Photo Friday: The Royal Wedding

Westminster Abbey in London

My guess is it's going to be a lot more crowded

in this plaza on April 29th.

Will you be watching the Royal Wedding on TV?

This photo is an entry for Photo Friday at DeliciousBaby.com

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Feeling Compartmentalized

Lots of giggling going on here:

It’s one of my fondest memories of our trip to Europe last summer.  I know I’ve quoted this before, but it’s really true:  Happiness is a journey, not a destination.  In the above photo we’re on a train, on a journey from Karlsruhe to Heidelberg, Germany.  The kids are giggling because we pulled out the seats in our train compartment, which we had completely to ourselves, and were rolling around like we were on a giant bed.

I miss those old train compartments.  It’s rare to board a train car these days and find it’s one with cabins.  Most European countries have modernized their rail system with high-speed trains, resulting in shorter travel times and therefore less need for comfortable compartments, sleeper cars, and couchettes.  

This is what their ultra-efficient seating looks like now:

 

Like on a bus.  No more privacy.

The old train cars are divided up into a number of compartments accessible from a side corridor.  Each compartment has a sliding glass door, which you can lock from the inside.  There's a curtain you can pull across the inside of the door, too, and voilà - complete privacy!  There are six seats inside, two rows of three, that face one another like this:

The seats recline and slide out like this:

When all six seats are pulled out and the armrests are lifted, the whole compartment becomes the equivalent of a king size bed.  And a whole lot of family fun.

Related post: Training (We love train travel!)

A Soccer Allianz

Are your kids soccer fans?  Get tickets to an FC Bayern game, the Munich soccer team, when you’re in Germany!  FC Bayern is one of the most successful and popular professional soccer clubs in Germany, winning six of the last ten championships in recent years.  As you may have seen on television, European soccer fans get pretty fired up in the stands and games are very exciting.

Since the beginning of the 2005-06 season, Bayern plays its home games in the Allianz Arena on the northern outskirts of Munich.  This state-of-the-art, very cool stadium is worth a visit even if you don’t have time to take in a soccer game.  It is one of the world’s most modern soccer stadiums and is the first to have a translucent outer layer, which can be illuminated in different colors for different occasions.  For example, the stadium usually glows red for Bayern home games.

You can just walk around, check it out, and stop in the gift shop, or you can take a tour.  You can make reservations for private or group tours; show up at 1:00 p.m. without a reservation for the daily English language tour; or even celebrate a kid’s birthday or other special event with a Kid’s Tour package! 

Kids and hubby with some relatives at Allianz Arena.

The Allianz Arena is easily reachable by car or by the Munich U-Bahn (subway.)  The stadium is located next to the Fröttmaning U-Bahn station on the U6 line of the subway.

Family Vacation

My Greek Philosophy

Everyone knows what there is to see in Athens, Greece:  the Parthenon, the Acropolis, the Temples of Olympian Zeus and Hephaesus, ancient Roman and Byzantine monuments, and endless classical ruins.  These historical treasures are too grand to be missed by travelers of any age.  Period.  But there’s a “but.”  But for children under the age of probably 10, the significance of these structures will not be impressive for very long.  Especially during the summer, when Athens is crowded, stifling hot and dry, and often smoggy.  I guess that’s why God gave Greece beautiful beaches and an abundance of romantic little islands.

It was a blessed relief for us when visiting blistering Athens in the summertime to stay in a hotel not within the metropolitan area of the city, but in the nearby suburb of Glyfada.  Glyfada has cafes, restaurants, boutiques, shops, a modern marina and a prime waterfront location.  (Sometimes it’s refered to as the “Athens Riviera.”)  Best of all, when you’re traveling with children, are its wide, relaxing, sandy beaches with clear, shallow waters.  A variety of water sports are offered, and we had a lot of fun taking our first windsurfing lessons - although most of the time we looked like this:

Yeah, that's me in the water.

To get back and forth from your hotel in Glyfada to downtown Athens, a taxi is the quickest transportation.  It’ll take about 20 minutes.  (ALWAYS negotiate a flat rate in advance with the taxi driver!)

