This spring we got to do something I personally have not done in years. We spent two whole entire days touring Washington, D.C. Normally, if we go into the city at all, it is just to see this one thing or to meet a friend some place. It has been years since I did this much touring in our own city. Two days back to back was both fun and far more exhausting than the usual one day out. I’m […]
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If you’re anything like me, the first time I had to pack for a big European trip, I was like a deer staring into headlights. I’m going to give you all the tips I’ve learned the hard way for packing light on an overseas trip. Where do you even begin? What kind of luggage is best? How many outfits should I pack? Will I be able to wash clothes? What is the weather? Are clothing standards different there? What can […]
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As all good stories should go, I have saved the best for last! Our day in Stirling was my absolute favorite, and I firmly believe the entire family enjoyed it about as much as I did. It was the perfect Scottish holiday kind of day. As in, we even saw men in kilts playing bagpipes. It was the cherry on the top of our UK holiday sundae. I’m not trying to be all sunshine and rainbows, glossing over the struggles. […]
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I’d asked around and learned there were good places to see Hadrian’s Wall near the historic park of Vindolanda. “And what is Vindolanda?” you might ask.
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With only a few days in England, I chose York for several reasons: We were staying at Goodramgate Apartments, which we enjoyed. That meant we were on our own for breakfast though. By the time we all took our turns in the bathroom, Wheldrakes was finished serving breakfast and we had to order from the lunch menu. It was was around 10:30am. We never could match our vacation eating clock to the normal schedule of an English person! The boys […]
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This family vacation to the United Kingdom was extra special to me because I feel like it was a once in a lifetime kind of trip. Our time together with our children is short. The preciousness of this time became so apparent to me once our oldest went away to college. Plus, he insisted on skipping this trip. It was impossible for him to obtain summer employment if he was constantly leaving town on all my family adventures. He was […]
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On our third day in England, we enjoyed one last free breakfast at the Doubletree in Chelsea, picked up a rental car, and drove from London to the famous Stonehenge. Stonehenge is only an hour and sixteen to thirty minutes from Heathrow Airport (where we got our rental car). This turned out to be a fairly relaxing day for me personally. My feet were rejoicing for sure! All of the difficulties fell on Alan, as he’s the one who had […]
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On day two in London, after we’d thoroughly toured the Tower of London, we rode a train down to Greenwich. Once in Greenwich, we walked like a mile over to this park and then literally hoofed up the steepest hill I have ever climbed in my life. It was basically a curved walk upwards that must have covered twenty stories, walking almost straight upwards, but without stairs. At the top of this grassy mountain sits the Royal Observatory, home of […]
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Our second day in London was by far my favorite! It was still in the middle of a sweaty heat wave and all, but it didn’t matter. Touring the ancient Tower of London was literally a dream come true for me.
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London, baby! This year my husband, Alan, starts a fancy new job that we expect will keep him busier than he has been for the last couple of years. Therefore, we decided to give our family an all-out overseas vacation. This was the boys’ first time overseas, so we figured a United Kingdom trip would break them in the most gently to international travel. After all, everyone speaks English there. Ha. London day #1 Day one took us from the […]
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