The stunning landscapes of Germany mesmerized us. Munich and Frankfurt are the big cities I’ve been to in Germany. I was impressed by the greenery and the architecture of course.
from internetMunich
The city life at night made me interested in going back for a longer trip someday and making my way through all the burgs and schlosses. A friend of mine made a 3-week trip with her sons out of visiting a friend in Germany so I am curious about creating an itinerary someday to really study it.
When we drove into Germany (while staying in Switzerland), we went to a bakery for some pastries and we drove past a vineyard which we were not expecting in Germany of all places! Castles and cathedrals seem to be the pride of Germany sightseeing. I’m interested in returning to Germany and seeing the following:
Neuschwanstein Bavaria—the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty castle
Cathedral of Cologne- 3rd tallest cathedral in the world. (I love Gothic architecture)
Black Forest
Christmas Market in Nuremberg
Heidelberg Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle
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Brussels, Belgium looked like it belonged in a fairy tale. The plaza is called the most “medieval square in all of Europe” because of the architecture of the buildings there. The ladies had a preppy sophistication to them and the square had wonderful aromas of Belgian beer, chocolates, Belgian waffles with strawberry sauce, etc.
We could have stayed all day in the plaza/square and continued to soak up the atmosphere but we eventually left to visit our cousin’s home nearby. At night, we watched him perform in a pub. This was a unique experience for our elementary school aged sons because they had never been in a bar at midnight!
Belgian waffles
After we checked into our hotel in Brussels, we met our cousins in the town plaza which is known as the most medieval square in all of Europe for its massive, colossal, awe-inspiring cathedrals and buildings. We took a plethora of photos of the buildings and our cousins regaled us in stories of the buildings’ history. For example, there is a story that the architect of one of the towering buildings found a flaw in the structure design and threw himself off of the building in despair. This fascinated our young sons. The drama and intensity of being so passionate about one’s art was illustrated so poignantly in this story –and right there before their eyes where they could understand the beauty of these ornate buildings. The Flemish facades on the cobblestone square with massive Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance exteriors from the 17th century Neo-classical era made Brussels a thriving and historic center of commerce.
As we walked through the plaza with our talented, interesting cousin and his boisterous, exotic wife, we absorbed all of the Belgian delights on every corner. Our eight year old son was a perfect taste-tester of Belgian chocolates and Belgian waffles. The sight of him engrossed in a Belgian waffle with whipped cream and strawberries was hedonism at its best. On one corner, he’d find his sweets and pastries and on the next, we found Belgian beer—another delight! People gath- ered in the afternoon at the pubs in convivial leisure with their beers and Belgian fare which looked like sports bar food to me.
Suggested reading: Belgium for Tourists by Taggart DK Eyewitness
asleep at midnight in a tavern listening to our cousin play guitar
Descriptions about Brussels can be found in the book A Magic Carpet Ride. Profits from the book will go to various charities.
Dubai in United Arab Emirates is a city with incredible skyscrapers AND a desert! We only connected through Dubai to India. While landing at the airport, we looked for the Burj Khalifa skyscraper out of the airplane window. This city has so many interesting fun facts! When making our itinerary for our India trip, we considered staying in Dubai to do a desert camel experience but changed our plans. However, if we are able to go back someday to Dubai for an actual stay, I plan to learn more about what to do there and how to prepare for a trip there. Some of the excursions there include:
helicopter tours
desert safaris
show cruises
My sons were interested in the Burj Khalifa building and I bought them a souvenir of this building in the airport gift shop. This made me curious about the fascinating architecture there and how this modern city has evolved. To learn about the fun facts for kids and adults, click on this link: http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-dubai-3099.html
suggested reading: Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson
Watch this video to see the Burj Khalifa building!
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Zurich, Switzerland is a cosmopolitan, chic city. A friend of ours was the perfect tour guide of this stunning city. After we had enjoyed several days of a “retreat” up in the Alps in picturesque Churwalden, we were ready for the city “hustle-bustle” action.
from internet
Zurich had the Swiss, fresh air and the breathtaking views with clear lakes, swans and gorgeous architecture. The shops and restaurants were glamorous and the farmers market was quaint and grand at the same time! A combination of both a bus tour and a walking tour gave us a feel of the city. And later in the week, we rented a car and drove to Lake Lucerne which has its own beauty. The famous covered bridge at Lake Lucerne was a photo stop for many tourists. The historic bridge, Kapellbriche (“chapel bridge) is unique because it is a covered wooden footbridge which had interior paintings in it dating back to the 17th century. Those painting and part of the bridge were destroyed in a fire in 1993. It is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe and the world’s oldest surviving truss bridge.(photo above from internet)
A good itinerary of Switzerland is:
Zurich– a couple of days here is good in order to do a bus tour, walking tour and check out the restaurants and street life. The Armory is a recommended restaurant.
