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Posts Tagged ‘France’
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
Connecting with other families while traveling is an educational, fun, and enlightening experience for me…no matter if I meet the families through a chat board, cruise seating, blog, Twitter, or foreign exchange program. A reporter from MSNBC.com recently asked me what I think about using the Internet to make play dates while traveling. In the story, For Young Travelers, Playing Knows No Borders, I said these playtimes can provide a good break during a family trip. After the story went live today, I was surprised to read the negative comments posted by people who find it horribly wrong to meet up with other families while traveling. I always find it bewildering when some travelers judge how others journey through the world – as though there is a right way and a wrong way to travel.
A meet-up with Amy Querido of the The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog and our families at Corvette Diner during her visit to San Diego
One commenter said, “What!!?? Aren’t family vacations supposed to be with family? This is patently stupid and ridiculous.”
When I was first approached by MSNBC, I had to admit I had never heard of travel meet-up websites before like Tripping.com, Couchsurfing.org, and Servas.org. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had personally participated in scheduling “play dates” with people I had met online.
The first time I participated in an online travel meet-up was back in 2007 when I was preparing to take a Disney Mediterranean Cruise with my husband and then two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. In researching what to pack and plan for our trip, I discovered CruiseCritic.com and Cruisemates.com, websites that offer a plethora of useful cruise tips. On one of the site’s chat boards I joined a discussion stream for our particular sail dates. In the months prior to our sailing, I got to know many of my future shipmates online. Eventually someone suggested we all get together on board the ship for a little party of sorts. Those who wanted to participate could bring little mementos from their home town to share with the other sailing families. I brought mini decks of cards from LEGOLAND California for the kids and Hotel Del Coronado golf balls for the adults. It was fun to see some familiar faces throughout our 10-night cruise.
Some of our Disney Cruise tablemates dressed up like Elvis during a Lilo & Stitch breakfast
I wonder if those disgusted by the idea of setting up play dates in travel locations are also appalled by dining with non-family members aboard cruises. I was leary about dining with people we did not know and considered asking to be seated at a table by ourselves. I’m so thankful I did not make that request. We sat with a lovely family of four from Eden Prairie, Minnesota – which is ironically where I grew up! By our last night, we had rearranged seating positions so the moms could gab about girlie things while the husbands discussed sports and the children played together. My family looked forward to exchanging stories of our daytime travel adventures with our new-found friends over dinner each night.
Another reader said, “So these lazy women can’t even find time to mind their own kids on vacation?”
I have made a multitude of friends online since I became a travel blogger two years ago. My family has had play dates with bloggers visiting our hometown of San Diego and we have met up with far flung Twitter friends while traveling. Typically, we just meet for one dinner or event.
The rest of our vacation is spent doing family things together. We travel together. Eat together. Play together. Swim together. Read together. See the sites together. There’s a LOT of family time during our vacations.
A dinner with Debi Huang of the Go Explore Nature blog and our families during a visit to Santa Monica and Malibu
Meeting up with my Twitter and bloggy friends while traveling is a refreshing reprieve from all of that togetherness. Yes, my husband and I enjoy a break from playing with Thomas the Tank Engine and fairy figurines during dinner for a bit while our offspring are distracted by other children. But the kids have a blast too. They tire of mommy and daddy (and each other) and crave new playmates after awhile!
Would these naysayers feel the same way if they met a friendly family who happened to be sitting on the beach chairs on the spot of sand next door during their vacations? Do they refuse to talk to anyone else besides their children and spouse when traveling, or is buffet line chit chat allowed?
A family dinner at Keystone Resort in Colorado with my online and real-life friend, Laurie Cooper of Guessing All the Way blog
One commenter said, “too many nuts out there to be hooking up with strangers especially in a foreign county.”
Siteseeing is a fun way to get to know a city’s culture and history, but if you really want to get to know a place, then you need to get to know its people. When I was in high school my family hosted a foreign exchange student from France one summer and the next summer I went to stay with her family in Northern France. A couple of years later as a college student living in France I revisited my host family and today we remain in contact through annual holiday cards. I have stood atop the Eiffel Tower, viewed priceless works of art at the Musee d’Orsay, and shopped the boutiques in the French Riviera…but I learned more about France from this family than any tourist attraction could ever teach me.
I suppose my parents could have kept me home, worrying this French family would chop me up and eat me like fois gras on a cracker. Sure, there are dangerous people out there…in foreign countries…and in our neighborhood parks. How is anyone to interact in society if we don’t at some point trust a gut-feeling about a person and take a leap of faith to forge a friendship? I wouldn’t get together in a secluded location with someone after just one online interaction, that’s for sure. But I don’t see the harm in meeting in a populated area with online friends with whom you have communicated for months.
My host family, the Tissots, during my foreign exchange summer in France
I could barely understand a word of French during that month with my foreign exchange family and they overheard me crying to my sister on the phone one day. I missed my friends, family, the familiarity of home, and the ability to communicate.
My host family took me for a day trip to the beaches of Normandy. We spent a day walking those infamous beaches. Then we visited a cemetery, where I stared in awe at the seemingly endless rows of crosses upon crosses of Americans who had died in the name of freedom in that region of France during World War II. Afterwards, we stopped for lunch at the home of la grand-mere of the family. Over tuna salad served in fresh tomatoes, this grandmother dabbed at her tear-filled eyes. She had long before vowed that she would always strive to help any American visiting France, for it was Americans that saved her family and her country from being destroyed by Nazi Germany. She felt she had failed because she’d heard I was having a difficult time during my stay. She did not fail. In that moment she taught me the profound power of connecting with people from different backgrounds and cultures. It was a life-altering lesson I will never forget.
