Tag
scenic
45 travel notes filed under this topic.
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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.
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.
Desert, Mountains, and Wine Country
A family trip to Palm Springs brings together desert landscapes, mountain views, and nearby wine country for a relaxed and memorable stay.
Utrecht, Netherlands: Our Week 8 Finale of Family Travel
Our week in Utrecht was full of biking, canal paddling, cheese tasting, and navigating rainy days. We embraced local life, faced unexpected card issues, and enjoyed quiet moments away from tourist crowds.
Aarhus, Billund, Bremen Week 6-7
Sunday July 9th we took a 3 1/2 hour train ride from Copenhagen to Aarhus, Denmark. Copenhagen is part of the island Zealand and we've now moved over to the main peninsula of Denmark called Jutland. Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark and located on the Bay of Aarhus whi
Copenhagen, Week 5-6
From a long bus ride over the Oresund Bridge to segway tours, Tivoli Gardens, and exploring Christiania, our family’s two weeks in Copenhagen were full of honest moments, local kindness, and plenty of walking and biking.
Gothenburg, Sweden Week 5
Crossing into Sweden from the bus. Wednesday June 28th we took a bus from Oslo to Gothenburg. Just to clarify in Swedish it's called Göteborg. This was a first for us, taking a bus long distance instead of a train, but it ended up being cheaper and faster.
Flam and Scenic Norway
Flam and getting to and from Flam are getting it's own section because I have so many pictures! We were only in Flam for 1 night, on Friday June 23rd, but it left an impact. The journey to Flam from Bergen we decided to do by boat.
Oslo, Norway Week 4
Our family’s week in Oslo mixed city walks, waterfront afternoons, and a surprising ski jump encounter, with honest moments about Airbnb quirks and city noise.
Bergen Week 3
Our family’s week in Bergen brought unexpected warm weather, paragliding off Mount Ulriken, a fjord cruise, and the realities of travel with a sick kid—all framed by cobblestone streets and sea views.
Edinburgh Week Two
We took two local trains to get to King's Cross Station, then we hopped on the London Northeastern Railway to get up to Edinburgh. Parts of the train trip were very pretty, at one point coming close enough to the water to see the cliffs crashing into the North Sea.
London Week One
Wednesday May 31 st we left hot Charlotte for a cooler London, but it took 3 planes to get there and we were exhausted by the time we arrived on English soil. We flew from Charlotte to Atlanta to Amsterdam to London. O
Our Summer 2023 trip has started!
First stop Greenwich, London, UK. Bit of a round about way of getting there through Amsterdam but our Summer Europe trip 2023 has begun.
4 days until we leave!
Bags have been packed, unpacked and repacked multiple times. Things added, things removed. Getting closer to departure!
One month to go!
Getting really excited for round two. While we are finalizing a few details we are ready to go.
Less than 3 months
With less than 90 days to go until we are off again it's starting to get real. We have narrowed down our trip and continue to make tweaks here and there. We found a very convenient flight from Amsterdam to London City airport for less than the Eurostar and only a few miles from w
It's coming together
Big Trip Part Deux in 2023 is coming together. Everything is so much more expensive than the first time around which is no surprise-just frustrating. We've opted for only 8 weeks this time with fewer cities and longer stays in each.
Spoiler Alert!
We've booked flights for 2023!! More to come soon...
Last week, England Days 71-77
We spent a relaxed week in Bath catching up with family, exploring old haunts, and savoring tea. Our journey took us through quaint towns, Harry Potter filming spots, and a farm owned by Jeremy Clarkson.
England, Days 61-70
Our England plans shifted a lot due to illness, leading to low-key walks on the Isle of Wight, a creative free view of Stonehenge, and a memorable detour in Wells. Despite setbacks, we found joy in simple moments and family visits.
Athens, Greece Days 53-60
Home to the Parthenon, Acropolis and the original Olympic Stadium is the city of Athens. We really didn't know what to expect from Athens before arriving, but from the airport to downtown there are mountains all around and almost desert like conditions.
Rome, Italy: Days 48-52
After a long travel day from Trieste to Rome via train, we settled into a unique Airbnb in Trastevere. Our days included walking through historic sites, a lively food tour in Testaccio, and exploring the Colosseum with Rick Steves' audio guide.
Rovinj, Croatia: Days 43-47
A few days in Rovinj, Croatia, with family walks through old town, zip-lining over Pazin Abyss, rocky beach mornings by the Adriatic, and an evening at Pula Arena's gladiator show.
Slovenia-Rovinj, Croatia, Days 40-42
Our last days in Bled included a chilly rafting trip on the Sava River, exploring the vast Postojna Cave and cave castle, then crossing into Croatia for kayaking and cliff jumping near Rovinj.
Bled, Slovenia Days: 34-39
Settling into our Lake Bled Airbnb, we balanced peaceful mornings with some unexpected construction noise, enjoyed tobogganing, hiking Mostnica Gorge, exploring Radovljica, and relaxing lake paddleboarding with family.
Ljubliana, Slovenia: Days: 30-33
Upon arrival in Ljubliana we walked the wrong way out of the train station and had to turn around and go back through the station to get to the other side, but then we found our way to our Airbnb.
A Blip in Austria: Days 29-30
On June 21st, we left Prague with some travel hiccups—train delays, bus transfers, and lost items—but enjoyed scenic train rides through Austria, ending the day in Linz with a quiet family evening.
Final Prague Post, Days 26-28
On Saturday I found a place to go cherry picking. The Czech's have a fruit initiative that I believe was started in Germany to help feed the community. So they've gone and planted fruit trees and people maintain them and plant new ones when needed.
Prague, Days 21-25
Monday, Day 21, the boys didn't leave the Airbnb at all. They wanted a day to do nothing, so we let them have it. Paul and I decided to sit at a café and have a coffee in the morning, then went to the grocery store.
Prague, Czech Republic Days 16-20
We arrived to our 6th country on Wednesday afternoon and quickly learned that this isn't going to be as easy as the rest of the countries we've been in so far. In France, Germany, and Belgium it seemed like everyone spoke at least some English.
Nuremberg, Germany Days 13-16
We arrived in Nuremberg in just a couple of hours from Frankfurt, but then had to lug our suitcases up a very steep hill to get to the castle at the top, where our hostel for the next few days is. This is a youth hostel called DJH Jugendherberge.
Frankfurt, Germany Days 11-13
On Friday, we had to take 5 trains from Brugge to our final destination in Germany where we met my cousins. Our German relatives really know how to make us feel welcome. We were picked up from the train station and brought back to Karina and Martin’s house .
Brugge: Days 6-11
Our family’s slow-paced days in Brugge included a scenic bike ride to the Netherlands, a cozy steakhouse dinner, exploring a unique church swing, and quiet evening walks through nearly empty streets.
Paris: Days 2-6
The first days of our adventures went fairly smoothly, besides the hiccup with the car service picking us up late, and when we got to NYC we weren't able to get into the Delta Sky Miles club that Paul had pre-arranged, but the ever determined hubby of mine got it rectified!
We are off!! Day 1
Day 1: The car service wrote down the wrong date so they ended up being half hour late picking us up, which caused a bit of anxiety to start the trip off, but there was no traffic getting to the airport and our driver was from Boston, so all is good! We are off! 😁
Counting Down: 4 Days to Go!
With just four days left before our big Europe 2022 adventure, we're feeling a mix of excitement and quiet anticipation as we prepare for family travel across nine countries.
One week to go!
Just one week to go before the big trip. Pets have been shipped off with the Grandparents and we are now ready to finally start packing. Each of us will have one bag and one carryon so will be interesting to see how we do for the next 3 months.