Castles In The Back Yard

(note; there are two posts added to the blog today)

For the first time in eleven days, we slept in. We had a leisurely breakfast on our balcony facing Neuschwanstein castle. We did a little laundry, cleaned up, and didn’t even get out the door until noon. It was good to slow down a little.

Today was our day to visit the neighboring castles, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Neuschwanstein was “mad” king Ludwig’s fantasy castle, built in the late 1800’s and supposedly the model for the Disney castle later in the 1950’s. Hohenschwangau, just down the road, was his boyhood home.

Unlike other, older, regal palaces and castles we have seen, these were actually modest in scale. Hohenschwangau was a “country” castle – a getaway home for the king, and not usually used for entertaining. The rooms had a relatively cozy feel, but heavily ornamented with carvings and painted walls. There was hardly a place on any wall or ceiling that was unadorned. But the overall effect was pleasant. It could well have been a home for a king who enjoyed living there (too many other castles were hardly ever used to their fullest).

Neuschwanstein was very different. It was built not because it was needed or for definable state purpose, but simply on the romantic whim of the teenage king and based on themes from Wagnerian operas. Upon the king’s early death, at age 41 (under suspicious circumstances the day after being committed to a mental institution), construction ended and tourism began. Even with only one third of the interior rooms finished, the castle is a delight to tour. The setting is, indeed, magical and the completed rooms are grandiosely finished. It could be easily said that its construction was a waste of the people’s resources when it was for the king, himself. But as a tourist attraction, it has become a pot of gold for Germany and Bavaria.

Before I close for today, I would like to make a small confession; these blog entries naturally make everything we see and do sound wonderful and make each transition sound like it progresses seamlessly. But that is partly because talking about the rough patches is unpleasant and seems like a waste of space. There are rough patches. There are times when moving from place to place with the children is like herding sheep. There are times when we are so tired we can hardly move. Not every sight is stunning. Not every accommodation is as clean or convenient as we had hoped. A lot of planning went into making things as trouble-free and pleasant as possible. But as I write these entries, I often feel guilty for making things sound more perfect than they really are.

It is a fun, interesting and rewarding experience. I am glad we are here. But for the record, it is not perfect…

The Romantic Road

(Sorry for the delay - this area has poor wifi service. I will do two posts at once and there may be a delay again later)

I woke up early this morning to walk the streets of Rothenburg one more time, without so many other people and autos filling the streets. It was wonderful. The top photo is the classic Rothenburg photo you can find all over. Of course, I will like this one more because I took it.

As a boost for tourism, Germany designated a path from near Würzburg to Füssen as the “Romantic Road”, connecting particularly cute towns along it’s path. Rothenburg is the centerpiece. The name is deceptive, though, because it implies there is something special about the road, itself. There isn’t. It’s just a two-lane rural road like any other, except with more tourists than usual. We saw several of those highlighted towns & villages, but to save time, we used the faster motorway when possible.

Not every town is a winner. On the way to Rothenburg the other day, we stopped in Creglingen and it was a dud. Not only was there not much to see, but on a Saturday afternoon, the town was almost empty and the shops were closed. But today, we hit the towns south of Rothenburg, on our way to the foothills of the Alps in Füssen.

Our first stop was Dinkelsbühl and it was so cute it was almost too cute. Like a cake with too much frosting, it left me wondering if there was any “there” there. In other words, it looked like a town that existed to be seen as cute, not to house a community.

Our next stop was Nördlingen, a walled town with the wall still entirely in tact. Here the frosting was much thinner. It looked more like a town where people stilled lived. We climbed the central church tower, saw the bells and a great panoramic view of the city. It was amusing to note all the neighboring villages visable from the tower (since they dot the countryside every couple of miles). I counted 15 visable from the tower.

Our third stop was the village of Donauwörth, the smallest of the three, and most ordinary. It was attractive, but paled next to the others.

We made it to Füssen by 4PM to get our bearings and check into our cottage rental (which is actually in neighboring and quieter Schwangau). We chose this location because it faced the famous Neuschwanstein castle. We can see it from our balcony. When I was in college, I had a poster of that fanciful castle in my apartment. Tomorrow we get to see it and we’ll take lots of photos…

Judgement in Nürnberg

Before leaving, we watched the 1961 classic movie "Judgement at Nürnberg" with the children. (As well as being very educational, it's a great chance to see William Shatner in his 20's before Star Trek). In the movie, you see what looks to be an almost completely destroyed city. So today was our day to visit Nürnberg, to see how the city has recovered, and to see a highly regarded Nazi history museum.

As you approach the city center, you can see parts of city walls and towers just as they may have looked 500 years ago. But you also notice something else right away; Unlike Bruges, or Rothenburg, there are very few old buildings. Next to the aged stone city walls are building after building from the 1960's and 1970's. Some of original Nürnberg remains, and they have made the most of that heritage, but clearly this was a city destroyed and rebuilt.

