Category Archives: Travel

Life Abroad / Travel

The Last Hurdle

July 26, 2018

As I mentioned in the last post, getting out of Athens ended up being quite stressful. (And, yes, I realize that I wrote that post a super long time ago. I went back to work, we’re still moving into our house, so IT’S ALL HAPPENING OVER HERE.)The apartment we stayed at in Athens was about a 40 minute drive from the airport. When we arrived, we downloaded the preferred local taxi app and took taxis pretty much daily — into the center or wherever. Uber doesn’t exist in Athens, so cabs and buses were our only options for getting around. (We opted for cabs because buses with kids+strollers is sort of a nightmare a lot of the time).

The night before we left Athens, KC and I stayed up late strategically packing all our bags — making sure nothing was over the weight limit, ensuring we had everything we would need in our various carry-ons, and planned everything down to the last detail so our departure would be as smooth as possible the next morning.Our Turkish Airlines flight was scheduled for 10:10am, flying from Athens to San Francisco with a layover in Istanbul. We planned to leave the apartment at 7:15am the next morning, assuming that even if we were running late (which, with kids, you pretty much always are) we would be out of the house by 7:30am and at the airport around 8:10am, giving us two hours until our departure time.

The next morning went swimmingly. We got up at 6:30am, woke the girls a little after 7am, and were walking out the door around 7:20am. I had Lark in the carrier, KC had Prim and the majority of the bags, and we were on our way out the door, when I pulled up the taxi app to hail a cab and a message suddenly popped up…

ATHENS: 24 HOUR TAXI STRIKE.

No cabs. Zero. None.I started silently panicking. I tried pulling up Uber just to see if it was a possibility — nope. I vainly kept requesting cabs via the taxi app to no avail.

The minutes were ticking by as we wondered what to do. I pulled up Google maps to plot out the route via public transit and was informed that it would take at over an hour and a half to get to the airport by bus — basically getting us there in time to watch our plane depart from outside the airport.

Perfect.I saw no solution. Finally, in a state of complete stress, I called the family whose apartment we were staying at. They informed us that there was a bus that went to the airport that stopped a few blocks away. Despite what it said online, they assured us that the bus took less than an hour. By this point it was closing in on 8am and it appeared to be our only option, so we grabbed the kids and all of our bags, and made a run for it.

The bus stop was a ways away (like, a solid 15 minute walk sans kids/luggage), so with two huge bags, a travel crib, a stroller, two kids, and three carry-ons, the walk felt like it took an eternity. I should also mention that it was easily 90 degrees outside, we were stressed, and I was wearing Lark in the carrier, so the sweat situation was REAL, guys. We got to the bus stop a little after 8am and I nervously waited with the kids and luggage while KC sprinted to the nearest ATM to get some cash, because we had gotten rid of all of our euros, assuming we would be paying for a cab via the app that morning.

The airport bus finally showed up at 8:20am and the driver informed us that it was about 50 minutes to the airport. We were a complete sh**show loading all of our luggage and kids onto the bus — basically every parent’s worst nightmare. KC paid our fare, we found two seats and sat down to await our fate amidst zero air conditioning on the slow-moving vehicle.We pulled up to the airport at 9:20am — less than an hour before our flight was set to depart and a mere 30 minutes before the gate was scheduled to close. Somehow we managed to check five bags (which included an extra trip to the odd/oversize luggage counter to check our stroller and travel crib), made it through passport check, security, and run (and I mean RUN) to our gate and board just before it closed. We were the last people to board the plane, but WE MADE IT. And let me just take a minute to give a shoutout to the Greeks, because jeez Louise they are just the NICEST people. Everyone was so sweet to Prim and Lark while we were visiting, but especially in the midst of this very stressful and chaotic morning, people were so above and beyond nice to us.

I felt like such a wreck boarding the bus to the airport, and being American, assumed that everyone on the bus was annoyed and judging us since we so clearly didn’t have our sh** together and it took us so long to board the already crowded bus. Rather than just giving us dirty looks and assuming we were awful parents (hi, Americans), a few stops before the airport, a woman came up to us and said, “You were planning on taking a taxi, weren’t you?” I felt simultaneously flustered and relieved and said, “Oh my gosh, yes, we just found out about the strike this morning as we were leaving.” She responded, “I saw you when you got on the bus and I knew.” Then she handed us a euro and explained that there were coin-operated luggage carts available near where the bus stopped at the airport. She insisted on helping us with our bags when we got off the bus, and two other people also stepped in and asked to help us take our luggage off the bus as we were exiting, since we had our hands full with the two kids.

