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Jocelyn Cooper
Jocelyn Cooper

Jocelyn Cooper

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  • Copenhagen
    Nyhavn
    Beet juicePollysChristiansborg PalaceNyhavnKids love Robert Wadlow - Alton, IL resident

    Copenhagen

    13 agosto 2024, Danimarca ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    After a one day work week, we got up at 430 and quickly loaded up to make our 7am flight out of Heathrow. Copenhagen was a 90 minute flight and then a short (but packed) metro ride to our first stop, brunch at Polly’s (recommended by our Airbnb host). It was a delicious breakfast (at 1130 local time) and we grabbed a few groceries before walking the 20 minutes on the cobblestone sidewalks to our Airbnb to drop our bags (lucky that they allowed us to do that). It is a cool apartment lived in by an artist and her family and in the area of Vesterbro which has tons of restaurants and shops, but a bit less touristy. They have cool community spaces here- basketball and football courts, ping pong and tons of benches where people sit and visit and eat.

    We wandered toward the Center of town window shopping and finding all of the things that they want in the LEGO store for Christmas and met up with our free walking tour by city hall. It is Pride week here now and there was live music and vendors nearby. Claes, a Danish guy, took us on a 3 hour tour of the city. We saw important building and squares, had a crash course in Danish history, learned a few Danish words and of course learned about the food. At the break we grabbed the recommended pastries- yum! We noticed a lot of similarities with Iceland- food, the concept of hygge (cozy comfortableness, spending time with people who mean a lot to you). We knew that Greenland and the Faroe Islands are part of Denmark and I asked him about Iceland (which was part of it until 1950). We learned a little about the monarchy and their tax system. The kids enjoyed it too. Afterwards we walked around the harbour, hung out and found a place to have traditional Danish food (at least dinner food, the weird herring sandwiches will have to wait for another day.

    Tomorrow we head to the 3rd oldest amusement park in the world. Kids are stoked.
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  • Croatia and Hungary
    Pest side of Chain bridgeView from Buda castle looking over PestMathias ChurchView from Fisherman's BastionFisherman's BastionMolnars chimney cakeInside Szimpla KertInside Szimpla Kert

    Buda and Pest

    26 luglio 2024, Ungheria ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F

    After sleeping in (the late nights are catching up with us) we packed for a day on the Buda side. Before we walked down to the Danube, we made a side trip to a Rubik’s cube store that has original Rubik’s cubes signed by Erno Rubrik. It was heaven for Gideon and he worked on the giant cube. Joce and the boys stopped at a quirky public toilet called the Art Toilet, which had art installations inside. Afterwards, we made our way to the Danube on the Pest side and found another mini statute by Kolodko - we learned about him on our walking tour. A Hungarian sculptor, he made 50 mini sculptures and scattered them all over Hungary with 25 in Budapest alone. All have a meaning and relationship to Hungarian history and/or the people of Hungary. Our tour guide showed us Kermit the Frog by the studio buildings yesterday (the Muppets and Sesame Street were the only American kids shows our guide had growing up). The second one we stumbled across was a balloon dog resembling the artwork of the sculpture artist Jeff Koons whose wife is Hungarian. We walked across the Chain bridge (only pedestrians, busses and cabs allowed) and made it to the base of Buda Castle hill. Our guide told us about some hidden elevators so we avoided the 200+ steps to the top. The castle complex is now museums and libraries with some still being renovated from the 2020 earthquake. The highlight was definitely the Mathias Church. The tiles were striking and really stood out from many places in the city. We paid to go inside and enjoy a short break before making our way over to the Fisherman’s Bastion and a beautiful view over the Danube to the Pest side. Since we had a late breakfast, we ended up with lunch at 1530 at a nearby bistro. The goulash and staple paprika hot sauce (Erős Pista) were very good and burgers for the kids were okay. After lunch, we walked down the hill to find two more Kolodko statues by the Danube (a tank with a limp cannon representing Russian oppression and an, of course, a Rubik’s cube). We grabbed a tram (our only one of the trip as it was very easy to walk in the city) and went back to the Pest side for chimney cakes at Molnars (essentially dough that is spiralled around spit and baked and then filled with ice cream). Cinnamon was certainly the star. We cancelled our dinner reservations (given that they were only an hour later) and instead went to our first ruin bar - Szimpla Kert. Szimpla claims to be the first ruin bar in the early 2000s. Located mostly in the Jewish quarter (which is where we stayed), abandoned buildings were bought and converted into bars, making sure to retain their rustic feel. Szimpla is the most popular (and apparently the most expensive though much cheaper than any UK bar we’ve ever been to) and very eclectic. It was a very fun atmosphere and a huge place with two floors and all sorts of different rooms with 6-8 different bars to choose from. We just had one beer before grabbing 2 small frozen pizzas and heading home at 2000 for showers. We rinsed off and then had a lite dinner before packing and bed.

    We were all up for breakfast but since our host allowed us to check out late, we decided to treat the kids (and ourselves) to an escape room as Hungary apparently invented them. We found one nearby that was called Sky Heist. The room was pretty incredible with multiple different doors and spaces and even a second spiral staircase to a second floor. We escaped with 6 minutes to go (though we did need a hint which we always try to avoid) and it was a good time. Had enough time left over to get food at food trucks in Karavan by Szimpla before getting our luggage and taking a car to the airport.

