Marriage and Kids...And Travel part 2

I have two things to add to my last post.  Firstly, my husband and I are very grateful to the Grandma & Grandpa who stayed with our kids while we went to Croatia in August (and previous trips), plus the other 3 who babysit whenever they visit.  Secondly, the other person who won't bail out on you when you ask for childcare?  Someone who has been bailed on.

With that said...

Seeing as my husband and I met while traveling and were raised exploring different places (did I mention that my husband was born in the UK while HIS parents were traveling?  Yeah, it's kind of in our blood), there was no plan to stop when out first son arrived.  He visited Canada, Italy, the US and North Wales in his first year.

We've seen and heard it all.  The groans from the people behind us going "why do WE have to be stuck behind the baby?"  The flight attendants cooing over a tiny baby.  A pilot that let all 3 kids into the cockpit this past February.  Strangers offering to help.  Glances and nods from other parents, creating a silent camaraderie before take-off.  Glances from solo travellers just willing you to let your small child scream and ignore them so they can look at you with disdain.  Yup, check, check, check, etc.

My tips for flying:

If the baby is still nursing, then nurse whenever they want.  Bring a nursing pillow on the plane.  It will surely take up a lot of room in hand-luggage but long-haul flights, it will be a saviour.  Non-nursing baby, and you're down with pacifiers?  Bring at least three.

Bagels bagels bagels.  They're chewy, tasty and take a long time to eat.  Cookies and fruit snacks can be eaten so quickly but a bagel takes a good 45min.

Don't be that parent who lets the kid scream while you plug in your earphones and watch a movie.  That's why other passengers hate you as soon as they see you sitting down with an infant.  They expect it.  So prove them wrong.  Try soothing, try feeding, try bouncing, try playing with them, try reading.  If the seatbelt sign is off, then take the baby to the back gallery where you can pace a little bit.  If it's a toddler, let him/her walk the aisle (you have to be with them!).  It's not meant to be easy.

3 year old William on the way to Dubai!

Seat back entertainment is the new saviour for pre-school/school-age kids.  My middle child watched Tom & Jerry cartoons (the same 2 episodes) all the way to Dubai and back 2 years ago.  It's the little things.  Similarly, investing in an iPad is worth it here.  My husband told me that the boys barely looked up on their flights to and from Grand Cayman in February.  Go ahead and think to yourself 'in my day we didn't have iPads!'  We do now, they're commonplace and they make not only the parents life easier, but their fellow-travellers life happier.

Let older kids go to the bathroom alone.  This isn't Flight Plan or whatever that horrible Jodie Foster movie was.  They can't go anywhere.  But it will give them a sense of independence.  Just make sure you turn to see when they finally get to the front of the toilet queue and then watch the clock, getting up if it's been 5 or so minutes and they still aren't out (unless they're my two boys and go in together, then they get about 7 minutes).

Pre-order a kids meal but plan for them to hate it.  There are so many food options inside security these days than there's really no excuse for not grabbing a tuna sandwich or whatever the child in question likes.  Don't go overboard on candy and chocolate.  That will just rile them up.

With all that said, you will likely never see these people again.  If you've done everything you can and your child is sensitive to air pressure changes, or they're past the state of boredom, or the seatbelt sign has been on for 2 hours and they need the bathroom but can't go and they're freaking out....you will likely never see those people again.  Just repeat that over and over again (like during labour "this will end, this will end, this will end").

Tips for foreign countries:

Above all, teach your kid to say thank you in whatever the language is of the country you're in.  Trust me.  Please.  It goes a very long way.

I've never been anywhere with children where we couldn't get diapers, formula, clothing, shoes, food, etc.  I assume that anywhere you could go where that would be an issue isn't somewhere you'd take small children.  Always pack for a flight as if your luggage will be delayed, or for a daytrip as if you'll get stuck in traffic/a metro has broken down/you get stuck somewhere...but from Rome to Dubai to San Francisco to Sydney you can get diapers and wipes.  And bread and milk.  And most other common necessities.

Foreign cities aren't any harder to navigate when you have kids next to you.  Some maps are easy to understand, some not so much.  Kids just make is trickier because they want to get where they're going, especially when hungry.  Fortunately it just takes some patience.  And adaption.

Tourist sites?  Kids love them.  At least mine do.  My boys love telling people that they're climbed to the 2nd floor of Eiffel Tower twice.  They pick up on the most interesting things too.  And they view things very differently.  For example, we go to Dover Castle pretty frequently since it's just down the road and the boys only really care about how it was used during WWII because that's fascinating to them.  Roman lighthouse?  Nah.  Medieval Castle?  Meh.  Lookout points for WWII battle ships?  Oh yeah!

I mentioned in my Ljubljana entry that I hit 5 museums in one day.  That won't happen with kids.  We dragged our boys and little girl (happy to be in her pram) to 4 different sites in Cartagena, Spain last summer (2012) and that was their limit.  Multiple ice creams cones and tons of bottled water was purchased.  Expectations should be lowered and making the kids are at least somewhat content should be a priority.  There's a balance between always doing "kid's holidays" like Disney and only "adult holidays" like non-stop museums.

I feel as though I could come up with more, so I'll leave this open-ended.

I think that the most important factor here though is making sure the kids know how lucky they are if they get to travel and see new places.  I don't want my kids to grow up thinking that traveling the world is the norm.  They're lucky, their father and I are lucky...and we've made it a priority in our life (and household budget!).  Quiz isn't the right word, but I ask them frequently about the things we've done.  Example: I often ask the boys which countries we had to drive through to get to Spain (France and Andorra), and which we have to drive through in a few weeks to get to Amsterdam/The Netherlands (France and Belgium).  They know we're flying to Sydney via South Korea in a few months, which lead to a pretty fascinating conversation about North Korea.  The comments and questions we've gotten the boys based on where we've been and where we're going are truly amazing.

Going places, taking a few photos and buying the postcard is all a bit boring; we integrate it into our lives and I truly think the kids are better for it.

Anything to add?  Tips?  Disagree with buying bagels for your baby?  Let me know!

