My prayers have been answered! For airline travel, we had been using TSA-approved Ziploc brand plastic bags for carrying liquids through security check but they get nasty pretty quickly. I recently had to throw away a couple.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Jun 27, 2014
Jun 11, 2014
Cologne & Arnhem
We kicked off our European tour in Cologne (Köln), Germany on July 21st, 2013. Mars' long-time friend, Bengt, lives there. We thought it would be the perfect starting point for taking it easy and recovering from jet lag.
Bengt picked us up at the train station. By this point, I was delirious from lack of sleep. I had zero sleep the night prior on the 12 hour flight from San Francisco and, not surprisingly, none on the 1-1/2 hour train ride connection from Frankfurt to Cologne. It was almost 1 pm local time (almost 5 am San Francisco time).
Bengt picked us up at the train station. By this point, I was delirious from lack of sleep. I had zero sleep the night prior on the 12 hour flight from San Francisco and, not surprisingly, none on the 1-1/2 hour train ride connection from Frankfurt to Cologne. It was almost 1 pm local time (almost 5 am San Francisco time).
Apr 21, 2014
Our Final European Itinerary
We changed our draft itinerary soon before our trip. After really thinking through the logistics, we had to eliminate certain cities due to time constraints and also changed destinations after doing more research. We completely eliminated Nuremberg, Montreaux/Chateau de Chillon, and Windsor Castle and we stayed in mountainside Murren, Switzerland instead of Lauterbrunnen in the valley. A couple locations were added by our hosts (Arnhem and Aigues Mortes).
Our new and final itinerary looked like this:
Cologne, Germany
 |
| Cologne Cathedral and the Hohenzollern Bridge |
Arnhem, Netherlands
 |
| De Hoge Veluwe National Park |
Munich, Germany
 |
| Rathaus-Glockenspiel in Marienplatz |
Füssen, Germany
 |
| Neuschwanstein Castle |
Mürren, Switzerland
 |
| My favorite place on Earth |
Avignon, France
 |
| Palais des Papes / Popes Palace |
Cassis, France
 |
| Cassis marina |
Aigues Mortes, France
 |
| The charming streets of the medieval walled city Aigues Mortes |
Paris, France
 |
| The City of Lights |
London, England
 |
| My favorite city in Europe |
Bournemouth, England
 |
| Moors Valley Country Park |
All the juicy details coming soon. (I know, I know!)
Apr 13, 2014
The Perfect Spring Break Family Vacation in Los Cabos, Mexico
Last week we were in Los Cabos for the kids' spring break. Our two criteria for a spring break vacation were 1) Warm weather, and 2) Relative close proximity to San Francisco.
Mar 19, 2014
Final European Capsule Wardrobe
3-1/2 weeks
5 countries
1 carry-on
This was no easy feat. Weather and activities would vary considerably. Obviously, my strategy was to take only what I thought was absolutely necessary. This would require a lot of laundry and a lot of re-wearing.
5 countries
1 carry-on
This was no easy feat. Weather and activities would vary considerably. Obviously, my strategy was to take only what I thought was absolutely necessary. This would require a lot of laundry and a lot of re-wearing.
Jan 3, 2014
Trip Overview
Europe was spectacular. We saw and did some amazing things on the trip. In 3-1/2 weeks we visited 5 countries, 7 cities, and 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We swam in the Mediterranean, hiked in the Alps, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, among many other things.
 |
| Our Travel Route |
Europe Trip Epilogue
Watch this space as new links become available if you're not subscribed. (Links will become active as posts are written and published.)
Overview
Planes, Trains, & Automobiles:
SFO to FRA / Cologne
Cologne to Munich
Munich to Füssen roundtrip
Munich to Mürren
Mürren to Avignon
Avignon to Paris
Paris to London
Car Rental from London to Bournemouth roundtrip
LHR to SFO
Cities & Sights:
Cologne / Arnhem
Munich
Neuschwanstein Castle (Füssen)
Mürren
Southern France
Paris
London Part 1
Southern England
London Part 2
Packing & Final Wardrobe
Overview
Planes, Trains, & Automobiles:
SFO to FRA / Cologne
Cologne to Munich
Munich to Füssen roundtrip
Munich to Mürren
Mürren to Avignon
Avignon to Paris
Paris to London
Car Rental from London to Bournemouth roundtrip
LHR to SFO
Cities & Sights:
Cologne / Arnhem
Munich
Neuschwanstein Castle (Füssen)
Mürren
Southern France
Paris
London Part 1
Southern England
London Part 2
Packing & Final Wardrobe
Aug 16, 2013
Recovering
We're back... safe and sound and suffering pretty intense jet lag. The trip was amazing! I have lots to share.
I was not a fan of the miniature Bluetooth keyboard I purchased especially for the trip. It was tough to type on and didn't have a right-side shift key (WTH?!). Add in spotty Wi-Fi and it's no surprise that I didn't update from the road.
I kept pretty good notes, though, so I'll be back tomorrow to begin over-sharing all the little details.