What do you think about meeting up with other families while traveling? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
You might also like:
• Disney’s New Ship Is a Dream for Babies, Toddlers, and Children
• Plan a Girlfriend Getaway…and Appreciate Home More
• Santa Monica with Kids
• The Day My Life Changed Forever in France’s Luberon
Tags: foreign exchange program, France, Normandy, play dates, travel meet-up website
Posted in Family Vacations, Travel Tips | 18 Comments »
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
I have written several stories about my family’s Disney Cruise and the new ports of call in the Mediterranean on TravelMamas.com over the past few months. Set sail with me on a journey from vibrant Barcelona in Spain to such destinations as history-rich Rome in Italy and picturesque Provence in France in this round-up post. Bon voyage!
Barcelona is the embarkation city of most Disney Mediterranean cruises. Discover what to do and what to skip in this friendly Spanish city in The Best & Worst of Barcelona with Kids.
Our stop in Sicily was the stuff vacation daydreams are made of. Find out why in A Day on the Farm in Sicily.
Although Sorrento and Pompeii were wonderful, our visit to these destinations did not go as smoothly as we had hoped. From great frustrations one can learn great lessons, as you’ll see in Vacation Savoring Lessons Learned in Sorrento & Pompeii.
After many days on the go, go, go touring historic European sites, a Sardinian beach day was just what the Travel Mama ordered! Check out the fun we had in Sun, Sand & Sea in Sardinia.
They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but could it be conquered in a day with a toddler in tow? Find out in Rome in a Day.
Lovely little Lerici, Italy made it’s way into my heart and into The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations. This story was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for the ebook, Tripbase Best Kept Travel Secrets – Italy.
Sometimes not having set vacation plans allows for unexpected discoveries and is the best way to travel. Other times, not having an agenda leads to poor decisions and missed opportunities. Both proved true on this second to last stop of our Disney Cruise through the Mediterranean. Read more in Monte Carlo, Nice, or Villefranche?
Tags: barcelona, Disney Cruise, France, Italy, Lerici, Luberon, mediterranean, Monte Carlo, Nice, Pompeii, Provence, Rome, Sardinia, Sicily, Sorrento, spain, Tripbase Best Kept Travel Secrets, Villefranche
Posted in Family Vacations, Restaurant Reviews, Theme Parks | 3 Comments »
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
The Luberon is the region of France upon which Peter Mayle based his bucolic books like A Year in Provence. Having read the series years prior, I was looking forward to eating a time-consuming lunch here served with a glass of wine or Pastis in an idyllic spot of sunshine while breathing in the scent of Provence’s famed lavender fields. A day that started as a quest for a quintessentially Provençal experience became something much bigger when I discovered that my life would be forever changed.
The Sorgue River in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Marseille would be the last port of our Disney Mediterranean cruise before returning to our embarkation city of Barcelona. I had emailed back and forth with our private French driver and tour guide, Catherine, about my hopes for the day. Unlike our obstinate guide in Sorrento and Pompeii, Catherine was more than happy to adjust her typical itinerary to popular tourist destinations like Avignon and Aix-en-Provence to accommodate my request to visit the hillside towns of the Luberon.
I should note, instead of Marseille, the Disney Mediterranean Cruises now stop in Ajaccio, Corsica. As a francophile, Corsica has long been on my Bucket List. Warm weather, melodic language, sand beaches, and vineyards…what more could you ask for?
Fountain in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
The day started with Catherine driving my husband, our toddler, and me one hour to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (translated as Island on the Sorgue River). From its namesake river that encircles the town to fountains and watermills, water seems to be everywhere in this town. It was a sizzling hot day, so while the water did not provide any literal relief from the heat, the view was at least refreshing.
Paella and produce vendors on market day
We visited on a market day (Thursday), which brought a lively international flavor to our visit. In addition to the standard array of fresh fruits and vegetables found at open-air markets around the world, there were also stands selling pungent French cheeses and honey-laced desserts with a Morroccan flair, while a vendor’s giant black pan of paella sent the Spanish aroma of saffron, seafood, and sausage sailing through the air.
Antique Toy and Doll Museum
I had rosey-colored images in my mind’s eye of visiting the Antique Toy and Doll Museum with my then two-and-a-half-year-old, Karissa. In reality, I had to scoop up my toddler and race through the tiny museum to keep her from sitting on the adorable miniature chairs or picking up the priceless porcelain dolls while she pointed at the toys and shouted, “That’s mine! That’s mine!”
Tour Guide Catherine with my husband, Phil, at lunch at La Prévôté
Luckily, my Southern French lunchtime daydreams came true when our daughter miraculously napped through our meal at La Prévôté. We dined on chilled asparagus soup and sea bass with fresh herbs and sunset-colored root vegetables while sipping crisp white wine in a garden courtyard surrounded by olive trees. It was the picture-perfect Provençal lunch.
Afterwards, I think Catherine’s French sensabilities were a tad offended when we asked to go to the McDonald’s drive-through to grab our daughter’s meal, but the chicken nuggets were much more to Karissa’s liking than the fresh fish, turnips, and deep purple potatoes would have been!
The town of Gordes
Afterwards, Catherine brought us to Gordes, a picturesque town cut into the side of a mountain with a gorgeous view of the verdant valleys of Provence below. My husband and I drank afternoon cafes cremes to rouse us from our noontime wine while Karissa ran a muck, pulling relentlessly on her safety harness (or as some might call it, her “leash”).
We weaved in and out of the town’s darling shops that sold decorative ceramics, packets of herbes de Provence, and the darling household knick-knacks you’d expect to find in this region of France.