Marriage & Kids...and Travel Part 1

I often hear that life somehow stops when you have kids.  And people who think life doesn't stop, believe it changes so dramatically that it may as well stop.  One of the misconceptions I hear frequently has to do with travel: if you have kids, you don't bother traveling anymore, with or without the kids.

Why?  

Because we're afraid of what the person next to us on the plane is thinking?  Because the maps of foreign countries are somehow harder to read when there's a small child holding your hand?  Because it's impossible to buy nappies/diapers or formula in places like Rome or Dubai?  

Because we no longer feel as though we can travel alone?  Who will stay with the kids?  What if they miss us?  What if we miss them?  Is it selfish?

Part 1 is leaving the kids at home.  Part 2 will be taking the kids with you. 

"Mommy & Daddy love you...see you next week!"

I love my kids.  I often tell them that they're pretty much the coolest thing(s) I've ever created.  But that doesn't mean I/we need a break.  

Leaving home for an extended period of time is about recharging batteries, reading a book and not being interrupted, getting more than a few hours of alone time, being able to have sex at 11am without worrying someone will walk in, not choosing restaurants based on the kids menu, etc.  The reasons are endless.

It's figuring out how to make it work and, if you can make it work, if you really want to make it work.

Who will stay with the kids?

1. Unless it's Grandma & Grandpa, have back up.  You can trust your friend who says "yeah, of course!" all you want but when they back out, you can be left completely screwed.  I write this from experience.  Remember that "back-outs" can happen for all different reasons: one simply said plans were changing after my repeatedly asking if the dates we had talked about worked, while once I changed my flight plans (yay airfare change charges! note sarcasm) and figured out a back up plan that person was removed without their knowing by a third party who "knows Person X well enough to make this call." (that isn't verbatim, but it's pretty damn close).  My mom told me recently that a family friend backed out at her and my dad back in the 80's pretty much 'just because.'  Back. Up.  People will bail.  Except Grandma & Grandpa.  That's not in their job description.  And paid help.  The end result from the tale above was our then nanny spending the weekend with the boys - and it was costly!

2. Kids have to feel comfortable with whoever they're being left with.  Trial runs are good for this sort of thing.  I'm looking forward to having of my closest friends two kids in a couple months while she and her husband are off overnight because we'll all find out how well the situation works.  We already spend a lot of time together, but if the younger one freaks out and can't handle 36 hours, then a week long vacation may not be in their future.  But if s/he does handle it then mom and dad might be more comfortable going away for longer and they deserve that.  Better to deal with a meltdown when they're an hour away than on a plane to Spain or wherever.

3. If the people watching your kids can only handle a night or two, take it.  It's better than nothing, right?  

What if they miss us?

They probably will.  They'll survive.  Somehow.

What if I miss them?

You probably will.  You'll survive.  The tan, cocktails, meals in restaurants without whipping out Angry Birds on the iPhone and interesting museums/sites/etc will help you to survive.  Somehow.

Is it selfish

Maybe?  Probably?  Not at all?  Depends on who's judging.  And it depends if you care what other people are thinking.  I personally think it's important to be a bit selfish sometimes.  My life is devoted to those 3 kids and they're amazing but my marriage is also incredibly important.  It takes time and effort and energy and work - and being alone is vital.  

Obviously outside factors will decide whether traveling as a couple and leaving the kids at home is feasible: childcare, money, and time off work, to name a few.  But if it's in the realm of possibility, it's worth it.  Very, very worth it.  Josh and I came home from Croatia a few weeks ago with stories of islands and beaches and old city walls...and the boys just wanted to show off their new bike riding skills, while our daughter looked at us with an "oh, you're back, interesting" look on her face.  They didn't miss out.  We didn't miss out.  We all benefitted.  (though Grandma & Grandpa were probably a bit tired!)

Finally: Venice, Italy

When I think Venice, I think gondola!

My trip back to Italy was much faster than the journey to Slovenia.  I was on the train to Villach just before 7:30am, in Villach well before 10am and on my bus back to Venice before midday.  When I had initially looked at where the bus station, Tronchetto, was located in Venice, it seemed close to everything.  Not so much.  We all had to take a tram from the bus station to Piazzale Roma. It didn't take long but there was a fair bit of confusion: would it be faster to walk?  One couple chose to walk and they didn't look too happy as the tram, and all of us on it, passed them rather quickly.

I had to find my hotel, which was meant to be pretty easy.  And it was except that it's location on a tiny alley threw me off and I panicked for about 3 minutes before calming down and finding it.  I stayed at Hotel Mignon.  It was charming, the front desk staff were lovely, the coffee at breakfast was strong and the room was, well, okay.  "Okay" in the sense that it was tiny, the bed was a large single with exactly one pillow, a tiny shower, and so on.  I didn't spend enough time in the room to really care, to be honest.  I was less than 5 minutes from the Rialto Bridge and about 10 from St Mark's Square (this is "Laura" pace - I like to power-walk).

I changed and set out for the afternoon making my way to the Rialto Bridge:

Millions of the same photo are taken annually, I'm sure.

And to St Mark's Square:

Looking back toward St Marc's Square and at Campanile.

I decided to go up the bell tower (Campanile) that afternoon as well.  This wound up being a smart decision because the queue was massive the next three or four times I walked past.

Santa Maria della Salute from the bell tower.

And I wandered, which should be the number one tourist suggestion for Venice:

Beautiful buildings.

The Canal, not from high up.

There was a Billa grocery store not too far from the hotel, which is where I bought dinner.  I have no issue traveling alone, going to movies or eating in restaurants alone at home...but dining alone in Venice, where most people were traveling in couples, was not high on my list.

The next day, Thursday, was really my only full day in Venice.  I spent most of Friday in Verona and left on Saturday so this was the day.  Luckily for me, it was hottest and sunniest day of my whole week.  I had been watching the weather for weeks before leaving for this trip and it stayed fairly consistent leading me to pack no trousers/pants and exactly one thin sweater.  This was the one day that I comfortably wore a summer dress!