    We will miss Budapest and will certainly come back. We couldn’t do the famous thermal baths because the kids are too young but it is a beautiful city. Our time always go by too fast but we had a wonderful trip!    Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary
    1St. Stefan's Basilica
    Parliament1Liberty MonumentSide of ParliamentDohány Street Synagogue1

    Budapest Day 1

    25 luglio 2024, Ungheria ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We were up early (but running later per usual) to eat and meet our boat tour on the Danube. It was a cool vantage point to see the beautiful buildings along both sides of the river. We are staying on the Pest side and decided to stick to sightseeing there today. We had the first of the traditional dishes for lunch (Langos). It is a flatbread that is fried, brushed with a garlic oil and then topped. Hungarians apparently love sour cream on everything, so a midwestern girl is right at home. We all had some combination cheese, sour cream, veggies, salami or salmon. Delicious! We signed up for a free walking tour with a group called Guru walk. It is always amazing how knowledgeable the guides are. Robert was a history buff and we met outside the St. Stefan Basilica, which was the first in central Eastern Europe. He walked us through Hungarian history from prehistoric times, through Attila the Hun, and the Austro-Hungarian empire to start. It was cool to integrate some of what we learned last summer in Austria. We saw the stumbling stones that have been made by artist Gunter Demnig, a German artist who installs the brass 10x10 cm stones at the last know residence of people taken in the holocaust. He has installed over 70,000 stones in over 1,200 cities. There are mixed opinions, but we thought that they were very interesting. We next walked to the liberty square and learned about the divisive issues that still exist regarding statues and policies of recognition of the Holocaust (300-400,000 soldiers and civilians and 500-600,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in WW2) and the choices that were made to join with Germany in both world wars.

    We saw the American Embassy and statues of Reagan and George HW Bush and learned how Elvis Presley helped expel the Soviets from Hungary after university students revolted and he said in an interview how brave they were.

    Before WW1 Pest was supposed to be the new center of the AH empire and huge buildings were built to house a stock exchange and the naval headquarters. After WW1 Hungary lost half of its land and population to surrounding countries and it never became the center. Those buildings were renovated to their original appearance and now are film sets. Die hard, Mission Impossible, and many other movies were filmed there. As we were there Angelina Jolie was shooting and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were as well. Both Paramount and Fox were started by Hungarians and there is a strong connection with Hollywood. The city is so beautiful and so diverse that it really can play the role of a variety of old/European cities. Erno Rubrik is another Hungarian superstar and when the guide pulled out 2 cubes, Gid jumped up and said he would solve them. He did a 2x2 with a round of applause and then solved the second one right after it. Robert was impressed. We also learned that ballpoint pens, escape rooms and the jazz standard Gloomy Sunday were all born from Hungary.

    The tour ended at the Shoes by the Danube holocaust memorial, which was also very powerful. All in all it was a fantastic tour.

    We left the tour and went back near Parliament to plan the rest of the day. We went over to the Budapest Eye (substantially smaller than the London eye, but still fun). Next up was some shopping in a vintage shop, dropping our stuff for dinner. The first place we tried was booked for the night so we went to another spot recommended by our guide called Rueben. Traditional Hungarian food, great prices. Tige had goulash and a pork dish, Gid had a fried turkey breast stuffed with Camembert, H had a schnitzel, E had delicious pasta with cheese sauce and I had cabbage stuffed with meat with smoked ham on top. Best meal yet. Home for showers and be just near 10. Such a fun day!    Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary
    1
    1

    24 hours in Zagreb

    23 luglio 2024, Ungheria ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    We arrived in Zagreb yesterday afternoon. Tige went to return the rental car and I waited to meet our host to get into the apartment. It was older but spacious, and had enough beds for us all. We walked around the lower town and grabbed sandwiches for lunch at Pingvin, which were really good. We tried to go to several museums, the cathedral, a couple of churches and the stone gate. Everything that we tried other than the very subtle stone gates was either closed on Monday or closed permanently. St. Mark’s church had a beautifully tiled roof, which I suspect we will see more of as we head to Budapest. We went to a small museum of illusion and Elliot and Tige tried to solve the puzzle of the Hanoi tower. Gid and I went to the gift shop to solve wooden puzzles. An hour later they had done it.

    We walked through parks and the capital city is really pretty. We found an Indian restaurant and ate outside. The food was amazing! We went home full and ready for showers and bed.

    This morning we checked out and took our luggage to the train station to store and went out to see a few more things. First stop was the Nicola Tesla museum. It was really a museum about energy transformation through the years/decades and the evolution of electricity and energy efficiency. I thought it was really interesting and Tesla was an incredible guy, but I think I enjoyed it more than the others. We left there and walked 20 min to Kai Street food, which was freaking delicious. We had Bao buns with beef and pork tacos. Elliot had a chicken sandwich meal that was also a star. I love when we try things that are a bit out of the ordinary for the kids. They even had a really solid Pale Ale made by Zmajska pivovara. Hands down one of the best meals of the trip.