Everyone who worked at the airport helped us skip most of the long lines for passport control and security so we could make our flight. It ended up being such a positive experience (albeit still so stressful) amidst what would have otherwise just been an altogether terrible morning.And PS: if you’re ever considering taking Turkish Airlines — let me be the first to recommend it. It’s so nice!

Family Fun / Life Abroad / Travel

Our Trip to Athens

July 10, 2018

Athens was our final stop before we headed back to the states for good. We spent five nights there at an apartment in Palaio Faliro. This was our final home exchange as well — the family we swapped with stayed at our apartment over New Year’s while we were in Rome.   The apartment was right across the street from the beach and just a short cab ride from the center of the city.  I mean, not a bad view right?? KC surprised me on one of our last nights in Prague by coming out of the bathroom with a suddenly shaved head. It was especially surprising because he had done it himself… with a beard trimmer. So, it was.. less than perfect, let’s say. Luckily I was able to even things out (the back looked like an insane hack-job) and got him back to looking presentable, but it was a little bit of a shock, I’ll admit. (Luckily he’s cute with and without hair)We had kind of a tough travel day getting from Prague to Athens. The girls were a little nuts on the plane (hey, it happens) and we ended up taking a cab to the wrong place when we arrived. Apparently there were two places with the same address about 2 miles apart and in our haste to get the hell out of the airport with the two crazies, we didn’t realize this and ended up at the wrong one. (Like, unloaded all our luggage and sent the cab away. Oof.) Luckily that stroll along the beach did all sorts of wonders for our mood. As did the stop for ice cream, haha.

We visited the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Acropolis Museum, among other sites while we were in Athens. We made the smart decision to get ourselves out of the house early and arrived at the Acropolis before 9am and just barely missed the arrival of the hoards of tourists.  Arriving early also meant that we weren’t there in the middle of the day when the sun was unbearably hot. There’s basically no shade near the Acropolis and the whole expanse is just rocks and stone, so I can’t imagine it’s pleasant around 2pm when it’s over 90 degrees out.  Prim is very into matching me or Lark these days (can you tell from our navy striped shirts above?) and while I know it’s maybe a little over-the-top-cute, I am totally running with it for the time being. I’m sure that the day will come soon enough that she wants to have nothing to do with me and my style, so I’m going to enjoy it while I can.KC ended up reading about a famous Greek sandal maker, and we made a special trip on one of the days to check out the sandals in his shop. The shoes were surprisingly affordable (even though he custom-fits them to your feet!) so Prim and I each got a pair.  Twins! (Oh and PS: the sandals are WAY comfortable.)  Those steep stone stairs with the little cafes and shops tucked into the hillside — can you even?? I was channeling those Mama Mia vibes all the way. That right there is museum with kids realness. We did brave the Acropolis Museum (which is awesome!) and the kids did pretty well, but museums with toddlers in general is like a special level of hell.  Thankfully the museum had a nursing lounge, which had some toys that the kiddos got to play with for a few minutes after I changed Lark (while KC and I had a moment to sit down and exchange looks about how much work it is to travel with kids sometimes).  Larky with her ice cream propped up on her belly — she is living her best vacation life, you guys. This girl really knows how to do it up right.Getting to Athens was a bit rough, but getting OUT of Athens was another thing altogether. A post about our final travel day is coming up. Stay tuned!

Family Fun / Life Abroad / Travel

Our Trip to Prague

July 4, 2018

After Vienna we took the train to Prague. The train was super affordable and only took about 4 hours, which when you factor in all the logistics of getting to/from the airport with kids, ended up being about the same as flying.