Museum of Lavender in Coustellet
In mid-July, Catherine told me it was already late in the lavender season and I may not be able to fulfill my longing to see a field of the fragrant flowers. Still, she drove us to the Museum of Lavender in Coustellet so I could purchase some lavender-themed souvenirs. We had to get back to the ship in time for its departure so only I jumped out and ran into the gift shop to select scented sachets, soaps, and lotions to bring back home.
The museum sat amid a lovely field of lavender. I took a brief moment to inhale a deep breath of the earthy, floral scent indicative of Provence before hopping back in the car.
My daughter hugging Goofy as we re-boarded Disney’s Magic
As always, a Disney character was just outside the ship, ready to greet our family back aboard Magic. This time it was Goofy. My daughter hugged him like an old friend. At this point in our cruise, he truly was.
While shopping in Gordes, I purchased a teddy bear wall decoration with seven hooks above which the days of the week were written in French. I told my husband I was buying it for Karissa’s room, but in my heart I knew it was for the baby’s room…the baby we were hoping to someday have and whom I would discover that night on board the ship (thanks to an EPT brought overseas) I was already carrying with us on this journey.
The teddy bear wall decoration that now hangs in my son, Leo’s bedroom
I wanted a second baby. And I would come to discover in the next few months just how desperately I wanted that baby when my first trimester screen revealed that I was at high-risk of miscarriage or of giving birth to a child with Trisomy 13 or 18, a severe and life-limiting birth defect. The doctor urged me to undergo amniosynthesis (which would put me at higher risk of miscarriage) to determine with absolute certainty whether my baby had this disorder so I could terminate the pregnancy if I wanted. I discovered something you cannot truly know until it is you carrying the baby. While I am pro-choice for others, I am profoundly pro-life when it comes to my own child. I refused the amniosynthesis.
I am, and will always be, beyond grateful for my little boy, who was born perfectly healthy four-and-a-half weeks early. While Karissa had always been a daddy’s girl and today her allegiance vascillates somewhere between the two of us, Leo is staunchly a mama’s boy.
I never thought I wanted a son. I had longed for a sister for Karisssa and a second pink-clad girly-girl. Who knew how wonderful it would be to have a little man in the house? He is at once a thunderous clap of noise and a sun shower of love. He flings toys across the room and kicks the water from the bath. Then he snuggles into my neck and gobbles up my heart.
However, when I found out I was growing a new baby inside my belly, instead of the pure joy I felt upon discovering my first pregnancy, I felt a loss. There are rare moments when you know with absolute certainty that life from that point forward will forever be different. This was one of them. I knew we were no longer a trio. Our family had become a quartet. That night and for a few weeks to come, I mourned the loss of my sweet family of three.
Big sister kissing her newborn baby brother
Even though Leo wasn’t born for another seven months, maybe the reason I look back upon our Disney Mediterranean Cruise with such nostalgia, beyond the awesome customer service, family-friendly fun, and attention to detail, is because it represents for me a last hurrah for our family as a threesome.
That trip will forever hold a special place in my heart…for the time spent together as a trio…for some of the happiest vacation memories of my life…and for the momentous discovery that my family and my heart would soon expand more than I could ever imagine.
Have you ever experienced a life-changing moment while traveling? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Monte Carlo, Nice, or Villefranche?
• Paris with Kids – C’est Magnifique!
• Why We Travel with Children
Tags: A Year in Provence, Antique Toy and Doll Museum, Disney Cruise, France, Gordes, lavender, Luberon, mediterranean, Peter Mayle, Provence, toddler
Posted in Family Vacations, Restaurant Reviews | 11 Comments »
Thursday, October 7th, 2010
The lovely French seaside town of Villefranche is situated between two tourist hot spots, Nice and Monte Carlo. Since I’d already visited these two cities during my college year abroad and had pleasant memories of both, I couldn’t decide which to revisit on this second to last stop of our Disney Cruise through the Mediterranean.
Villefranche by Day
Leaving It Up to Fate
My husband, Phil, and I started our day wandering with our toddler, Karissa, through Villefranche’s tiny downtown area. We enjoyed a breakfast of cafés crèmes and pains au chocolats (chocolate-filled croissants). Then we decided to let fate decide our destination. We walked to the train station and agreed to take the first train available going to either Nice or Monte Carlo (which were about 20 minutes away in opposite directions).
Nice won. In retrospect, we wished Monaco would have. Monte Carlo is more compact and offers kid-friendly options like flowery, grass-filled parks perfect for toddling legs as well as a small zoo and an impressive aquarium.
Nice is too widespread to tackle in one day and is not the kind of town for aimless meandering. One should have a goal here (mostly the beach or shopping). Still, just as I had remembered, the people of Nice were…well…very nice. The city’s residents seemed impressed with my fading grasp of French and everyone we encountered went out of their way to wish us a bonne journee (or good day).
Lunch at La Maison de Marie in Nice
Family-Friendly Nice
On my first visit to Nice, I had gone for Carnival with two fellow foreign exchange students. Carnival and its famous night of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) has been celebrated here since the 1200s. The version I encountered here during college was much tamer than that of New Orleans. In Nice flowers are tossed from floats instead of beads. I did not witness or participate in the flashing of any usually covered body parts. No one was drinking Hurricanes. (Well, but we did have a few drinks after watching the parades!)
This time around, my husband and I spent much of the day pushing a stroller long distances trying to decide where to go and what to do. Our Nicoise lunch at a Rick Steves’ recommended restaurant, La Maison de Marie, was just as lunch in Southern France should be: in a picture perfect setting with delicious food. We were the only American diners in the restaurant’s darling outdoor courtyard. Thankfully our then two-year-old daughter slept throughout the entire languorous lunch, allowing me to enjoy my chicken with dried fruits and almonds as well as some grown-up conversation with the hubs under the shade of bougainvillea vines.