    Afterward we went to the cathedral, which could just be seen under construction. The cathedral was damaged in an earthquake in 2020 and is being rebuilt. Tige found a park with a playground and we did the crossword while the kids played. We then went to retrieve our luggage and grab sandwiches before our train to Budapest. We have taken a lot of trains,, but this has been a crazy trip thus far. It was supposed to be a direct train (5.5 hours) but then wasn’t (not stressful at all trying to figure out where to get off while on the train). We switched trains and then went into Hungary and stopped for what felt like forever and the. The train reversed and turned. The first train had AC and plugs but this one sadly does not and we are at least an hour behind. No dining car for water either Going to be a late, hot night and hopefully we end up in Budapest lol.    Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary
    1

    Two days in Rakovica

    21 luglio 2024, Croazia ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Yesterday we rented a car and made a 3-hour trip into the heart of the Croatian countryside for a memorable part of the holiday. We arrived at our BNB outside Plitvice National Park (the true destination) and it was exactly as advertised. The 2 bedroom apartment was incredibly cheap, but clean and had everything that we needed. It is also a small local honey operation, complete with Aphytherapy. Essentially you sit in a little room and hook up a breathing apparatus to a busy hive and breathe in a certain way to reap the benefits. It is supposed to be good for the immune system, the longs, etc (as long as you aren't allergic to bees, otherwise catastrophe ensues). I don't think any of our lives were changed, but it will be one of those weird stories from their childhood. We went to dinner down the road and crashed early because we had a 7-8 am entry to the national park.

    Plitvice National Park is an insanely beautiful park with pristine turquoise lakes and waterfalls. We elected the 5-mile hike, through boardwalks around the lower lakes, across a massive lake by boat and then a second hike around the upper lakes. The latter were my favorite, not a bad view or picture to be had. We had a picnic lunch and finished much earlier than we thought. We checked our a few options (ziplines, activity parks) but ended up taking Sharon's advice and settled on a rafting trip (after calling to confirm that it was ok for the kids). We signed up for the 3-7 pm trip and grabbed our suits and swim shoes and headed about 20 minutes up the road. We joined 2 families from Norway and one that did not speak any English, put on our helmets and life jackets and drove about 30 minutes to the Mrežnica river. The tour was in raft kayaks and Tige and Hudson went in one, Gid and I in another, and one of the kind Norwegians went with Elliot. The river was clear and cool and the guide was helpful and helped position us for sliding down 9 waterfalls (the 10th we did on our own). We started early by jumping from a 23-foot waterfall and everyone did it! Hudson and Elliot joined brave Gideon and Mom and Dad went over also. Sadly, my Apple watch did not survive the jump and was discovered to be missing about 30 minutes later. Tige's died when we were swimming in Dubrovnik, so this has been a poor showing for Apple watches all around.

    Gideon was the laziest partner :) and after we hit the spring-fed freezing cold section he and H swapped boats to help me out at the end. We tumbled down the past few waterfalls and a couple of small rapids and brought the kayaks ashore. It was a super fun spur-of-the-moment way to spend the afternoon. We stopped for dinner at a local spot and found 1 euro ice cream for the drive home. We visited with the owner Brigita and their sweet pup Bella and then went up for showers and bed.    Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary
    11

    Split, Trogir, Blue Lagoon

    19 luglio 2024, Croazia ⋅ 🌙 82 °F

    Today was another scorching day in Split. Luckily we had planned a boat/sightseeing/snorkeling trip and we were up early for breakfast and the walk to the pier to meet our crew at 9:30 am. Our captain was a super fun guy called Ivan and we went out with 3 other couples and 1 other teen for a half day of fun. First, we drove for about 30 minutes in the speedboat. The boys were laid out on the back deck, living their best lives. We arrived at Trogir, a small city on a small peninsula that is >2000 years old. There was a crumbling fortress called Kula Kamerlengo to see, but we spent most of our time walking the narrow stone streets. We did some shopping and when they said that this city was known to have one of the oldest gelaterias in Europe, we knew what we were having for second breakfast. Side note: Croatia's gelato is good, but no match for Italy/Sicily - still the winners of the 'best gelato in the world' contest. After the stop, we hopped back on the boat and cool captain Gideon drove the boat to the next spot (while requesting and singing It's Time by Imagine Dragons). I was never that cool at 9 YO. We ended up in a beautiful blue cove with clear cool water to jump into from the boat and snorkeling. We snorkeled there for about an hour and then were back on the boat for a snack, and drinks, and then on to the Blue Lagoon, a popular boating and snorkeling spot. Captain Hudson drove this time and the rest of us just enjoyed the ride. We swam from the boat to a spot between 2 islands where you could touch on the rocks and scoped out sea urchins and fish. Tige realized that he lost his sunglasses on the swim (not sure why he was swimming with them:) and somehow, just as we had given up and were nearly back to the boat, Gideon dived down about 12 feet and found them near an anchored boat. I wouldn't have believed it if I weren't there. We sped back to the marina and arrived a bit late at around 3 pm. We ended up grabbing food at the market for a picnic and ate on a bench with the pigeons nearby. I thought that I was grabbing a bit of butter for the bread and when I opened it it had the most terrible stench. Maslac = butter, but what I had grabbed adjacent to the butter was kvasac, which was yeast. So gross that it makes Marmite look appetizing.