I went back to the Rialto Bridge, hoping that I was out early enough for it not to be too busy, before walking to the Gallerie dell'Accademia:

Alone with Carpaccio; the reason I try to get to galleries early.

I walked from the Gallerie dell'Accademia to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection:

The gardens.  I didn't take any photos of the
rooms inside, just a few individual paintings.

It was packed.  You expect busy at popular places, but wow.  A friend had e-mailed me suggestions of things to do in Venice the night before and the PG was on the list.  I can see how it would be amazing, if it wasn't so busy.  It wasn't even the tourists, it was the schoolchildren.  Now I am all for kids in museums and galleries.  My kids are in them pretty often!  But the rooms in the Peggy Guggenheim are fairly small and when 30 kids sit down in front of a Pollock that you want to look at for a good 15 minutes, it's a bit annoying.  It reaches a level of frustration when you realise that there are 4 different classes of about 30 each in there at the same time, always sat in front of what you want to look at.  Plus all the tourists.  And then I wasn't expecting to have to leave my handbag in a locker, which contained my passport, wallet, UK biometric card, etc.  I felt uneasy the whole time.  I left loving the gallery and knowing what it should have been and I what I'll do differently next time (a weekend day when no schoolchildren would be there; I could have left my important documents in the safe at the hotel...things like that).

I walked from there to the Santa Maria della Salute.

My photos of the church dead on are no good because
 it's impossible to get the whole church in the photo.

I then walked along the industrial bit of Venice back toward the main train station, St Lucia.  I bought my ticket to Verona for the next day and wasn't too sure what to do next.  For some reason I was hesitant to use the vaporetto's (water buses, really).  I remember laughing at myself, this wasn't the first time I was in Italy and certainly not the first time I was traveling alone! (maybe closing in on 30, at this point, and knowing I left 3 children at home has made me more paranoid?)  Anyway I walked up to the vaporetto ticket booth and purchased a 12hr unlimited ticket.  It meant I could go anywhere the vaporetto went for 12 hours. 

So first I boarded one heading to the island, Lido.

Arriving at Lido.

I disembarked, wandered a few streets and bought gelato on Lido.  I then boarded another vaporetto headed toward Burano with a stop at Punta Sabbioni.  Burano is just too beautiful to miss.  The photo on the far right at the top of this page is from Burano.  As the vaporetto was approaching the island you could just see these bursts of colour.  It was just stunning.

The main walkway was packed,
the side canals much emptier.

From Burano I boarded a larger boat headed back toward Venice with a stop at Murano.  I didn't get off in Murano because I still had plans for the day (see below), despite knowing that a lot of the glasswork souvenirs being sold in Venice were from there.  Next time?

The boat reached Venice, not far from my hotel.  I sauntered on past the hotel and headed straight back to wear I got on the first vaporetto hours earlier.  This time I had a different plan: go up and down the Grand Canal with a good view.  This was easily achieved but only because I was willing to stand...and be a bit pushy.

I stood on the left-hand side going down...

A different view of the hotels and villas.

And I sat on the left-hand side going back up.

The Peggy Guggenheim from the canal.

It meant that I got to see the villas and museums and hotels on both sides each way.  It was beautiful despite the weather turning for the worse.

Going up the canal.

I walked back to the hotel with a stop at Billa again and planned my day-trip to Verona for the next day.  I spent Friday in Verona, which will be a separate post.  My Saturday in Venice was lovely, but cold!

I checked out of the hotel, left my bag in the dining area and set off for Piazza Ducale.  I asked for the separate ticket to the Manet exhibition and was told about 4 times that that was an extra cost before the ticket guy realised I was aware of this and that was what I wanted.  I went straight to the cafe and had 2 coffees before even starting the sort-of guided tour.  I write "sort-of" because you essentially have to follow the path laid out for you but it's not guided by a person.  Very very well laid out though.  I had expected it to take about an hour and instead I was in there for over 2 hours.

Photography was not allowed inside and my photos from the exterior are not good.  The Manet exhibition was fantastic, well worth the extra 7euro it cost.

From Piazza Ducale I found lunch (where I met a couple from Northern British Columbia, who told me about their son who works at the University of Saskatchewan - it's a very, very small world!) before I went to Museo Correr.  It was part of my Piazza Ducale ticket and I had no idea what to expect.  I initially though I'd be in and out in 45min and then in a bind as to how to spend the following 3-4 hours before heading out to the airport.

Not an issue at all.  Museo Correr was amazing and empty.  From ancient art to fairly modern (turn of the 20th century).  Paintings, money, busts, pottery, etc.  It just kept on going.  I spent a good 3 hours in there.  Photography was not allowed so I don't have a single photo from inside but it was so worth it. 

From the Museo Correr I wandered a little bit more before returning to the hotel to pick up my little suitcase (I had taken a carry-on with me) and head toward the train station where all the local buses depart from. 

Venice was an interesting one for me.  I had heard from several people that a full day is all one needs there.  I guess that could be the case if there's no desire to go into a single museum/gallery or visit any of the surrounding islands.  Even then I'm not sure how you'd cram it all into one day, though obviously it's done.  I had one full day, one half day and about 3/4 of another day and I feel like I could go back there and spend another week.  

Two days in Ljubljana, Slovenia

I have to start my Ljubljana entry by saying that I was blown away.  It's one of the smallest European capital cities and yet I still felt like as though I was in a cosmopolitan city.  Secondly, between the police presence, lack of panhandlers and general cleanliness I never felt safer.  The workers at tourist attractions were friendly, as were cafe/shop workers.  The city is very pedestrian friendly.  Out of all the places I've been without kids, this is the city that I would love to take them to.

I caught the bus from Lake Bled to Ljubljana.  It stopped a couple of times (I have no clue where) before arriving at the Ljubljana bus/train station.  I found the way to my hotel, The Ginger Rooms, pretty quickly.  The hotel is the floor below a hostel, all recently renovated and new.  Smelled a bit like paint but I survived.  I was a tad worried about being below a hostel, given reviews I had read, but there was no reason to worry.  Or maybe I was just too tired after all the non-stop walking?  Beautiful city.  Wonderful people.  Lots of things to see.  I would go back on a moments notice.  

