From the top of the world to below sea level - then back - with kids
Jan 3rd, 2011, 03:04 PM
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From the top of the world to below sea level - then back - with kids
I've taken advantage of great advice from other Fodorites in planning our trips, so I'll really try to do a decent trip report.
we are a family of four: husband, wife and 2 girls aged 8 & 13 - kids first trip using passports
we travelled to Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland
our trip dates were: December 15 - 30, 2010
We decided to plan this trip about 4 years ago. We were at Disney world at the time and gazing up at Cinderella's Castle when it occurred to my husband and I that we should take our kids to see the "real thing", not some Disneyfied version of a castle. But when and where? I love Christmas, and I'm cheap, so it just seemed to naturally fit that we would take advantage of off season rates and go see the Christmas markets, then castles of Germany. The trip grew from there.
My husband and I are also avid fans of Top Gear (bbc), so of course the Alps called for some great driving days and my kids are very big fans of Parmesan cheese - so we threw in a bit of Italy too.
We landed in Munich before the crazy weather hit travellers in Europe. We made an easy trip into the city using the S bahn. However, we found out the hard way that there is a better train to take into the City. The guy that sold us the ticket said that either train was fine - not true. We took the very long way around - we took the S1 that had about double the stops of the S8 which we should have taken. But we were so tired from an overnight flight, that we welcomed the time to sit down and get our bearings a bit.
Once in Munich, we checked into our pension - Jacobsplatz http://pension-jakobsplatz.de/_eng/index.html. We really liked the proprietor, Christoph and he was very warm and welcoming. We left the kids to relax and nap and we went to pick up our car. We rented from Autoeurope, through Gemut travel in the US. Nice car, a Volvo 60 just like mine at home - only 8 years newer! Though still having some issues related to the rental. we prepaid at time of reservation and were charged the day of return $180 for snow tires. We did not request snow tires and did not know that they would be included in our fee. I hate surprises like this one. Really, $180? I plan to follow up on this issue and trust that it will be resolved.
It wasn't until we got back to our pension and ventured out that we discovered the true benefit besides a nice host and clean, practical rooms - the location could not be beat! We were just around the corner from the Christmas markets and Marienplatz. A friend of ours was in Munich for business, so we called and met he and a coworker at the markets. My kids were absolutely fascinated by the scope and abundance of the markets - and the huge tree in the Platz. Everywhere they turned they saw something new that they just had to show us. Add to the markets that a light snow was falling, we were sipping Gluhwein, there was a group singing, the kids were beaming, and this was near as it gets to Christmas perfection - all in the first few hours of the trip.
On our friends suggestion, we all ate at the Rathaus just under the Glockenspiel. It was allright. While plenty of german speaking folks were there, it just seemed very touristic - maybe it was the picture menus. But it was a beautiful setting and I was having beer, so all was well with the world. After saying goodbye to our friend, we took a slow stroll back to our pension to get ready for our next adventure. I would later come to learn about the food at the Viktualien market and wish that we had discovered it on that first night.
Day 2
On our first morning at breakfast, my kids set the tone for what would become their go-to meal for the next two weeks. Nutella and bread. With wonderful, fresh meats and cheeses, fruits and yogurts - that's what they had at every place in every country. Nutella and bread! After fueling up, we left for Fussen and the castles. By this time, the softly falling snow had become pretty heavy, so traffic was a bit snarled getting out of the city. But once away from the hustle and bustle, the beauty of the new snow on the hils and trees adjacent to the road was breathtaking. We decided to have lunch in Oberammergau and ate at the Poste Hotel - it was a good lunch and the desk clerk at the hotel was very helpful. We wandered around town, looking in shops and enjoying their Christmas market.
At about 4:05 pm, we pulled into the parking lot of Weiss Kirche, walked up to the doors and...locked. Ugh - 5 minutes too late. So on to Fussen where we stayed at the hotel Zum Hechten. Finding it was a challenge in the dark, but find it we did, and checked in. I had high hopes for this place and I hate to say - I was disappointed. We had to take two rooms - the hotel wouldn't let us keep our kids in room with us, but they ended up with us anyway. The bar was at the bottom of the stairs - it wasn't particularly loud, but my kids were scared because every now and then they would hear a yell or peal of laughter and it would wake them up - they just felt insecure in a strange place. Before bed, we strolled in town, up to the fortress in the dark in a light snow. By this time, the moon was almost full and we found a magical moment standing in the courtyard of the fortress, with the snow falling and a nearly full moon rising. We explored and the kids pretended to be in a Harry Potter movie scene. very cool.
Zum Hechten was a very adequate place to stay and quite convenient to the Castles, but nothing to write home about. But, the nice lady at breakfast did make our morning very nice! I'm nothing if not a determined gal, so after the castles in the morning, we went back to Wiess Kirche to take a look. Oh, am I ever glad we did. It was so beautiful! We are Roman Catholic, and my kids go to a parochial school, so of course, as we entered, the kids went to dip their fingers in the holy water. Ooopsie, that is not going to happen - the holy water, all 4 or so inches of it, was frozen - solid - inside the church. So, picture it, my 8 yr old, trying to breathe on the ice to get enough to thaw so she can cross herself - pretty funny. Have I mentioned that it was cold?
After we did the tourist thing at the castles, we chose to go back to OGau on our way out and we had dinner at the Christmas market. In Ogau the previous day, my husband had spied a butcher shop in the market selling freshly roasted ham on a bun and decided that he would have that for dinner - the kids seconded his choice. He says that the sandwich was far and away his best dish of the trip! I chose Raclette and a beer - ooey, gooey and delicious. We chose a bench and sat down to enjoy the world walking by as my 8 yo sang Christmas carols to whoever would listen. In Oberammergau, they had little fire pits everywhere around town and in the market. At about 3:30 a man in traditional garb came around, put wood in and started all of the fires. Soon St. Nick and the Christmas Angel followed as they slowly walked around the market saying hello to children and posing for pictures. What a neat place. In hindsight, I wish we had stayed in Oberammergau the vibe there was just my speed. but on we went to Mittenwald.