Small children are free on the train, so we booked two first-class tickets and ended up in our own little compartment for four people, with seats that reclined and complimentary champagne. It was quite decadent (though traveling without two toddlers would have been much more luxurious and relaxing…)The train ride was during the girls usual nap time, so we hoped that they might settle in and pass out for a bit. But as it is with these crazies, that did not happen. Prim basically refuses to sleep in any sort of moving vehicle, and Lark was just not having our attempts to get her to settle down. She had a pretty solid meltdown (thank goodness for being basically quarantined in our own compartment on the train) and then finally conked out in a fairly uncomfortable position on my lap for the last half hour or so.I know that KC and I will definitely miss all of our traveling, but these two weeks of travel were not the easiest. I think we were all a little burned out and probably a little too well-aware of the upcoming big changes in our lives. During the hard moments (which, there were many) KC and I kept looking at each other and going, “What about how we never have to do this again if we don’t want to?”

I’m sure it sounds super annoying to complain about traveling all around Europe (and don’t get me wrong, it was AMAZING) but you guys know that I like to tell the truth on here. Our travels have been wonderful and worth all the hard moments, but there are a lot of hard moments. And after this many trips, sometimes everybody is just TIRED (or, y’know, “three” or “15 months” aka prime toddler meltdown ages).We spent four nights in Prague and stayed at an Airbnb that was a short walk from the city center. The first night we were there we walked over to Agave for dinner and had the best Mexican food we’ve ever had in Europe. Definitely recommend!

The architecture in Prague is amazing (even Prim was impressed, haha). I loved wandering through the cobblestone streets and ducking into the little shops (the wooden toys there are amazing!)We walked up the hill to Prague Castle one of the days. It’s quite a hike up the hill and I ended up with Prim on my back for most of the way. Nothing like getting your exercise in while on vacation!The church and castle are pretty impressive, and there’s a decent cafe where you can have lunch or coffee and snacks. We opted to have lunch up there, complete with very large beers because it was hot and everyone was a little grumpy.Larky is unimpressed by KC’s selfies.If you’re wondering whether I’m within the recommended weight limit for our travel stroller, the answer is definitely no. Prague, I hope to see you again someday!

Post about our final destination — Athens — is coming up next!

Family Fun / Life Abroad / Travel

Our Trip to Vienna

July 3, 2018

Vienna was our first stop during our two week holiday. I had visited Vienna briefly on a European tour 12 years ago (feeling so young right now…) but KC had never been. We spent five nights there, staying at an Airbnb near the city center. We ate lots of schnitzel and sausage, drank all sorts of beer, and basically had all the carbs. We also of course made time to stop for ice cream, and at one point we unknowingly ordered poppy seed ice cream, which was a weird discovery. It basically tasted like a poppy seed muffin in ice cream form. I wasn’t sold on it, but the kids didn’t seem to mind the flavor. Vienna also has something called “eiskaffe,” which my sister and I discovered when we visited the city back in 2006. We actually saw someone at another table with it and flagged down our waiter because we had to know — WHAT WAS THAT. It’s ice cream with coffee, topped with whipped cream, so I mean, if there’s anything more vacation-y than that, I don’t know what it is. We walked all over the place with the girls, who decided that sharing our single travel stroller was preferable to the ride on board. At some point when you’re traveling with toddlers you sort of give up on putting your foot down about certain things and just let it happen. We visited the aquarium in Vienna, which is housed in a former Nazi anti-aircraft tower. Apparently they tried to destroy the building after the war, but the dang thing was so sturdy that it was almost impossible to take down, so they filled it with sea life instead. You can go all the way up to the top, which has a pretty incredible view of the city.  I should also note that KC had to turn his phone back into the Dutch office before we left the Netherlands, so we only had my phone during our travels. This meant that KC pretty much always had it, since women’s clothing companies refuse to put usable pockets into their clothing and because KC is always the one navigating when we’re out and about. This means that there are wayyy more pictures of me from these two weeks and I didn’t get any of my usual shots of KC walking with the girls.  We visited one of Vienna’s famous coffee houses (not to be confused with Amsterdam coffeeshops) and attempted to keep the girls from being too wild while taking in the culture. I’d love to say that they were perfect and behaved beautifully, but let’s just say that newly 3 and 15 months are tough ages to travel with. Lots of OPINIONS.