Chur and Churwalden– lovely alpine village towns. One of the longest alpine slides/alpine rides in Europe is in this area.
Basel– borders France and Germany if you want to drive through the “roundabouts” into neighboring countries for the day.
Geneva and Bern are also recommended cities. Try the Swiss-Austrian border and the Swiss-Lichenstein border towns, too!
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The castles and cathedrals of Europe are at the top of our list of favorites! They are “museums” of royal residences and places of worship. Walking through each of them for me is like becoming reincarnated into a world you read about, learned about, delved into and envisioned. Many tourists have described their sightseeing into castles and cathedrals as repetitive, redundant….however, I don’t see it that way. I placed importance on each specific building and appreciated the specific details of each glorious monument that they are.
Purchasing the guidebooks and taking numerous photos of each place will help your children remember the landmarks; especially if you immediately make photo albums or photo books and document details. You are creating the memory for your child by having them metacognitively process their experience. While I wouldn’t recommend only touring castles and cathedrals, I definitely would build them into the itinerary as primary points of interest.
A developmentally appropriate itinerary for elementary school aged children would strike a balance between cultural sightseeing of museums and monuments with time spent at the beach, childrens interactive museums and excursions or (theme) parks. The latter might even be true for adults!
It can be overwhelming to cram in too much intellectual information without a break. You have to give yourself time to process what you’ve visually experienced. Travel can be tiring and stressful if you don’t make time to rehydrate, relax, re-energize. Sometimes long, relaxing lunches can take care of the latter and give you that extra boost of energy to start touring/sightseeing again. I also viewed our time in the cathedrals as our own spiritual time to reflect and grow closer to God by being among all of the icons or religious artifacts that have honored Him over the centuries.
A temple is a place of worship for various religions. (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, etc). A mosque is a place of worship for the people of Islam. Gateways, minarets and towers of sandstone and white marble are part of the architecture of mosques. Shrines and mausoleums are other somber places of religious significance and commemoration. If you can’t take a moment to decipher it all in the rush and sometimes fatigue of traveling, it’s helpful to digest it later (or before) to fully appreciate what it is you’re touring and learning. Dressing appropriately before entering these places of worship is courteous and often enforced. When we visited particular places, a wrap was given to us. We knew of this custom from traveling to other countries. Locals were just as eager to take photos of us and with us as we were of them! It definitely put us in the frame of mind to be respectful of these places of worship as well as get in the spirit of the activity. The mosques were so imposing with their exterior details. We learned all about the optical illusion of the minarets. The temples conveyed their uniqueness through their own details. Temples are known as places of religious worship—and they are also associated with housing a mythological god. The Parthenon is an example of a temple devoted for the goddess Athena. Click on this link to see a video about the largest temple in New Dehli: https://youtu.be/qdw1k4UTwiU
When the name “Ireland” is spoken, my family instantly lights up with smiles, remembering the colorfulness of this country, its people, architecture, and casual feeling of happy people, Irish music, Irish cuisine and stunning landscape. (like Torc Waterfall below)
It’s true what they say about the “40 shades of green” and the pastoral view is calming AND intense at the same time.