Day 3
I loved Mittenwald. When we first got there we walked through the Christmas market - very lively! I saw more handmade items here than in the previous markets and if you can believe it - it just seemed to have more of a party vibe. very fun.
We stayed at the Alpenrose and really enjoyed it. On first walking in, I wasn't so sure about the place, but our room was great! We were all together, so the kids were comfy. They have traditionally painted headboads that are beautiful and in our room, we had a little cubby area where there was a twin bed with it's own little headboard - my daughter pretended she was a princess. We had dinner in their restaurant. It was good too. By this time, my kids had expanded their palates. They decided that they like pretzels too - even without Nutella. And I really like German beer!
Sorry, that's all for the moment - have to get the kids to bed....
we are a family of four: husband, wife and 2 girls aged 8 & 13 - kids first trip using passports
we travelled to Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland
our trip dates were: December 15 - 30, 2010
We decided to plan this trip about 4 years ago. We were at Disney world at the time and gazing up at Cinderella's Castle when it occurred to my husband and I that we should take our kids to see the "real thing", not some Disneyfied version of a castle. But when and where? I love Christmas, and I'm cheap, so it just seemed to naturally fit that we would take advantage of off season rates and go see the Christmas markets, then castles of Germany. The trip grew from there.
My husband and I are also avid fans of Top Gear (bbc), so of course the Alps called for some great driving days and my kids are very big fans of Parmesan cheese - so we threw in a bit of Italy too.
We landed in Munich before the crazy weather hit travellers in Europe. We made an easy trip into the city using the S bahn. However, we found out the hard way that there is a better train to take into the City. The guy that sold us the ticket said that either train was fine - not true. We took the very long way around - we took the S1 that had about double the stops of the S8 which we should have taken. But we were so tired from an overnight flight, that we welcomed the time to sit down and get our bearings a bit.
Once in Munich, we checked into our pension - Jacobsplatz http://pension-jakobsplatz.de/_eng/index.html. We really liked the proprietor, Christoph and he was very warm and welcoming. We left the kids to relax and nap and we went to pick up our car. We rented from Autoeurope, through Gemut travel in the US. Nice car, a Volvo 60 just like mine at home - only 8 years newer! Though still having some issues related to the rental. we prepaid at time of reservation and were charged the day of return $180 for snow tires. We did not request snow tires and did not know that they would be included in our fee. I hate surprises like this one. Really, $180? I plan to follow up on this issue and trust that it will be resolved.
It wasn't until we got back to our pension and ventured out that we discovered the true benefit besides a nice host and clean, practical rooms - the location could not be beat! We were just around the corner from the Christmas markets and Marienplatz. A friend of ours was in Munich for business, so we called and met he and a coworker at the markets. My kids were absolutely fascinated by the scope and abundance of the markets - and the huge tree in the Platz. Everywhere they turned they saw something new that they just had to show us. Add to the markets that a light snow was falling, we were sipping Gluhwein, there was a group singing, the kids were beaming, and this was near as it gets to Christmas perfection - all in the first few hours of the trip.
On our friends suggestion, we all ate at the Rathaus just under the Glockenspiel. It was allright. While plenty of german speaking folks were there, it just seemed very touristic - maybe it was the picture menus. But it was a beautiful setting and I was having beer, so all was well with the world. After saying goodbye to our friend, we took a slow stroll back to our pension to get ready for our next adventure. I would later come to learn about the food at the Viktualien market and wish that we had discovered it on that first night.
Day 2
On our first morning at breakfast, my kids set the tone for what would become their go-to meal for the next two weeks. Nutella and bread. With wonderful, fresh meats and cheeses, fruits and yogurts - that's what they had at every place in every country. Nutella and bread! After fueling up, we left for Fussen and the castles. By this time, the softly falling snow had become pretty heavy, so traffic was a bit snarled getting out of the city. But once away from the hustle and bustle, the beauty of the new snow on the hils and trees adjacent to the road was breathtaking. We decided to have lunch in Oberammergau and ate at the Poste Hotel - it was a good lunch and the desk clerk at the hotel was very helpful. We wandered around town, looking in shops and enjoying their Christmas market.
At about 4:05 pm, we pulled into the parking lot of Weiss Kirche, walked up to the doors and...locked. Ugh - 5 minutes too late. So on to Fussen where we stayed at the hotel Zum Hechten. Finding it was a challenge in the dark, but find it we did, and checked in. I had high hopes for this place and I hate to say - I was disappointed. We had to take two rooms - the hotel wouldn't let us keep our kids in room with us, but they ended up with us anyway. The bar was at the bottom of the stairs - it wasn't particularly loud, but my kids were scared because every now and then they would hear a yell or peal of laughter and it would wake them up - they just felt insecure in a strange place. Before bed, we strolled in town, up to the fortress in the dark in a light snow. By this time, the moon was almost full and we found a magical moment standing in the courtyard of the fortress, with the snow falling and a nearly full moon rising. We explored and the kids pretended to be in a Harry Potter movie scene. very cool.
Zum Hechten was a very adequate place to stay and quite convenient to the Castles, but nothing to write home about. But, the nice lady at breakfast did make our morning very nice! I'm nothing if not a determined gal, so after the castles in the morning, we went back to Wiess Kirche to take a look. Oh, am I ever glad we did. It was so beautiful! We are Roman Catholic, and my kids go to a parochial school, so of course, as we entered, the kids went to dip their fingers in the holy water. Ooopsie, that is not going to happen - the holy water, all 4 or so inches of it, was frozen - solid - inside the church. So, picture it, my 8 yr old, trying to breathe on the ice to get enough to thaw so she can cross herself - pretty funny. Have I mentioned that it was cold?