We visited the city museum - located in one of the only large homes left unscathed in 1945 - and saw a very interesting history of the city. It started with a model of the city that was the size of a large room with each meticulously carved (in 1934) home about the size of your thumb. The museum included vintage photos from both just before, and just after the war. It is difficult to imagine the psychological effect of living in this city in 1945-1955 as losers of a war, perpetrators of a great atrocity, and among a seemingly insurmountable amount of rubble and poverty. I think the German people deserve some credit for coming out of that time as well as could be expected. The museum was also the history of the private home, itself, with some beautifully finished rooms.

Then we took a tram to the edge of town where the Nazi parade grounds were, where overbearingly pompous building plans were begun, and where they were left half-finished in defeat. One building has been turned into a Nazi Documentation Center where it tells the story of how Nazism began, so that we may understand it better, and never let it happen again. The museum was very educational, but it is composed almost entirely of photo storyboards with audio (and some visual) commentary. It is geared to a more mature level of understanding that left Shelby (11) a little confused and Joshua (7) thoroughly bored.

One good thing did come of it though; This conversation with Joshua:

"Why did the Nazi's bomb the city?"

"They didn't. The Americans did."

(concerned look...)

"Was that a good thing?"

...And then we tried as best we could to condense war history and military tactics to a 7-year-old in a way that he could grasp. It's not easy. This is a boy who won't kill a bug.

We returned to Rothenburg ravenous for pizza and pasta. After stuffing ourselves, we walked the city walls until almost sunset. It was a very pleasant way to end a very serious day...

To Rothenburg

We had to say goodbye to our hostel in a castle this morning. It was sad. If you have children or are on a budget, I could not recommend it highly enough.

Today we made our way east to Würzburg where we saw the Residenz – former home of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, answerable only to the Holy Roman Emperor. To be honest, I was a little leery of scheduling this stop. We have seen palaces before, and often the overall effect is a little off-putting. Palaces too often try too hard to impress. They value quantity over quality, and you can’t help but wonder how many commoners were oppressed for the sake of such opulence. I have to say, however, that the Residenz in Würzburg was a delight. The main rooms were quite simply awe-inspiring – not simply for their grandeur, but for the beauty. The plaster carvings and ceiling art were among the best I have ever seen. Meanwhile, the palace was not as overrun with crowds as I expected and that was another plus. Unfortunately, we were strictly forbidden from taking photos inside (and we were watched, too) so we only have photos of the gardens.

The Residenz was heavily damaged near the end of WWII – to such a degree that it would have been reasonable, I think, to have abandoned the notion of restoration. Fortunately, the powers that be decided to undertake that daunting task. For the idealist, it does beg the question of what is and what is not original or historically accurate. And to be fair, that question exists with every centuries-old site since every structure undergoes renovation more or less continually over it’s lifetime or else falls to ruin. But if nothing else, I can state that today, the Residenz I saw in Würzburg was stunning.

We then drove on to Rothenburg, generally considered to be among the cutest medieval walled towns in Germany. It’s cuteness is derived from it’s wealth prior to 1630 as a crossroads of trade routes, and it’s 250 years of poverty after being sacked. The town’s poverty prevented the “improvements” that would have made it look like any other, instead of the unique time capsule it is. This bit of history, and more was passed on to us by the “Night Watchman’s Tour”, a delightful hour of guided tour and storytelling that started in the market square and meandered around the oldest parts of the town center. Our guide has been giving this tour for almost twenty years and he has his shtick down pat. Tourism has once again made Rothenburg a very wealthy town and, I suspect, the night watchman a rather wealthy man.

Our youth hostel is the building in the middle photo with all the eyebrow dormer windows on the roof...

The Mosel River

The Mosel River feeds into the Rhine north of Bacharach. While the Rhine is a bustle of tourism, barges, paddleboats and castles, the Mosel is relatively quiet and laid back. It holds a secret, however – a lovely gem of a castle made all the more special by it’s unusually secluded setting.

I read about Burg Eltz in the Rick Steves travel guide. He suggested approaching the castle using a well-worn 2.5-kilometer path through the woods, starting in the village of Moselkern. So that is what we did, and it was wonderful. We found the place to park by a secluded hotel with clear markings for the Burg Eltz trail, hoisted our water-filled backpack, and set off. The weather was perfect and the setting was serene. We did come across a few others on the trail, but it was quiet for the most part. We saw a snake, several mice, wildflowers, tall pines and a babbling brook along the 35-minute walk.

The best part, however, was approaching the castle as a vision through the trees, just as it might have looked to a knight on horseback centuries ago. The castle is actually a group of three wealthy homes around a central courtyard. The castle is in mostly original condition, still owned by the same family for 33 generations. We were able to tour about a dozen of the 100 rooms. It was refreshing to see a castle both in tact, and of a “human” scale. The rooms were not the sorts of over overly large and ornate rooms you see in royal palaces. This was simply the fortified home of a wealthy, but otherwise ordinary family line. I even got to sneak a Vermeer-painting-like photo of a toilet (we were not supposed to take photos, but I was very discreet).