    After that, we walked for about 20 minutes to one of the rare sand beaches. It was fine (but I was done with the sun) but I think that we all agree that we prefer pebble beaches to sand in Croatia. It keeps the water so pristine and beautiful. We walked home and showered and Tige and I went around the corner and picked up sandwiches, wings, and fries and we ate and hung out, introducing them to Batman Begins. Tomorrow we have our last hours in Split and then grabbing a rental car and heading inland.    Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary

    Split

    18 luglio 2024, Croazia ⋅ ☀️ 90 °F

    We had to set an alarm and pack up from our favorite Airbnb this morning. We made it out by 10 though and got to spend another 90 minutes at our beach.
    More SUP, snorkeling (Gideon found €10 at the bottom yesterday!) and swimming out past the buoys before we went back to change and our host offered to drive us to the ferry. Korčula (korch-u-la) was beautiful and we are already making mental plans to return which is rare for us. The ferry was hot and made only one stop but it was at a popular island and it became very crowded for the last hour of the 2.5hr trip but fortunately, no sea sickness. We finally made it to Split . According to our previous GoT guide, Split was simply a port city that allowed access to the other islands using the ferry until Game of Thrones came here and made it famous. It was a pretty busy city today. We found a bus that took us right to our apartment and took a break and enjoyed the air conditioning. We are still Americans. After some FaceTime to wish happy birthday to our mothers, we changed and headed out for some dinner in the town center. We found an amazing seafood restaurant and spoiled ourselves with ceviche, tuna, and amberjack... all very delicious. Then we walked the main drag toward the bay (after gelato, of course) and around the center of town (magnet shopping, our go-to souvenir) before catching another bus back home at 2100. We made it home and hit the market across the street for breakfast food and snacks with only 6 minutes to go before closing. It was like being in a game show. Back home to shower the salt and sweat off before bed. Up early for a speedboat tour to one more tiny island and snorkeling. 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms are a nice bonus in Split.Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary
    1

    Korčula Town & Vrbovika, Korčula

    17 luglio 2024, Croazia ⋅ ☁️ 86 °F

    Tuesday we woke up to our beautiful new place and Lucy (the owner) dropped us in town to explore. We shopped and walked the streets of old town, which is also a walled city. Gideon needed a Croatian football kit and Elliot found some local coral earrings. We had lunch on the water- yummy mussels, calamari, risotto and sandwich and enjoyed the view. Gelato and a walk up to more shops where we picked up some balls for the water and food to grill for dinner. We came home and swam until dinner. I think we all had the best nights sleep that we have had in weeks.

    Today was a chill beach day, much needed by all. Even the kids said that this was one of the best days so far. We had brunch and then spent the day at the beach. It was much more quiet today which was perfect and we each had nice paddle boarding rides, snorkeling and swimming. Gid found a sea urchin and we enjoyed the coral and fish swimming around us. It is difficult to capture the color and clarity of the water. Everywhere you swim, no matter how deep, you can see clear to the bottom. So beautiful. We had a picnic lunch and read and hung out.

    For dinner we went to the other little spot by our house. Homemade noodles and beef, chicken burgers, hamburgers with house cut fries and homemade buns as the sun set on our last day in our little off the beaten path place. Home for showers and snuggles before bed.    Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary

    Korčula

    15 luglio 2024, Croazia ⋅ 🌙 84 °F

    We had another full day today. After breakfast, we packed up our bags for a 10 am checkout and walked to Bellevue Beach about 10 minutes away in Dubrovnik. It was a secluded beach behind a hotel off the rocks and was just what we needed early in the morning. It was 90 by the time we got in the water and the temperature was perfect, just like yesterday. It's surprisingly easy to float in the sea too. We got to spend about 90 minutes before we headed back to pick up our luggage at our Airbnb and took an Uber to the ferry port. We had a wonderful lunch across the street (pizzas and a burrito and tuna salad) before boarding the 2.5 hour ferry to Korčula island. Between the sun and meclizine, most of us fell asleep on the calm boat ride. We arrived in Korčula at about 1630 and took a cab to our Airbnb 10 minutes away. We pulled up to meet the owner who owns the house next door and she showed us around one of the best Airbnbs we have been to. We found it at a discount since it had no reviews but it is perfect for us and even nicer than the pictures with great finishes and even a garden with swings and a firepit grill and then she gave us a brand new bike and a stand-up paddleboard to use while we are here. The best part was when she walked us 100 meters down to the beach with a restaurant shack for dinner and drinks. After unpacking and shopping, we changed back to beach clothes and took the kids down to the water. It is a great spot with lots of kids and an entire campground with lots of tent campers nearby. The SUP was a hit with all three kids and it was hard to pull them out of the water for burgers for dinner. We let them get back in afterward for 15 minutes as the sun went down. Home for showers and straight to their (bunk) beds while we watch the Bear before falling asleep. Apparently, a donut and fresh fish truck is coming by tomorrow... should be an interesting combination.Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary

    Dubrovnik

    14 luglio 2024, Croazia ⋅ 🌙 81 °F

    Today was a good day. We discovered that we have completely lost our Texas bred heat tolerance. So hot today. I could only bring travel size sunscreen (to get started) because we just carried on and we slathered up and headed out around 830. We are a 30 min walk from the old city and headed there to meet for our Game of Thrones tour. We watched all 8 seasons and a lot of it was filmed in Croatia. The locations were very cool to see (but the kids were a bit lost). Still cool to see the forts and fortresses around the city. Your guide was great but it was so hot! The old city has cool old huge fountains for water refills and we definitely drank our share. After the tour we found delicious gelato (mango and coconut were highlights per usual) and then we went to the maritime museum included on our pass to escape the heat. No air con, but a bench will do. They had a cool kids area that the boys loved. After we left there we went to lunch at a delicious Mediterranean spot called
    Dubrovka 1836. The kids had pizza and a schnitzel and Tige and I shared an octopus salad and hot veggies that were super yummy. Bread, beer and an aperol spritz rounded out the meal. After lunch we made our way to Banje beach and spent 2.5 hours in the Adriatic Sea. So lovely and refreshing. Kids were desperate for the water. We changed and headed back to town to climb the stairs to the wall around the town. A very cool 2km walk around the old town. I will admit that I was 100% done by the end (esp after having Covid last week) and demanded a cab home. We made it back, had showers and Tige went out for groceries. Kids ate and passed out and we finished what is at this time a heartbreaker for England. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 tomorrow we head to our island hang!    Leggi altro

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  • Croatia and Hungary

    Croatia

    13 luglio 2024, Croazia ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Elliot finished school last week and the boys' last day was Thursday so we have been counting the days until we could travel again. We had plenty of time to pack yesterday and this morning for our 1500 flight out of Heathrow. The direct flight to Dubrovnik was smooth and we took a waiting van to our Airbnb about 30 minutes north into Dubrovnik. It was 88 degrees when we landed! The kids said they felt like they were back in Texas.
    After dropping our things at our Airbnb, we immediately headed out for the local market before they closed and then went out to dinner for some seafood. Back home to sleep before an early day tomorrow - it's going to be hot! Excited to see the Old Town... and the beach!    Leggi altro

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  • The Cotswolds

    Hikes and views

    31 maggio 2024, Inghilterra ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    Day 3 and 4 did not disappoint. Yesterday we set out on a 6 mile loop hike through open fields, forests and ending on the high street in Burford. It was an “epic” hike per Hudson. We wandered through a huge field/hill, eventually found the path and then stumbled on a small church called St. Oswald’s in Winford out in the middle of the forest part of the walk. No town around, no houses anywhere. We went into the church, which dated back to the 12-13th century and saw preserved paintings on the walls that were just as old. Such a cool find. After a few miles we ended up on the high street, enjoyed the shops and lunch at a pub called The Angel. We headed back home for movie night and much later, pizza and some much needed rest.

    This morning we slept in and cooked breakfast and headed up to Bourton-on-the-water. Supposedly the ‘Venice of the Cotswolds,’ but I don’t think that anyone who thinks this has ever been to Venice. This was the most touristy town so far with tons of people in the streets and along the banks of the river that runs through the high street. We first stopped at the Dragonfly maze, which was surprisingly fun and the man who owned it a true delight. We walked around town, in and out of shops and then grabbed a snack at a pub on the river.

    Next we backtracked to a National Trust property called Sherborne Park Estates that we stumbled upon on the way to town (bc our Huddy Buddy was carsick). It had nice reviews and we ended up doing a nearly 4 mile hike through the property. A lot of it was forest hiking, which is Joce’s favorite. After the hike we ditched the car at home and walked the river to town and had dinner at the Bull Hotel. Very nice food, meh service. Back home to hang out on our last night and heading back tomorrow. We all agree that this was the relaxed, outdoor trip that we all needed. June is full of concerts (TAYLOR, Kings of Leon, Pearl Jam and the National) and the kids will be done with Summer Term before we know it!    Leggi altro

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  • The Cotswolds
    1

    Bibury trout and Cotswold Wildlife Park

    30 maggio 2024, Inghilterra ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    It was typical English summer weather - low 60s and windy - this morning but we decided to go fishing at a trout farm in Bibury, a short drive away. We got to feed the farm fish before fishing for our dinner. It was a little like picking your lobster out of a tank but the kids had fun. Joce landed a whopper - 4.2 pounds! It was a little strange beating them over the head with a stick but it got the job done. After the boys got to learn how to clean the trout (Elliot wasn’t interested), we picked up a grocery store lunch and made our way to the Cotswold Wildlife Park. We ate lunch at some picnic tables before walking around the wide open zoo like park. Rhinos and zebras and giraffes were the highlights along with a big playground. The sun finally came out and it was a pleasant afternoon. After seeing the whole park, we came home and Joce cooked up the fish for dinner while the kids played games. After a filling dinner, we snuggled up for the 9th Star Wars movie before bed. A good day together.Leggi altro

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  • The Cotswolds
    1

    Chipping Campden and Fairford

    29 maggio 2024, Inghilterra ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

    As usual, we waited until the last minute to pack and headed off from Beaconsfield at around 11am. We headed to Chipping Campden- a beautiful village filled with houses using the gorgeous Cotswold stone, a light yellow/amber local stone. We saw a market hall from the 1600s and ordered the weirdest sandwiches ever (Grandma’s kitchen looked like a professional operation compared to this spot). But the owner was lovely and the sandwiches did the trick. We found the stone that labels the start of the Cotswold Way, a 100 mile path from here to Bath. We took a short 2 mile hike to Dover’s Hill. Gorgeous views of sheep-filled green hills. Next we drove for a quick view of Broadway tower, but decided to head to our bnb rather than stop. About 45 minutes later we found our cottage in lovely Fairford. The host had made us brownies and homemade bread and left eggs, butter and milk for us which was a nice surprise. We walked the 10 min to the high street and found the local market and got what we needed for breakfast tomorrow. We walked back to a local Italian restaurant and had lovely pasta, gnocchi and pizza. We peaked through the windows of the shops and the found a path along the river Coln and wound our way back home. This sleepy village is just what we needed. Home for a game of battleship and a fire and tucked in for the night.Leggi altro