After we did the tourist thing at the castles, we chose to go back to OGau on our way out and we had dinner at the Christmas market. In Ogau the previous day, my husband had spied a butcher shop in the market selling freshly roasted ham on a bun and decided that he would have that for dinner - the kids seconded his choice. He says that the sandwich was far and away his best dish of the trip! I chose Raclette and a beer - ooey, gooey and delicious. We chose a bench and sat down to enjoy the world walking by as my 8 yo sang Christmas carols to whoever would listen. In Oberammergau, they had little fire pits everywhere around town and in the market. At about 3:30 a man in traditional garb came around, put wood in and started all of the fires. Soon St. Nick and the Christmas Angel followed as they slowly walked around the market saying hello to children and posing for pictures. What a neat place. In hindsight, I wish we had stayed in Oberammergau the vibe there was just my speed. but on we went to Mittenwald.
Day 3
I loved Mittenwald. When we first got there we walked through the Christmas market - very lively! I saw more handmade items here than in the previous markets and if you can believe it - it just seemed to have more of a party vibe. very fun.
We stayed at the Alpenrose and really enjoyed it. On first walking in, I wasn't so sure about the place, but our room was great! We were all together, so the kids were comfy. They have traditionally painted headboads that are beautiful and in our room, we had a little cubby area where there was a twin bed with it's own little headboard - my daughter pretended she was a princess. We had dinner in their restaurant. It was good too. By this time, my kids had expanded their palates. They decided that they like pretzels too - even without Nutella. And I really like German beer!
Sorry, that's all for the moment - have to get the kids to bed....
Jan 3rd, 2011, 04:40 PM
#3
Hi jujubean,
Thanks for taking the time to report. We just went to Austria and Bavaria in late November. We visited many Christmas Markets in Austria, but most German towns started theirs later, so we didn't get a chance to visit them, which is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to reading more. We did visit Mittenwald, though no markets had started while we were there, but it was snowing, Christmas lights were on all over the village and it was magical.
Thanks for taking the time to report. We just went to Austria and Bavaria in late November. We visited many Christmas Markets in Austria, but most German towns started theirs later, so we didn't get a chance to visit them, which is one of the reasons I'm looking forward to reading more. We did visit Mittenwald, though no markets had started while we were there, but it was snowing, Christmas lights were on all over the village and it was magical.
Mar 27th, 2011, 03:45 PM
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Sorry for the delay. Life just gets too busy sometimes. Anyway, we went on the road from Mittenwald South to Austria and the Swarovski crystal factory. It was a bright sunny day and the drive was gorgeous. We felt that the Swarovski museum was an interesting stop and we're glad we did it - but don't plan for more than an hour here - it's not worth it. But the kids did have fun for the time that we were there. They took a play from the Disney playbook - attraction then feed out into a huge sales floor. I told the girls before we went that there would be no buying - it worked, mostly. Since it was just before Christmas they did buy me a couple pairs of earrings.
Then on to Salzburg. Why do we always arrive in the dark??? The biggest hazard of traveling at Christmas. We stayed at Haus Am Moos. When we reserved, we couldn't get an apartment, but there was one available when we checked in - lucky us. Nice and roomy with a fridge and kitchenette. We really enjoyed it here and would recommend to anyone. That first night, our hosts recommended that we go to the Christmas market at Hellbrunn Palace as it would be the last night for it. We went at their recommendation - we enjoyed it completely. We walked into a forest of evergreens with red balls and twinkling lights everywhere. The stalls had interesting and homemade items and the food stalls were just great!! We went to a off the beaten path gluwein stall and warmed ourselves by the fire. Could this get any better? Tired from travel, we headed back to HAM for a good night's sleep.
Our first full day in Salzburg was saved for a walking tour around town. We drove in and parked in the huge parking garage in the mountain. Really easy trip and not too expensive for parking. Upon arrival we found a small market and bought some mandarin oranges for a snack later. We really did just wander this day, we went up to the fortress - very nice and fun for the kids. We came upon a very friendly black dog and played fetch for at least 45 minutes and then we made a snowman with a french kid. It was very humorous to have my english speaking kids and this french kid each speaking their own language, but somehow they knew what to do! We shopped the main Christmas market - very nice - and had lunch at the Sacher hotel. They have a grill at the hotel that served burgers and fries. Now before you judge me - they were really, really good burgers and great fries and it was the first time of the trip that my kids cleaned their plates! After more wandering we ate dinner at a market stall and we ended the day by ice skating at the public rink set up in Mozartplatz. great Christmas memories.
On our second day we did our own little - in town- Sound of Music tour. We started at Hellbrunn and found the gazebo. Alas, it was locked, so we had to make do with signing and running around the outside. Next off to the graveyard. We wandered here for way too long - it was just so darned interesting. I loved it and could have stayed even longer. My family though was famished and off we went in search of sustenance.
Having heard of St Peter's Skiftskellar before we came, I suggested that we have lunch there. While the restaurant was beautiful, it was my only regret restaurant of the trip. The atmosphere and food were a poor value to me. It seemed that I was paying for reputation/brand and not for the value of the food. I wished that we had saved our Euro and gone to a market stall for food. I know that many, many people love this place and I do get it - very pretty, but just not my cup of tea.
