One day. Maybe one half day. In Athens. The cradle of Western civilization. We like short “highlight trips” in great places, but our quick six hours on flight-day ultimately proved hugely insufficient for conquering one of the world’s oldest cities. And hot. 102’ F in direct sunlight kind of hot. With a sweaty 2-year old in … [Read more…]
Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades islands, has very quickly made its way to the top of Troy’s “Favorite Places on Earth” list. Hugged by crystal clear shallow beaches at its edges and anchored by Mount Zeus – like the god, because Zeus himself is said to have grown up here and received the famous … [Read more…]
The first week of September was spent leisurely perusing the islands of Greece; enjoying the natural beauty of cliff top villages and long shallow beaches by day and savoring every last moment of the divine Mediterranean dinners and magnificent sunsets by night. A direct flight from London landed us in Santorini, an island formed by … [Read more…]
Troy, E and I were on holiday in Greece last week. There are so many gorgeous pictures to share and stories to tell, but at the moment, Troy and I are still basking in the lingering feeling of fullness and overflowing joy that we had the opportunity to experience with each other and with our goofy almost-two-year-old on this latest journey. Every flavour, sight … [Read more…]
While I still have trips to Belgium and Italy to share from May, our story more or less left off at the beginning of June. It was a quiet month on the travel front. With only a failed attempt at a weekend hiking trip in southern Germany, we spent the entire month on the ground in … [Read more…]
The adrenaline has been running high this month! Between travels, out-of-town guests and a surprise baby shower to plan for and enjoy, it seems that the minutes have passed at lightning speed and the memories have been piling up in joyous amounts recently. I’ve certainly got lots to be catching up on after all these … [Read more…]
Troy works in “The City,” a part of town where high-rises are stacked on top of other high-rises which are stacked on top of other high-rises and oh, the ancient London Wall. Banks. Investment Funds. Real Estate. Dark Suits. Pretty People. Lots and lots of smart brains. It’s intimidating. I have only visited The City … [Read more…]
The Kew Royal Botanical Gardens is one of, if not the, most famous gardens in the world and home to the largest collection of plants in existence. If that’s not enough, add in the generations of royal George’s living on the grounds, and it makes for quite a story! It’s been on our list of … [Read more…]
April, much like August it seems, is a very quiet month in London. Schools close down for 2-3 weeks for an extended Easter holiday, and many toddler activities, playgroups and nurseries follow suit. Therefore, E has been on a bit of a forced Spring Break these last few weeks, and we have had so. much. … [Read more…]
A transcontinental city, literally, Istanbul stands as one of the most significant locations in history. Positioned as the link between Europe and Asia, the city was the seat of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. Hosting the super power of the time for 1,600 years (from 330 to 1922), it is ironic to think Istanbul … [Read more…]
I love a good double-meaning or fun play on words, and as E and I were taking a walk through town today, I started feeling creative. With my words, that is. And, as you may be aware, the Brits have quite a way with theirs as well! The one that ultimately came to mind in … [Read more…]
Palm trees, warm sunshine, beautiful architecture, Sangria. Bright green grass, deep blue seas, more tapas than we should admit, Sangria. My spunky baby, my better half, a long weekend and did I say Sangria? Barcelona was pure bliss. Honestly, it has taken me hours to figure out how to share this experience with you in … [Read more…]
Meet Kinga and Manuela. They are my UK dose of mom-sanity, fun and family (and German speaking!). You’ve likely seen or heard of them on the blog before as their little girls, O and M, respectively, have taken E into their special circle and introduced her to the greatest toddler mind and body exhaustion program … [Read more…]
Happy (late) Mothering Day to all my UK mum friends! I hope you all received a sweet gift of some extra hugs and kisses and maybe even a large dose of pampering on your special day. We were mid-move come Sunday morning and slightly pre-occupied with trying to locate the nappies and wipes, so that … [Read more…]
For the first time, oh probably since we left Boston, life is beginning to feel FULL again. A pleasant sort of full – playdates and classes, gamenights and coffee dates, weekends spent in town and leisurely walks through the local bookshop. And though Troy isn’t home – or I should say, available – much, at … [Read more…]