The castle’s setting was unique, too. It was on a hill, as all castles are, but the hill was in a larger valley; so that out every window, you saw woods in the distance, as if you were secluded in a fantasy land all your own, separate from the outside world. No other village or sign of life was visible. Although not really much of a secret (it is well known by guide book readers), it still gives the tourist looking for something special the sense that they have stumbled upon a true and increasingly rare hidden gem.

After walking back through the woods the way we came, we drove to the nearby riverside town of Cochem, strolled the pretty streets and had some much-deserved fries and ice cream. While there, a carillon with bells built into the peak of a lovely building sounded the hour (see bottom photo). Tomorrow we have to leave our castle on the Rhine and move on to Rothenburg in our search to find the cutest town in Germany…

Castles On The Rhine

Today was our Rhine River day and the weather was beautiful. We decided to take a chance and try to bike from Bacharach (where we are staying) to St. Goar to see the Rheinfels castle ruins. The distance was about 10 miles each way, almost all on bike paths and flat along the river. Renting bikes for a family isn't exactly cheap at around $15 per bike per day. In fact, it makes a person wonder how much it would cost to bring bikes from home. But it's a great activity on a pleasant day - much better than sitting in a car.

The ride went well except for the one spot in St. Goar where the ferries drop people off and the bike path evaporates. In the confusion of people (mostly older and not exactly aware of their surroundings) Joshua ran into one lady in her late 70's or so. Thankfully, she was alright, but she was throwing daggers with her eyes at Joshua and the rest of us, unable to understand our apologies.

The attraction of this part of the Rhine River are all of the castles that line the banks. It is delightful to be biking and see another castle around every bend in the river and remnants of medieval town wall towers dotting each village. The overall effect is very similar to our experience in the Dordogne River region of France last year. The building materials, style, and landscape are a bit different, but the general result is very similar. Some of the castles are now privately owned, some are museums, some are in ruins, and others have been converted to hotels or hostels, like ours.

In the past, we have had many one night stays in various locations. This year, we made sure that the minimum was two, because one night stays are so stressful with a family of five, packing and unpacking, always worrying that something will be left behind. Our stay in Bruges was two nights and now that even feels short. Tonight is our middle night of three in our hostel in Bacharach and it is so comforting to know that we don't have to pack up tomorrow. We still have another day to explore the nearby Mosel River villages and sights.

Tonight was also our laundry night. The hostel has machines and we washed a few things out in the bathroom sink as well. It's not glamorous doing laundry, but what else are you going to do with your clothes on a five-week trip? It has to be done. I'm just glad the weather has turned summery and we don't have to wear the same jeans and sweatshirts every day, and in every photograph...

Life In A Castle

I am sitting here typing this from a castle courtyard, high overlooking the Rhine River in Bacharach, Germany. The weather today was perfect. The sky is blue. There is a slight, refreshing breeze. I can see barges moving downriver and another village with a lovely steepled church just across the river a couple of kilometers away. The ¾ moon is in the sky already, even though it is still quite light out at 9:10PM. Life is good.

The only thing spoiling the effect is the chatter of a hundred or so 12-year-old school children all around me. Yes, we are at a youth hostel – a youth hostel in a castle – the amazing Jugendburg Stahleck – known far and wide among youth hostel enthusiasts. Despite the children (and they are reasonably well-behaved and fun-loving), the place is amazing. It looks like a Hollywood set, only better, since it’s real (reconstructed, not entirely original, but real enough for me). Inside it looks a bit like any old dorm building, but outside it's a modest and charming castle.

Today we left Bruges and drove three uneventful hours to Luxembourg City. We only stayed long enough to eat a bite and walk around a bit, but it was lovely. The city is situated along a ravine and next to a hill, giving it an interesting topography. The ravine area has been refined into a beautiful park that I wish we had had more time to visit. Oddly, despite being a Wednesday, the city shops were closed up tight. It was some sort of holiday and we were not able to figure out what it was. There were people around, though, and we found a vendor selling German fast food, but speaking only French.

Then we drove on to nearby Trier, Germany. Trier has a cute central core worth seeing, but the real attractions are the Roman ruins – in particular “Porte Negra”, the remaining town gate, c.200 (yes, that’s not a misprint). Our visit was marred, however by the ridiculous level of traffic getting into the city. It was absolutely overrun by auto traffic. I hate tourists! ;-j

The final leg of our route today was a beautiful drive through the winding back roads of wooded Germany, to Bacharach – one of the many riverside villages that face the Rhine and nearby Mosel Rivers. Tomorrow we will begin two days of touring these rivers, the villages, their castles and shops. Best of all, when we are done each day, we get to come home to our castle we share with 100 12-year-old “football” hooligans and snack on our remaining Belgian chocolate…

In Bruges

Today was our day in Bruges, Belgium. We had a good & typical hostel breakfast of cereal, juice, bread, cheese, meat, and jams. Then we set out for our day in Bruges ("Broozh" in English and French or Brugge - "Bruggha" in Flemish). In the movie "In Bruges", which was the inspiration for this stop, the director mentioned that his inspiration for making the film was a visit to Bruges one day. He was simultaneously struck by two emotions at once - by the beauty of the place, and within three hours, by sheer boredom. We set out to see what our reaction would be.