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  • Amsterdam

    Home

    7 aprile 2024, Inghilterra ⋅ 🌬 54 °F

    5am (4am UK time) Uber was waiting for us when we got down stairs. No bikes to dodge this morning and airport was empty. Flight was smooth and then a 1hr drive home to find our own taste of Holland that Joce and Hudson planted last fall. Looking forward to a nap but Amsterdam lived up to the hype!Leggi altro

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  • Amsterdam

    Last Day in Amsterdam 😪

    6 aprile 2024, Olanda ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    No sleeping in Amsterdam! Up early to hit the Rijksmuseum. The audio tours were down so we were a bit on our own today. We saw the highlights almost had a Deja vu of losing a kid (Hudson) like we did in Cinderella’s castle this past summer (Elliot). He somehow worked out how to find a restroom 2 floors down. We spent about 2 hours there (enjoying the museum, not looking for H) and went off in search of a fabulous Indonesian lunch (Indonesia = Netherlands like India=England). We found a great spot and Tige, H and I had a rice table that included 12 delicious meat/fish/veg dishes. Other kiddos had a bright, brothy chicken soup.
    So yummy! Happy they let me go for it. Next we went through the bloomenmarket and saw so many flowers, and souvenirs. We crossed off the magnets and wooden shoe items and headed to try the delicious homemade Stroopwafels. Two thin waffles with caramel between, dipped in chocolate and Oreo, caramel cubes, blueberries. They made them fresh in front of you which was pretty cool. We tried them all and all were delicious. Next we shopped around the 9 streets and headed eventually to Vondelpark. Imagine the first 75 degree day in any cold midwestern city. Everyone outside on blankets and playing and enjoying the day. Found a sweet playground, did a crossword and had some Heinekens and relaxed. We went back to a yummy Mediterranean place we saw yesterday for dinner and walked back and packed up. Headed back tomorrow very early, need to be in the Uber at 5am.    Leggi altro

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  • Amsterdam

    Walking tour, canal ride and Van Gogh

    5 aprile 2024, Olanda ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Today was a full day. Still not fully recovered from our late night arrival on day 1, we ate in and took the tram to central Amsterdam for our walking tour. It was wet and windy and cool today but we had a good guide. We got to see the crooked/sinking houses, Anne Frank’s house, a 500 year old wooden house painted black and the beautiful canals and even a boat fishing bikes out of them. We also learned that the ‘XXX’ that is everywhere in Amsterdam is actually three crosses. We ended at a coffee shop which the boys fortunately didn’t seem to understand. We then made our way to lunch - Joce found a delicious Dutch place called the Pantry with an amazing pea soup and pork chop and delicious sausage and mash. After lunch, our boat tour was slightly delayed because of the weather but it ended up being the highlight of the day. Not only did we have SUN! but also a great guide and snacks and drinks were included. While Joce and I enjoyed Heineken and wine, the kids all got two sodas and so much Gouda that they almost ran out. We even got to see the bridge and houseboat from Ted Lasso. It was a good afternoon. After the canal tour, we had reservations at the Van Gogh museum. There was a treasure hunt for the kids which they always enjoy. The museum was large and it was a nice break from the wind. We spent two hours before making our way back home in the evening. We dropped the kids off before picking up pizza from across the street and eating in while watching Mission Impossible. Showers and bed - we are all tired. Looking forward to some beautiful weather forecasted for tomorrow.Leggi altro

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  • Amsterdam
    1

    Keukenhof and Zaanse Schans

    4 aprile 2024, Olanda ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Today was a super fun day outside of Amsterdam. Tige had the great idea to rent a car for the day and got up early to tram over to get it while I went to the market and handled breakfast. Our place is so cute and the kitchen is one of the best stocked that we have ever stayed in. He picked us up and we headed to Keukenhof (the amazing tulip/flower farm about 45 min away). It is the 75th anniversary this year and each year the gardens start in October and plant 7 million bulbs over 3 months. They get 8 weeks of flowers. They did not disappoint! Absolutely gorgeous. Pavilions filled with roses and orchids and more varieties of tulips than I ever thought possible. Kids love it too. Also had a cool playground, the most delicious mini Dutch pancakes with powdered sugar and Nutella, a maze (girls rule, boys drool) and beautiful lambs and baby goats to pet. We had a great food truck lunch of croquettes, pasta and fries (w/mayo of course) before heading out.

    Our next stop was Zaanse Schans museum of Dutch history, a Verkade chocolate factory exhibit complete with biscuits and games and a long walk through the 11 windmills along the path. We made it just in time to see the cheese house and tried many samples (but not the ones Hudson coughed on) and settled on a truffled cows milk cheese and a spicy chili cows milk cheese to take home (family agreement:).

    We drove to the next village and had a delicious Indian meal in a family run spot (other than looking over and seeing H crying because his chicken curry was too hot😬). We solved it with butter chicken and all was well. Headed home to the apartment and then Tige took the car back and we are in for the night. Looking forward to heading into the city tomorrow.    Leggi altro

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  • Amsterdam
    1

    Amsterdam!