Our lives so far in 2015 have been filled with a number of unknowns, – where will we live? when will we be moving? how will this new home affect our budget going forward? – and we’ve chosen to postpone all decisions regarding holidays and big purchases until after these questions can be answered. It … [Read more…]
According to the Hotel Ranking gods, this place is it. The ultimate standard by which to compare all other hotels. The most amazing place you could ever dream of calling home for a night, or two, or ten. It has a seven star reputation, though only five of those coveted golden gems can actually be awarded. It’s … [Read more…]
As we moved to London in March of last year, the days were warm, mostly sunny, and only getting longer. We vowed to stay away from the countless, world-famous indoor activities London has to offer and take full advantage of the outdoor adventures to be discovered first. Museums and galleries would have to wait until … [Read more…]
Oh, Alps. You have my heart. Summer or winter; biking, swimming, hiking or skiing; family or friends; Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France or Italy; foothills or peaks – you just cannot go wrong. This Christmas was spent high up in the Austrian Alps with my (growing!!) family. Some skied, others hiked. E and I made our … [Read more…]
Happy New Year! 2014 was an amazing year. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the chance to start so many new adventures – from moving overseas with my own family to exploring the world around us to starting this blog. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey and your wonderful words … [Read more…]
Hey Everyone, it’s Troy. I wanted to make my first post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and plenty of joy, peace, love and cheer this holiday season! We hope you’ve had a great day with family and friends. This Christmas we find ourselves celebrating in Austria with the german side of the family. Our group … [Read more…]
Though it feels like we are still playing catch up from our trip to the US, we’ve been home for a few weeks, and I’ve been feeling a bit claustrophobic in our lovely little neighborhood. SO! Troy, E and I spent Sunday afternoon wandering…literally – I don’t know the last time I back tracked that … [Read more…]
Every August and September, the Queen of England kindly heads out of town and opens the doors of Buckingham Palace to the thousands of commoners from around the world eager to get a glimpse into royal life behind the gates. Wanting to make the most of the activity (and feeding all of our royal curiosities), … [Read more…]
This past Monday was the last official “Bank Holiday” of the year in Britain. I still have yet to do my research on what these generically termed days off are actually in celebration of, but regardless of the meaning, I am just so thankful for the extra day spent as a troop of three! The … [Read more…]
As you know, this isn’t my first time living in London. Many, many, years ago, I ran around this town with a lovely little British accent of my own. There’s plenty of proof in the form of VHS and tape recordings which will remain locked up for many more years to come…the accent was cute. … [Read more…]
Troy and I have happily made every effort to explore London with baby in tow, but there is something refreshing about sitting in a restaurant without a pile of breadcrumbs at your feet or little hands grabbing the cucumbers off your plate and an evening of entertainment that involves no pitiful “Mawah”s or sweet whimpers … [Read more…]
Earlier this year, when my aunt and uncle from California mentioned they would be taking their gang of 8 to Italy to see the rest of our family – my great-aunt, her son and daughter and their families – for the first time and invited us along, we jumped on the opportunity! I love my aunt, … [Read more…]
Have you ever had one of those days when you look back and think “How on earth did we get here?” Troy, E and I recently set out to spend an afternoon relaxing in London’s Hyde Park and wound up discovering so much more. It was a gorgeous Sunday in London Town and a little picnic … [Read more…]
Bergen is a perfect gateway to the magnificent fjords of Norway. Fjord visits can last a few hours or span several weeks on a cruise ship, and the vast age range of tourists we encountered would suggest a fjord trip is enjoyable for anyone! We chose to book our excursions through Norway in a Nutshell and … [Read more…]
Troy and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary in June! Last year, we were mid-move and on a 16 hour road trip (26 weeks pregnant and with the cat!), so we thought we’d do something special this year. Wanting to start our European travel adventures with a place neither of us had previously been, we … [Read more…]