Blog
Travel Notes
Stories from our family's travel.
Stories first, useful details second, and enough context to understand what we would do again.

Vilnius
Traveling from Krakow to Vilnius brought typical airport rushes and delays, but also a surprising gluten-free pizza find and a sobering visit to the KGB museum amid a heat wave.

Krakow
Tuesday morning June 23rd, we left early from Zakopane taking the train to Krakow. The train journey was quite pleasant and empty. We had a slight delay which I thought was longer than it actually was so I told the boys to go down to the dining car and order some food for lunch,.

Zakopane, Poland
Days 1-3: We had a very smooth easy flight from Charlotte to Munich, Where only a little sleep was had by Paul and I apparently the boys didn’t sleep at all. Then got through border control very smoothly in Munich it only took minutes so that left us a couple hours to wander...

On our way through Poland and the Baltics
Our 19-day family trip through Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland has begun. Follow along as we explore cities, nature, and history.

Days 13-17: Tokyo
Monday April 14th continued We stayed in an area called Asakusa. That evening we decided to keep things easy and go get burgers, then walked around a huge temple, Senso-Ji, which was very pretty at night but still very crowded.

Days 12-13: Hakone
Rain and fog changed our plans in Hakone, Japan, but we found comfort in an onsen resort, a windy ropeway ride, a pirate ship cruise, and unexpected views of Mt. Fuji from a lakeside shop.

Days 8-11: Kyoto
Wednesday April 9th We decided to not waste the last morning in Hiroshima, since we loved this city so much, and walked up to the castle. We walked the grounds and inside the rebuilt castle (it was destroyed during the bomb of course) fairly quickly since we had to be back in tim

Days 6-7: Hiroshima
Monday April 7th It was time to take our first bullet train. We took a taxi to the train station and bought our Shinkansen tickets. They are not cheap, but the train was 2 ½ hours to get to Hiroshima instead of a 6 hour drive. The boys got bento boxes to eat on the train.

Days 1-5: Nagoya
Wednesday April 2nd 3:00 AM I lie awake and hear the first signs of life in the house, Kyle getting up and jumping into the shower. Slowly the rest of us get up and start getting ready. We leave the house just before 4:00.
We are heading to Japan!
Heading to Japan!

Canada Calling
A Summer Adventure Through Majestic Landscapes and Historic Cities: What an unforgettable summer adventure we had in Canada during July 2024! From the bustling streets of Montreal to the breathtaking heights of Quebec City and the serene beauty of the region's natural wonders,...

2024 Plans
2024 is going to be a much shorter trip and this time stateside up to Canada. Camps and work have made and extended stay overseas difficult but we intend to make the most of it! We'll be in Montreal and Quebec for 10 days but it's jammed packed with experiences.
Follow Along
New Travel Notes when there is something worth remembering.
Occasional travel writing, family-tested ideas, and the slow build toward better recommendations.
No popups, no spam, minimal tracking, and no selling personal data.