There is another mode of transportation, however, that might thrill your children to ride once or twice.  The Athens Coast Tram is a cool, hi-tech looking streetcar that connects the center of Athens with Glyfada in the east and Piraeus in the west.  You’ll never wait longer than 8 minutes for the tram, and . . . (may I put this in caps?) IT HAS AIR CONDITIONING!  And thank goodness, because the trip takes an hour.  You can catch the Athens Coast Tram at Syntagma Square, which is right smack in the Athens city center.  Here’s something else important to know when you’re traveling with kids:  at the bottom of Syntagma Square is a McDonalds.  Important for french fries?  No, important for the free bathroom.  (Sidenote:  Athens has recently placed a few sanisettes, like the ones in Paris, around town.)

Athens has also recently caught on to the brilliance of pedestrian zones.  The city has created some lovely carless strolling zones in sections of the city center, which is where you’ll do most of your sightseeing and shopping.  This will save an infinite number of tourists from the near death-defying experience of stepping off a curb to cross the street in Athens, where the traffic is insanely disorganized and dangerous.  It's a chaotic city, but fortunately the peaceful serenity of the sea is not far away.

Athens in the summer heat.

Family Vacation

Movie Monday: The Waltz King

If you want to dazzle your family with the magic of Vienna, a wonderful family-movie-night choice is a 1963 film from Walt Disney studios called The Waltz King about the life and times of Johann Strauss, Jr., the Austrian composer.  Filmed on location in Vienna, the scenes of the city’s baroque buildings, imperial palaces, and architectural masterpieces are majestic and embracing.

Besides the beautiful scenery, the story told in this film is particularly important to understanding the culture of Vienna.  Vienna is the Mecca of European music, and Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and others all composed and performed there.  Johann Strauss, Jr., is also one of these greats, and was known as “The Waltz King” during his lifetime in Vienna.  Despite his overbearing father’s attempts to dash his musical career, Strauss succeeded in composing over 500 waltzes, polkas, and operettas.  He married a young opera singer who fervently supported his music and they ruled the Viennese dance world with charm and elegance.  Your family will truly enjoy the scenery, the story, and the music of Johann Strauss, Jr., in this biopic film.  It is only available in VHS, however, so you'll have to dust off or borrow an old player.

Statue of Johann Strauss in Vienna, Austria.

My One Wish

I have never asked to be rich.  I'm not spoiled.  I'm a sensible, frugal consumer.  But if there's ONE luxury I wish I could afford, or be gifted, or granted, it would be to never again fly on a plane for more than a few hours without a seat like this:

I'm not even asking for 1st class!  I don't need champagne, duck pâté, a warm, moist washcloth, or airline slippers.  Just a pillow, a blanket, and a fully reclined, completely horizontal, flat bed seat.

Hats off to Turkish Airlines for offering the seats in the picture above in their new Business Class!

Other North American and European carriers with business class flat bed seats are:

British Airways
Finnair
Iberia Airlines
Swiss International
Delta
Air Canada
Continental
United Airlines
Virgin

Someday my wish will come true!

Royal Blue

I never expected my young son to get so excited about fine china!  My daughter, sure – she’s always been a frilly lace, tea party kind of gal - but my son’s enthusiasm will ensure you that a visit to Koninklijke Porceleyn Fles factory in Delft, the Netherlands, is worth a tour with your family.

I once posted about how children love to know how things are made, and that it can be enlightening and fun to learn about how different places make something they are well-known for.  The Royal Delft porcelain factory tour leads you through every step in the process of creating their exceptionally fine ceramics.  We took the self-guided audio tour last summer.

Even if you’ve never heard of Royal Delft, or Blue Delft, you’re probably familiar with it anyway.  The beautifully hand-painted, blue and white images of windmills, tulips, sailing ships, and domestic life decorating plates, clogs, vases, and tiles are uniquely identified with Holland:

Seen it before?