Franciscan Church of the Annunciation in Presernov Trg

This is the first photo I took in Ljubljana.  My hotel was blocks away from Presernov Trg, which is the main square in Ljubljana.  I'm on Triple Bridge here.  I had dumped my bag, washed my face and set out for the afternoon.  Persernov Trg was on the way to Ljubljana Grad (Castle).  I mentioned above that there was a lack of panhandlers.  There were your run of the mill 'drunks' right near this church yet they were completely chilled out and not bothering anyone.  

The view from Ljubljana Castle 

This is from the watch tower at Ljubljana Castle.  Entry to the grounds was free!  I paid the extra 8euro to go up the tower (up!) and gain entry into the castle's exhibit on Slovenian history, which was really interesting.  I admit that I knew very little going into this trip about the former Yugoslavia and the things that happened in the late 80's and early 90's.  The exhibition here was informative and gave me a basis of information that I would build upon the next day.

Plecnik's Pyramid

My understanding is that Plecnik was a city architect in the early-mid twentieth century.  His layout is what I was walking through.  So I think, if I remember correctly, this is an addition to the Roman wall already in situ.  I will always go out of my way to see ancient walls; these were sitting behind an office building outside of the city centre.  The pyramid is, of course, not ancient.

Looking back to Triple Bridge.

I knew there are locks on a bridge in Paris.  You write yours and your partners name on a bike-type lock and then throw the key into the Seine.  Via the Amazing Race, I know they do this in Moscow (or was it St Petersburg?) too.  I did not know that they did it in Ljubljana.  There is still a lot of space for locks, as seen in this photo.  Triple Bridge is a ways off in the photo, while Dragon Bridge is seen from the other side.  Walking along one side of the canal offers lots of restaurants (fairly touristy), while the other side houses the daily markets and cafes.  "Kava prosim" means "Coffee, please."  Probably the most important thing I learned.  I always try with different languages when I'm abroad, and coffee ranks HIGH in the words I need to know.

Dragon Bridge.

Dragon Bridge.

I still don't fully understand Ljubljana's affinity for dragons.  Dragon Bridge is beautiful and there is not a single photo that I took that does it justice.  Cars, tourists and the light just didn't work.  The mug that I brought back has a dragon on, which I decided on because of Dragon Bridge and because I knew my kids would love it.  It's one of those places that I know I could take my kids and they would think it's the coolest thing ever even though it's, relative to other things, just a bridge.

That was my first afternoon in Ljubljana.  I found a grocery store, bought food, and ate while watching E!, the only English channel I received that didn't revolve around 70's movies.

The next day was my 2nd ever "Museum Tuesday."  The first was in Paris in 2003 when I visited Musee de Rodin, Les Invalides and Musee d'Orsay in one day.  I thought that was impressive.  I didn't think I'd beat that mark by 2.  Thus begins Museum Tuesday in Ljubljana, wherein I visited City Museum, The National Museum of Slovenia, the Natural History Museum, the Modern Art Gallery and the Contemporary History of Slovenia Museum.

City Ljubljana Museum.

Whatever that sign is, it was in Slovenian and I could not read it.  So I didn't know that this was the museum.  And before you laugh and think I should have just known, the square (Trg Francoske Revolucije) was confusing.  It contained 2 libraries, one public (I think?) and one of the universities.  Hippies reading poetry to one another were all over the street and I didn't want to step over them to read doorway signs.  So it took me longer than it should have to realise that this was, in fact, the City Museum.

Once inside, however, it was amazing.  Roman history started in the basement with remnants of the Emona settlement.  It moved to modern city history.  Former Yugoslavian passports, lots of documents, import and exports big to the country.  For the 4euro I spent, it was well worth it. (but then when is a museum NOT worth it to me?  Yes, never.)

Oil Lamp with Pegasus decoration.  1st century CE.

I had never seem anything like this oil lamp.  I've seen a lot of ancient art, and studied a lot of it too.  I like when I see new things.  I saw leather shoe soles in the basement of the museum, this in the city part, and lots more throughout the day.  I went from the city rooms to the an exhibit outside that features photos locals have taken of their own city with their mobile phones.  Seeing photos through both local and tourist views is always really interesting.

Parliament in Trg Republike.

I'm pretty sure that this square is where the big announcement was made that Slovenia had passed the vote to become independent.  The building itself is actually really unimpressive, but that lower facade is nice.  The guard seemed a bit bored.  Right across the street from Parliament in a big parking lot, and then a grassy square in to the immediate left in this photo.  From the square you could see the National Museum of Slovenia/Slovenian Natural History Museum; aka my next stops.

Mummy in the hallway.

Alone with Roman era funerary inscriptions.

I saw some interesting things in the National Museum, but it was lacking.  The outer hallways were filled with Roman funerary inscriptions and a few busts.  There was one bronze statue.  There was a Egyptian mummy on display.  But the inner section was disjointed and I felt a bit lost.  I didn't know where to start and I felt overwhelmed with all the information in front of me.

Human fish!

I saw signs advertising "Human Fish" at a few restaurants near Presernov Trg.  Half my mind thought "Umm wtf?" and the other half "gross!"  So here's the Human Fish.  It's called so because of the colour of its skin.  It's found in caves in Slovenia and because it never comes into contact with light, its skin pigment doesn't change.  It's born black, if I recall correctly, but changes to this flesh colour early on and retains it through life.  This is a photo of a video that I had to start inside a cave in the Natural History Museum.  I think it was geared toward children, but oh well!

Avent Garde in the Modern Art Gallery.

I'll preface this with the fact that I generally do not like modern art.  I try, I really do, to respect all art but I just can't get on board with a neon light flashing against a white wall and being told it represents some sort of separatist movement or life evolving moment or whatever.  I do however appreciate Russian Constructivism and I what the Avent Garde was challenging.  This room was fantastically well done.  I liked the disjointedness of it (odd, after hating that at the National Museum!), and I liked the quotes on the walls.

