If you are really looking for the ultimate Italian experience, you must visit Tuscany. This rural and beautiful region is full of rolling hills dotted with stunning, living medieval towns. When we traveled to Europe for our three month excursion, we knew one thing we really wanted was the quintessential Italian experience…to stay in a Tuscan … Read more
I’ve been getting many emails lately asking for a Rome Travel Guide, so I think it’s about time I write a little about our adventures in Rome and some Rome Travel Tips. It’s no secret I love Italy. Give me a few days off to vacation and I would rather spend it there than really … Read more
Traveling to Italy is definitely something to add to your bucket list if you haven’t already visited. For those that have been, you know it is a magical place full of delicious food, ancient cities and stunning countryside. I often get the question, where should we stay in Italy? While I am always a fan … Read more
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. I don’t know about you all, but when The Sound of Music airs on TV, we love to watch together as a family. I grew up on it, and chances are you did too. Even some of our parents did. And now I … Read more
Exploring Dublin, Ireland is a true delight! Dublin is a wonderful urban destination that is quickly growing in popularity among tourists visiting Europe. We had the pleasure of visiting Dublin, and I must say, it has to be one of the happiest, friendliest places on the planet! The people were so warm and welcoming. We … Read more
When we were planning our Europe adventure, we were going to be gone long enough that we felt fairly comfortable leaving some plans open ended and kind of letting life take us where it wanted when we were on the road. One of those happy little unplanned surprises was a quick one night stay in … Read more
John and I both happen to be history majors who share a particular interest in 20th century American history, in particular WWII for John…so needless to say, visiting Bayeux was high on our list while spending a few weeks in France. Bayeux is a charming little French town located on the Aure river in the … Read more
When it came time to plan our summer across Europe, the South of France was high on my list. I envisioned planting myself in some Provencial home out in a beautiful field and letting the children roam with the goats and spend long days picking lavender and wildflowers. I didn’t realize that along with beautiful, … Read more
I had been to Paris before, but I had never visited the Sacre Coeur. This time, we made it a point to visit the Basilica located in the Montamarte, on the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. The Montmarte is a bit of a gritty neighborhood and it was interesting to … Read more
Paris is known for for great shopping, and it did not disappoint. There are lots of great articles all over the internet about shopping in Paris and which neighborhoods offer the best shopping whether you are looking for high end fashion or home decor in the City of Lights, but I wanted to share a … Read more
In a city like Paris, with SO many historic things to see, amazing museums and incredible monuments, it can get very expensive very quickly to visit them all. On our visit to Paris we read about the Paris Museum pass and decided that it would be a great option to allow us to see a … Read more
The weather in Bruges, Belgium is chilly. The warmest month is August, and even then, temperatures rarely get out of the 60’s. Days are sunny, so be sure to pack sunscreen, sunglasses and hat, but layer, layer, layer. Long sleeve shirts, a sweater and a coat with comfortable denim and some cute flats will have … Read more
If you are wondering where to stay in Paris next time you visit, look no further. I’m sure you have seen the commercials on TV recently for apartment rental services talking about not just visiting Paris, but living there, and that is the experience I want you to have. When we were planning our trip … Read more
Traveling throughout Europe last summer has made recent events in Paris and Brussels hit a little closer to home. The possibility of terror attacks and concerns about staying safe while traveling abroad were constantly running through my mind as we planned our trip and as we traveled through foreign airports, train depots, and on every … Read more
After a wonderful 10 days spent in London, we were excited to head off to the next destination of our family vacation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. This was our first travel experience within Europe and boarding a plane in London to head from the safety of a country where everyone spoke English to head to a place … Read more
Amsterdam is such a charming city. When we visited I wanted to get a chance to visit a bit outside of the city too. Haarlem Netherlands was recommended by several friends, including Rick Steves, 😉 and after reading The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom I knew it was the perfect day trip from Amsterdam … Read more
Visions of Amsterdam canal houses and bicycles were running through my head when we set out planning to visit Amsterdam. I knew that I wanted to stay on a canal, close to the city center, but couldn’t decide between a boutique hotel with family rooms or a traditional canal house. Beyond that, I didn’t know … Read more
When we planned our 3 months in Europe, we decided that we would both start and end our trip in London. Because there was such a long period of time between our stays, I didn’t worry about making reservations before we left home in June. I figured we would play it by ear and pick … Read more
At any time of year, London is one of the best cities in the world to visit, but Springtime is like no other! We were there near the end of Spring and the weather was amazing. When I say amazing, it’s still London weather, so you’ll still need your wellies and coats, but you can … Read more
When I think of Notting Hill, I think of a teeny bookshop nestled on a busy street full of white townhouses with colorful doors. I also can’t get “Ain’t no Sunshine” out of my head. Needless to say, when we were planning our list of things to do in London, Notting Hill was a must … Read more
If there is one thing that’s a must when in London, it is having some sort of afternoon tea experience. Tea time and London are so inextricably linked, I do not believe you can truly experience London without participating in this cultural tradition. Tea at the Orangery at Kensington Palace is one of these amazing … Read more
You’ve seen it in just about every skyline image of London, the huge ferris wheel towering 443 ft in the sky over Big Ben, the London Eye. Before we left for London I read up on tings to see and do in London and this was definitely on the list. There were many different … Read more
When we were planning our trip it seemed natural to start in London. We figured we would have some culture shock, maybe a bit of homesickness at some point, and to be honest, we were a little bit scared when we left, simply because we had never attempted anything of this magnitude before and we … Read more
I can’t believe it’s been a year since we started planning and six months since we returned. I’ve started this blog post probably 25 times, and just haven’t been able to adequately put into words the experiences of this past summer. But now I’m feeling pressure to get it written down before the memories start … Read more
Ah, the City of Lights. There are so many great places to visit in Paris that you can visit there multiple times and still not see everything. Climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower for breathtaking views of this magical city is undoubtedly one of life’s greatest thrills, a must do for anyone visiting … Read more
These days, it is nearly impossible to get through a day without making a call, checking email, or posting to social media accounts. If you are planning a trip overseas, you may find that staying connected is more difficult and expensive than you expected, right at a time when you need to be relying heavily … Read more
Traveling through continental Europe by train is easy, convenient and reasonably priced. If you are thinking about taking a trip and seeing more than one city or country, it is definitely an option you want to look at. When coming from the United States it’s not necessarily the first mode of transportation we think of, … Read more
So often when we travel we feel like we barely have time to scratch the surface of the “main tourist attractions” of whatever city we happen to be visiting. One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to get off that tourist trap path and explore smaller, lesser known parts of a city … Read more
When we traveled to London recently for an extended period, John and I debated what to do for accommodations. If you have never traveled to Europe with your family, then be advised that it is rare to find a hotel room that will accommodate more than three people. While we were not opposed to booking … Read more
11 weeks, 77 days, 1848 hours. At the beginning of June, my family and I embarked on a journey of a lifetime. As luck would have it, a unique situation at work- timed perfectly with the end of the school year, allowed our family to truly use the world as our classroom for the summer. … Read more