina.

It was oceanfront and had grills.

From our balcony, we could see whales frolicking in the channel and turtles near the shore!

What we did:

We love the beach! Launiupoko Beach Park is our favorite!

It’s a mostly enclosed little beach with a shallow, still lagoon that’s perfect for kids to play! The rock barrier breaks the waves and we could watch the surfers!

There was a large grassy park with grills and great facilities for families to spend the day!

We did the Atlantis Submarine. Don’t bother. A waste of time and money.

They have combo tickets for 1 adult and 1 child for $115 and additional kids are $38. You can buy photos and videos. We went down 127 ft. We didn’t see anything worthwhile.

We all loved the landscape of Haleakalā National Park.

It features the dormant Haleakalā Volcano, which last erupted sometime between 1480 and 1600 AD. There are two distinct sections: the summit area and the coastal Kipahulu area.

Take a tour of Haleakala Volcano.

Visitor Center Hours: All restrooms are open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, except when the park is closed during severe weather events.

Park Headquarters Visitor Center (7000 ft.) – 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Haleakalā Visitor Center (9740 ft.) – Sunrise to 3:00 p.m.
Kīpahulu Visitor Center (coastal) – 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m

Liz got her Junior Ranger badge.

This is a great educational program for all kids, but as homeschoolers, we love it!

We loved seeing the Hawaiian goose, the nēnē !

We went to the Maui Ocean Center.

It’s the best aquarium we’ve ever been to!

Turtle feeding time was the best!

The girls loved looking at all the colorful and fun-shaped fish!

Santa with a ray! He flashed us shakas!

Open daily: 9am-5pm
July & August: open until 6pm

Buy tickets online!

Day Passes:
Adults $25.95
Children (3-12) $18.95
Save a few dollars with the Fin-tastic Family Pass for 2 adults and 2 kids: $84.20 (can also add on additional kids).

We loved the huge 150-year-old banyan tree in Lahaina.

There are great arts and crafts fairs in this park!

Be sure to check out Lahaina Glass Blowing. We love glass and the art of blowing, but the kids were so very young. This would be a great souvenir!

We bought a lovely Christmas ornament and some fun original paintings.

Check out this Top 10 list at Wonders of Maui Activities.

What we ate:

As soon as we left the airport, we stopped at Krispy Kreme donuts!

Our favorite Chinese restaurant: China Boat. Fresh ingredients, and never any MSG.

We visited the Maui Brewing Company. Mostly because we could. Theirs is my least favorite Hawaiian beer. But I was pregnant, so it didn’t matter.

We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs on Christmas Eve at the beach!

We grilled steak for Christmas dinner at our condo. They have lovely professional outdoor kitchens!

What we’d love to go back to Maui and do:

Drive the Road to Hana and get the T-shirt! It was a just such a long drive with very little kids.
We’d love to go snorkeling when the kids are older with Things to Do on Maui or Molokini Snorkeling Tours
I know my husband would love Maui Scuba but I’m rather nervous.

We loved visiting the island of Maui and hope to return someday!

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Traveling With Kids

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October 27, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Our family has become rather accomplished travelers in the last few years.

Our priorities are to see as much as we can, spend as little as possible, and make memories while reducing the attitude of entitlement.

We want our kids to love history, art, cuisine, and culture.

We focus on the important things when we travel. I make must-see and must-do lists and we take tons of pictures. We pack light in carry-on suitcases. We don’t include electronics or lots of busy activities. They take up too much space and are a distraction from the sites.

We choose few souvenirs that are extra special. My teen is collecting keychains. We usually get all the kids something similar, like worry beads in Greece. And we almost always bring back foodstuffs. We do love to eat.

Before you go:

Read, read, read about where you’re going. Borrow or buy great books detailing the history, culture, art, and cuisine of your destination.

Watch movies to get your kids excited about what they will see.

Do arts and handicrafts.

Cook or visit a local restaurant specializing in foods where you plan to travel.

Look online and show highlights of the museums and sites you’ll visit.

Our top recommendations for traveling with kids:

We’re at a great place to travel with our youngest being 5 now.

Plane rides are easy. Car rides are better now. We don’t have to pack diapers or changes of clothing for emergencies. He’s old enough to pull his own little carry-on bag and has done so in several countries!

What do we need when we travel?

Collapsible water bottles

We love all the gorgeous free water fountains in Europe. Save money and space by refilling with eco-friendly foldable water bottles.

I especially love these fun 10-oz Little Squirts Water Bottles!

Travel Journals

My girls have used up plenty of composition notebooks journaling our travels this last year.