That night we did something really great. Here we were in the City of Mozart - so we had to go to a concert. So, earlier in the day we stopped by the ticket office and bought 4 tickets to a trio performance that night at the Mirabel Palace. We weren't really dressed for it, so we picked up a couple of fancier items to be more presentable and went into the Sheraton hotel nearby, changed in the bathroom and had a drink before the concert. What troopers my kids are! We looked spiffy after that bathroom change and facewash - thanks Sheraton! The concert was held in the marble hall there. We walked in and the room was stunning - a huge lit tree in the corner and a small amount of chairs were set in a semicircle around a small stage. I sat in my chair and just took it all in. My 8 yo took her little stuffed puppy (who goes everywhere she does) and put him in the empty chair next to her so puppy could be comfortable for the concert too. Way cute - life is very, very good. The concert was fantastic. It appeared to be an instructor and his 2 pupils - the tickets were cheap - about 20E for each. It was a bargain, gave us a chance to see a fantastic location, hear some great Mozart and Bach. My kids stayed still and attentive throughout - that's how cool this was.
The next morning we decided that on our way to Italy we would drive down to Halstatt - let's check out those salt mines. So, after a great breakfast we took off. The drive down was absolutely picture perfect Austrian winter forest. remarkable beauty. We arrived in Halstatt, parked, marveled at the lake and asked a local about where we would go to take the salt mine tour. He looked at me like I am an idiot and smiled, "Miss, cold, no mine, cold" as he vigorously shook his head. Ugh. I checked the guidebook again, no mention of the mines being closed - but indeed they were. Halsatt was very pretty though. We left for Italy.
But, our little detour cost us dearly. Because we took the trip to Halstatt, we were now arriving in the Venice area - you guessed it - in the dark. This was perhaps the worst few hours of our entire trip. I had printed out directions before we left and began watching for roadsigns for Venice. We missed our exit and got stuck on a "bypass" type road. We circled Venice for at least an hour. Mommy and Daddy were not happy campers. Finally, we just followed other signs and discovered in the dense fog and darkness that it seemed as if we were on a bridge - we made it! Parking was equally difficult. I can't help but think that it would have been so much easier if we could have arrived while it was light out.
We stayed at La Calcina. we had a room in a neighboring building - our room was lovely. This would be good for Christmas. We had a pretty lousy dinner at the hotel restaurant (who screws up a panini?). O.K., it was dark, and raining, but here we are in Venice - let's go! we took a quick walk to St. Mark's square since everybody says that the best time to see it for the first time is at night. It was nice, but...maybe I was just tired. There was more graffiti than I expected. My 13 yo said that she didn't understand why people would think that Venice is romantic. We walked back and went to bed.
Up with the church bells the next morning, we took breakfast - very good and generous in the hotel and found out the details about the aqua alta. We had a tour arranged for that morning. Our first goal was to get some boots. We went to a shoe store and got three pair of very stylish black boots and put our regular shoes in our backback. My husband, who has issues with his feet couldn't wear boots, so he used those lovely bright yellow "emergency" plastic covers. Our guide was wonderful, she gave us a good insight into the city and took us through the Doge's palace and into other areas of town and churches that were particularly interesting. We did not go through St. Mark's - it was closed!! too much water. St. Mark's square was flooded - completely. The kids loved the wooden walkways and had fun playing around. Our tour guide, a native Venetian, was surprised by the level of flooding. While inconvenient, the Aqua alta was interesting - it amazed me to see how people and shops dealt with it. this day we also found the best food at a small wine bar. I would return to that spot every day and have my glass of wine with chicetti - heaven.
We decided that St. Mark's would wait until midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
Christmas eve day was busy. We started at the fish market near the Rialto. If you are in venice and miss this market - you should be ashamed. what an amazing place! I could've stayed there all day - if only we had rented an apartment with a kitchen! Santa was busy running around town trying to find last minute gifts for the kids too. We took a break for lunch - in the midst of high water - found our out of the way restaurant that I had made reservations at 3 months before. It was closed - they had water everywhere! so they directed us to a friends place and we had our Christmas Eve lunch after all. Very nice. After lunch - more shopping. Finally, we were ready to go back to the room to get ready for Mass. We stopped for a minute to check on the time for Mass - aqua alta was messing with everything. midnight mass was now 9:30 mass. We picked up a pizza and went back to the room for a break.
It was at this point that I realized that I had no wrapping paper. I ended up finding some very unusual paper at an artist's supply. I am sure that it was more than funny to watch me try to explain what I needed to the clerk at the store! While I was out, my husband let the kids go to the post office - on their own - what an adventure for them. I was terrified that they would get lost, but they made it home just fine - after asking for directions a few times.
We went to St. Mark's an hour early just like the guidebooks said we should and we waited in line. The rain had stopped and it was a nice balmy night. We eventually got in and we could have sat in the front row! What an amazing place! The lights were not fully on and yet you could still see how wonderful the interior was. I just sat there in the fourth row and looked up. A cardinal and a slew of other Priests made their way to the altar and after much incense, mass began. Very interesting. Here are the highlights - the huge gold screen behind the altar - the circuses that go on during any Holy Day Mass - but best of all, the ceiling was dark most of mass, then at one point, a Priest brought in the baby Jesus and when he placed him in the crib, BAM! the lights went on the ceiling! We were all bathed in the most amazing golden glow from the ceiling. Even now, when I write about it, my eyes get a bit misty. While the Cardinal was giving his address, the aqua alta siren went off. Man, that Mass finished in record time!!
My final comment on Christmas Mass - a once in a lifetime, stunning experience. A must go.
Sorry, dinner time for the kids, will write more later.