There are three Delftware factories in the city of Delft, but we chose to visit Koninklijke Porceleyn Fles because it’s the most original.  Founded in 1653, it is the last remaining Delftware factory of the 32 that existed in that era, and it’s the official designer of Royal Delft for the Dutch royal family.  The factory is in a nondescript old building outside the city, but an easy walk from the town center.  

There were no crowds when we visited in the middle of the summer, so we effortlessly purchased our audio headsets and leisurely began our tour.  First we encountered actual artisans at work, hand-painting pottery pieces with exquisite detail, and learned that they must apprentice for at least 7 years before they can begin painting authentic Delftware.

We admired the museum's tremendous collection of antique Delft pottery, listened to the history of the art form, and discovered why it evolved almost exclusively in the small town of Delft.

One of the museum's most impressive pieces is a life-size re-creation of Rembrandt's famed "Night Watch" painted entirely on tile:

My 11 year old son's favorite part of the tour was watching the craftsmen on the factory floor, gently glazing and firing each individual piece of pottery.

And finally, I believe we spent at least an hour and a half in the souvenir store, agonizing over which piece of (very expensive) Royal Blue Delft we wanted to take home.  My daughter chose a thimble for her collection, and hubby and I decided the most we could afford was a 5 inch diameter plate.  Small, but lovely, it hangs proudly on our wall as a memento of our visit to Delft.

Related posts:

Chocolate Making in Broc, Switzerland

Wooden Shoe Making in Gouda, the Netherlands

Cheese Making in Gruyères, Switzerland

Violin Making in Mittenwald, Germany

Glass Making in Murano, Italy

Porcelain Making in Oberschliessheim, Germany

Family Vacation

Photo Friday: Gift to a Mistress

This bridge, the Pont de Diane over the River Cher, is attached to the Château de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley in France.  Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II of France, designed the bridge and had it constructed after she was given the château as a gift by Henry II.

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the Web.

Spelunking in Germany

I haven’t taken my own children here, but as a youngster I once visited a very interesting place called Teufelshöhle with my family.  Teufelshöhle, literally translated as Devil’s Cave, is an enormous dripstone cave located near Pottenstein, Germany.  The cave is open to tourists, and is a fantastic natural wonder worth seeing. 

This is a postcard I saved from my visit when I was little:

After descending a distance into the cave, one enters numerous natural chambers, each with its own unique and unusual geological formations.  Stalactites (the ones dripping from the ceiling) and stalagmites (the other ones) form bizarre shapes and are thusly named “the Organ,” “the Curtain,” “Pagoda Pillar,” and the multi-colored, beautifully illuminated “Crucifixion.”  The two oldest limestone formations – one of them dubbed “Goliath” – are estimated to be one million years old.  The deepest location in the Devil’s Cave is 230 feet below the surface of the cavern entrance.

In the chamber known as “Bear’s Grotto” there are piles of animal bones and skulls of cave bears from the ice age.  It is believed that these cave bears were trapped by sudden cave-ins and starved to death.  A 12 foot high, 900 pound bear skeleton has been reconstructed inside the Bear’s Grotto.

Kind of funny how the Devil’s Cave got its name.  Before humans discovered the cave, animals would wander in, get trapped or lost, and never come out.  The local people couldn't figure out why their livestock kept disappearing.  Their logical explanation was that the Devil must be taking them.

Guided tours of Teufelshöhle are available year round in English and last about an hour.  Tickets for guests over 16 years are 3.80€, children 4 – 15 are 2.00€, under 4 are free.  A family ticket (2 parents and at least 2 kids) is 10.00€.

Family Vacation

150,000 Free Bonus Miles from American Airlines!

Back in December, I posted about an unbeatable credit card offer from British Airways Visa that featured a sign-up bonus of 100,000 frequent flier miles.  Well, I guess it wasn’t so unbeatable after all, because a current offer from American Airlines is even better.  Good thing I follow Boarding Area.com – the author is obsessed with miles and points and that’s where I find these scoops.