Beachtime in Villefranche
That morning we had spied a sweet little beach in Villefranche but had not brought any swimsuits with us for the day. Since we had taken a tender boat to shore and knew that it would be a time-consuming ordeal to tender back to our cabin, I took this as a sign that we should scour Nice’s department stores for French swim duds for the family. This was quite the fun quest for me; not so much for my husband.
After our return train trip, we stopped in a café for afternoon refreshments (which was really just an excuse to slip into their restroom to change into our new, chic beach gear). I purchased Karissa a Finding Nemo inflatable swim ring from a beachside stand, which wound up being quite handy since she refused to step her delicate tootsies on the pebble sea floor. She floated about in the comfort of her ring for as long as my sand-spoiled feet could handle it.
Fountain in Villefranche
Date Night for Mom & Dad
We tendered back to the ship and fed Karissa a dinner of pizza before dropping her off at Flounders Nursery. After quick showers, Phil and I hesitantly left Karissa aboard the ship while we (gulp!) headed ashore for dinner alone.
It seemed all of the town’s residents had gathered that evening for a summer festival of sorts. They gabbed aimiably with one another, listening to live music and watching a modern dance performance, as they sat perched on the edge of the square’s sweetly pitiful fountain.
We perused the menus of the handful of restaurants surrounding the town’s tiny main square before settling upon one for dinner. We dined on incredibly fresh fish and toasted our good fortune at experiencing such an incredible vacation, which would be coming to an end all too soon. Romantic moments on vacation with children are rare and make them ever so much more worthy of savoring.
Villefranche at Night
The pressure of time and parental duty weighed on us unspoken throughout our meal. Before long we dutifully took the tender boat back to the ship as the sun dipped slowly beneath the horizon. I snuggled with my husband, his arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders to protect me from the cold breeze as the boat sped across the bay. I stared at the bittersweet beauty of that little French town’s colorful lights shimmering across the water and the sound of the jazz trio fading while I tried to cement the feeling of gratitude and wonder of that moment forever in my memory.
Sometimes not having set vacation plans allows for unexpected discoveries and is the best way to travel. Other times, not having an agenda leads to poor decisions and missed opportunities. Both proved true for us on this day in Southern France.
Do you prefer perfectly planned vacations or spur of the moment travel? Leave a comment below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Paris with Kids – C’est Magnifique!
• Rome in a Day
• The Best & Worst of Barcelona with Kids
Tags: aquarium, beach, Disney Cruise, Flounders Nursery, France, mediterranean, Monte Carlo, Nice, Villefranche, zoo
Posted in Family Vacations, Restaurant Reviews | 5 Comments »
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
I have a love affair with islands. No matter where I go in the world, from Shelter Island that’s almost in my backyard, to more far-flung locales - islands conjure up a dreamy melding of adventure, romance and relaxing satisfaction. Here are five of my favorite isles.
1. The Azores, Portugal
The nine islands that make up the Azores are a delightful mix of the traditional and the contemporary, along with plenty of dazzling and quirky features. Each island has a distinct personality and I’ll give you my take on just a few.
The town of Furnas on Sao Miguel is a land of boiling hot springs, steaming geysers and bubbling mud pools. Don’t miss watching the locals and the staff of the Terra Nostra Garden Hotelcooking pots of cozido, a stew of chicken, sausage, beef, cabbage and kale, in the hot earth alongside the lake. Then have a hearty bowl for lunch and afterwards, take a romantic stroll through the garden past exotic plants and rocky grottoes.
On Faial, you’ve got a wonderful contrast of the lively port city of Hortawhere the quayside’s walls are decorated withbold murals painted by visiting yachtsmen, the twisty roads edged withtall hydrangea hedgerows and the stark western edge of the island where abandoned houses poke above the thick black ash, thanks to volcanic eruptions fin the late 1950s.
I’m a cheese lover and that made Sao Jorge a perfect visit. Sao Jorge has eight factories and, when I visited one, I observed milk being delivered, learned how cheese is manufactured, and even got a taste of the tangy product.
2. Sardinia, Italy
On Sardinia’s less developed west coast, the picturesque town of Alghero makes a perfect base for a multi-day trip. Rather than settling on my beach blanket day after day, I did a self-guided audio tour where I climbed the 70-foot-high terrace of the 16th century Porto Terra Tower for panoramic views. Then, I rented a bicycle – though you could just as easily drive the route – and peddled to Palmavera Nuraghe to explore the ruins of this prehistoric village.
Farther along, the little-visited Regional Forest of Porto Conte – appropriately dubbed Noah’s Ark – has some curious creatures wandering about, including white donkeys, petite horses, and Tibetan goats. Though most visitors sign up for a boat tour to reach the famous Grotto di Nettune with its cave network, a more memorable journey for me was walking the 654 steps of the Goat’s Stairway down the cliff face.
3. Corsica, France
Most people flock to accommodations along Corsica’s coast, but I found that walking, hiking, and driving in the mountainous interior provided a more authentic experience. In even the most remote areas, you’ll come upon a village, like Casamaccioli, that provides some of the most spectacular views of the island’s high peaks. Because some villages are situated far from markets, another unusual feature that you’ll find are grocery trucks that stop like school buses, bringing produce to the locals.
One of my favorite and, again, off-the-beaten-track areas of Corsica is La Balagne where an artisan’s route allows you to drive from hamlet to hamlet where men and women are practicing age-old craft traditions, from pottery to glass blowing. A purchase at any of the workshops along the way makes for a perfect souvenir.