Our first stop was the boat tour of the canals. Bruges is full of canals (it was a major shipping port in the 1500's, before the outer canals silted up) that are very picturesque, so that's sort of the required touristy thing to do. There we were, cueing up with all the other tourists, including school groups on field trips. It was almost like a ride at Disney World.

Next was climbing the clock tower - all 366 steps - for views over the city and the market square. We followed that with a visit to the Groeninge Museum (of Flemish art - which was very good). We stopped for a snack of fries in mayonnaise (a specialty) and took stock of the situation. We had spent about four hours so far doing these things and wandering about, and our energy level for more of the same was, indeed flagging.

We needed to shake things up a little. So we rented bicycles and, armed with a good map and aided by nice bike paths, we left the town center and headed out to the edge of town where actual old-style windmills can still be found. Then we continued on another 5 kilometers to the small village of Damme. It was a lovely ride, and without children it would have been tempting to ride much further. But this was enough. The round trip totaled about 15 kilometers (10 miles) and was a good distance for the children after several hours of sightseeing and stair-climbing already.

Our verdict; Bruges is a very lovely city caught in a medieval time warp. It is a perfect stop for a 1/2 day stroll of light sightseeing. But much longer than that and you do find yourself longing for either something else to do, or a good book and a nap.

As I type this, Michelle and I are sitting in our youth hostel room with the balcony door wide open letting a fresh breeze in. The weather is finally decent (though still barely over 70F). The children are off exploring other parts of the hostel and grounds and we are able to let them go without worrying about what they might be up to. That's one of the benefits of youth hostels. It is 9PM and outside it looks more like 6PM and we have to convince the children that it's actually time to settle down, shower, and get ready for bed.

Tomorrow will be another long fun-filled day of travel and adventure...

Unconventional Travel Day

Today was a travel day. The best way to handle that, if you can manage it, is to insert a couple of interesting stops along the way. So on our way to our next 2-night stay in the cute medieval Belgian city of Bruges, we stopped in Cologne (Germany) and the Belgian capital of Brussels.

We woke up in time to have our final breakfast in Amsterdam, finish packing up and head off to the tram to take us to central station. There we boarded the 10:34 train to Cologne, saw the cathedral, had a small picnic lunch on the plaza, picked up our car from Hertz, and drove to Brussels. There we found a parking spot, walked to the Grand Place (historic central plaza surrounded by guild-hall buildings from the 1500-1700’s). It was an amazing sight and made even more amazing by the fact that shops selling the world’s finest chocolates and waffles surrounded it. We had some of each.

Then we drove on to our youth hostel in Bruges. We let the children roam the hostel while Michelle and I took a preview stroll of Bruges and a few twilight photos.

Now, if you look at the map above and see the convoluted way those first few stops are laid out, geographically, you might wonder why we went so far out of our way to get to Cologne, Germany just to see the cathedral there and then backtrack west into Belgium instead of just going there directly. There is an explanation, and it is a good example of why the most obvious plan is not always the best…

Originally, the plan had been to train from Amsterdam to Brussels, and then on to Bruges, without stopping in Cologne. Then after our visit to Bruges, we would train to Trier, Germany (just across the border and via Luxembourg City) to pick up our car for our time in rural Germany. It is important to pick up and drop off your car in the same country or face extra drop charges of up to several hundred dollars.

But with this plan, we would have faced about $350 in train fare and a 12-day car rental. Since car rental rates are cheaper by the week, it was actually $80 cheaper to rent the car for two extra days. By buying the train tickets early, we were able to get a special price for the tickets to Cologne – only $52 for the 5 of us (normally about $150). So, by going a bit out of our way, we were able to save over $370, AND get to see one of Europe’s finest cathedrals. True, we will spend about $100 in gas to do that extra driving. But that’s still a pretty good savings.

The timing worked out better this way, too. There are many advantages to public transport, but you do have to follow their schedule, and it is not always the most convenient. With our car on the Brussels-Bruges-Lux-Trier route, the timing worked out better, too. Overall, a win-win all around.

Tomorrow is our Bruges day. If you are a fan of dark comedy, be sure to see the movie “In Bruges”. That was our inspiration for this visit…

This Is Summer?

Today was a hard day for me. I have to be honest and admit that not every day on the family trips is golden. I was tired. It was cold, wet, and dismally cloudy for the third day in a row, making Amsterdam much less pleasant than it should be. It happens.

We were slow to get going this morning, but when we finally got out the door we took the tram again (not cheap, either with no discount for children) to the southeast section of Amsterdam - an area that used to be the Jewish quarter. There we saw the Jewish History Museum which was located in a cluster of four former synagogues and told the story of Jews in Amsterdam. They also had an area for children where ours got to learn about keeping kosher and the Torah. Next we walked the short distance to the Dutch Resistance Museum, where we learned how the Dutch people resisted the occupation of their country during WWII.

