When we upgraded our family from a Team of 4 to a Team of 5, along came a few big changes. People joke about changing from ‘man-to-man defense’ to ‘zone defense’ but I never found that an apt description. I’ve been more interested in the logistical and infrastructure changes for our travel. Western society has …
Vilnius can easily be a jumping-off hub for your Lithuanian exploration. There are two excellent sites you must see when you’re near Vilnius: Trakai and Kernave. The Trakai Island Castle is a gorgeous, red-brick complex built in the 1400s (10am-5pm, later in spring/summer). It’s similar in design and history to Poland’s Malbork Castle, though Malbork holds …
Kaunas is a hidden gem in Lithuania. It’s compact old city boasts charming accommodations and a thriving foodie scene. The easy parking (0.60 EUR/hour until 6pm, free on weekends) and proximity to attractions make Kaunas an excellent and reachable destination from Lithuania’s capital city of Vilnius. Kaunas is just an hour by train from Vilnius …
Oversimplifying traveller types to two categories could go like this: Type A travelers want to see things while Type B travelers want to experience things. This dichotomy leads down two very different paths so let’s use Paris for example. The Type As will spend their time ascending the Eiffel Tower and nudging their way past …
While I will never be able to pronounce the city name Hellevoetsluis, I give it my highest recommendation for a day-trip. It’s a town full of Dutch delights from a windmill to a historic fort – both accessible to the youngest of visitors. Beware, however, as German tourists have found Hellevoetsluis and you’ll be surrounded …
This post contains affiliate links. Lithuania isn’t at the top of most travel bucket lists. Actually, no Baltic state finds its way to the top of travel lists, but they should. We had previously visited Estonia and Latvia, so Lithuania was our last Baltic state to visit. We had lovely visits to all three and …
I recently read an article that tackled the question, “Tuscany or Provence?” That was the first time I thought of the two locations comparatively. Italy’s Tuscany is a magical place full of history, vineyards and culinary delights. France’s Provence is, well, describable in very much the same way. Interestingly, we visited both Tuscany and Provence …
Delft is an ideal launch-point for adventures in the Netherlands. It’s connected to neighboring cities Den Haag (The Hague) and Rotterdam by rail, an easy 12-25 minute trip. Further, Delft is an easy 40 minutes by train from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and under an hour from Amsterdam proper. Since I can think of no better …
For a weekend break in the winter, we chose Stockholm. The disadvantages are obvious: frigid temperatures, a pittance of daylight and few outdoor activities open. The advantages, however, are a bit more subtle. Flights were cheap (Amsterdam-Stockholm) and hotels were running special winter weekend rates. Plus, what toddler doesn’t love snow play? Stockholm plays host …
The Dutch take their voetbal (soccer) quite seriously so it took a couple of years before we felt it was a good idea to take our oldest to a soccer match. There is a small history of violence at some soccer matches in the Netherlands due to hooligans in the stands, but we felt perfectly …