Moonlight Beach (Encinitas, CA)

Summer 2008


We met a bunch of friends and their families at Moonlight beach in Encinitas yesterday. It was so fun... the kids had a great time boogie boarding during the day and playing baseball on the sand as the sun went down. Is there anything better than watching the sun go down at the beach? It was gorgeous. We roasted hot dogs and made smores over the bonfire. Moonlight Beach in Encinitas is our favorite spot -- and it is less than an hour from our house...


Copyright 2008

Beaver Lake (NW Arkansas)

Summer 2008


My parents recently bought a lakehouse in NW AR at Beaver Lake. My two brothers live and work in Fayetteville, which is about 30 minutes from the lake. It is a beautiful lake and the girls had a great time on the boat. If you are looking for quiet and peaceful escape -- this is your place. Rogers is a quaint town -- check out Slim Chicken's restaurant there. It has great food (and happens to be one of my brother's restaurants, so I am really not biased at all).
I will try to add some more pics soon -- it is really gorgeous there -- and my parents have a great view of the lake.

Copyright 2008

Maryland & DC

Summer 2008

We took the girls to Maryland and DC for the 4th of July and stayed with some old friends in Bethesda... We also stopped by to visit one of my funniest friends, Maggie and her family in Olney... She has a great blog here. On our way to stay with my husband's mother, we stopped by to visit one of our most entertaining friends near Annapolis and he told us how much he LOVES our blog about travelling with kids. He has just become a father himself to a sweet little girl and he is thinking about "blogging" soon. He is just having a hard time deciding on the theme. Here are some topics he is contemplating: "Backyard bird-watching with Daddy" or "A dad's guide to the perfect block party" or my favorite, "The suburban dad's shopping guide." I guess we will just have to wait and see what he picks. He is quite the poet, so I am sure he will be a great blogger. Can you tell that he loves to have his picture taken?

We went with Grandy to Hanover, PA to visit Nana -- she just moved into a nursing home and seems to have adjusted very well. The girls had a great visit with her.


We stayed with Grandy in Arnold, MD... had some crabs, walked around Annapolis and had a great time. The girls loved her dog, Tarquin.

We made a few stops in DC -- Capitol Hill (where I used to live), Smithsonian - Air & Space museum & Natural History museum and the Mall to see the monuments... and the Capitol. The girls loved it. You could spend days here and not see all the sites. Plan your trip soon -- it is amazing...






Copyright 2008

Arizona

Spring 2008

We took the girls to Scottsdale for a few days for spring break this year.

We stayed at the Phoenician, which is a great resort to stay with children. The huge slide at the pool was a big hit and the rooms and service are really fabulous. We were there for Easter weekend and the Easter bunny hand delivered Easter baskets to the room for the girls and they had a wonderful Easter carnival on the grounds that day, too.


We decided to hang out at the resort all morning and head into Tempe for the afternoon.
I graduated from ASU and we thought the girls would like to visit (it's never too early to start the "college talk"). We took them to the campus on a Sunday when school was not in session and the girls kept saying, "This place is so big" and "How much more walking do we have to do?" (This is why I road a bike everyday -- the campus is not small ;-) So, the tour lasted a couple hours with a quick drive through Mill Avenue (definitely stop here is you have time) and we headed back to Scottsdale...
We ate at one of the best pizza places in Old Town Scottsdale called Grimaldi's. They have coal burning ovens... and the only other place I have had pizza this good was in New York... Scottsdale is a great place with great restaurants (and people have discovered this). So, expect to wait for a table when eating out at one of the popular restaurants... We met a lady at the resort who waited an hour and a half (with a reservation) to be seated with her family at Don & Charlie's... Is it worth the wait? I guess that depends on how hungry you are ;-)
The next day we decided to take a trip up to Sedona. We booked the Pink Jeep tour and took the Ancient Ruins tours. Tip: book Pink jeep tour at least a week in advance...
You do really step back in time as you explore a 700 year old Sinaguan cliff dwelling. Some of the cave drawings date back over 5,000 years. It is the only place like it in the United States.
It was absolutely unbelievable and our guide, Dan was a wealth of information.

Our girls loved it, too. Sedona is really a magical place... next time, we will spend more than a day here... there is so much to see.
On our way back to Scottsdale, we stopped at another pizza place (yes, we love pizza) called Picazzo's... it is outside the touristy Sedona center of town ("Uptown") and frequented by locals... (our guide told us to stop here). Great place.
Arizona still remains as one of my favorite places in the whole world... and my family agrees... We will be back again soon to explore some more...