Then on to Salzburg. Why do we always arrive in the dark??? The biggest hazard of traveling at Christmas. We stayed at Haus Am Moos. When we reserved, we couldn't get an apartment, but there was one available when we checked in - lucky us. Nice and roomy with a fridge and kitchenette. We really enjoyed it here and would recommend to anyone. That first night, our hosts recommended that we go to the Christmas market at Hellbrunn Palace as it would be the last night for it. We went at their recommendation - we enjoyed it completely. We walked into a forest of evergreens with red balls and twinkling lights everywhere. The stalls had interesting and homemade items and the food stalls were just great!! We went to a off the beaten path gluwein stall and warmed ourselves by the fire. Could this get any better? Tired from travel, we headed back to HAM for a good night's sleep.
Our first full day in Salzburg was saved for a walking tour around town. We drove in and parked in the huge parking garage in the mountain. Really easy trip and not too expensive for parking. Upon arrival we found a small market and bought some mandarin oranges for a snack later. We really did just wander this day, we went up to the fortress - very nice and fun for the kids. We came upon a very friendly black dog and played fetch for at least 45 minutes and then we made a snowman with a french kid. It was very humorous to have my english speaking kids and this french kid each speaking their own language, but somehow they knew what to do! We shopped the main Christmas market - very nice - and had lunch at the Sacher hotel. They have a grill at the hotel that served burgers and fries. Now before you judge me - they were really, really good burgers and great fries and it was the first time of the trip that my kids cleaned their plates! After more wandering we ate dinner at a market stall and we ended the day by ice skating at the public rink set up in Mozartplatz. great Christmas memories.
On our second day we did our own little - in town- Sound of Music tour. We started at Hellbrunn and found the gazebo. Alas, it was locked, so we had to make do with signing and running around the outside. Next off to the graveyard. We wandered here for way too long - it was just so darned interesting. I loved it and could have stayed even longer. My family though was famished and off we went in search of sustenance.
Having heard of St Peter's Skiftskellar before we came, I suggested that we have lunch there. While the restaurant was beautiful, it was my only regret restaurant of the trip. The atmosphere and food were a poor value to me. It seemed that I was paying for reputation/brand and not for the value of the food. I wished that we had saved our Euro and gone to a market stall for food. I know that many, many people love this place and I do get it - very pretty, but just not my cup of tea.
That night we did something really great. Here we were in the City of Mozart - so we had to go to a concert. So, earlier in the day we stopped by the ticket office and bought 4 tickets to a trio performance that night at the Mirabel Palace. We weren't really dressed for it, so we picked up a couple of fancier items to be more presentable and went into the Sheraton hotel nearby, changed in the bathroom and had a drink before the concert. What troopers my kids are! We looked spiffy after that bathroom change and facewash - thanks Sheraton! The concert was held in the marble hall there. We walked in and the room was stunning - a huge lit tree in the corner and a small amount of chairs were set in a semicircle around a small stage. I sat in my chair and just took it all in. My 8 yo took her little stuffed puppy (who goes everywhere she does) and put him in the empty chair next to her so puppy could be comfortable for the concert too. Way cute - life is very, very good. The concert was fantastic. It appeared to be an instructor and his 2 pupils - the tickets were cheap - about 20E for each. It was a bargain, gave us a chance to see a fantastic location, hear some great Mozart and Bach. My kids stayed still and attentive throughout - that's how cool this was.
The next morning we decided that on our way to Italy we would drive down to Halstatt - let's check out those salt mines. So, after a great breakfast we took off. The drive down was absolutely picture perfect Austrian winter forest. remarkable beauty. We arrived in Halstatt, parked, marveled at the lake and asked a local about where we would go to take the salt mine tour. He looked at me like I am an idiot and smiled, "Miss, cold, no mine, cold" as he vigorously shook his head. Ugh. I checked the guidebook again, no mention of the mines being closed - but indeed they were. Halsatt was very pretty though. We left for Italy.
But, our little detour cost us dearly. Because we took the trip to Halstatt, we were now arriving in the Venice area - you guessed it - in the dark. This was perhaps the worst few hours of our entire trip. I had printed out directions before we left and began watching for roadsigns for Venice. We missed our exit and got stuck on a "bypass" type road. We circled Venice for at least an hour. Mommy and Daddy were not happy campers. Finally, we just followed other signs and discovered in the dense fog and darkness that it seemed as if we were on a bridge - we made it! Parking was equally difficult. I can't help but think that it would have been so much easier if we could have arrived while it was light out.
We stayed at La Calcina. we had a room in a neighboring building - our room was lovely. This would be good for Christmas. We had a pretty lousy dinner at the hotel restaurant (who screws up a panini?). O.K., it was dark, and raining, but here we are in Venice - let's go! we took a quick walk to St. Mark's square since everybody says that the best time to see it for the first time is at night. It was nice, but...maybe I was just tired. There was more graffiti than I expected. My 13 yo said that she didn't understand why people would think that Venice is romantic. We walked back and went to bed.
Up with the church bells the next morning, we took breakfast - very good and generous in the hotel and found out the details about the aqua alta. We had a tour arranged for that morning. Our first goal was to get some boots. We went to a shoe store and got three pair of very stylish black boots and put our regular shoes in our backback. My husband, who has issues with his feet couldn't wear boots, so he used those lovely bright yellow "emergency" plastic covers. Our guide was wonderful, she gave us a good insight into the city and took us through the Doge's palace and into other areas of town and churches that were particularly interesting. We did not go through St. Mark's - it was closed!! too much water. St. Mark's square was flooded - completely. The kids loved the wooden walkways and had fun playing around. Our tour guide, a native Venetian, was surprised by the level of flooding. While inconvenient, the Aqua alta was interesting - it amazed me to see how people and shops dealt with it. this day we also found the best food at a small wine bar. I would return to that spot every day and have my glass of wine with chicetti - heaven.
We decided that St. Mark's would wait until midnight mass on Christmas Eve.