My issue with the Modern Art Gallery was the supervision.  I'm used to being watched.  I'm not used to such incessant staring that I feel like I'm being judged on my opinion telepathically.  It was over the top, and it frustrated me because I already have a hard time with modern art...this just made it worse.  And seeing as it was most expensive entry of the day, I was disappointed.  Of everything I saw in Ljubljana, this is the only place I would not return.

Olympic Heroes in Tivoli Park.

I just loved this.  I can't say it enough.  Tivoli Park is the big city park (think Hyde Park, Central Park, etc).  I was walking through it to get the Contemporary History Museum.  What they've done here is put up photographs of every athlete that has represented Slovenia since Albertville in 1992, the first Olympics where Slovenia was its own country.  It didn't matter if they won a medal or not, they're there.  (It helps that I am BIG Olympics fan, so anything positive-Olympic related generally melts my heart.)

Museum of Contemporary History.

It's just impossible to take a photo of the whole museum without the trees.  And too close just doesn't look good.  I didn't take many photos inside.  It was heavy, very profound and this is where I learned the bulk of what I felt like I needed to learn.  The museum starts with WW1 history and moved right through to the modern day.  I came to Slovenia knowing that it was part of Yugoslavia and not much else, but this is where I finally gained some understanding of how it all happened and what the people had to go through - from voting to the army to deaths to now.  I left here with mixed feelings, both sombre and happy (if that makes sense?).  This was the museum I wanted to visit the most and this was the one I liked the best.

From here I went to Hot Horse.  Yes, I ate it.  Why not, right?  It's actually kind of funny given what was happening in the UK near the same time.  Horse meat was found in some horrible brands ready-made meals (ones I wouldn't touch with a stick), and then later found in some school diners.  My issue was that people didn't know.  If you know what you're eating, then you can't complain.  So I had a horse burger.  It was chewier than a beef burger but okay.  The 5 museums had taken me 6 or 7 hours to get through so I hadn't eaten since early that morning; that probably helped it to taste better.

Triple Bridge.

Triple Bridge is called such because there are three crossings.  It's pretty to stand on and pretty to look at but very hard to photograph.  I went back to Presernov Trg on the Tuesday afternoon on my way back up to Ljubljana Castle.  Bars surround the area and on a nice day, it was such a nice place to just be in.

The walk up to Ljubljana Castle.

I went back up to the castle to buy a coffee mug after not seeing anything I liked earlier in the day and in some of the gift shops in the city.  This is the path I walked through twice.  Not too shabby.  There's a funicular you can take up though I can't remember what it costs.  I was happy to take an extra 10min and walk up.

I made my way through a few squares in the old town, Stari Trg and Mestni Trg, before heading back to my hotel around dusk.  As much as I felt like I had seen a lot of Ljubljana and had gained an understanding of the city, I'd love to go back and spend more time.  It's so easy to get around and things are so close to one another that I know my children would love it.

I paid for my hotel that night and was instructed what to do with my key in the morning.  I settled in to watch more E! (far too much Kardashian for me) and went to sleep early knowing that I had to be up early to make the trip back to Italy.  Venice was waiting for me!

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Contrary to the impression several family members have of me, I like to go go go when I travel.  I say 'contrary' because I was known for loathing family walks back in the late 80's/90's, and my dad and step-mom used to refer to me as a cat (I love sleeping, chilling and being loved...is that so bad?!), which was a joke and I very much took/still take it as one.  I shot all that down the first time I went backpacking in 2003 when I walked all over Paris, never used public transport in Rome, only used it in Athens to get to the Piraeus, etc.  So a week to see Lake Bled, Ljubljana, Venice and Verona - no matter which was it was split, I was going to be busy.

So it started in Lake Bled.

I wandered off the train at Lesce Bled station around 8am.  I had no idea how to actually get to Lake Bled other than maybe a bus would be there (on an early Sunday morning, my expectation wasn't high on that one), a taxi...or I guess I would walk the 5km?  I crossed the train track and walked toward 2 Korean girls waiting at what appeared to be a bus stop.  Within moments, a taxi shuttle that had been parked next to the train station pulled up and gave us a ride to Lake Bled.  Free.  Sunday morning shuttle, perhaps?  I'm not entirely sure.  Note: I would not have gotten into that shuttle had those backpackers not been there.

I walked down the street toward the lake.

Bled Castle perched on the cliff.

The photo above is the first one I took.  Not great, but it was 8am, I had been up since 5:30am and barely slept the previous 2 nights.

Church of the Assumption with the Julian Alps as a backdrop.

Stunning, right?  It's one thing to see photos, and another to see it in person.  It's about a 6km walk around the lake and I did it three times (twice on the Sunday, once on the Monday).  I couldn't stop taking photos the first two times.

The bustling part of Lake Bled from Bled Castle

I knew, via Lonely Planet Slovenia, that there are three ways to get up to castle.  One is steep, one obscure and one via a road.  I saw a sign for "grad" (castle) and figured, why not?  So I followed it (this was closing in on 9am Sunday).  I thought I was taking the steep track.  Not so much...I was on the obscure path.  Thankfully signs with "grad" popped up here and there and I found myself at the castle.  8euro and well worth it.  The view was stunning.  The coffee was good, albeit expensive.  The castle has been turned into a museum, about Lake Bled history dating back to the Neolithic period.  It was small but informative and certainly worth visiting.

Bled Island from Bled Castle.

My new "thing" is to go up as high as possible.  The different viewpoint is always worth it.

Inside the Church of the Assumption on Bled Island.

Bled Island is reached by gondolas available from a few docks around the lake.  They don't leave until they're full, so I think I waited about 15min for mine to leave.  It took about 30min to get there, we had 30min on the island and another 30min back.  The gondola cost 12euro and entry to the church was 3euro.  The dock outside my hotel offered the shortest transport time, whereas I chose to take one of the furthest routes.  Same price, why not?

I got off the gondola and found myself buying cheese from a vendor on the street.  That was my 'dinner' around 2pm.  I timed a much needed nap with an hour of rain and then walked around the lake again.

Shall we assume that this is town hall?