Both museums were very well done - clearly by those who felt very strongly about the subject, but I could not help but notice that they were in a part of Amsterdam that still felt neglected. I wonder if this is something that the general population still feels is important, or if it is something they would rather forget. In any case, it tied in nicely with yesterday's Anne Frank museum. 78% of Holland's Jews (Amsterdam had been among the most welcoming places for Jews before WWII, yet still harbored discrimination) were killed in the camps. Of the small portion that chose to go into hiding, most survived, though the Franks did not.

After a very chilly picnic, we went to the National Center for Science and Technology, aka NEMO where the children got to have a wonderful time experimenting with and touching everything in the museum. Next door was a replica of a 17th century cargo ship of the kind used by the Dutch East India Trading Company during the height of Dutch influence around the world. I thought that was pretty interesting (photos above).

After resting back at our apartment for a while, we walked to a nearby "tapas" bar/restaurant. Not knowing what or how to order from the Dutch-only menu, the waitress suggested just bringing out a typical selection of dishes to pass. We enjoyed the meal immensely, until the bill came and it was double what we were led to expect. That should teach us not to order that way again.

Overall, I would say that Amsterdam left as good an impression as could be expected during a miserable stretch of summer weather. The city has much to offer and I would like to return on bicycle here some day to live more like a local and avoid the trams. Tomorrow morning we take the tram to the train station and depart for our brief stop in Cologne, Germany to see the cathedral and pick up our car. Then it is back across borders, into Belgium. One major destination down, eleven to go...

Anniversaries and Prostitutes

My feet are sore. We must have walked over 10 miles. The day started by waking up at 3:30 and being unable to fall back asleep - remnants of the jet-lag and yesterday's nap. By 8AM the local grocery store opened and we stocked up on items for a picnic lunch and a "home" cooked dinner in our apartment, as well as some much-needed Diet Coke.

By 10AM we were off to see the Amstelkring Museum (a small Catholic church hidden in the upper floors of a merchant's house in the 1600's when Catholicism was outlawed and Calvinism was all the rage), Nieuwe Kerk (new church c.1500), Dam Square (the location of the original dam on the Amstel River in the 1300's, giving the town it's name - "Amstel-dam"), and the Amsterdam History Museum. That was before lunch.

Then we had a picnic lunch in a lovely courtyard called the Begijnhof and then strolled on to a cute boathouse museum (Amsterdam's canals have many boathouses where people still live today), the Rijksmuseum (that we missed yesterday), and finally the Anne Frank house.

We had gotten tickets online for the house and this proved very wise, as the line for entry was long. We arrived at our appointed time and went right in. The house (or "secret annex") was meaningful to see. But the real meaning lay in Anne's story, her diary, and the horror of the holocaust, itself. It was presented well and was very moving. I was one of those people who somehow made it to adulthood without really knowing the story of Anne Frank. I read her diary as a 20-something and (believe it or not) didn't know before hand how it ended. I was crushed. As a parent of my own 13-year-old Anneliese today, I still can't think about it without choking up.

We came back to our apartment and made a pasta dinner and rested our tired feet for a while, then it was time to leave the children behind and for the parents to spend a little time together. After all, it was our 17th anniversary. And what better way to spend it than in Amsterdam's famous red-light district, window-shopping for prostitutes?

It's just one of those things you have to see when in Amsterdam, and we thought it would be an unforgettably wicked twist to do it on our anniversary. It was interesting. But we were careful to follow the same rules we tell Joshua when he shops; "look, but don't touch".

Tomorrow is our last full day here and we are looking forward to a dryer, warmer, and slower day - and a decent night's sleep....

We're Here!

We made it! A family friend was kind enough to drive us to the airport. Threatening storms delayed our flight for about 45 minutes, but we made up some of that time in the air, easily made our connecting flight in Iceland, and actually landed about five minutes early in Amsterdam.

We could have navigated public transport to our B&B easily enough, but the owners needed us to be there by 2PM or after 6PM. Taking a taxi would get us there by 2PM and in time to drop our bags and take a much-needed family nap. So we took a taxi.

Our B&B is: www.bedandbreakfastamsterdam.net owned by Paul and Karen Galdermans and I would highly recommend it in this very expensive city. We have their family apartment, which sleeps five with some extra beds added. It comes with a small kitchen and is quite comfortable. Paul has all the information any visitor could need laid out in a very organized fashion. The B&B is located a bit far from the old city center (about 2 1/2 miles) but in our case, that is actually a good thing. It is in a quiet, residential neighborhood, right on a canal, at the western edge of Vondel Park - the main city park, and no where near the nightlife of Amsterdam's red-light district or it's rowdy tourists. A tram stop just a few blocks away will take us directly into the city center. A grocery store is nearby, as well as many shops and restaurants.