Copyright 2008

Venice, Italy

Summer 2007

We drove into Venice to drop off the rental car -- that was another crazy trip... The rental car agent was so sweet... Apparently, they have been in the midst of construction on one of the bridges by the train station, which is where we had to drop off the car. So, many of the water taxis and water buses were canceled or delayed. He walked us over to an out of the way water taxi stand and driver and helped load us into the taxi... All of this he did without being asked and with a huge smile on his face... Love it already!

The ride was awesome... the girls were in heaven... A city on water... What could be better? We stayed on the Lido, which is the island right off of Venice. At the time, it was a great idea because our hotel had Venice on one side and the Adriatic Sea on the other, so we were beachfront. Now, in retrospect we would definitely stay in Venice and just walk wherever we wanted to go. While on the Lido, we had to take the water shuttles over to Venice and back... This was the best part of the trip for the girls, but very time consuming.

The main thing I can say about Venice is you have to see it for yourself. The people are fascinating... like the mask maker we met in a little shop when we bought our authentic carnival masks to take home... She actually closed her shop to take us over to another one to look at some other masks when we couldn't make up our mind. She was wonderful...
And, the waiter who stopped us and convinced us to come into his restaurant to have dinner... another great meal -- the food is really out of this world!
Or, the glass maker apprentice who educated us about the glass making done on the island of Murano. Here's a tip: go to Murano to watch the glass blowers, but buy your glass in Venice (it is less expensive and the same Murano glass)...

Our first water taxi ride... so much to see...

One of many gorgeous gondolas...

St. Marks Square and the pigeons (the girls loved this part, so we did it twice!)

A view from the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica...

We left when the sun was coming up and began our long journey back home... As our water taxi pulled into the train station, I was sad to leave and thought to myself, "We will be back again someday soon."


"Not soon enough..."



Copyright 2008

Tuscany (Sinalunga, Siena)

Summer 2007

Getting out of Florence was really a trip... We were going to stop at some of the outlets we were hearing so much about on our way to Tuscany ... Gucci, Prada, Armani, etc... My husband was not as excited about this stop as I was (I can't imagine why). But, it was really fun once we got here (after being lost about 3-4 times trying to find it)... Whose idea was this anyway??? We had lunch at the outdoor outlet and it was actually really good. We bought a couple things, but didn't break the bank... and off we go to Amorosa. Amorosa is a small village next to Sinalunga. Sinalunga is a town and commune in the province of Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy... I know... it took me about 2 days to figure this out ;-) The funny thing about driving here is that they have these great turnarounds (if you know DC at all, we are talking a crazier version of Dupont Circle). It is not crazy because it is so crowded... It is crazy because each turnaround has about 10-15 signs that mark different places (and directions). We found ourselves going around the circle a few times to try to catch the sign (and direction) we needed.
We did find our way, eventually... and getting lost in Tuscany is not so bad... But, you do get a little nervous when you stray off the beaten path and you do not speak the language.
Our hotel in Amorosa -- amazing grounds... and wonderful staff:

Walking up a street in Siena:

More gelato...

The piazza of Siena...

The town of Siena is fascinating. They are probably best known for the Palio, which is a horse race that lasts less than 2 minutes. It is the subject of debate and competition all year round and can cause men and women to laugh or cry. The Palio is considered the greatest traditional festival in Siena. Personally, I am glad we weren't there for it (it is held on July 2nd and August 16th) because it sounds kind of like the "running of the bulls" where the horses (and riders) can be injured or killed in the name of sport... But, it is a tradition that has been going on for centuries... you be the judge.
Siena is divided into seventeen contrade, or areas of the city. The Sienese people belong first to a contrada and then to the city. Each street has the crest posted boldly stating their contrade. Their pride and loyalty is really amazing.

Copyright 2008

Florence, Italy

Summer 2007

Italy is truly as wonderful as people say it is... I always knew it would be true... But, it is such an amazing place. I don't even know if I can describe it and do it justice... but, I will try. Our girls absolutely LOVED it as much as we did!
Here they are right outside our hotel -- you can see the Duomo down at the end of the street... You have to visit the Duomo and climb the 467 stairs to the top... It was a little cramped at times, but well worth the view when you get to the top.