On Monday morning, I took full advantage of the free breakfast at my hotel (I had been complex/bad carb free for 3 months prior to this trip, but I indulged as it was much needed).  I left my bag behind the counter after check-out and set our around the lake again.  In this day of smart phones and facebook, I find myself documenting every little thing - most especially because I live so far away from my family and many friends.  I'm guilty of living [the good aspects] of my life on Facebook.  So this time I took no photos and just took it all in.  And I loved it.

Speaking of my hotel, I stayed at Pension Mlino.  My room was tiny, definitely not room for more than 2 adults, but it sufficed.  There was hot water in the shower (unlike in Villach) and I had a lake view.  It was what I expected from a 3* on the continent (which is about a 2.5* elsewhere).  I would stay there again if it was just my husband and I.

I returned to my hotel to grab my little carry-on suitcase and set out on the 1.5km walk to the bus station.  I was early, but that's generally how I travel.  I people watched and read my book (Watership Down) until the bus to Ljubljana arrived right on schedule.

Next: 2 nights in Ljubljana.  

Flight to Venice...And Then Where To?

Once I figure out how to make a separate "About Me" page, I'll just put this there but because I've received a few PM's on FB about where the photos at the top are from, they are left to right: Delphi, Greece; Vancouver, BC; Savannah, Georgia; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Burano, Italy.

Right.  Slovenia.  It all started with the UKBA and their inability to be a functioning body within UK Immigration.  My dad and step-mom asked us in June 2012 if we'd like to join them in Grand Cayman for a second time in February 2013.  We said yes, and booked our flights in September.  We knew my UK Visa was to expire in November and had planned to use the fast-track, premium service we had used back in 2005 for my new one.  You pay a bit more, but get a decision there and then, plus your Biometric Card (aka the new passport stamp) in the mail within a week.  So I went to book an appointment and....nothing.  This was happening.  I could not get an appointment anywhere in the UK (including Belfast) before or even 2 months after my Visa expired.  The only choice we had was to send it via the postal option, which the UKBA states can take up to 6 months to process.  Obviously things didn't look very good for me.  And ultimately my Visa arrived 3 weeks after Josh and the kids left for Grand Cayman.

Meanwhile, British Airways surprised Josh and I with amazing customer service.  They were sympathetic, they offered alternatives, made helpful suggestions.  3 different phone calls and their policies didn't waver so we knew what our options were.  I could change the date and destination of my flight, but I had to do so before the GCM flight left on that Friday morning and it had to take place before a year on from the date on which we purchased the plane tickets (early Sept).  Somewhat arbitrarily I chose to fly into and out of Venice Marco Polo in May.  I had never been to Venice and the price of my GCM ticket swallowed up the entire cost of the Venice flight, the new flight taxes and gave us a refund in taxes from the GCM flight.

Then came planning the trip.  Venice is expensive, everyone knows that, so it was out of the question for me to spend an entire week there.  Plus I had been told by many people that you only a need a day or two in Venice.  Thankfully I chose to ignore this advice and planned to spend 3 days/4 nights.  So what should I do?

My options, as I saw it, were: San Marino via Bologna, plus possibly Florence; just Florence; Cinque Terre; Lake Garda/Verona; Innsbruck, Austria; Pula, Croatia.  The more I stared at google maps, the more I realised how close I would be to Slovenia.  And then the more time I spent looking at Lake Bled and Ljubljana, the more I wanted to go.  The logistics were the tricky part.

There are virtually no trains that go from Venice to Ljubljana.  You can take a train to Udine, then to Villach, then to Ljubljana.  You can take a train to Trieste, spend a night there, then take a bus across the border and then a train to Ljubljana (I would have lost 3 full days just to travel this way).  You can get a shuttle van from the airport in 3 1/2 hours but the reviews online weren't exactly glowing (I saw one of the shuttle companies when I arrived at Marco Polo, and therefore wish I had done it this way - oh well!).  Or you can do the trek that I did: go from Marco Polo airport to Venice Mestre train station, grab coffee and read for an hour, take a comfortable bus to Villach (4hrs) that makes a quick stop in Udine and then goes through beautiful Austrian countryside, spend the night in Villach where I put the 2 German words I know to good use and then grab a 6:27am train to Lesce Bled, Slovenia, arriving at Lake Bled around 8am.

Villach, Austria

Lake Bled.  One of the first photos I took upon arrival at 8am.  

So sure it was a roundabout way of getting to Slovenia but it was well worth it.  The way back went much quicker.  I took a 7:30am train from Ljubljana to Villach, and then the bus (same line as I had taken to Austria) back to Venice arriving around 2:30pm.   It was adding in Lake Bled that forced the overnight in Austria.  Had I wanted to go straight to Ljubljana, I'm fairly certain that I could have gotten there on the Saturday.  My next entry will be Lake Bled!

A Day in Paris: Impulse Travel

I keep meaning to write about my week in Slovenia (via Austria) and Italy (Venice and Verona), but I get sidetracked.  This entry included.

The downside to impulse travel?  Sometimes you make, umm, interesting decisions.

Sitting on the couch Friday night (July 12th), Josh, our friend, John, and I were thinking of something to do Sunday.  Stonehenge?  Brighton?  PARIS!!!  Because this is how we operate.  It's amazing that we've seen any of the UK at all because we almost always end up on the continent when we attempt to travel outside of Kent/London.  So Josh books the tunnel.  I go to a friends house to borrow their baby backpack around 9pm.  And then we encounter 2 problems.

First, the baby has the chickenpox (or so we thought).  It looked very mild on Friday, so we're hopeful that because she had it at 3 weeks old last year, it will stay mild and we'll be fine.  By Saturday night, I made the call that she and I would not go.  It was looking worse. (it was an abnormal reaction to the MMR vaccination she had 14 days before the rash came out, not chickenpox at all.)  Had we been a tad smarter, we probably would have planned an outing in the UK, despite the baby and I not going anyway.

WHY ME?! WHY ME?!