We arrived at about 1:30 local time (but 6:30 AM in our sleep-deprived heads), settled in and took naps until 5PM. I know many people suggest toughing it out and staying awake until evening as the best way to fight jet lag. But they don't have children to contend with and maybe they count on sleeping a little en route. Only Joshua slept any significant amount on the plane. After our nap we walked through Vondel Park (very pretty, with many, many bikers) to the Museumplein and saw the Van Gogh museum (very interesting, but tough for young children - the older children appreciated it). We also hoped to see the Rijksmuseum (national museum) but it closed early even though all our information said it would be open late. Hmmm.., maybe tomorrow.

We had pizza at a neighborhood restaurant and the children played for a while on a park playground, before turning in for the evening.

Tomorrow afternoon we have reservations to see the Anne Frank house and Shelby is furiously trying to finish the book first. We also hope to see a few sights in the city center, but the weather report is for rain and temps in the mid-50's. Brrrr.

Everyone is settling in for a good sleep that will hopefully get our body clocks on track for the rest of the trip...

Time to go!

My stomach has been in knots for four days. We leave in three hours. I wonder if nervous-ness burns more calories? That would be a good thing.

The packing has been done. We have weighed everything to make sure it doesn't violate IcelandAir's rather strict weight requirements. We have snacks, books, iPods, notebooks & pencils, passports, e-tickets, etc. We have clothes, swimsuits, laundry soap, shampoo, prescriptions, sunscreen, band aids and body-care items. We have enough chargers, cables, adapters and other electronics that I'm sure it will look like a bomb under the security x-ray machine. And it is always entertaining to see the reaction on the face of the screener when my pocket trumpet comes into view (for you non-musicians, it's a real trumpet scrunched into about 1/3rd the standard size - It's named "Avalon" and goes on adventures with us).

At night, when I am trying to drift off to sleep I imagine how nice it would be to only have to think of myself packing for a trip. I imagine getting a phone call from a friend in a far away place saying; "Dude, you gotta see this!" and packing my bag and being out the door in about five minutes. Now it takes a couple of pretty tense hours - hoping we don't discover that all the stuff we have piled on the dining room table, in fact, DOESN'T fit into our bags!

Of course, even if it does all fit, there is the torture of wondering what you are going to forget. You know there will be something. The real question is, will it be something important or even (God forbid) critical. Of course, most things forgotten can be dealt with by simply buying it over there. But that is always a bit of a hassle and you still kick yourself for having forgotten it.

By now, however, everyone is pretty well into a packing routine. The children know what to expect. They pretty much choose their own clothes (but we double-check) and they choose what else is important to bring to keep themselves occupied. Best of all, they know to pack lightly.

We have endured the crazy ups and downs of the Euro exchange rate over the last several months - now down a bit after some record highs & still might save us some money over our projected budget from six months ago (who would have ever thought I would now be monitoring currency exchange rates almost daily five years ago?). We have endured the uncertainty caused by the belching ash from the Icelandic volcano with the unpronounceable name. And we have endured almost 8 months of wondering what unforeseen family crisis or bodily injury might cause us to have to cancel our travel plans. I'm a firm believer that if you imagine the worst, it will rarely actually happen. So I have been doing my best to imagine the worst (pretty twisted logic, isn't it).

Once we get the call to board the plane, some weight lifts from my shoulders, though. I will still fret over things. But I will also be somewhat comforted by the knowledge that much of what happens from that point on is beyond my control. Our main job from that point on is to make the best of whatever happens. Wish us luck...

Traveling With Children, part 2

I'm sure many people imagine we spend much of our time traveling with children looking for zoos, amusement parks and ice cream cones. Actually, we have never been to a zoo abroad (we have a fine one at home), only one amusement park (the historic Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen - we never even told them there was a Disney near Paris) and at best, only one ice cream treat every few days. We try to avoid feeding into the stereotype that children must be interested only in child-like things and adults interested only in serious things.

Once children pass the toddler stage, they are capable of enjoying what you enjoy, as long as you take it in small doses. We see a lot of museums, but rarely for more than an hour for a small one or 2 hours for a large one. We see a lot of castles and cathedrals, but they are usually less than a 2-hour visit as well. If there is a good hands-on museum or science center, we try to go there so the children can explore and touch. When in cities, we look for parks so the children can run a little and be silly. Occasionally, we even find a interesting playground and that becomes a just-for-kids sort of stop.

But for the most part, we try to get some shared enjoyment out of the same things. It would be awkward, at best, to have to travel in a group and to completely dislike certain kinds of stops. We aren't interested in fancy dinners, nights at the opera, or any other chic events that would be inappropriate for children. The one thing the children won't do is go for aimless long walks. That is beyond their ability to appreciate and would zap their much-needed energy level. So whenever it seems appropriate to do so, we let the children stay back in our hotel, B&B or cottage and go for an evening walk ourselves. It lets us explore a little and gives everyone a break from each other.

The biggest challenge for the children are souvenir shops and learning the hard lesson that you can't have one of everything you see. We give each child a spending limit of $100 for souvenirs with the understanding that any amount left over at the end they will get to keep as cash to put in the bank. The biggest temptation then is to stop at the first shop we see and buy the first interesting object we see, instead of waiting for that truly special item that might (or might not) come later. Since we pack light, all souvenirs must be light, small, and not fragile, too. In the beginning, the children were very impulsive shoppers. They have grown into much more discerning shoppers with each successive trip. That is a valuable lesson in itself.