I just ordered these pretty Mudpuppy Kids’ Travel Specialty Journals for my middle two girls for our upcoming trip to Rome.

I’m considering making and binding some journals that are specific to our trips and what I want the kids to be learning.

Guide Books

Let the kids be part of the planning process and look at the sites for your destination.

We love Rick Steves eBooks and Mission: A Scavenger Hunt Adventure (Travel Book For Kids). I load the relevant guidebooks on my Kindle app for iPad and let the kids read about the sites we’re visiting. Some libraries even loan out eBooks!

Good Walking Shoes

I love my Keen walking sandals. These are great shoes for anything but the worst or coldest weather. My kids and husband prefer their Asics or New Balance or Brooks trainers.

We do a lot of walking so we can see and experience all the scenery, sounds, and smells.

We seldom drive or take a metro. Parking is often difficult in big European cities. If it’s something very far away – in Paris, we bought a booklet of metro passes and the Oyster card in London.

Binoculars and/or Magnifiers

A great way for kids to learn at their own pace is to look through a lens.

Many museum and church pieces are too far away to study well. Lightweight binoculars or opera glasses help kids (and adults!) see the details described in the audioguide.

Older kids could even use their own camera or device where allowed.

A Quiet Activity

I’m always on the lookout for quiet and compact activities. I usually buy each of my kids a small coloring set for airplane rides.

To occupy fidgets on long plane rides or at restaurants, I have travel coloring pencils (crayons melt!). We love coloring on napkins or paper tablecloths. I print out pages about our destinations too!

My kids are taught that waiting is normal. They are learning to sit still and quietly in restaurants and to be respectful of others. I am confident taking them to many restaurants that most consider adult-only because I know they can handle it and they love the food and experience!

I keep a little sack of tiny animal figures for downtime in restaurants. The girls love their worry beads from Greece and their little wire flowers from Prague. I have a few coloring pencils in my purse in case of emergencies. The kids often play I Spy or other word games in the car. As long as they don’t disrupt others or get mean, I’m fine with their games.

Headphones

Especially for long airplane or car trips! These keep little ones occupied with a tablet without bothering others. We like the volume limiter to protect young ears.

We especially love these iFrog headphones (we have the snail, ladybug, and turtle!) or these (recommended by my friend) fun Califone animal headphones.

A Travel Diffuser

Many European hotels don’t have different rooms dedicated to no-smoking. These little battery-operated essential oil diffusers can clean up the air while you’re out for dinner so sensitive kids (and parents) can sleep more soundly. Also, a great option to diffuse lemongrass to get rid of bugs since there are few window screens! We got eaten alive in Greece by mosquitoes. In October. We also like essential oils for car trips for a pickmeup or calm down time.

When you get home:

Continue the education with arts and handicrafts.

Go through the pictures together as you organize them into folders.

Write or draw about your favorite memories.

Read about the locale or culture or history some more.

Plan your next trip!

See my Family Travel Pinterest board:
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Netherlands with Kids

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April 9, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 3 Comments

We drove to the Netherlands for a long weekend.

It wasn’t that long of a drive from the KMC. It was about 4 hours for us.

We stayed at this absolutely darling farm in Vreeland – De Willigen Logies. It was only about 30 minutes from downtown Amsterdam.

Swans, storks, ducks, geese, sheep, cows, and a farm cat greeted us. It was magical.

We got to hold 5-day-old lambs, watch cows being milked, and pet the calves. They were all so adorable!

The storks were building a nest on a platform in a tree right next door.

We got the Holland Pass and it was worth it for the fast pass entrances, though we didn’t use all our tickets.

We ate breakfasts and dinners at our apartment. It was well-furnished and comfortable. We brought a grill pan and rice cooker with us, along with some basics. The village had an amazing grocery store where we stocked up a couple times.

Day 1: Downtown Amsterdam

We planned to drive to a train station, park the van, and take the train or Metro to downtown Amsterdam. We arrived quickly and easily to the parking area. When we found the train station, we learned that the electricity for the entire grid was down and might be hours before repair.

I had no intention of standing in the wind and cold in a train station, waiting for who knows how long, so we hiked back to the car, paid €3 for the parking that didn’t work out. Our train tickets were useless.

Driving downtown was an adventure with narrow roads, construction, cyclists everywhere, and no electricity. Trolleys were stranded and no traffic lights worked. We circled the museum district three times before we got the right configuration of one-way roads and constructions detours to pull into the parking garage.

The electricity came back on. Yay!

Then we rushed to the van Gogh Museum for the highlight of our trip. Photos are not allowed.