    3 aprile 2024, Olanda ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Joce and I skipped out of work early and picked the kids and luggage up at home before making the 90 min drive to Stansted airport. After parking and walking to the terminal, bag drop and security were a breeze and we had 2 hours to kill. Dinner at BK (Joce’s favourite) before making our way to the gate for our delayed flight. (Flashbacks to our last time here when we had to sprint through the airport on our first summer trip flight to Venice - much better this time around). An easy 40 min flight and then an Uber to our flat. The stairs to the 3rd floor were quite intimidating! The flat extends to a 4th floor with a beautiful sitting room and kitchen (and window rope swing!) and then to a rooftop deck. Looking forward to checking that out in the daylight. After midnight here so kids off to bed while we prepare for tomorrow - tulips await!Leggi altro

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  • Iceland

    Home

    17 febbraio 2024, Islanda ⋅ 🌬 39 °F

    We made it home without issue (though a little scare when a passenger collapsed half way through the flight). Much warmer here. Sad our trip is over but looking forward to our own beds tonight! Lots of good times and can’t wait to go back in the summer.Leggi altro

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  • Iceland

    Last Day in Iceland

    16 febbraio 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 36 °F

    We had a great last day in Reykjavik. Elliot and I went to the best bakery in town to get Snúður - the popular Icelandic cinnamon roll. The place was packed (a good sign) and we got a batch fresh from the oven... they lived up to the hype and didn't last long. Then we walked around Reykjavik and did some tourist shopping. I found an amazing raincoat at Reykjavik Raincoats which should come in handy back home. Jocelyn found an Icelandic wool sweater at the same shop before we get to a souvenir shop to score t-shirts, coffee mugs, sweatshirts and magnets to bring home. We decided to walk down to the sea to see the Sun Voyager - a beautiful Viking ship sculpture. That walk took us along the seafront to our lunch destination at the popular hot dog stand Baejarins Beztu Pylsur. Another long (and this time, much colder) line and, again, another hit. Fried and fresh onions along with a special sauce made it worth the wait. On our way back into town, we walked up the famous Rainbow Road (or Skólavörðustígur) on the way back to the church where we had parked. We then made the drive to the Blue Lagoon. This was the first thing we planned on the trip and one of the more popular destinations in Iceland but it has been closed for the last 10 days because of an eruption. Even after our AirBnB host recommended we not go because of the lava flows, we made the trip in about 75 minutes since we had to detour around closed roads from the lava. It was certainly a good decision as we had a great time. Everyone had face masks while soaking in the briny mix which has a strong light blue color from the algae and minerals. The place was enormous and even in 2.5 hours, we didn't explore the entire pool but we all had a drink from the bar and had a very relaxing afternoon in the steam clouds coming out of the pool. After the drive home, we were starving and immediately went to dinner. Unfortunately, our day ended on a sour note with probably the worst food on the trip. But we had a great and full day and now home to pack up for our flight tomorrow. No aurora expected tonight but we are so fortunate to have seen it on Tuesday. We had an amazing stay but all good times must come to an end and tomorrow we fly out early.Leggi altro

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  • Iceland

    Reykjavík

    15 febbraio 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 36 °F

    We woke up and had a delicious pancake breakfast, packed up and headed toward Reykjavík which was a 2 hour drive. We had tickets to an interactive museum called Perlan, which was actually very cool. They showed a cool planetarium film about the auroras and another about the volcanic eruptions of 2021 that lasted 6 months. We learned about wildlife and visited an ice cave that was surprisingly accurate. We learned about glacier formation and speed of changes. The latter was pretty sad actually as it highlighted how fast we are losing glaciers worldwide. We tried some Icelandic ice cream (delicious) for lunch. Next we went to the iconic Lutheran church Hallgrimskirkja. We made it just in time to see the tower and had amazing views of the city.

    After the church we went back to our AirBnb and checked in. It is right above a busy shopping area with plenty of places we planned to check out tomorrow. Tige surprised me with Icelandic cinnamon donut holes drizzled with honey and sesame seeds and a musical candle like one we had for a birthday that sang for weeks in the garage in Texas.

    We fixed dinner for the kids and went out for a delicious birthday dinner at the Icelandic restaurant called Kol. Super yummy tasing menu for the restaurant’s birthday, def recommend. After dinner we walked for a bit before we headed home. A memorable birthday for sure.    Leggi altro

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  • Iceland
    1

    Into the glacier

    14 febbraio 2024, Islanda ⋅ ❄️ 32 °F

    Today we were up with the sunrise to get ready for our excursion for the day. We booked a tour called Into the Glacier and drove to a nearby town called Husafell to meet the group and get into our crazy big super jeep (it holds about 50 people and has enormous tires). We even met a woman from Texas who was from SA and lives in Spring Branch. We drove for about 1 hour and 15 minutes around the surface of the glacier Langjokull. There are 13 glaciers in Iceland (including offshoots 269 named glaciers). One glacier has already died in 2015. Langjokull is the second largest glacier in Europe. The drive up the surface of the glacier was breathtaking and we stopped halfway (it was a bathroom break but there was snow covering the building so only the boys could take advantage of the break:)

    The tour takes you to a man-made tunnel into the glacier. The tunnel is 900m long and at the deepest you are 50m under the ice. It was crazy to experience being inside the glacier and they even had different little rooms in various states of compression from the weight of the glacier as it changes. They asked for a volunteer to sing and Gid bravely sang a verse of Imagine Dragons’ I bet my life. This was followed by Happy Birthday for me, which was very sweet. The tour lasted about 4 hours.