We try to make each trip an educational experience. We talk about language and customs. We talk about the history of a place and how it relates to that of it's neighbors. Seeing the major museums also helps to put a place's history in context. When a place offers a unique learning experience (like WWII, Nazi Germany, Anne Frank and the death camps at Auschwitz we will see on this trip), we try to connect the dots for the children, explaining how one action led to another. In the end, we hope the children come away from the experience with a greater understanding of how history comes together, how societies evolve, and how they are similar and different from one another. But we try to have fun, too.

The most important point I would like to emphasize though, is that the things we do are largely the same whether the children were with us or not. As adults, we don't feel like we are sacrificing anything by having the children with us. If anything, seeing things through their eyes as well as our own makes us appreciate the experience even more...

Traveling With Children, part 1

Our first child, Anneliese, made her first road trip with us at age 6 weeks, to Colorado. The next year we drove down the west coast of the US with her as a 1-year-old. Every summer that followed there was another road trip. Shelby joined in the fun in 1999 on the beaches in Texas. It instilled in the children a certain expectation of how trips worked - the periods of stillness followed by a great deal of activity, frequent changes of location, and expecting new adventures each day. But it was relatively easy, too. We could pack almost as much as we wanted into our vehicle. Art kits, lots of books, movies, favorite stuffed animals, extra clothes, blankets, pillows - they all got stuffed in there so that we would have an activity for every long drive and a solution to every possible problem. The locations were easy too, because we knew what to expect for lodging, food, and entertainment choices in the US.

When the idea to travel outside the country first came to me several years ago, I wondered how much our children would get out of it. After all, travel to Europe would not include the comforts of hotel swimming pools and reliable fast food. In particular, I wondered how practical it was to take our youngest child (Joshua, then age 4) along. Would he really appreciate it? Would he even remember it? Could we afford it? We wondered if maybe he might be happier spending the time closer to home with grandparents instead. But as we contemplated spending three weeks away from him, we realized that we couldn't enjoy the trip with the family split up. If we waited until he got older, our oldest child would have less time to travel with us before going off to life on her own. There may not be a perfect time to start travel like this, but it is better to err on the side of too soon that too late, I think.

So we stayed together - the five of us - on our first trip to England in 2007, and it was everything we could have hoped for. All the children (Joshua included) had a blast. We will never forget how the look on Annie's tired face brightened as we arrived our first day at the top of the stairs from our Tube station in central London to a sea of red double-decker buses, or Shelby's face as we rounded a corner near the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben was suddenly in front of us, or how eagerly Joshua dove into every castle visit. We vowed then to repeat the experience of traveling together to different countries as often as we could.

There are practical problems to overcome, of course, and cost is a primary one. Each child is another round-trip airfare to purchase. Many airlines charge the same fare regardless of age. But IcelandAir does offer a 15-20% discount for children up to age 12, and we have benefited from that. Once on the ground, however, additional costs are significantly less. Children often travel for free, or at greatly reduced rates on trains. Car rentals are the same price whether there is anyone in the back seat or not. Children (often up to age 18) usually visit museums for free and have greatly reduced rates for other attractions and activities. So the cost of food is the only one that rises proportionately when children are along. As long as you avoid "service" restaurants when you can, food costs can be kept under control.

There are other challenges as well. Children need to learn to pack light and be able to keep amused with only small amounts of extra clutter (iPods are great for this). Children need to be physically fit enough to be on their feet most of the day and to take long walks at times. We need to have all reservations made in advance to avoid any unnecessary hassle finding lodgings or transportation connections. Lodgings, in particular, can be tricky for a family of five, making it even more important to search out the rare large but reasonably priced hotel room or B&B and to book it early. Most importantly, the children need to be enthusiastic about the experience. Nothing will wear you down faster than a reluctant or fussy traveler. Toward that end, it is important to start the traveling tradition young and with smaller, easier trips. The childrens' ability to enjoy trips like these can then grow gradually over time.

Yes, an argument could be made that the children would appreciate it more as young adults, going themselves as college-age backpackers, or that the adults would appreciate it more traveling without the children, lingering longer in museums, taking longer meandering walks and simply people-watching without the need to play tour guide for the children or constantly counting heads to make sure everyone is together. But I think the children get a great deal out of the trips as well. They gain a grasp of history that is impossible to fully appreciate from a text book. They gain an appreciation for the fact that there is a whole rest of the world out there with people going about their lives, perfectly happy to not be Americans. They get a chance to try different foods and witness different traditions than they are used to at home. They grow more accustomed to the challenges of overseas travel and gain the ability to "roll with the punches" as things happen, plans change, and there are small obstacles to overcome. Perhaps most importantly, they become world-wise travelers who will feel free to see even more of the world on their own later in life...

