Slot Loevestein has everything required for a wonderful outing with the littles. Like many of the great finds in the Netherlands it is part of the Museumkaart program, making it free to cardholders. Slot Loevestein is a medieval castle build in the late 1300’s as part of the Hollandic waterline defense system of the Netherlands. The …
Essaouira was a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech’s Medina. The kids were dying for a place to run around uninhibited. I needed some fresh air, a change of scenery and some breathing room. We booked our Essaouira tour through Maroc Excursions. Turns out their office was located just a block …
Just a few minutes from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport lies FloraHolland’s impressive flower auction facility . FloraHolland’s Aalsmeer is the world’s largest trading center of plants and flowers. If you want to take in the hustle and bustle of the auction, arrive early. On this January morning it was still quite dark as we arrived at 8am and parked …
Happy New Year! Jeff and I have rung in the New Year in quite a few places. In Hawaii we watched lava flows instead of fireworks. We spent a random New Years in Canada at an Irish Pub near some glowing oil refineries. (It was more romantic than it sounds.) Last year we were in …
This walk-able roller coaster is another stop from my Pinterest travel board. I was positively giddy when I sat down to plan the Germany Christmas Market Trip and realized it would take us right past the Tiger & Turtle in Duisburg, Germany. The public art sculpture is easy enough to find. There are signs and …
The Bourtange Star Fort was built to protect the only road linking Germany and Groningen. Since we spent the night in the fort we decided to head into Groningen and check out the 13th century trade city. As Jeff said, we wanted to see what was worth all the protection. Parking was incredibly easy to …
Tilburg is home to the La Trappe Monastery and Brewery. We made what I hope is our first of many stops here. The brewery’s location makes it the perfect stop for lunch. We were not disappointed by the lunch offerings or the beer. I had a salad that was to die for. I saw tons …
Fort Bourtange was another “saw it on Pinterest” bucket list find for the Netherlands. This star fort on the German border was built to control the only road from the city of Groningen into Germany, but it’s now one of the most charming places we have visited. I’ve read a few blogs about the fort overflowing …
How does one randomly end up in Eulenbis, Germany? Well, you have an amazing friend, lets call her A, from Colorado who is willing to let you and your crazy family come stay at her house. (Let this be a warning that if you invite us, we are likely to accept the invitation.) Eulenbis is about …
We typically get an earlier start than most of Europe. Thinking we needed a stop before arriving at the Heidelberg Christmas Markets we drove to a nearby town to check out a castle ruin. The castle is seated on top of a vineyard. The Internet wrongly informed us we would be hiking through the vineyard …