The castles are more simple than Scotland or England and the Irish folk have that jubliant spirit whereas, the people of the U.K. seemed more proper and serious. (Just my interpretation). Our itinerary took us to Adare, Limerick, Shannon, Ennistymon, Killarney, Dingle Peninsula, Dublin...Other places to see are the Ring of Kerry, Galway, Cork, Killkenny, Aryn Islands. It’s not always possible to fit everything into a trip, but the nice thing about Ireland is that you won’t be disappointed no matter where you visit! The Castles and Cathedrals were informative and educational and once you are ready for an “intellectual break”, there’s always a charming tavern to relax in with “fish and chips”, salmon, cold beer and lively music. A walk through Adare gave us a chance to snap some photos of the charming cottages. We were very surprised at how colorful the architecture is in Ireland. It was brighter than Mexico, even! (Pictured here is a chandelier inside the Dublin Writers Museum)
The hotel we stayed at was the Dunraven Arms in Adare. This was a beautiful boutique hotel that celebrities and royals have stayed in and I can totally see why! The decor, garden patio and beautiful hotel rooms were a very nice welcome to this magical, colorful country! Our itinerary in Ireland consisted of:
Ennistymon
Dromoland Castle
Rathbaun Farm
Cliffs of Moher
Limerick
St. Mary’s Cathedral
King John’s Castle
Burnatty Castle (show and dinner included)
Rock Shop near Cliffs of Moher
Muckross House in Killarney
Torc Waterfall
amusement park in Killarney
Dingle Peninsula
Dublin
National Archealogical Museum
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Hop On/ Hop Off Bus tour
Christ Church Cathedral
Blarney Inn for dinner and dancing!
Dublin Writer’s Museum
Adare
and other places, too, ….but these were the highlights. The beauty of Adare, which looks like something out of a storybook, can be traced to before the Norman Conquest . The 3rd Earl of Dunraven influenced the rebuilding of Adare to include larger thatched houses. In Killarney, we stayed near Killarney’s National Park. Stretching our legs for a good walk along this parkway was lovely. Muckross House was amazing and one of the Ireland highlights we enjoyed the best.
Muckross House
The story behind how the homeowners prepared this house for Queen Victoria’s visit is astounding. I won’t give it away here but I highly recommend you visit Muckross House. Exploring the Ring of Kerry can be done on your own. The recommended route for Ring of Kerry is:
Killorglin
Caragh Lake
Cahirciveen
Wateville
Coomakista Pass and Drrynane
You can leave Killarney to go directly to Dublin like we did or you can explore a scenic route which includes stopping at the Blarney Castle to kiss the stone for good luck. Kilkenny Castle was recommended to us, too. In Dublin, we stayed at Cassidy’s Hotel which was a boutique hotel. This was in Dublin’s city centre. I do remember the sounds of mating sea gulls keeping me awake at night but everything else was glorious!The tour on the Double Decker bus connected us to all of Dublin’s attractions. This tour took 90 minutes and we loved every minute of it and could’ve stayed on for 90 more! Mark and I summarized that Dublin’s Hop On/Hop Off Bus Tour was the best we’ve been on in Europe. We still recall the landmarks and factoids.
enjoying some Guiness beer at the Dublin Inn
Guiness Storehouse
Dublin Castle
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Phoenix Park
Old Jameson Distillery
For our first meal in Ireland, I had mussels, my son had lamb stew, my husband had shepherd’s pie and the other two sons had fish and chips. It was misty and we wore our rain coats and ponchos. Our oldest son was the “docent” of Ireland for this trip. Because he had researched Ireland, he wanted to see if the Cliffs of Moher had visibility that day because the first time we went, it did not. We made two trips to Cliffs of Moher and both were incredibly foggy. On our drive afterwards, we found the view charming with its rolling hills, hedges of stone walls, sheep, farmers, shepherds and perfectly maintained cottages with brightly painted homes. We saw sheepdogs, Shetland ponies, wagons and incredible florals. At night, we went to the dinner and show at the Bunratty Castle where we were welcomed by a bagpipe player, a walk up the plank or moat into a hall where they handed us mead. We listened to a harp solo. We entered the Great Hall where we sat with an other American family. The 5 course meal was delicious and we had to eat it with our hands, Medieval style. Bread, parsnip soup, ribs, veggies, chicken, desserts, wine. This was our first time to try parsnip soup and we loved it so much, I recreated it back home in America. Recipe link below.
Other Ireland blogs to search on gypsyfamilytravel are: Rugby Tour of Ireland, Dingle Peninsula, Muckross House and Torc Waterfall. Type those titles in the search tab.
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Gibraltar is a British Overseas territory. In Southern Spain, there is the famous Rock of Gibraltar. This monolithic limestone promontory on the Iberian Peninsula is the southernmost point of Europe. Barbary monkeys are found there and known to eat the hats off of tourists.
We were hoping to run into these monkeys on our way to Morocco, but getting onto Gibraltar was challenging. We drove around and around looking for the entrance and decided the line of cars was too long but we did get some great photos and ate at a restaurant nearby where our son tried Rabo de Toro for the first time: Tail of the Bull.