Shhh…we snapped a few of our favorites with our smartphone.

We were starving and bought some hot dogs at a stand to hold us over.

Since it was right across the street from the van Gogh Museum, we rushed over to see some of the Rijksmuseum before walking to the Anne Frank House for our evening appointment.

On the way to the Anne Frank House, we stopped at Sara’s Pancake House. I got the chicken and onions and the waitress suggested caramel syrup since that’s her favorite. I never would have thought but it yum.

We had a few minutes until our ticket time, so we walked around the block and just enjoyed the scenery.

The view of the Westerkerk from the canal bridge was beautiful.

We saw a few of these wheelbarrow benches in front of shops and had to try it out. Liz and Alex caught Tori unawares.

The statue of Anne Frank.

I highly recommend getting tickets online in advance to the Anne Frank House so you don’t have to wait in line. We rang the bell at a side door a few minutes before our appointment. They scanned our printed tickets and we walked on in. Perfect.

Alex did great all the through the house. He understood a lot more than I thought he would for a 5 year old! It really concerned him about the blacked-out windows. The museum-y part at the end was boring for him and he was tired. He just did awesome. No pictures allowed inside.

The canal boats docked early due to the wind and Alex was devastated. He cried the whole way back to the car. We had promised him a boat ride. We had boat tickets included with the Amsterdam Card.

I was upset too.

I wanted to cry and be carried to the car, but I’m a mom.

Day 2: Windmills and The Beach

We didn’t feel like going back downtown and figured we would explore Zaanse Schans. It was really close by.

I was worried it would be a tourist trap, but it was really quite delightful.

Each building has an educational demo or presentation.

The kids loved the shoe building with klompen demo, the clock museum, and the chocolate history presentation.

We ate pancakes at the café at Zaanse Schans. I love cafés in Europe. Pancakes, soup, beer.

We were getting cold and wet and it was still too early to head back to our apartment, so we drove over to the beach at Zandvoort.

Alex was born in Hawaii, but we moved when he was still a baby so he doesn’t remember the ocean.

We loved all the shells and sea stars!

We fell in love with Haarlem. The houses were gorgeous!

This would have been the logical time to see the Corrie ten Boom house, but I didn’t plan on that so we were probably like a block away and missed it.

Day 3: The Hague

We drove to the Maurtishuis for family day. The kids were ecstatic to do an art workshop and Aaron and I had a lovely lunch date in the museum cafe!

The last Sunday of every month is family day and kids workshops. I think it was €7 per child and well worth it! The workshop was in English and you can reserve a spot online but we just registered at the door for that afternoon (lucky!). They went on a tour looking for cloudy skies and then got to paint their own!

We saw The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer. It really is that beautiful.

They also had a special exhibit from the Frick Collection.

The kids checked out the educational backpack and loved looking for the musical instruments in one room and food items in another room.

We ate at a darling little pizza place across the plaza. It was pouring rain. We drove around and looked at the pretty architecture. There was no one out on a Sunday.

Day 4: Keukenhof

We went to see flowers at Keukenhof!

It was amazing.

I wondered if it would compare to Callaway Gardens but it was so much lovelier.

We first visited the building with the history of the tulip business. We loved reading about that. The word “tulip” comes from a Persian word, meaning “turban.” Carolus Clusius brought the first tulips to Holland in 1593.

I think we got there a tad early. Daffodils and crocuses were in bloom but not many tulips yet.

Luckily, there are several buildings with spectacular flower exhibits and we got our fill of tulips!

The floral love displays were fun for the kids!

The kids wanted to cross the pond on these platforms

Inside the main flower hall, there were these amazing flower walls that were perfect for photo backgrounds. There must have been every kind of tulip in there imaginable.

And daffodils, hyacinths, hydrangeas, begonias, and lots of other spring flowers.

We spent too much money on a rather nice lunch. But we were starving.

Alex finally got to see a windmill up close and inside.

We really like the insect gardens with beehives and houses for bugs and flowers to attract bees and butterflies.

The best part was the van Gogh flower exhibit!

There were stages and displays set up with flowers for many of his famous paintings.

We stood around and noticed all these other people climbing in for pictures.

And in Europe, there are no lines. People don’t know how to queue. They just jump in, shove past, and it seems rude to us.

The kids really loved looking at all the flowers. We spent the whole day at Keukenhof!

We really loved everything about the Netherlands. It was one of our favorite trips so far. We hope to go back to see more!

We loved the food, people, scenery, museums…maybe not so much the windy, cold weather.