Christmas eve day was busy. We started at the fish market near the Rialto. If you are in venice and miss this market - you should be ashamed. what an amazing place! I could've stayed there all day - if only we had rented an apartment with a kitchen! Santa was busy running around town trying to find last minute gifts for the kids too. We took a break for lunch - in the midst of high water - found our out of the way restaurant that I had made reservations at 3 months before. It was closed - they had water everywhere! so they directed us to a friends place and we had our Christmas Eve lunch after all. Very nice. After lunch - more shopping. Finally, we were ready to go back to the room to get ready for Mass. We stopped for a minute to check on the time for Mass - aqua alta was messing with everything. midnight mass was now 9:30 mass. We picked up a pizza and went back to the room for a break.
It was at this point that I realized that I had no wrapping paper. I ended up finding some very unusual paper at an artist's supply. I am sure that it was more than funny to watch me try to explain what I needed to the clerk at the store! While I was out, my husband let the kids go to the post office - on their own - what an adventure for them. I was terrified that they would get lost, but they made it home just fine - after asking for directions a few times.
We went to St. Mark's an hour early just like the guidebooks said we should and we waited in line. The rain had stopped and it was a nice balmy night. We eventually got in and we could have sat in the front row! What an amazing place! The lights were not fully on and yet you could still see how wonderful the interior was. I just sat there in the fourth row and looked up. A cardinal and a slew of other Priests made their way to the altar and after much incense, mass began. Very interesting. Here are the highlights - the huge gold screen behind the altar - the circuses that go on during any Holy Day Mass - but best of all, the ceiling was dark most of mass, then at one point, a Priest brought in the baby Jesus and when he placed him in the crib, BAM! the lights went on the ceiling! We were all bathed in the most amazing golden glow from the ceiling. Even now, when I write about it, my eyes get a bit misty. While the Cardinal was giving his address, the aqua alta siren went off. Man, that Mass finished in record time!!
My final comment on Christmas Mass - a once in a lifetime, stunning experience. A must go.
Sorry, dinner time for the kids, will write more later.
Mar 27th, 2011, 06:12 PM
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Christmas day and time to leave for Parma. But I just couldn't. Venice had grown on me - and my 13 yo daughter. I have a great photo of her peeking out her window taking in the rooftops and church bells. I don't want to leave. Even though it rained and flooded every day - I love this place. I know we have to leave, but I really, really don't want to. So we compromised and decided to take a vaporetto tour of the grand canal. So we hopped on and rode it from one end to the other. We walked around a bit and then, it was time, we had to go.
Off we went toward Parma. Originally, we had in the plan to stop by and say Hi to Juliet's balcony in Verona, but since we overstayed in venice, we had to ditch Verona. Even after skipping Verona, we still arrived at Parma in the dark. To complicate matters further, I had forgotten my directions for the B&B at home. I thought we'd be able to "wing it" but finally I called a friend at home and asked for directions. The directions that he gave me were so complicated, I couldn't follow those either after the second turn. So finally, we just followed the river and we took a bit of luck and found our B&B. We stayed at Cancabaia, just outside of Parma.
As we pulled in, my husband said "you didn't say we were staying at a b&b, I hate b&b's" Hey, what a great start! We arrived on Christmas day, just before 6 pm. our hosts were at a relatives house until 6 - but Grandma was home. She didn't speak a word of English, so I practiced my lousy Italian and as we made our way into the common room, the owners pulled in. They got settled quickly and joined us in the common/breakfast room. We sat for a couple of hours, sipping tea, eating Christmas cake and chatting in front of the fire. We talked about everything from farming in Europe, to Italian politics, kids and Christmas. As we chatted, our kids played with theirs and all was well with the world. This is the best of travel for me, sitting with people of another culture, just sharing and talking. But it had been a long day and with heavy eyelids, we went up to bed. Bruno took us up to get us acclimated. What a great place! roomy, clean and completely comfortable. We made plans to see the cheese being made the next morning.
Breakfast was bountiful. More than you can imagine. The hot cooked eggs, fresh fruit, cheese, yogurt, cereals, nice strong coffee, breads and jams were plenty - but then - Bruno brings in a hunk of meat - prosciutto like - unveils his own slicer in the corner and begins slicing paper thin delicious pieces of pork. I mean really!! have you ever!! Not me, not ever - never have I had this great of a breakfast.
We left to go over to see the cheese being made at the co-op just across the street. Bruno gave us a fantastic tour - our kids favorite food is parmesan, so it was good to see it being produced. We brought some home too and are still enjoying it, though I do portion it out by the ounce. We also visited a balsamic producer that bruno recommended - Medici. I got the chance to surprise my husband again. He hates vinegar. He doesn't eat mustard, pickles or anything with vinegar. But what a guy - he tried the balsamic. And surprise - loved it. but really, vinegar is not the name for this stuff; it's more like nectar of the Gods - or dark golden honey. but definitely, not vinegar. I have yet to open it - it will have to be quite an occasion.
After the tour we left for the highlight of my husbands' trip. The Ferrarri Gallery. I had written an email, checked their website and checked a brochure to verify the hours - so off we went. After a nice drive through the countryside, we arrived - to a locked gate. No way!! We pressed the buzzer, once, twice, no dice. We did what we could and took a picture of Jim standing in front of the gate - looking quite pathetic. We went back to the house and got a recommendation for a fantastic local place for dinner. The pasta, rabbit and wine gave us much comfort and was a good salve for his disappointment.
The area around Parma is very similar to Tuscany, but a bit more industrial. In fact, on the highway on the way to Parma, we passed by many, many factories - not the bucolic countryside I expected. But once off the highway, we were back to the countryside that is so nice. The next day we spent driving around the Parma countryside and exploring the city of Parma itself. lovely. Since it was the week between Christmas and new Year's much of the town was quiet and closed. We visited the Church - though by this time, my kids had been pretty much "churched out". But mostly we wandered around taking it all in.