Second, it was Bastille Day.  The Catacombs were closed.  Josh has now attempted to get to the Catacombs 3 times in the past 9 years and no-go.  The first time, when he and I went in 2004, we arrived too late in the day and were told we wouldn't be able to enter.  The second time, in 2011, the queue was so long that we would have stood waiting for about 2 hours.  Our boys were 4 and 5 and they had just climbed 770 stairs up the Eiffel Tower (2iem Etage).  We weren't going to get that much more out of them.  This time, closed on public holidays.  Had we been a tad smarter, we might have checked if there were any holidays happening.

Proud boys climbing to the 2iem Etage for a second time!

But...everyone was fine.  They climbed the Eiffel Tower again.  They saw L'Arc de Triomphe again.  They had McDonald's along the Champs Elysee.  They had ice cream.  They saw Notre Dame again.  That's pretty good for a day-trip, especially when the city in question is 3 hours of driving plus 35min on the Eurotunnel, plus time for check-in.

If anything, we learned that Paris is doable as a day-trip and it probably won't be too long before we attempt it again.  Maybe the Catacombs will be open?

Up next: a series of Slovenia/Italy posts!

The Last Day of My Twenties

I turn 30 tomorrow so it must be a good time to reflect.  I've touched on where my love of traveling comes from and my favourite city but summing up my twenties seems relevant for the purposes of this blog, with regards to travel.  Let's backtrack...

I turned 20 on a ferry.  On July 9th, 2003 I left Rome for Ancona.  I used my Eurorail pass, paid the 26euro supplement fee, bought some very random food (focaccia bread and gummy worms were there, I don't remember what else) and batteries for my discman (hello 2003!), and I boarded my overnight ferry.  Given that I chose to stay out on the deck, I wound up sleeping first on the hard bench of a table, and later underneath the table - most people were doing this.  I woke up around 3am and realised that I was in fact 20.  Once in Patras, Greece I napped in my hostel for an hour or so before an Australia girl came barreling in and woke me up.  We wound up drinking cheap wine and eating corn by the water.

In between 20 and 30, I saw a few places.  My trip is 2003 took me to Paris, Rome, Patras, Athens, Ios, Santorini and Corinth.  I stopped in London for 3 nights in 2004 en route to Athens en route to Ios.  Upon returning to London, I met my now husband.  We went to Paris in August, 2004.  I took him to Canada in Feb 2005.  We went to Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, then Bin Tan Island, Indonesia and Singapore in April 2005.  We visited Bath in June 2005.  We went to Rome with our then 8-week old firstborn in January 2006.  We went to New York City, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod and Boston in June 2006.  We drove up to North Wales in October 2006.  We moved to Toronto in September 2007.

I then had a very quiet period.  Outside of one visit to Ottawa, a trip to Niagara Falls and a Christmas spent in Lethbridge, Alberta, I stayed put.  To do so much travel, and then virtually nothing for 2 years was interesting.  That "travel itch" people talk about?  It's true.  It's wanderlust.

Fast-forward to August 2009.  A friend and I met up in Rome, then visited Pompeii as a day trip (that was one long, hot, very dirty day!).  We flew to Athens and from there visited Sounion, Corinth, Delphi and the Piraeus (yes, there's more than ferries to the islands there).  We spent 2 nights in Malia and then 2 in Heraklion in Crete.  One night in Santorini.  2 in Nafplion in order to see Epidauros and Mycenae.  Another couple nights in Athens, which included a trip out to Aegina.  Returning to real life was hard. (obviously if you're here via facebook, you know what I did my degree in; if not, I did Classical Civ and Art History - hence the crazy ancient site trip.)

In 2010, Josh and I used up some airmiles by flying to San Francisco and heading 3 hours south to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins.  We then spent 3 days in SF - our boys thought the boat out to Alcatraz was amazing.  Later in the summer, and it was an utterly disastrous summer, I used up the rest of those airmiles in order to fly to Raleigh, North Carolina.  I drove from Raleigh to just outside Fort Bragg to meet a friend, to Charleston to meet another friend, to Savannah because, well, Savannah should be on everyone's bucket-list.

Once I landed in the UK, where Josh and the boys already were, we decided to test out the Eurotunnel and take a trip to Northern France.  We met up with my brother, sister-in-law and niece in Brussels, Belgium in November.  In Feb 2011, we met my dad, step-mom and sister in Grand Cayman, our first trip to the Caribbean.  We went to Dubai in April 2011, where Josh's parents used to live.  We went to Paris in June.  Josh and I went to The Algarve in Portugal, unknowingly pregnant with our 3rd child having recently given up trying.  We drove from the UK to Luxembourg and back (via Leuven, Bastonge and Bruges) in 36 hours in October.

Because my husband, who loves travel as much as I do, loves me, he indulged my desire to drive down to Spain via Andorra in August 2012 despite how far out of the way it was.  We spent a week in Spain with 2 lively boys and our 3 month old baby girl.  We drove back via Bordeaux, St Malo and Mont St Michael.  We went to Vancouver 4 weeks after my appendectomy for a family reunion in November.

Lastly, due to the UKBA's incompetence, I did NOT go back to Grand Cayman with Josh and the kids in February of this year.  I was stuck waiting for a Visa with no ability to travel.  We changed my plane ticket to fly in and out of Venice in May.  I chose to leave Italy for half the week and made my way to Lake Bled and Ljubljana, Slovenia via Villach, Austria.  I then spent 3 days in Venice, with a day-trip to Verona.

That was the last decade of my life.  I also married the love of my life, had the three most amazing children ever, finished the university degree that a lot of people didn't think I would finish, moved internationally a few times and settled into a fantastic small city in Kent where we adore our life.

I'm excited to find out what my thirties have in store.  I'm not sure anything can top this past decade, but I guess that's just a wait and see game.

Travel In Our Own Country: The Cotswolds

First, I need to thank a friend for pointing out a horrible error I made in my last post (in several places).  I like grammar and I like proper spelling and when it's wrong I would rather know than a) be oblivious, or b) be annoyed when told I'm in the wrong.  So thank you, Mrs P!

The Cotswolds were lovely.  I had images in my head of what to expect: posh houses, greenery, Kate Moss hanging around.  Two out of three isn't bad, right?!