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Prague with Kids

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January 26, 2015 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

We fell in love with Prague.

We love the food, the beer, the architecture.

It’s magical, even in the bitter cold of late November.

Everyone speaks perfect English. Even the little bit of Czech I rushed to learn and the app I downloaded didn’t matter. I didn’t need it.

We arrived in Prague Thanksgiving evening.

We stayed at Hotel U Medvídků Brewery. It was absolutely delightful. Complimentary mug of house beer upon check-in! The keys are mini beer barrels. The kids stayed in an amazing loft room. The breakfast buffet was the stuff of dreams. We parked our minivan right outside and paid the hotel desk clerk each day. There were also parking garages available.

First night:

We went straight to the bridge.

We trekked across the Charles Bridge several times during our weekend. It’s so beautiful!

We walked across the bridge since that seemed to be where the crowds were going.

We were cold, tired, and hungry after a long day of being in the car.

We came across the 3+3+3 restaurant and had delightful, simple Czech food – schnitzel, pečená kachna (duck leg), this crazy delicious walnut chicken.

I much prefer Czech cuisine to German! I love the schnitzel and sauerkraut in Prague!

The kids crashed back at the hotel and Aaron and I tried the brew pub at the hotel and went to bed.

Prague is the birthplace of beer.

I had a lovely special 25th anniversary edition beer (For the 25th anniversary of the Prague Spring). Aaron had the 1466. We didn’t especially care for that one.

Second Day:

We walked across Charles Bridge again in daylight and took lots of pictures of all the saints.

Then we walked back to Old Town Square.

We saw the Astronomical Clock. It’s a bit disappointing.

A lovely British couple took our family picture.

We walked through the Church of Our Lady in front of Týn. It was just gorgeous.

So much to see in Old Town Square!

I love the Jan Huss monument.

I absolutely LOVED the Jewish Quarter.

We toured museums and synagogues. Pictures weren’t allowed. It was very emotional to see the names of people in the camps during WWII. One room showed an exhibit of children’s art from Terezin. The ancient Jewish cemetery was really interesting.

The clock is in Hebrew and moves backwards:

The synagogue where the Golem legend began:

The girls loved the windows and said the building looks like it’s watching us:

We had a lovely meal at Café Lamberty. The best spinach soup ever!

We took a rest in the afternoon. We walked a lot and were so exhausted. We ventured back out. It got dark about 4:30, so that didn’t help our bodies feel very awake.

Alex’s favorite part of the entire trip? The pretty Erpet Crystal store. We did love all these art tea sets.

We happened to time it perfectly to witness the tree lighting for the grand opening of the Christmas market!

We all fell in love with chimney cakes!

We dropped the kids off at the hotel and ordered them some dinner from the accompanying restaurant.

Then we took off to explore.

Aaron and I absolutely loved the Pivovar U Fleků. We sat in the Velký sál (Large Hall).

They leave a little tab on the table and mark it with how many beers and shots you get. Good thing we walked!

I had beer cheese. It was ah-may-zing!

Aaron and I wandered around Wenceslas Square and admired the Christmas market and statue of St. Wenceslas.

Last day:

We took the street trolley up to Prague Castle. We were much more cheerful without having to hike all that way.

St. Vitus Cathedral is breathtaking.

The lighting was so dim inside the palaces and some didn’t allow photography.

The kids loved the armory and The Golden Lane. We bought some lovely Christmas ornaments as souvenirs.

On the return trip, we got off the trolley at St. Nicholas church, before the Charles Bridge.

Katie and I really loved the graffiti at the Lennon Wall.

We had fancy traditional Bohemian food at the Pension U Tri Houslicek (The Three Fiddles).

Liz got lamb and I got venison. Tori got the delectable Svickova na smetane (Beef in Sour Cream Sauce).

We walked back all over the Jewish Quarter to find this one little antique shop where I had seen this lovely crystal set.

And Aaron bought it for me.

After we dropped the kids off to bed, Aaron and I finally found Kafka.

Then we trekked down to see the Powder Gate. We found the Café de Paris.

Loved the art deco and history at Café de Paris! I imagined I was chatting with artists and writers.

We did a lot in a weekend! I’d love to go back and see more. And eat.

The kids talk about going back to Prague in the summer. We all just loved it and made wonderful memories!

Tip: Don’t bother going to U Zlatéhp Tygra. They don’t really like tourists. They blocked our entrance and waved at us and shook their heads “no” until we left.

We drove our minivan and parked outside the hotel. It’s about 5 hours from Ramstein and bout 6.5 hours from Spangdahlem.

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