4. The Lofotens, Norway
With an intriguing name like Å, how could I not make this Norwegian town my ultimate destination? Making my way in the pristine Lofoten Islands from the town of Svolvaerto 19th century Å, I easily lost track of time as I passed soaring cliffs, fisherman’s huts (known as rorbuers) that are perched on stilts, as well as snug harbors.
Among the highlights of my journey to the Lofotens was eating cod fish tongue -who even knew they had tongues? I also enjoyed staying overnight in a fisherman’s hut that had a hole cut in the floor in case I needed to drop a fishing line.
5. Bozcaada, Turkey
In Turkey, Bozcaada Island inspires disparate opinions. One couple I met told me they planned to spend four days and were leaving early because there was nothing to do. Another pair thought the island would make a perfect locale for a summer house. I fall into the “wished I had more time” category of visitor.
I rented a bicycle and pedaled past old stone farmhouses and thick pine forests that open up to a long row of wind turbines. Everyone on the island flocks to Ayazmar Beach but you can bicycle to two slivers of sand, Sulubahce and Hubbele, in quiet coves that see few visitors. Other lanes wind between vineyards and even more desolate stretches of sand.
Vineyards and wine tastings are a highlight of any visit to Bozcaada but you can’t get away from the island’s history. After climbing the battlements of the island’s fortress that Venetians and Genoese once occupied, I found ancient urns, cannons, tombstones, and columns inside the walls. All of these sights plus a handful of contemporary art galleries means that a three-day stay isn’t enough time to enjoy everything Bozcaada has to offer.
Travel and food writer Jeanine Barone is a native New Yorker who travels the world looking for little visited venues. Her articles appear in National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, the Boston Globe, and a variety of other magazines and newspapers. Her blog, J The Travel Authority, is very much about what she calls hidden treasure travel (writing about boutique hotels, restaurants, galleries, shops, trails, and other sights that are often missed by many a visitor).
What is your favorite island escape? Leave a comment below!
You might also like:
• A Day on the Farm in Sicily
• Family-Friendly Singapore
• Morocco with Kids – A Unique Journey for the Senses
• The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations
Tags: Bozcaada, cheese, Corsica, France, hiking, islands, Italy, Jeanine Barone, Lofotens, Norway, Portugal, Sardinia, The Azores, Turkey, Vis, wine
Posted in Grown-Up Getaways | 4 Comments »
Sunday, May 16th, 2010
Here’s what I have been telling anyone who will listen ever since I set sail with Mickey Mouse and friends in 2007: A Disney Cruise is THE ideal vacation for families. Whether you have a baby, kid, or teen…everyone’s needs (and wants!) are met on a Disney Cruise. Plus, the children are so entertained and catered to, parents are free to do something so rare on a vacation with kids…relax!
Our ship, Disney’s Magic
During my cruise through the Mediterranean, I was accompanied by my husband and then two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. My son was stowing away in my belly too, as we discovered while onboard the ship! Some of my favorite memories as a family of three took place during this vacation.
Here are just some of the reasons I am such a big fan of cruising Disney-style…
Incomparable Service
The service we received aboard Disney’s Magic was beyond belief. Our waitress cheerfully brought us extra dessert when we couldn’t decide on just one and even stopped by to cut up our daughter’s pizza while inquiring about our day. Our room steward made sure our cabins were kept in tip top shape, always greeted us by name, and transformed regular bath towels into bunny rabbits and stingrays each night. Everyone went above and beyond to make sure we had an unforgettable experience!
It was a treat to return from dinner every night to find a different towel creature, like this elephant, waiting for us
Delightful Dining
During our 10-night cruise, most days we chose to eat room service breakfast on our stateroom’s balcony, taking in the view of various picturesque port towns as we nibbled on fresh fruit, yogurt and baked goodies. On our last day at sea, we attended a character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch doing Elvis impersonations and dancing the hula in one of the ship’s restaurants.
Our lunches, for the most part, were eaten onshore. During at sea days, we grabbed quick, easy meals from the ship’s eateries, like Pluto’s Dog House (which serves hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, and the like), Pinocchio’s Pizzeria, or Goofy’s Galley (with healthy options like wraps and fresh salads).
Each evening, we were seated with the same family (a wonderful foursome from Eden Prairie, Minnesota) and we kept the same wait staff for every dinner. However, we rotated through three restaurants: Lumiere’s (with a French ambiance), Animator’s Palate (with walls that start out black and white but which come alive with Disney characters in colorful lights), and Parrot Cay (with a Caribbean theme). The menus on our cruise were themed to the Mediterranean, serving Spanish, Italian, and French meals plus some standard American options and kid favorites. Even the meals onboard a Disney ship are magical - just as our little one would start to get too squirmy, Beauty and the Beast would come waltzing through the dining room!
Dressed up for formal night at Animator’s Palate
Carrying the tradition over from Disney’s Caribbean cruises, one night’s theme was Pirate Night, during which diners sported free pirate-y bandanas or dressed up in more elaborate garb brought from home or purchased on the ship.
The crème de la crème was Palo, an adult-only fine-dining restaurant that requires reservations. We partook of the scrumptious brunch and a to-die-for dinner but didn’t have time enough to book a high tea this time around.
Awesome Kids’ Clubs
A Disney Cruise is paradise, especially for children! Instead of offering a casino like most cruise lines, Disney puts that space to use for its various clubs for kids of all ages. Parents can indulge in a spa treatment, relax by the adult-only pool, or dine at Palo sans kids without guilt, knowing their offspring are having the time of their lives at the onboard kids’ clubs.
Our tablemates even had a hard time convincing their six-year-old and nine-year-old sons to join us for dinner each night because they wanted to stay at Oceaneer kids’ clubs (for ages three to 12 years) and play, play, play! There is also a teen club on each Disney ship, where kids aged 13 to 17 enjoy dance parties, board and video games, and Karaoke.