Last time I visited Vienna was with a choir tour. If you haven’t known me for a long time, this probably sounds super weird, but I sang in choirs for most of my life. My sister and I joined a tour that was traveling to Salzburg, Vienna and Prague to sing for the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, the summer after I graduated from UCLA. We sang at various churches, so KC and I decided to visit the one I sang at in Vienna — the Votivkirche. Unfortunately we managed to venture over there on the one day a week that it’s closed, which was a bummer. Luckily there’s a park right in front, so the girls got to run around for a bit (even as we got caught in a surprise downpour!)  Onto Prague next! That gothic architecture, the mid-train ride meltdowns… don’t miss it!

Family Fun / Life Abroad / Travel

Our Trip to Bordeaux

May 7, 2018

Get ready guys, because I have a lot of photos from Bordeaux! This was exactly the kind of vacation I love — full of delicious carbs and wine, sunny weather that wasn’t too hot, and just the right amount of sight-seeing.  We had to walk through the Jardin Public to get to the center from where we were staying, and it was such a treat. It was big and green and the kids loved spotting the ducks swimming in the water. There were also some impressive play structures for kids there — one included a carousel that Prim insisted on riding every time we walked through the park. Lark got to take a turn as well on our last full day. Seeing the two of them riding in the little car together (with Daddy close by, of course) was so sweet and made me realize just how big Lark is getting these days. (Ignore that mosquito bite on her forehead — Lark and I were the plat du jour for the French mosquitos, apparently.) We stumbled across a splash pad on the first day while we were out and about exploring. It was pretty hot at this point and we had actually just stopped in at H&M to pick up hats for the girls, (Prim chose hers, if you can’t tell) and had also purchased a swimsuit for Prim. Prim was itching to go in the water as soon as she saw the other kids running around and we figured it was a lucky coincidence that we had this new swimsuit with us, so why not?

She had a great time splashing around, and OMG little girls swimsuits — I defy you to find anything cuter. The house we stayed at happened to be just minutes from the best bakery in Bordeaux — Antone — which I will readily admit was the highlight of the trip for me. If you know me at all, then you know my love for bread and obsession with carbs. We stopped in at the bakery almost every day that we were in Bordeaux to pick up sandwiches, croissants, baguettes, and more. The staff was so friendly and put up with my rusty high school French. One of the workers took a liking to Prim and taught her to order her “chocolatine” in French, while explaining to me that it’s called “pain du chocolat” in the north and “chocolatine” in the south. Prim is still talking about “chocolate tartine” (toddler French, haha), so I think it’s safe to say that the chocolate croissants might have been the high point of her trip as well. Our trip was not short on treats, that’s for sure. We made sure to stop for ice cream more than once, and KC and I would end the night out on the patio at the house after the girls were in bed, drinking wine, eating French cheese, and planning future fantasy home renovations. The south of France is well-known for their oysters, so we of course made sure to partake while there. I love oysters and will take any opportunity to order them. The girls both got to have a small taste of oysters on this trip, though jury’s still out on whether they liked them or not. (Lark was lukewarm on the whole experience, but Prim was pretty into the fact that you got to hold a shell in order to try them.) We took a day trip to Saint-Émilion one day to try some of the local wines. We ended up visiting Cloitre des Cordeliers and trying (ahem, drinking a lot of) their sparkling wine. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: drinking wine when you’re vacationing with small children is the easiest way to feel like you’re actually getting away from your real life.Cloitre des Cordeliers is a great option if you’re visiting Saint-Émilion with kids. You don’t have to make a reservation or take a tour to try their wines (many of the wineries there you have to do both of those things — not so easy with little ones). Plus they have a really nice outdoor garden where you can drink your wine and the kids can run around — win/win. Prim had a little too much fun during our wine excursion. Extra points to KC for dragging her all the way back to the train station backwards so she was out of the direct sun. And hey, when your kids are sleeping on the go you ignore their wonky hat position and just enjoy the peace and quiet, am I right?

We also happened to be in Bordeaux for the first weekend of their bi-annual antique faire. We braved the midday sun and wandered through the rows and rows of goods. If we didn’t have to lug everything on a plane back to the Netherlands and eventually ship it back to the states, we would have surely bought some stuff for our new house!

After walking around in the hot sun for awhile, we stopped for lunch and very large very cold beers (nothing better on a hot day!) The girls got to share some steak-frites and Lark got to try out her new cool persona:  What a teen.

You were so dreamy, Bordeaux! I think we will need to do a whole tour of the south of France someday, because six nights was not nearly long enough.