Another good night's rest and it was time to say goodbye to our new friends. Again, in Italy, not wanting to say goodbye. Was is it about this country? But we left for our time in Switzerland. We had another breathtaking mountain drive. But this time there where some castle ruins - perfect for my 13 yo and her active imagination. I could just see her mind spinning as we passed each hilltop ruin. She was imaging knights and ladies in full court dress practicing palace intrigue and romance.
We were staying in Apenzell and - guess what? we arrived in the dark! after going over what seemed like way to many narrow mountain passes. We stayed at the Adler and it was just fine. But, bad luck, my husband became very ill. to this day he says it was the flu - but I know it was food poisoning. None of the rest of us got sick in any way thank goodness. So he missed our first night and day there. The girls and I went skiing at a local hill. We rented equipment - really cheap - and hired a lesson. Our teacher was very patient - but boy, I felt sorry for her by the end of our two hours. She worked so hard with my kids. But they were very thankful for it! My kids had never skied before and I haven't in years - what a great time. By the end of the day we had earned our hot chocolate and fondue. yummy.
The next morning, my hubby was on the mend and joined us to walk around town for a while. What a nice, clean, painted little town. We bought way too many sweets - why are there so many sweet shops here? we had a delicious lunch at a local joint and then left for Munich and our last night in Europe. By this time though I was starting to get desperate. When time is running low, I start reaching for anything I can to remember a place or trip. We spent the least time in Switzerland, but I think I bought the most there.
In Munich, at the beginning and end of our trip, we stayed at Pension am Jacobsplatz. Again, a good choice for us. Not fancy, but practical, comfortable and the right price. When we got back into town we walked back to Marienplatz and remembered what it had been like just 2 short weeks before. The bustling shops were gone as were the twinkle lights everywhere and the gluwein, beer and sausage vendors. It was rather sad really. But we went to dinner at the Augustiner brewery and I was in my happy place once again. Best beer and food combo of the whole trip. We also stopped by the Hofbrauhaus and had a great time sitting with a couple guys from Australia and watching all of the action. On our way back home that night, we walked through the viktaulien market. I lamented - why had I not found this place before??!! how fantastic! look at all of this stuff! Food, flowers, treats, a virtual flood of good stuffs. I had to come back in the morning and properly explore this place.
The morning of our trip home, I realized that I had misread our ticket time. We thought we would have a lazy morning hanging around. When I realized my mistake, we had a rushed, frantic last morning. I made a really quick run to the market to pick up some oranges, passion fruit and snacks for the road and off we went to the airport.
What a trip. Before we left, I was concerned about the whirlwind aspect of it. Many on this Board properly suggested that I reconsider taking on so much. But, it worked for us, this time. I'm glad we did it, but it is highly unlikely that I would ever do such a trip again. Next time we'll likely just go to a few places in a single country. We enjoyed the journey this time, next time we'll enjoy the place.
On the flight home my husband and I discussed our life predicament. Having just relocated to a new state, we have been looking at housing options. After our trip, we realized that life is to short to not do this more often. We called our realtor when we got home and changed our budget - significantly downward - we have to have money left to travel!
Off we went toward Parma. Originally, we had in the plan to stop by and say Hi to Juliet's balcony in Verona, but since we overstayed in venice, we had to ditch Verona. Even after skipping Verona, we still arrived at Parma in the dark. To complicate matters further, I had forgotten my directions for the B&B at home. I thought we'd be able to "wing it" but finally I called a friend at home and asked for directions. The directions that he gave me were so complicated, I couldn't follow those either after the second turn. So finally, we just followed the river and we took a bit of luck and found our B&B. We stayed at Cancabaia, just outside of Parma.
As we pulled in, my husband said "you didn't say we were staying at a b&b, I hate b&b's" Hey, what a great start! We arrived on Christmas day, just before 6 pm. our hosts were at a relatives house until 6 - but Grandma was home. She didn't speak a word of English, so I practiced my lousy Italian and as we made our way into the common room, the owners pulled in. They got settled quickly and joined us in the common/breakfast room. We sat for a couple of hours, sipping tea, eating Christmas cake and chatting in front of the fire. We talked about everything from farming in Europe, to Italian politics, kids and Christmas. As we chatted, our kids played with theirs and all was well with the world. This is the best of travel for me, sitting with people of another culture, just sharing and talking. But it had been a long day and with heavy eyelids, we went up to bed. Bruno took us up to get us acclimated. What a great place! roomy, clean and completely comfortable. We made plans to see the cheese being made the next morning.
Breakfast was bountiful. More than you can imagine. The hot cooked eggs, fresh fruit, cheese, yogurt, cereals, nice strong coffee, breads and jams were plenty - but then - Bruno brings in a hunk of meat - prosciutto like - unveils his own slicer in the corner and begins slicing paper thin delicious pieces of pork. I mean really!! have you ever!! Not me, not ever - never have I had this great of a breakfast.
We left to go over to see the cheese being made at the co-op just across the street. Bruno gave us a fantastic tour - our kids favorite food is parmesan, so it was good to see it being produced. We brought some home too and are still enjoying it, though I do portion it out by the ounce. We also visited a balsamic producer that bruno recommended - Medici. I got the chance to surprise my husband again. He hates vinegar. He doesn't eat mustard, pickles or anything with vinegar. But what a guy - he tried the balsamic. And surprise - loved it. but really, vinegar is not the name for this stuff; it's more like nectar of the Gods - or dark golden honey. but definitely, not vinegar. I have yet to open it - it will have to be quite an occasion.