Most cruise lines’ childcare programs do not accept children until age two or three, but babies as young as three months are welcomed in the Disney Cruise Line nurseries. We worried when we dropped off our daughter at Flounder’s Reef Nursery the first time and she began to wail. But then we stopped by five minutes later to take a peek at her though a giant one-way window and saw her happily playing with the counselors and a rainbow of toys. This put our minds at ease, allowing us to enjoy our date night free from worry.
On our last night my husband, Phil, told Karissa she was all done with Flounders, which set her off crying and carrying on once more…this time because she wanted one last chance to return to the nursery!
Entertainment
The live shows aboard a Disney Cruise are Broadway caliber and feature favorite characters from movies like Toy Story and Cinderella. Even our wiggly toddler stayed entertained through most of the performances.
Karissa was in awe of Minnie Mouse in her gorgeous gown following the Golden Mickeys live stage show
There’s even a movie theatre aboard the ships in which new-release Disney movies are shown on screen. For example, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was in theatres on land and at sea during our sailing.
There are bars and nightclubs onboard the ship too but we were never up late enough to explore those much. Instead, Phil and I enjoyed a glass of wine or two on our stateroom’s balcony after our daughter was tucked in for the night. I have heard the party scene aboard a Disney ship is much more subdued than other lines though. So, if you’re looking to party-hardy – a Disney Cruise is probably not up your galley!
Family-Friendly Staterooms
Not only are Disney’s staterooms larger than most cruise lines, but also they offer some special amenities that cater to families’ needs. First of all, they offer not one but TWO sinks to make getting ready for the day easier.
Disney is the only line I know of that offers a privacy curtain that can be pulled shut to separate the adult sleeping area (with a queen bed) from the kid sleeping area (which is usually outfitted with a single bed or bunk beds, depending upon which room type you book). This is absolutely fabulous for parents traveling with young children whose bedtimes are much earlier than their own. Rather than turning in before sunset, Phil and I were able to quietly watch television, read in bed, and snuggle up a bit!
Karissa tucked into her single bed in our stateroom with a stuffed Mickey Mouse
Disney’s new ship, Dream, will offer virtual portholes for interior cabins that will display a live view of the scenery, plus animated Nemo characters swimming past every now and then!
Water Fun
Most cruise lines do not allow non-potty-trained children in their pools for sanitary reasons. However, Disney offers a fountain pool with a special filtration system that allows babies and toddlers to have a splashing good time aboard their ships! There are also family pools, an adult-only pool, and even a small staff-only pool!
The new Dream ship will offer a sweet looking waterslide called the AquaDuck that will send riders out over the ocean in a see-through tube slide! Plus, the Dream’s Nemo’s Reef splash area for kids looks like buckets of fun!
Karissa and I splashing in the toddler pool
(See how dedicated I am to you, my fellow Travel Mamas? I’m even willing to post a photo of myself in a swimsuit!)
Shore Activities
During our cruise through the Mediterranean we explored the ruins of Pompeii, perused museums and shops, ate long lunches of pasta and vino, and lazed on sandy beaches. Some days we chose Disney-organized shore excursions while on other days we opted to explore on our own. Even on days filled with lots of grown-up activities, our daughter was content, especially when she was greeted with a big hug from characters like Donald Duck or Minnie Mouse the minute we returned to the ship.
Kids got a chance to roll out foccaccia dough as part of our Sicilian “Day on the Farm” Disney shore excursion
Here’s a little Mickey-shaped dough creation one of the guides made
With Disney, kids aren’t just tolerated on shore excursions, they are catered to! This year, for example, the Highlights of Rome for Families excursion includes a 45-minute puppet show for kids supervised by Disney youth counselors at Villa Borghese while parents have a bit of time to themselves to shop or sightsee. Of course, there are excursions that cater to an older crowd too, like a Cooking Lesson in Tuscany for those aged 21+ in La Spezia, Italy or the Screamin’ Eagle jet boat ride just for teens on the Caribbean cruise to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Disney Does Europe
Disney Cruise Line is sailing through Europe for the second time this summer. The itinerary for the Mediterranean cruise has changed somewhat since we took that cruise, making me drool even more over this year’s schedule! For the first time there will also be cruises through Northern Europe and Scandinavia. (Drool again!)
Join me throughout this summer as I reminisce about my Disney Mediterranean Cruise onshore experiences and dream about this year’s European Disney Cruise itineraries!
Are you dreaming of a Disney Cruise too? Why or why not? Share your thoughts with other Travel Mamas and Travel Daddies in the comments below!
You might also like:
• Carnival Cruise Line’s Onboard Activities for Kids
• Epcot’s Best Rides & Hidden Gems for Kids
• Romance at Disneyland
• Top 10 Disneyland Attractions for Babies & Toddlers
A note from the Travel Mama: My family paid for this cruise and I did not receive any compensation or goodies from Disney related to this story. I will always let you know if I receive any money or products related to a blog post.
Tags: caribbean, Cruise, disney, France, Italy, mediterranean, pool, spain, waterslide
Posted in Family Vacations, Theme Parks | 12 Comments »
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
I can still hear the musical bonjour and au revoir, taste the fresh croissants, and picture the gorgeous Parisian architecture. My kids still talk about the parks, the fruit markets, Notre Dame, and Napoleon. The elegance, energy, and culture for adults combined with wonderful food, interesting exhibits, and an abundance of parks for kids, make Paris a spectacular city for a European family vacation.
Nancy with three of her children, Ellie (seven), Max (five),
and Joe (three), at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France
Why Paris?