Now, on to the food and the gelato. There was the best little gelato shop on the corner by our hotel -- the gelato shops are everywhere and so amazingly delicious! This was my favorite city with regard to the food... The paninis were a favorite as well. We stopped at a small restaurant run by one very nice lady and had our lunch both days. Everything was fresh. The paninis and pizzas were the best. We would sit with the girls in the only 4 stools she had and watch the locals come in to visit with her and pick up a little snack... We also had dinner at two different restaurants recommended by the staff at Residence Hilda (always ask the staff where to eat) and the pasta was incredible. We had some of our best meals here.
We also visited the Accademia museum that has the world famous sculpture of David by Michaelangelo, which was absolutely incredible! It is massive at 17 feet tall... It is hard to believe that he sculpted this by hand many centuries ago.
I would suggest ordering your museum tickets ahead of time or arriving as soon as the museum opens or you will wait for an hour or two in line. But, the people watching and little stores around the museum really can make the time fly...
We also went to the Uffizi museum across town... walking in Florence can be an adventure -- bring your walking shoes!
My favorite was the Birth of Venus by Botticelli (I think it is the favorite of many who visit the museum).
This gallery was right across the street from our hotel... We loved watching this dog in the doorway...

After a couple of days we are ready to head to our next stop -- Tuscany. We decide to rent a car and drive... seriously, it sounded like a great idea at the time ;-)



Copyright 2008

London to Florence

Summer 2007

We were on our way to a 10-day trip to Italy via London.
We flew Virgin Atlantic from LAX to London -- and had a great experience again! It is just a fabulous airline. We arrive in London and stay at the Marriott London County Hall right by the London Eye. Hotels in London are not cheap, but the Marriott is a great location... right next to the River Thames and withing walking distance to the London Eye (where we met a funny Brit named Elvis... classic!)




Now, we decide that we want to have an adventure, so we are going to take a train to Italy... We take the Eurostar from London to Paris -- amazing train experience. Then, we need to take a cab to the train station across town to pick up the overnight train to Florence. Now, we are feeling pretty good after the Eurostar (fast train) experience and are so excited. We get to the train station and wait... This is also the time I realize I need to really double check the signs when reading them. When the girls have to go to the bathroom, we walk right over to the sign that looks like a girl and walk right in -- to the MEN'S bathroom... Yikes!!! Well, there was noone in there, so we weren't tipped off by the people in the bathroom... It did look kind of odd when we walked in and there were no toilet seats and they had urinals in the back area. I just thought -- 'those wacky Europeans and their odd restrooms.' I finally realized what happened when we were met by a group of men coming in as we were leaving... I laughed about this for a while -- the girls did not ;-)
So, we get on the train and are sent to our compartment/room... We accept that this small little place will be our home for the next 16 hours and we are fine with it (until about 2am when my husband and I are bouncing around the top bunk and unable to sleep at all). We finally move down to the bottom bunk and slide in next to the girls... Mind you... the bunks are about half the width of a twin bed... We were so tired, we became really slap-happy... all the while the girls were sleeping like little angels... And, by the way, they LOVED the train ride.
Our daughter here is loving the top bunk (until later in the night when she wants to move down to the bottom one)...

Daddy trying to sleep (in the same bunk with our daughter)...

The view from the train before the sun set... makes it all worth while! Only 12 more hours to go (in the dark ;-)


We arrive in Florence and get our passports back after quite a long wait (did I tell you that they keep your passports when you get on the train, so thiefs won't jump on at one of the stops and have some easy 'picking' while you are asleep?). This was told to us by a local when we were having a hard time giving up our passports to our valet at the beginning of the trip. This is how they do things and we were not there to argue. But, it was weird and we did make sure our compartment was locked tightly when we were going to bed...

The train station in Florence was pretty deserted -- except for our fellow train passengers. We could not find a cab to save our lives... So, we waited and waited and waited. We were going to call a cab or the hotel -- like some of the other weary travelers were doing -- but my cell phone battery was dead... of course it was ;-) So, we waited and waited... Then, a cab pulled in looking for someone who had called for one... He couldn't find the person who called him and asked us if we needed a ride... "SI, GRAZIE!!!"

He was a very nice man and knew exactly where our hotel was in Florence... So, we were on our way!




Copyright 2008

Alaska

Summer 2007

We have always wanted to go to Alaska and from what we read and heard, cruising is the best way to see it. So, we had such a great time on the Princess cruise last summer in Europe... we booked it for Alaska -- Inner Passage.
We arrived in Seattle a day ahead of time to see a bit of the city and be ready to get on the ship without any delays on the day of departure.
Seattle is a great city... It is a hidden gem and we loved it. We stayed downtown and walked down to the Market by the docks the next morning. The people are great and we made a mental note that we have to go back with the kids and spend more time there.
My parents came along with us for the cruise because they have always wanted to see Alaska, too. We board the ship and are so excited for the adventure that lies ahead...
The girls know the drill... and take their positions on our room's balcony as we leave the port... So much ahead for us... we are very excited...


Now, we found cruising to be amazing. You can book excursions at each port through the cruise ship or you can explore on your own. Since, we have never been to any of these places, we chose to book some shore excursions... most of which my parents joined us, which made it really fun.