The Pre-Departure Blues

We depart two weeks from today. The house-sitter is hired. All reser-vations are made and re-confirmed. There are just a few minor tasks to do before we leave and lethargy has set in. For me anyway, there are three very distinct phases to every trip. The first is in the planning and is all about the promise of what could be. The third is the trip itself. The second is the period of limbo in between when there is little left to plan and plenty to fret over.

The planning fascinates me. It's like a complex puzzle that slowly takes shape and forms a beautiful picture over time. There is so much learning involved. Each year I learn more about how to best search for airfares; more about train travel and auto rentals; more about how best to find and book lodgings and more about how to do all of this a bit more inexpensively. Along the way, I read a lot about each area we are going to visit and it's rich history. Through the computer screen, I have seen so many photos, video clips, maps and satellite images of the places we hope to see that I almost fell as if I have already been there.

Once the trip actually begins, adrenaline takes over, the sightseeing begins, and we are so busy there is little time to worry (and to give myself some credit, pretty much everything goes exactly as planned).

But in that short time in between, I find a certain lethargy sets in. Little planning tasks that I would have eagerly tackled months ago, I now find reasons to put off until later. I can't help but wonder if there was something that could have been planned better if I had been a little smarter about it, but is now too late to change. I want to things to be perfect, but of course that is unrealistic to expect. That greedy little creature in the back of my mind starts dreaming about the next trip and pretty soon I catch myself looking up airfares to some imagined destination in 2011. Then I scold myself for not focusing on the present and keeping on task. Yet there is little left to do, and that is the problem. The calendar keeps relentlessly ticking forward and I find myself almost wishing the trip would hold off a while longer.

Meanwhile, we are caught up in the onslaught of end-of-school-year activities and obligations. The weather has turned nice, yet there is little time to get outside and do family bike rides or picnics and really enjoy the outdoors. Planting season has come but we are still trying to find the time to get the last few plants in the ground and do some landscaping and yard maintenance so that it won't look like a neglected jungle when we return in late July.

I need to kick myself in the backside a little and snap out of it. It's going to be great. There will be some glitches, to be sure. It will rain some days. We will get a little lost driving once or twice. Some sights will prove underwhelming. But overall, I'm sure it will be wonderful.

It will....it will....it will...

Trip Length

As a kid I distinctly remember being just a few days into our 7-10 day road trips in the family station wagon and realizing that the trip was already half over. That's just the way it is for most people most of the time and as children, we had a great time anyway. We were pretty easy to please, after all. Going anywhere was an adventure.

Unless you are retired, teachers, or blessed with a job that allows a great deal of vacation time or flexibility, the length of your trip abroad is going to be limited by how much time you can be away from work. If all you can manage is 10-14 days away, you should still go. It can still be an amazing experience. But limit yourself to one, relatively small area, and see it thoroughly.

But something magical happens when the length of the trip approaches or exceeds three weeks. You are no longer just escaping your real life for a brief interlude. Now the trip starts to become your real life, if only temporarily. Now you have time to make scheduling decisions that emphasize that mindset; If you prefer a slower pace, weekly cottage or apartment rentals are now a realistic choice and encourage a casual vacationing lifestyle (and save money). If you prefer to keep on the move, you now have the time to widen the geographical area you can cover in depth. You can make several 2-4 day stops instead of just a few.

Perhaps even more importantly, you begin to let go of the importance of an individual day. That is amazingly liberating. Your trip is no longer held hostage to the weather. You can afford to "take a day off" from your vacation if the weather is poor without feeling frantic about keeping up with your itinerary. Sometimes the most lasting memories are made when you stumble across something during an unplanned part of the day. On short trips there is little opportunity for an unplanned moment.

Staying longer always costs more. But often the extra cost is negligible. Consider our most recent trip to France; Deciding to stay for 30 days gave us time to spend a week in three different locations instead of just a few days and to rent cottages. The cost savings from these lodgings (and food cost savings from making our own meals) were such that the 21 days spent this way probably cost no more than 12 spent in the more usual way - in hotels and eating out. We probably saw a few more things over the extra 9 days and paid a bit more in admission fees, but not much. We also did things at a slower pace. We did pay a bit more for a longer car rental, but car rental costs go down quickly on a per-day basis for longer rentals. Our costs for gas, parking and tolls would have been close to the same either way. So the extra nine days we spent in France likely costs us no more than $500. Compared to the overall costs of a trip like this, it was an amazing bargain.

The point of all this is that you really cannot go wrong making a trip abroad as long as possible (within reason, of course). The benefits are enormous if your life here at home allows it.

There are extra things to consider when trips become long, however. You may have to pay bills ahead as you may not be home when they arrive and come due. Boarding pets is an issue. There are steps to take when closing up your house for long periods. It is even more important to turn off water and gas where possible and to arrange for someone to water plants and keep an eye on things. Hiring a house sitter - perhaps a college student who will gladly live in your house for little more than a modest stipend - is a practical alternative, especially if pets are involved.

But the benefits of taking a longer trip are worth a little more preparation and planning. The real trick is to find a way to be gone that long in the first place when we all have to have income to pay for this indulgence...