Basically, from now until February 28, 2011, you can earn 75,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles when you apply for a Citi® AAdvantage® Visa or American Express card and after you make $4,000 in purchases within 6 months of becoming a cardmember.  The annual fee of $85 is waived for the first year.  THEN, you can ALSO apply for a CitiBusiness® AAdvantage® Visa card and earn another 75,000 bonus miles after you spend another $4,000 in the first 6 months.  The annual fee on the business card is $75 and is also waived the first year.  150,000 miles is enough for two free tickets to Europe!  These miles never expire, either.  I’ve already applied and am ready to go!

Movie Monday: Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians:  The Lightning Thief, the movie, came out recently in 2010 and is rated PG.  The story is about a young man who discovers he is the descendant of Poseidon, god of the sea, and is cast into an adventure to reach the gates of the Underworld and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.  As his quest unfolds, Percy Jackson, the main character, encounters many of the Greek gods such as Zeus, Hades, Athena, as well as monsters and ancient Olympians.

The unfortunate thing about the movie is that not a single scene is filmed in Greece.  That slightly defeats the purpose of my Movie Monday films introducing beautiful European scenery to your youngsters.  But the movie is not actually what I'm promoting here.  My son and daughter enjoyed the movie because they thoroughly enjoyed the book series.  They both read all five of the books while in elementary school.  The five titles by Rick Riordan are:  The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Titan’s Curse, The Sea of Monsters, The Lightning Thief, and The Last Olympians.  Greek mythology, with its tales of heroes and villains, is fascinating to school-aged kids.  And if there's a trip to Greece in your family's future, it's essential that you expose them to the characters and legends of Greek mythology so that they understand the significance of the ancient relics they'll see there.  The Temple of Athena in Athens, Mount Olympus, the innumerable sculptures and reliefs of the gods, and the history of Greece will excite your child when he or she can relate it to a story.  Introduce ancient Greece to your family with Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. 

Photo Friday: Bavarian Pretzel

So your kids won't eat bratwurst or sauerkraut or schnitzel?

That's no problem in Bavaria.  There are fresh, warm, ginormous pretzels for sale on every corner!

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating

Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the web.

Très Magnifique Restaurant

Today I’d like to post my first restaurant review about a unique, fun brasserie that our family enjoyed last summer in Paris.  Here in the U.S. we kind of distinguish between a restaurant, a coffee shop, a fast-food place, and a cafeteria.  In France and the Francophone world there are brasseries, cafés, bistros, and bars.  The direct translation for the French word brasserie is brewery, but La Coupole brasserie in Montparnasse is much more than that.

When visiting with an American friend of ours who has lived in Paris for the last 20 years, we asked him to choose someplace very Parisian for dinner.  Someplace where locals go.  Someplace with delicious French food for us adults, as well as with something the kids would eat.  Since he often takes his three children there, we met him at La Coupole on the lively and Cineplex-lined Boulevard du Montparnasse.

Let’s start with the food, because that’s essential.  I chose a 3-course meal, and it was spectacular:

My amazing foie gras appetizer

My tender and delicious flank steak with a très magnifique sauce

Do I need to say anything about this dessert?

My kids were thrilled to get steak and french fries:

And they were more than thrilled to have this dessert prepared at the table for them:

My daughter was so impressed by the dessert menu that she took pictures of it:

My husband pretended to be a wine snob and the friendly waiter played along.  (These are not stereotypical pompous French waiters.  They are fun and attentive and will even sing “Joyeux Anniversaire” on your birthday!) 

Besides the outstanding food, La Coupole is a Parisian landmark.  Established in 1927, famous patrons in the past include Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dalí, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso and Matisse.  Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir were regulars.  Dozens of pictures, drawings, and sketches line the walls of the immense dining room, and legend has it that these pieces of art were given as payment from such artists as Picasso and Matisse!  The most famous feature of this art deco restaurant is its 32 painted mural columns, or pillars, that support the dining room.  These were painted by students of Matisse and Fernand Léger as well as other modern artists.

Families with children will love that the restaurant is brightly lit, spacious, noisy and fun.  There is also sidewalk seating if you prefer.  We rate this restaurant an A+!

The painted columns are famous.

Family Vacation