    After the tour we went back to the house and had lunch. The kids played outside and we tried out the hot tub (which was so hot it was even too much for me) but I let the kids play with snow and that helped. Gideon is a snow bird for sure. We have to force him to come in every time. We just hung out playing games and watching movies, enjoying our last night. It was a good day.    Leggi altro

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  • Iceland

    Chill/travel day

    13 febbraio 2024, Islanda ⋅ ⛅ 23 °F

    Today was a relaxing day. Had a good breakfast and packed up. Apparently all of the farm’s animals were going crazy, there were horses and cows out of their fences running on the road. We headed out to the Secret Lagoon (not going to be the weirdos taking photos at a small hot spring, so no pics). It is the oldest pool (hot spring) in Iceland, used since the 1940s. It is fed by a natural hot spring that is 80-100C. Super relaxing once we got through the hectic changing and shower rooms. We stayed for about an hour, showered again and started our drive toward our next bnb in Ysatmoar. We made lunch in the car on the drive, which was about 2.5 hours in total. We stopped in Borgarnes (which was beautiful but the shops were very simple). 45 minutes and tons of Icelandic horses later we found our next farmhouse. It is super cute and we unloaded just in time for an incredible sunset.

    Big adventure planned for tomorrow so after watching half of Top Gun Maverick we sent the kiddos to bed.

    Edited at 11p: massive northern lights display tonight. E and Connie with us. Hudson kept just covering himself back up and we dressed Gid sleeping and Tige carried him out without boots and he immediately asked to go in. Pics don’t do it justice. Nothing like this!    Leggi altro

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  • Iceland
    1

    Caves and ‘sledding’

    12 febbraio 2024, Islanda ⋅ 🌬 36 °F

    After a late night of Joce and I hunting for Northern Lights (we did see an uninspiring faint one after driving down the road but not enough to wake the kids) and deciding on the next day's activities, we slept in today. After breakfast in, we made our way into town to see the Caves of Hella. The 90-minute tour into three different manmade caves was an interesting and very funny history lesson about (probable) Celtic settlers that predated the Vikings. The caves were mostly used for lamb and/or cow and hay storage. Besides being a great escape from the gale-level wind outside, the local tour guide did a great job of keeping our attention with his pre-historic stories. After the tour, we drove to the nearby town of Sellfoss to have lunch at a roadside sandwich shop. Very yummy. We walked across to the nearby gas station to use the toilet (and bought some snacks since we felt weird not buying anything). Elliot made the unfortunate decision to buy an ice cream cone - what looked like chocolate (but couldn't be translated by Google) ended up being some very gross black licorice flavor. We had been warned about licorice flavor here but didn't consider it extending to ice cream cones. After finding a trash bin, we drove back to Kerid Crater - this time with crampons. We hiked down to the bottom (and out of the wind) and then had fun free 'sledding' down the steep sides. No injuries occurred (except for torn pants)!

    After a pit stop where we found some pancake mix (we think, another one that didn't translate but was by some syrup) and some expensive Islandic IPAs, we headed home for outdoor play with Jocelyn and the kids while the sun set. Games and pizza dinner tonight with some Super Bowl half-time and commercial highlights (we were all fast asleep before the game started at 23:30 local time). Tomorrow, we move further north.    Leggi altro

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  • Iceland

    Vik and waterfalls

    11 febbraio 2024, Islanda ⋅ ☁️ 27 °F

    Once again we slept in until sunrise, made breakfast and then finally hit the road to Vik which was a little over and hour from us. Roads were clear at first and then not so clear, but Tige kept us super safe. Our first stop was the black sand beach Reynisfjara which had amazing basalt columns notched out at the shore and great views of the very rough sea. The wind was high and gusts would pelt your face with sand and small pebbles. Huddy was not a fan. We then went to a pub in Vik for lunch. Yummy fish & chips, Icelandic fish stew and burgers/pasta/chicken for the rest. Probably the best fish we have had in a while. We were sitting next to a woman in an Illinois shirt and found out she was from Alton, which is not far from Troy. After that we hit another black sand beach called Vikurfjara. Finer sand and beautiful views.

    After that we made our way back, first stopping at Skogafos (gorgeous waterfall). Tige, H and I hiked up to the top overlooking the falls and it was even more beautiful up there.

    Our next stop was Seljalandsfoss, a partially frozen waterfall that in summer you can hike around behind. Still beautiful in winter, but our real favorite was 1/2 mile from the first falls (there was a row of waterfalls down the cliffs). The kids and T & I made our way on rocks through the side of the water and climbed a huge ice block to stand next to the waterfall. Not to be missed and thankful we took the trek in.

    We made it home around 7 and hit the hot tub for a bit. Nice to warm up, but honestly our faces are the only things that are cold and windburned. Layers and a super Mountain Hardware sale for the win!

    Mexican dinner via Costco which was great and then Tige and I made some hot toddys and went out to chase the northern lights after an app we follow had several sightings nearish to us. We saw shadows and faint aurora but not the really green vibrant deal. Lots of action in Reykjavik. Hopefully will see her in the days to come!    Leggi altro

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