Having traveled with four kids to multiple European cities, Paris is still our favorite. Although it is often thought of as an adult destination, the ambiance is surprisingly family-friendly. Parks welcome you all over the city and they are packed with French children playing soccer, picnicking, and enjoying life.
Nancy’s son, Joe, takes a spin on the carousel at Les Tuileries
Since the business district is set apart from the main tourist area, the pace on the sidewalks is calm and the sidewalks are wide, making them comfortable for strollers and kids alike. The expansive parks and gardens like Les Tuileries, Luxembourg Gardens, and Champs de Mars, provide plenty of space for kids to run around. For younger kids, the Jardin D’Acclimatation is a sweet little amusement park that my kids loved.
As for the food, please, it’s Paris. Fantastic bread shops, fruit markets, creperies, and bistros are endless. Every afternoon we would stock up on supplies at a local market or grocery store and then choose a picnic spot. With fresh baguettes, cheese, and charcuterie in hand—we ate very well and inexpensively. My kids still talk about the raspberries from the market on Rue Cler.
A Parisian boulangerie
Where to stay?
Staying in a central location in Paris essential. Although the Metro is efficient, you don’t want to spend all of your time getting to and from what you want to see—it is difficult and tiring with little kids in tow, not to mention expensive.
We have a great list of Paris family friendly hotels on Ciao Bambino. If you are staying long enough to rent an apartment, see my recent post with Paris apartment rental recommendations.
How to explore Paris with kids?
Plan a child-friendly itinerary that balances adult and kid interests, with free-time and sightseeing. Note that plugging children into an adult-focused itinerary is miserable. Choose one or two venues a day to visit, and then relax and enjoy those places in full.
This slow and thoughtful approach will enhance your trip—you’ll see things that you might have rushed past when traveling without kids. For example, I have been to Notre-Dame a few times, but with kids, we took the time to climb the bell towers and hear the story of Quasimoto. Our sightseeing excursion was followed by playing at the little park adjacent to the church and a gelato stop. The perfect afternoon! By incorporating time for playing each day, you keep the kids fresh while parents get a chance to decompress.
A view of the Eiffel Tower from the
top deck of a hop-on-hop-off bus tour
Start with a hop-on-hop-off bus tour of Paris. This provides a broad oversight while you are fighting off jet lag. Then don’t miss the Eiffel Tower (make reservations at the restaurant to avoid waiting in line), the famed Notre-Dame Cathedral, The Louvre art museum (again, get tickets in advance), and Le Marais, which is one of Paris’s oldest and most charming neighborhoods. I highly recommend a formal walking tour during your stay. Both Context Travel and Paris Muse offer great family options.
Once you’ve hit all the main attractions, my favorite part of planning a trip is finding one activity that is unique. Choose something that creates memorable experience for your family like attending a local soccer game or taking a cooking class. You can peruse tour brochures for ideas (Ciao Bambino’s Paris with kids resource list is good for brainstorming too). A favorite website of mine to uncover and book activities is Viator.com. Bon Vacance!
Nancy Solomon is a travel writer and mother of four kids under 10 who lives outside of Boston, MA. She blogs about traveling with kids on CiaoBambino.com.
Dreaming of a trip to Paris with your children? Tell us why in the comments below!
You might also like:
• Family-Friendly New Orleans on a Budget
• How to Travel Like a Local
• The Travel Mama’s Top 3 Hidden Gem Destinations
• Top 5 Tips for Traveling Through Ireland with Kids
Tags: amusement park, cooking class, Eiffel Tower, France, Paris, picnic
Posted in Family Vacations, Theme Parks | 6 Comments »
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Travel bloggers are sharing their three favorite travel secrets in a game of Tripbase Blog Tag. The goal is to eventually compile an amazing list of recommended destinations. I am honored to have been nominated to participate by my friend and fellow travel blogger, Amy at The Q Family Adventure Blogs.
Shhh…here are my favorite hidden gem destinations…
Lerici, Italy
Lerici’s harbor
I discovered lovely little Lerici during a Disney Mediterranean Cruise in 2007. Our ship docked at La Spezia, from which most cruisers bus a couple of hours inland to Florence for its renaissance art or to Pisa for its leaning tower. Since we had just tackled Rome in a day, and because my husband and I were traveling with our then two-year-old daughter, Karissa, we avoided the long drive to these popular destinations and instead opted to take a short boat ride to lesser-known Lerici.
Picture-perfect cappuccinos in Lerici
The boat ride to Lerici afforded gorgeous shoreline views of Cinque Terre and Portovenere in the distance. We pulled into Lerici’s darling little harbor with its battalion of toy boats bobbing in the water and a castle perched on a hill overlooking the town. The rain sprinkling from an overcast sky provided the perfect excuse to duck into a café for cappuccinos. When the rain let up, we wandered the quaint cobblestone hillside streets, winding in and out of offbeat Italian clothiers and antique stores.
A tiny park in Lerici
We stopped in what may be the world’s smallest park to let our toddler run free for a bit before resuming our uncharted discovery of the town. We rewarded Karissa for good behavior with a spin on the town’s unassuming carousel before loading up on more cappuccinos and taking another boat to La Spezia for lunch. We could have found our way to the castle, I suppose. But, really, a visit to Lerici is not about seeing sites. It is about walking to where the road leads you and taking a new path as it appears. It is about enjoying the world as it unfolds before you.
Montpellier, France
Montpellier’s main square, La Place de la Comedie
Whenever I tell someone I lived in France during my junior year of college, they assume I lived in Paris. No, mes amis, I lived in Montpellier in the Languedoc region of Southern France. The lan-gue-what?! Not many Americans make a point to visit Languedoc – a region perhaps best known as being the worst for growing wine in all of France.
