travel
Travel: Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
We have traveled to a lot of places in the past couple of years, but it was a visit a to my childhood home that prompted a recent excursion to Mt. St. Helens with my kids, ages 8 and 11. I have been to Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument a couple of times, but this was my children’s first visit. And, boy, did they have a lot of questions, starting with this one… “What was it like when Mt. St. Helens erupted, Mom?” I indignantly replied, “How old do you think I am, kids? Huh?” Actually, they were right. I was alive during the volcano’s last big eruption, but I was…
Visiting Ireland: The Book of Kells
It’s hard to prioritize what to do and see in Dublin if you are visiting for a short period of time. You’d think this process would be easier if you are living in Dublin, but NOPE! It took us two years before we got around to seeing the Book of Kells. I’m not sure why we waited so long. No one else does! Close to a million visitors a year view the Book of Kells making it the 5th most popular tourist attraction in Ireland. If you’re a history buff, a book lover, a believer in the gospels and/or a Star Wars fan, this is the tour for you! WHAT IS…
Travel: One Day in London with Kids
One of the best things about living in Ireland is being able to get relatively cheap flights from Dublin to other cities in Europe via Ryan Air. Awhile back we took advantage of one of those airfare deals to make a quick weekend trip to London. I do mean quick. While we were there for 2 nights, we really only had one full day to see the London sights. Here’s how to make the most of one day in London with kids. Getting Around There’s no other way to get around London than with public transportation. If you want to know which travel pass is the best one to buy…
Travel: One Day in Berlin with Kids
One day in any city is never enough, but sometimes a quirk in your travel plans presents an opportunity. For us, it was one day in Berlin or zero days in Berlin. Of course we’ll take the one day! Especially since it meant being able to see friends. The biggest thing I learned? We need to go back! Getting Into Berlin from the Airport Getting from the Berlin Airport into the city involves either taking a taxi or a bus. We took the bus. And then the train. And then walked to our hotel. Figuring out the bus and train situation was not impossible – we did it after all,…
Visiting Ireland: Kilmainham Gaol Museum
When we arrived at Kilmainham Gaol Museum on the west side of Dublin, we were greeted at a big imposing door by a stout-looking Irish man with grey hair. He looked at me and with all seriousness said, “Ah! I see you’ve brought us some long-term guests!” My kids stared at the man and then slowly looked at me like, “He’s joking, right mom? RIGHT?!?!” Have I mentioned that Kilmainham Gaol is a prison? Technically, it WAS a prison. Kilmainham Gaol opened in 1796 on a site known as Gallows Hill. If that doesn’t set the stage for an 18th century prison, I don’t know what does. WHY YOU SHOULD…
Visiting Ireland: St. Patrick’s Day
Visiting Ireland any time of year is special. Visting Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day? Well, that’s taking things up a notch or ten million. Let’s start with some basics. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland who is believed to have died on March 17 around the year 460 A.D. Record keeping might not have been quite as stringent in the 5th century. Hence, all the qualifying words. It is believed that St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland or, at least, had a large influence on Christianity in Ireland. Many of the stories about St. Patrick aren’t necessarily factual. However, they are impressive if you have certain phobias. For…
Travel: Paris with Kids
When I told a family member we’d be visiting Paris, she said, “That sounds so romantic!” To which I replied, “Did I forget to mention we’re visiting Paris WITH our kids?” So, no romance this trip, but lots of family fun. It’s a good trade-off. Right?!?! While I would love to see Paris in the spring, it was pretty special to be able to ring in the New Year (from our hotel room, of course) in this beautiful city. Here are my impressions of Paris, things we did and my tips for visiting with kids. (Our kids were 7 and 10 at the time of our visit.) GETTING AROUND The…
Travel: The Weird Thing I Always Pack
Let’s face it, there’s probably more than ONE weird thing I pack when I travel. Although, compared to what airport security sees on the regular, I’m guessing my stuff is pretty bland. For instance, I have never tried to pack 240 live fish in my suitcases. Have you? So what is the weird thing I pack when I travel? A tennis ball. Why do I pack it? Do I have a love for tennis? For playing catch? Nope. I pack it because I’m not a spring chicken. I pack it because traveling with Handy Husband means oodles of miles on my feet. He’s not a fan of taxis. I pack…
Travel: The Louvre With Kids
My kids (ages 7 and 10) had two things and really only two things they wanted to do while in Paris. Climb the Eiffel Tower. (I wrote about that experience here.) See the Mona Lisa at The Louvre. I understand the Eiffel Tower, but I wanted to know how they knew about the Mona Lisa and where she lived. I could have made an educated guess where she’s hanging these days, but that’s not knowledge I store in my head. “Mooom! We learned that in school!” Thank goodness. There are days when I wonder if anything I say is sticking in their heads. WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? The Louvre has seen…
Travel: Eiffel Tower with Kids
We spent 4 days in Paris over New Year’s, so I have a lot to tell you about. I’m going to start with our visit to the Eiffel Tower with our kids, ages 7 and 10. Is there a more iconic symbol of a city than the Eiffel Tower? We visited the Eiffel Tower on Saturday, December 31, which is somewhat of an unusual day to visit because the tower closes a few hours early on that particular day for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Here’s what we learned about visiting the Eiffel Tower with kids. If you are one of the lucky ducks who gets to visit Paris sans…