After the tour we left for the highlight of my husbands' trip. The Ferrarri Gallery. I had written an email, checked their website and checked a brochure to verify the hours - so off we went. After a nice drive through the countryside, we arrived - to a locked gate. No way!! We pressed the buzzer, once, twice, no dice. We did what we could and took a picture of Jim standing in front of the gate - looking quite pathetic. We went back to the house and got a recommendation for a fantastic local place for dinner. The pasta, rabbit and wine gave us much comfort and was a good salve for his disappointment.
The area around Parma is very similar to Tuscany, but a bit more industrial. In fact, on the highway on the way to Parma, we passed by many, many factories - not the bucolic countryside I expected. But once off the highway, we were back to the countryside that is so nice. The next day we spent driving around the Parma countryside and exploring the city of Parma itself. lovely. Since it was the week between Christmas and new Year's much of the town was quiet and closed. We visited the Church - though by this time, my kids had been pretty much "churched out". But mostly we wandered around taking it all in.
Another good night's rest and it was time to say goodbye to our new friends. Again, in Italy, not wanting to say goodbye. Was is it about this country? But we left for our time in Switzerland. We had another breathtaking mountain drive. But this time there where some castle ruins - perfect for my 13 yo and her active imagination. I could just see her mind spinning as we passed each hilltop ruin. She was imaging knights and ladies in full court dress practicing palace intrigue and romance.
We were staying in Apenzell and - guess what? we arrived in the dark! after going over what seemed like way to many narrow mountain passes. We stayed at the Adler and it was just fine. But, bad luck, my husband became very ill. to this day he says it was the flu - but I know it was food poisoning. None of the rest of us got sick in any way thank goodness. So he missed our first night and day there. The girls and I went skiing at a local hill. We rented equipment - really cheap - and hired a lesson. Our teacher was very patient - but boy, I felt sorry for her by the end of our two hours. She worked so hard with my kids. But they were very thankful for it! My kids had never skied before and I haven't in years - what a great time. By the end of the day we had earned our hot chocolate and fondue. yummy.
The next morning, my hubby was on the mend and joined us to walk around town for a while. What a nice, clean, painted little town. We bought way too many sweets - why are there so many sweet shops here? we had a delicious lunch at a local joint and then left for Munich and our last night in Europe. By this time though I was starting to get desperate. When time is running low, I start reaching for anything I can to remember a place or trip. We spent the least time in Switzerland, but I think I bought the most there.
In Munich, at the beginning and end of our trip, we stayed at Pension am Jacobsplatz. Again, a good choice for us. Not fancy, but practical, comfortable and the right price. When we got back into town we walked back to Marienplatz and remembered what it had been like just 2 short weeks before. The bustling shops were gone as were the twinkle lights everywhere and the gluwein, beer and sausage vendors. It was rather sad really. But we went to dinner at the Augustiner brewery and I was in my happy place once again. Best beer and food combo of the whole trip. We also stopped by the Hofbrauhaus and had a great time sitting with a couple guys from Australia and watching all of the action. On our way back home that night, we walked through the viktaulien market. I lamented - why had I not found this place before??!! how fantastic! look at all of this stuff! Food, flowers, treats, a virtual flood of good stuffs. I had to come back in the morning and properly explore this place.
The morning of our trip home, I realized that I had misread our ticket time. We thought we would have a lazy morning hanging around. When I realized my mistake, we had a rushed, frantic last morning. I made a really quick run to the market to pick up some oranges, passion fruit and snacks for the road and off we went to the airport.
What a trip. Before we left, I was concerned about the whirlwind aspect of it. Many on this Board properly suggested that I reconsider taking on so much. But, it worked for us, this time. I'm glad we did it, but it is highly unlikely that I would ever do such a trip again. Next time we'll likely just go to a few places in a single country. We enjoyed the journey this time, next time we'll enjoy the place.
On the flight home my husband and I discussed our life predicament. Having just relocated to a new state, we have been looking at housing options. After our trip, we realized that life is to short to not do this more often. We called our realtor when we got home and changed our budget - significantly downward - we have to have money left to travel!
Mar 28th, 2011, 04:48 AM
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What a great trip report! I loved your details about the girls and their joy and excitement! Even though you covered a lot of territory, your report did not make your pace seem frantic. Thanks for sharing!
Mar 28th, 2011, 09:17 AM
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Thanks Irishface, in looking back, our family learned so much about each other on this trip. I learned that it's tough to drive in a foreign country and find your lodging in the dark! but, really, more than that I learned the resilience that my kids have. They've been typical spoiled American kids, but we packed light and did laundry in bathtubs and sinks as needed. They explored new places like old pros, watched our budget with us and generally were just so open to all sorts of new experiences and foods - lugging their own luggage the whole way.
We were pretty sick of each other by the end of the trip, but they kept with us and each other. Just the other day my 13 yo mentioned to her sister something that she remembered from their trip and they both started to belly laugh. How cool. And you know kids can really put things into perspective in a way that you can't get with other adults. When I snuck away with my 8 yo to go grab a quick a wine and chicetti in Venice,(for me, not her) she said, "geez Mom, drinking again?" - dang kid. But she wanted to go watch a guy performing in the square that I would have ignored - so she gave me that new view on things.
Last night I started thinking about where to go next with them.....Rome? Loire Valley? Spain?hmmm.
We were pretty sick of each other by the end of the trip, but they kept with us and each other. Just the other day my 13 yo mentioned to her sister something that she remembered from their trip and they both started to belly laugh. How cool. And you know kids can really put things into perspective in a way that you can't get with other adults. When I snuck away with my 8 yo to go grab a quick a wine and chicetti in Venice,(for me, not her) she said, "geez Mom, drinking again?" - dang kid. But she wanted to go watch a guy performing in the square that I would have ignored - so she gave me that new view on things.
Last night I started thinking about where to go next with them.....Rome? Loire Valley? Spain?hmmm.
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