Mythology plays a big part in the folklore of this area. Because Gibraltar is a strait which connects the North Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, people have a mythological reference about this called “the pillars of Hercules.” It is said that Hercules pulled Africa and Spain apart by hand which formed the Gibraltar and the Moroccan mountain of Jbel Musa.
I was fascinated to learn that several ethnic groups are “Gibraltarian”; which is a mix of Portuguese, Maltese, Genoese and Andalusian descent. The other cultures there are India, Moroccan and British. The main language in Gibraltar is English and the secondary language is Spanish.
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Canada is so vast, you have to choose a side and focus. As a child, my family went to Toronto after Niagara Falls. Others go to Quebec or Montreal. On this trip with our sons, we did Vancouver and Victoria after seeing Washington State and Idaho in the U.S. This was a perfect route since we took our rental car onto the ferry that took us to Vancouver and Victoria. When we had done enough sightseeing, shopping and eating at the Victoria town plaza, we craved a little adventure in the wilderness and ocean. We found a thrilling zip lining excursion at the Sooke National Forest. I had not intended to zipline and wanted to read a book for the two hours that the boys and my husband would be zipping away.
But my family talked me into it—and I’m so glad they did! I’m not comfortable with heights or small spaces and zip lining includes both of those! I had to really coach myself through those scary moments but it really ended up being such a thrilling experience!! We also went whale-watching which is featured on another post on this blog.
Hawaii is a trip that can be taken during Thanksgiving Break. Fast but doable; you can do it in 6 days. The 8 hour flight, not counting our connection from our hometown to California, was as long as some flights to Europe. However, it wasn’t hard to get on track once we arrived because of the amenities of Hawaii being one of the United States–same language, internet, no international phone plan needed, etc. This trip had some R & R perks that my sons found to be a welcoming atmosphere for brotherly bonding. Because there was less sightseeing to do (except on Pearl Harbor), the boys enjoyed playing pool in the billiards room of the hotel, watching the dolphins, scuba diving, yoga on the beach, watching the native women weave ti leaves, build sand castles, etc. We went to Maui, Lanai and Honolulu’s Pearl Harbor.
Koehle Lodge in Lanai (Four Seasons). (mountain top satellite location)
The Four Seasons Lanai had 2 locations–an ocean side location Manele Bay and a mountain top location, Koele Lodge. If you are taking small children to Hawaii, a great book to read is ABC’s of Hawaii by Asta and Donovan. The drawings are vivid and the vocabulary you learn gives a great introductory into this unique state.
Lanai had a remote feel to it. It was basically a private island until 2012. It was known as the pineapple island because of its plantation. Except for the only real settlement of Lanai City, the rest of the island was just natural tranquility.
All of the tranquility was perfect for Thanksgiving Break....a time where your kids already need a break in the semester. For us, it was a break from college applications for one son, the start of high school for another son and one last frolic in the tropical sunshine and beach before returning home to the hectic Christmas season.
making Hawaiian crafts
My youngest son was still young and curious enough to be interested in doing a craft with ti leaves with the Hawaiian native lady in the hotel. Hawaii was “just what the doctor ordered” when you are needing rest, relaxation and the surrounding of complete natural beauty!
photos by Patrick and Gina Kingsley
Click on this link to order the travel memoir and guide: A Magic Carpet Ride. $12 and proceeds go to charity.
Munich and Frankfurt are the big cities I’ve been to in Germany. I was impressed by the greenery and the architecture of course.
When we drove into Germany (while staying in Switzerland), we went to a bakery for some pastries and we drove past a vineyard which we were not expecting in Germany of all places! Castles and cathedrals seem to be the pride of Germany sightseeing. I’m interested in returning to Germany and seeing the following:
(photo above from internet)
At night, we went to the dinner and show at the Bunratty Castle where we were welcomed by a bagpipe player, a walk up the plank or moat into a hall where they handed us mead. We listened to a harp solo. We entered the Great Hall where we sat with an other American family. The 5 course meal was delicious and we had to eat it with our hands, Medieval style. Bread, parsnip soup, ribs, veggies, chicken, desserts, wine. This was our first time to try parsnip soup and we loved it so much, I recreated it back home in America. Recipe link below.