Lords of the Manor, Upper Slaughter.

I mentioned in my previous entry that Brighton was our original destination.  We changed direction to the Cotswolds after we realised that Brighton was having some sort of technology conference, and Bridport (where Broadchurch was partially filmed) was too far away and likely to be a hard sell to people who had not heard of, let alone watched, Broadchurch.  Cottage hires were plentiful but finding one in the right area for the right price was interesting.  A few places I contacted wanted well over £1000 for 2 nights!  I know it's a posh area and all, but seriously?  A 3 bed house behind a hotel for £1000?  No thanks.

We found Maisons de Meecham through a holiday lettings site.  Fantastic price, beautiful house...could anything be wrong with it?  Nope!  4 bedrooms, 2 with en-suites (perfect for the 2 adult couples), massive kitchen, dining room and lounge. Throw in the beautiful garden, with a big play-sturcture for the kids and BBQ (and outside dining)...it was perfect.  The adults wound up at the pub across the street on the Friday night, only to find new management sorting our their new menu and the woman who managed the property happy to make conversation as we waited to be seated.  I would go back in a heartbeat, and would book their house in France if in the area as well.

On the Saturday, my dad, step-mom, Josh, the baby and I head off on a self-guided tour.  Lonely Planet England had a Cotswolds tour to follow so we figured it was worth it.  It wasn't until our 3rd or 4th stop that I noticed it was a walking tour over two days.  Oh well, we still followed it.  Our first stop was Stanton.  Tiny village with a couple of beautiful houses and a war memorial.  We then drove past Upper and Lower Swell as we made our way Upper Slaughter.  We parked our car in Upper Slaughter at Lords of the Manor, which was full for lunch and far more posh than any of us were dressed for.  We chose to walk to Lower Slaughter, about 3/4 of a mile.  The scenery was gorgeous.  So worth the walk!

Between Upper and Lower Slaughter.

After lunch at the Slaughters Country Inn, we continued our drive (Josh had to run in the rain to get the car, thank you sweetie!!).  In Stow-On-Wold my step-mom and I grabbed some breakfast items for Father's Day breakfast.  We didn't stray too far from the town centre.  Next was Moreton-On-Marsh, where we got a fantastic parking spot and picked up cheese, crackers, bread and wine for dinner.  From there we drove past Bourton-On-The-Hill and found ourselves on the road toward Broadway and not Chipping Campden.  Possibly a good choice?  Broadway was beautiful.  Picturesque and lovely.

Stow-On-Wold.

We then turned toward Snowshill and hoped to see the home of Bridget Jones' parents, which is in Snowshill, but we didn't find it.  I will admit, we didn't look hard. (I should mention here that Josh and I have walked past Bridget Jones' London flat many a time!)  At that point, the baby needed to not be in a car seat and we needed to get back to the kids.  Lonely Planet said that the tiny village of Stanton was not to be missed so we decided it was worth it to go and see.  Worth it?  Oh yes.  If you have a picture of the Cotswolds in your mind, Stanton should be it.

After Stanton we headed back to Haresfield and returned to 2 happy kids and a happy teenager.  Dinner and dessert followed.  We made plans for the next day...Oxford.

Travel In Our Own Country: Bath

My dad, step-mom and sister visited last weekend.  The last time they were in the UK to see us, my daughter was about 8 weeks old and had recently been let out of the hospital following a 10-day stint with the chickenpox (yes, seriously) that included 3 times daily IV drugs.  We weren't up for much that visit!  The visit before, we had driven to Belgium to stop in Leuven and Bastogne en route to Luxembourg City for the night and then back home through Bruges.  Not wanting to do that much this time, my dad suggested we stay in the UK.

Planning was...interesting.  Brighton was the lead contender as a place to visit.  When my husband and I sat down to try and book hotels we were shocked to see 2 rooms for 2 nights going for upwards of £1000 total, until we discovered some sort of technology trade show going on.  So change of plans!  We suggested the Cotswolds and that seemed to go over well.

I'll get to the Cotswolds in my next entry.

On the Friday we drove from Folkestone to Bath, taking a bit longer than the 2 hours 56 minutes our GPS's said it would take given road works on the m25, plus a lorry caught fire after the Gatwick exit.  We own a 7 seater car, but this time had 8 people to fit so my dad rented a second car.  He drove my sister, one of my boys, himself and I, while my husband drove our car with the baby, our other boy and my step-mom.  They reached Bath first and managed to easily find the parking garage we had both inputed on our GPS's.  Us...not so much.  At one point we were about to turn onto a taxi and bus only road but were waved over by a white van, and a police officer who calmly told us that if we made that right turn we would receive "a lovely traffic offence ticket."  The van let us into the other lane and found our way to the nearest parking garage at the Hilton hotel.

Because Josh et al were already in Bath, I had texted and asked them to find a restaurant for lunch.  My dad, sister and I are, sadly, BIG Nando's fans so when we heard that was option we all jumped.  I plugged Nando's into Google maps and we set off.  Yeah, Nando's moved.  We got to where Google said it was, called Josh and he told us how far off we were.  We kept on walking and wound up meeting everyone outside of Giraffe and decided that that was the better option for everyone.

Roman Baths

After lunch, we walked to the Roman Baths.  We were met at the door by an employee who told that the Baths were closing in 60min and they recommend 90min for the visit so we'd have to move quickly.  We were headed to the Cotswold right after and not returning to Bath so it was now or never. We went through the site faster than we'd like but it was still beautiful.  The boys listened to their audio guides, I admired the floor mosaics and column bases, we drank the water, took some photos and were ushered out right at 6pm.  Actually, Josh and I went to the gift shop before everyone else to get a new mug and a magnet for the boys.  

Bath Abbey

We walked around the outside of Bath Abbey, and then walked back in the direction of our car.  My dad and I had no clue where we were so we used the small map from Lonely Map England seeing as my mobile had died earlier.  Somehow we found our way back, stopping at Waitrose to grab some essentials for our cottage rental, and made our way to the Cotswolds.