Juneau -- summer dog sledding camp:

Now, if you are an animal lover like me, you may think that this is not fun for the dogs... But, we came to learn that the dogs absolutely LOVE it... you can see from this picture that they are rolling around or waiting to get going... They love to run and this is their workout for the winter races... The trainers treat them so well and truly love all the dogs:


Tracy Arm Fjord -- glacier cruising:
If you have never seen a glacier... please put it on your list! It is an unbelievable sight to see... really takes your breath away:


Ketchikan:
We were feeling very adventurous and decided to book the sea plane excursion to a crab feast at the George Inlet lodge. Now, our 6 year old daughter had such a brave face. But, as soon as we were all fastened in with our headphones on (in an 8 seater plane) and we started to taxi out into the choppy water for our takeoff... the waterworks began. It may have been a year or two too early for her because our 8 year old thought it was a blast. I have to say that I thought it was a little scary, too... Shhh! We kept her distracted for the 15-20 minute flight when we landed (on the water) at the lodge for the crab feast...
After our arrival with our pilot (Granny is happy to be on solid ground, can you tell?):

Here's our little plane... leaving... we are taking a bus back to the ship... (big sigh of relief from my youngest (and me)... ;-)


Copyright 2008

Paris

Summer 2006


Does it live up to the hype? Yes and No... Yes -- it is absolutely gorgeous... the buildings almost seem fake they are so ornamented and over the top. No -- because the rude Parisians really can ruin it for you... We actually had a sales lady (in a store that we were shopping at) make some odd noise and flick her finger at us when we asked her where something was... Now to be fair, we weren't speaking French, but even when you try the basics... it seems to offend them... And, this was a tourist spot we were at and many different languages were being spoken. I do have to say as a side note how amazed we were by how many people from other countries did speak English... Our driver in Holland spoke something like 4-5 languages. But, they do teach them this in school... Our kids are lucky if they learn Spanish in school... I did find that most Americans expected the locals to speak English, which is very presumptuous and arrogant in itself. A little tip -- try to learn at least the basics of the language in the country you are visiting... i.e., "hello," "goodbye," "thank you," "excuse me," you will find that most people you meet really do appreciate it. Not so much in Paris though... ;-)
The only analogy I can give you is this -- Paris is like a beautiful woman who is very conscious of her beauty and it defines her...
Whereas, a place like Bruge is like a beautiful woman who is unaware of how beautiful she is and carries on like everyone else...
Our port was Le Havre and the ride (by bus) into Paris was almost 3 hours... Our guide was from outside Paris and she was very sweet... she tried to explain the arrogance of the Parisians, but you have to see it to believe it... She also assured us that all Parisians are not this way and most French people do not have this attitude either... We only went to Paris, so we cannot confirm or deny this.
Now, the city itself is probably one of the prettiest I have ever seen... and they know this. They pride themselves on being the most beautiful city in the world. Now, I haven't been close to seeing every city in the world, but it is difficult to believe there is a prettier one out there... The food, the Louvre, the Eiffel tower, the shopping, the Arc de Triomphe, the museums... all of this is hard to argue with...


But, when we are traveling with our girls -- the locals and their personalities define a place more than the beauty we see... Anyway, we did see some amazing architecture and historical sites and I am so glad we went... Would we go back to Paris? Maybe without the kids... maybe not...
Now, I would like to explore some of the towns outside of Paris someday, but it did drop down on our list of places we have to see after this visit...

Copyright 2008

Bruge, Belgium

Summer 2006

This was probably my favorite city so far... It is absolutely gorgeous and the people are fabulous. We took a walking tour and it was so wonderful. This is the town center that I wanted to stay at forever...

We saw a few very old churches tucked away here and there and they let you take pictures inside at the one below... So, I had to play the ugly American and get a shot... Just think... if I didn't, you wouldn't be able to see it -- so there. ;-) I loved this church... it was tiny and lit up by the sunlight.

Then, we had to see the canal by boat/taxi. The 'taxi drivers' here are so cute and apparently it is a very coveted position... They like Bruge being small and quaint and we get the feeling they want to keep it that way... I am not sure if it will remain undiscovered when the new Colin Farrel movie comes out this year... That should be a great one -- at least I know the setting is amazing -- Colin Farrel is not too bad either...

If you do get a chance to visit Belgium... the chocolate is truly as amazing as they say... They are the only place allowed by law to use more cocoa in their chocolate (or so they told me) and you can really taste the difference... Chocolate stores are all over the place and well worth a visit to stock up. We had our bag on our slow walk back to our ride... we didn't want to leave...



Copyright 2008