I was not a fan of the miniature Bluetooth keyboard I purchased especially for the trip. It was tough to type on and didn't have a right-side shift key (WTH?!). Add in spotty Wi-Fi and it's no surprise that I didn't update from the road.
I kept pretty good notes, though, so I'll be back tomorrow to begin over-sharing all the little details.
Jul 18, 2013
One more day. ONE MORE DAY!
We're leaving on Saturday. It's finally here! It feels surreal but time, as always, just keeps going.
The truth is... I'm exhausted. Five hours of sleep per night for the past week has caught up to me. There's been too much to do, too much to think about.
Today was my last day of work for a month. I just barely got everything done and I was even a little late getting out of the office and was almost late for an evening doctor's appointment (last-chance allergy shots). Talk about stressful.
I have a to-do list a mile long. I'm not sure how I'm going to get it all done. I have a full day tomorrow to tie up loose ends around here but I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow morning (hopefully my final follow-up on a shoulder injury from twelve weeks ago) and then a loooong hair appointment for a color and cut. I won't have a lot of time to get things done so I'll be running around like a madwoman.
Our friend and her family are housesitting for us while we're away. So, of course, that means the house has to be in order: the sheets on all beds changed, floors vacuumed, everything dusted, all laundry done (we don't want dirty laundry sitting around festering for a month), etc.
My last entry was posted using the Blogger app. I'm not too excited about it. As you can see, I added photos but there's no way to re-size or arrange them in the app. They turned up in the post huge! They can't be captioned, either.
I bought a miniature wireless Bluetooth keyboard for the trip to use with my phone with the intent of keeping a travel journal. Not sure if I'll still do that or just make entries with the Blogger app or what. I'll have to play that by ear.
If I don't post from the road, I'll be back once I return and lots to share. Look for articles about traveling with kids, how to survive a long flight, fun things to do with kids in Europe, my final capsule wardrobe and how it worked out for me, plus many others.
Unless I stop in here via wi-fi connection, I'll see you again August 15th or thereabouts.
The truth is... I'm exhausted. Five hours of sleep per night for the past week has caught up to me. There's been too much to do, too much to think about.
Today was my last day of work for a month. I just barely got everything done and I was even a little late getting out of the office and was almost late for an evening doctor's appointment (last-chance allergy shots). Talk about stressful.
I have a to-do list a mile long. I'm not sure how I'm going to get it all done. I have a full day tomorrow to tie up loose ends around here but I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow morning (hopefully my final follow-up on a shoulder injury from twelve weeks ago) and then a loooong hair appointment for a color and cut. I won't have a lot of time to get things done so I'll be running around like a madwoman.
Our friend and her family are housesitting for us while we're away. So, of course, that means the house has to be in order: the sheets on all beds changed, floors vacuumed, everything dusted, all laundry done (we don't want dirty laundry sitting around festering for a month), etc.
My last entry was posted using the Blogger app. I'm not too excited about it. As you can see, I added photos but there's no way to re-size or arrange them in the app. They turned up in the post huge! They can't be captioned, either.
I bought a miniature wireless Bluetooth keyboard for the trip to use with my phone with the intent of keeping a travel journal. Not sure if I'll still do that or just make entries with the Blogger app or what. I'll have to play that by ear.
If I don't post from the road, I'll be back once I return and lots to share. Look for articles about traveling with kids, how to survive a long flight, fun things to do with kids in Europe, my final capsule wardrobe and how it worked out for me, plus many others.
Unless I stop in here via wi-fi connection, I'll see you again August 15th or thereabouts.
Jul 17, 2013
Testing Blogger's mobile app
Never mind me... Just testing out my newly downloaded blogger mobile app.
I'm including a couple photos from last weekend's awesome Portugal The Man concert.
If I like this interface, I'll blog on the road. Fingers crossed.
Jul 14, 2013
Traveling with Nutritional Supplements
6 days and counting.....
Tonight I divvied up my nutritional supplements. I take 6 different daily supplements. (Hi, I'm 42, not 82!) Bottles eat up a huge amount of precious packing space. The solution? Transferring them into snack-size zip top bags.
Tonight I divvied up my nutritional supplements. I take 6 different daily supplements. (Hi, I'm 42, not 82!) Bottles eat up a huge amount of precious packing space. The solution? Transferring them into snack-size zip top bags.
Jul 12, 2013
European Capsule Wardrobe (Take 1) Plus Packing List
I planned to do a mock pack job today on my day off work but Gümby was home vomiting with a tummy bug. She even had to miss her preschool graduation ceremony tonight, which was heartbreaking. Lots of crying and sadness.
Jul 9, 2013
Staying Connected During International Travel
I've been driving myself a bit nuts trying to figure out how I was going to stay connected with family and friends while in Europe. This might be old news to most people but the last time we traveled internationally, cell phones were not commonplace. Crazy to think that was just 10-1/2 years ago! How times have changed.