That’s me in front of the fountain, Les Trois Graces
(The Three Graces), during a return trip to Montpellier in 2004
But here’s what the French know. They know Montpellier is a cosmopolitan town filled with universities to which students from around the world flock. They know Montpellier’s very walk-able downtown is filled with shops with the latest fashions. They know the town’s large center square, La Place de la Comedie, is one of the prettiest you’ll find in all of Europe. The square is surrounced by cafes perfect for people-watching and is flanked by a gorgeous opera house at one end and the tree-lined Esplanade Charles de Gaulle, at the other. In the summer, the beaches just outside of town are filled with French and foreign tourists seeking sun and sand at a more affordable price than what can be found to the East along the French Riviera.
The modern architecture of Montpellier’s Antigone District
If you want art and monuments, go to Paris. If you want history, head to Normandy. For castles, the Loire Valley. For wine, Burgundy or Champagne. Skiing, Grenoble. Posh beaches, Cannes. But if you want to visit a French city with a youthful vibe and an international flair, where old world tradition and architecture collide with modern day…you must go to Montpellier.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), Minnesota
A misty morning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is over 1,000 lakes in a million acres of wilderness located in Northern Minnesota. Motorized boats are not allowed. There are no hotels or indoor plumbing. This is what you do. Get a permit and choose a point of entry. Follow tiny squiggly lines on a map, trying to decipher if that clump of rocks ahead is the island in the picture. Paddle all day long in your canoe, stopping for a lunch of PB&J if you must, or fresh walleye if you’re lucky. Portage from one lake to another, carrying a forty-five pound pack on your back and a canoe on your head, back and forth over land and around un-passable rapids.
A mama moose and her calf in the Boundary Waters
I have seen a wealth of wildlife the few times I have visited the BWCA with my dad. I spied on a mama moose with her calf wading through the water, pausing to take sips from the lake. I paddled past a family of playful otters that popped their heads up and peered at us, as if to say, “Whatcha doin?!” I braved a shower of fluorescent green frogs leaping from mucky black mud and into my canoe. (Have I mentioned that I have a phobia of frogs?) I witnessed a bald eagle soaring above my head, pausing to listen to the “swoosh…swoosh” of wind whipping through its wings. I have seen snakes, mice, bunnies, squirrels, and birds of all kinds. My brother and my dad even had a showdown with a bear once, but that is their story and I’ll leave it for them to tell.
Minnesota’s State Bird, the Common Loon, on one of the many lakes in the BWCA
I have heard the haunting call of loons, which sounds like a cross between a wolf’s howl and a wind flute. It is at once the loneliest and the most beautiful sound in the world. Instead of having hollow bones like most birds, these prehistoric creatures have solid bones. This extra weight restricts their habitat to the large lakes of the North, where I have watched these magnificent black and white speckled birds take off from the water, flapping their wings furiously until their bodies began to slowly rise and skim the water, and finally they soared through the air.
Camping here takes planning. And the right gear (which, if you’re like me, and you don’t camp much, you can rent from an outfitter). And more planning. And some skills – like how to pitch a tent and how to hang up your food pack at night so you don’t attract bears. I have neither of these skills, but I can follow directions like a champ. I suppose I could go car-camping sometime. I could probably manage that. But after camping in the Boundary Waters, it would seem like cheating.
A typical Boundary Waters scene
For me, wilderness does not have cars or electricity or, for the most part, other humans. Camping means miles and miles of still water, trimmed by prickly triangles of pine, jutting up into the sky and back down again into the water’s reflection. It smells like emerald green, mixed with the sweet scent of crisp leaves slowly turning soft and sinking back into the earth. It’s a nighttime so black that the bright twinkling of stars in the sky are literally all that can be seen. There is no noise beyond the gentle lapping of water, the buzz of mosquitoes wishing they could enter your tent, and the footsteps of some woodland creature padding past your campsite, all punctuated by the sweet melancholy sound of loons calling out to each other, looking for reassurance that they are not alone.
You can download free TripBase Travel Secrets eBooks packed with hidden gems and travel tips like these from me and other travel writers. My story about Lerici can be found in the Italy Travel eBook (as an EDITORS PICK!), my story about Montpellier, France is in the WorldWide Travel eBook, and the story about the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota is featured in the United States Travel eBook (as an EDITORS PICK!). TripBase will donate $1 for every eBook downloaded to CHARITY: WATER to provide clean drinking water to those in developing countries. Plus, the eBooks are FREE! So…what are you waiting for? Download now and make a difference!
What are your favorite secret travel destinations? Have you visited any of my favorite hidden gem locations? Please leave a comment below!
Here are my nominations for five fabulous bloggers to join in fun and share their travel secrets:
• Meryl Pearlstein, creator of Travel & Food Notes and Fodor’s New York author, who writes for Gayot.com and has written for New York Magazine and the Boston Herald.
• The Vogel Family, authors of A Wayward Journey, a blog about the adventures of a family of four as they peddle their way around the world on bicycles.
• Andrea Fellman, creator of Savvy Sassy Moms, a site that offers tips on travel, navigating motherhood, and more.
• Glennia Campbell, whose blog, The Silent I, is about family travel adventures, both foreign and domestic.
• Lisa Bergren of The World is Calling, a blog that chronicles the travels of the Bergren family.
For more information on this topic see:
• Camping & Outdoor Pursuits
• How to Travel Like a Local
• Learn Travel Secrets & Help Those in Need Get Clean Drinking Water…for Free!
• Top 10 Most Popular Travel Mamas Blog Posts – Year One
Tags: Boundary Waters Canoe Area, camping, carousel, castle, France, Italy, Lerici, Minnesota, Montpellier
Posted in Family Vacations, Grown-Up Getaways | 10 Comments »
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