Jun 30, 2013
Let's Talk Travel Cost
I'm having serious sticker shock over the cost of our upcoming Europe trip. When we decided to take this trip (4 weeks in 4 countries for 2 adults & 2 children) I figured it was going to cost around $10,000. The truth is the reality is likely double that.
London Hotels Booked
Holy mackerel, London is expensive! Since August is prime vacation month for Europeans, it has also been tough finding vacancies. I'm happy to say that I finally found two hotels that are reasonably priced and with good reviews. Mind you, this was a huge feat! The basic budget hotels were at least $250 per night. For tiny hotel rooms and microscopic bathrooms. Some of the reviews I was reading were a bit... concerning. I read one review that said a hotel inserted a pre-fab bathroom like you'd find in a motor home into the room's closet and that you couldn't close the door if you sat on the toilet.
Jun 27, 2013
Our New Luggage and Packing Cubes Are Awesome
Remember how we bought all new luggage for our Europe trip? Well, we are loving it!
We had a chance to use it during our recent Disneyland trip. I packed enough for 4 days. The kids' luggage was perfect for them and held everything with room to spare. The only thing I didn't like was that Crumpet's suitcase didn't have any exterior pockets.
Please forgive the photos. They were taken at midnight... in bad lighting... with my phone... while I was furiously packing so that I could get to bed.
We had a chance to use it during our recent Disneyland trip. I packed enough for 4 days. The kids' luggage was perfect for them and held everything with room to spare. The only thing I didn't like was that Crumpet's suitcase didn't have any exterior pockets.
Please forgive the photos. They were taken at midnight... in bad lighting... with my phone... while I was furiously packing so that I could get to bed.
Travel Underwear Review
Remember how I bought some synthetic Gillian & O'Malley undies at Target a few weeks ago? They did not work out. Maybe it was the cut but they rode up my butt and/or caused impressive panty lines. I bought two pairs but after wearing and disliking one pair, I returned the other pair.
I bit the bullet and bought the pricey Ex Officio travel undies that everyone was raving about. Oh yes I did! Since I wasn't about ready to pay $22 per pair, I luckily found discounts on Amazon.com. I bought 2 pairs in nude and 1 pair in white grape (a light pinkish purple color).
I bought my usual size medium. They run large; I could have/should have gone with a size small. Oh well.
I packed them for the Disneyland trip and wore a pair 2 out of the 3 days we were there. I wasn't too impressed. They feel great on, very lightweight, but... um... my very-closely-trimmed hair would sometimes get caught in the fibers. It wasn't painful, just annoying. I wonder if it has something to do with them being slightly too large.
As a result, I've decided that I'm going to bring both 100% cotton undies and synthetic Ex Officio undies to Europe.
I bit the bullet and bought the pricey Ex Officio travel undies that everyone was raving about. Oh yes I did! Since I wasn't about ready to pay $22 per pair, I luckily found discounts on Amazon.com. I bought 2 pairs in nude and 1 pair in white grape (a light pinkish purple color).
I bought my usual size medium. They run large; I could have/should have gone with a size small. Oh well.
I packed them for the Disneyland trip and wore a pair 2 out of the 3 days we were there. I wasn't too impressed. They feel great on, very lightweight, but... um... my very-closely-trimmed hair would sometimes get caught in the fibers. It wasn't painful, just annoying. I wonder if it has something to do with them being slightly too large.
As a result, I've decided that I'm going to bring both 100% cotton undies and synthetic Ex Officio undies to Europe.
On Being My Own Travel Agent
Today I'm recovering from the flu so I thought it would be a great time to catch up on some posts.
Our travel agent sent us her hotel itinerary last weekend. Holy smokes, talk about expensive! 4 nights in Paris for $1,370? 2 nights in Munich for $621? And the kicker: 3 nights in London for $1,542?
Ouch.
Our travel agent sent us her hotel itinerary last weekend. Holy smokes, talk about expensive! 4 nights in Paris for $1,370? 2 nights in Munich for $621? And the kicker: 3 nights in London for $1,542?
Ouch.
Jun 21, 2013
Our Draft European Itinerary
I haven't been able to comment about the trip because there was nothing to report. This is the first trip we're using a travel agent and our experience has been really shoddy. Long story there, full of broken promises to deliver, but I'll just say that we fired our travel agent on Tuesday.
We now have a new travel agent and she is awesome! In just one day she's finalized 90% of the reservations for hotels and trains. Wow! I love her.
We now have a new travel agent and she is awesome! In just one day she's finalized 90% of the reservations for hotels and trains. Wow! I love her.
Jun 13, 2013
More Disneyland Resort Tips
Be sure to read my original post "How to Maximize Your Time in Disneyland" first if you haven't already.
I thought I would update my tips about making the most of your time in Disneyland after our most recent trip (June 2-4, 2013). Without a doubt, the most important tip for getting the most bang for your buck is to make sure you arrive at opening time.
I thought I would update my tips about making the most of your time in Disneyland after our most recent trip (June 2-4, 2013). Without a doubt, the most important tip for getting the most bang for your buck is to make sure you arrive at opening time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)