Let me start by sharing that this trip has been years in the making. Pablo and I have discussed it many times since we got married, almost 14 years ago, but life happened. After having the boys and moving to Northern CA we decided that we would wait until they were old enough to do this type of trip. Why, well - one; we did not want to go all the way to Europe for one week, we always knew we wanted to do at least two weeks, two; we were not going to leave the boys for two weeks, three; considering we can only take one big family vacation a year (work/money) we were going to make it a family vacation.
Before this trip we had taken the boys on different vacations, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Florida (twice, once to Disney World/Universal/Miami and then Tampa for a cruise), a cruise from Mexico, and Guatemala when they were one.
This trip was different, it was the longest trip and the busiest, so here are the things we knew the boys would need to be able to do before we could take this trip. If you are planning a trip with kiddos, these are my suggestions (we would not have taken the boys any younger than what they are now, they turned 9 during the trip)
1. no strollers
2. no naps
3. ability to walk for hours without complaining
4. be able to understand the amount of money it goes into a trip like this (they will appreciate the financial scarify more if they are aware of the value of money - to not be in debt you have to stick to a budget)
5. ability to go up and down many (many) stairs
6. old enough not to wonder off
7. willing to try new foods
8. ability to write and keep a journal (they will thank you later)
9. old enough to remember the trip
Daily itinerary:
July 17 -
In the morning the boys and I ran errands, getting last minute things we may need.
Pablo worked until 2 pm and we headed to the airport at 3:00.
Once we arrived we checked in and passed security.
Because we had some time before boarding, we had dinner, made sure everyone sued the bathroom at least twice.
We boarded on time and off we were. Pablo sat with Zachary and I sat with Matthew.
July 18 -
London we have arrived!!!!!
Our flight arrived at 2:30 pm London time (its an 8 hour difference, from CA).
We took an Uber to get our keys for the Airbnb. We were able to see the changing of the guards from the car, it was pretty cool. There was a lot of traffic.
BY the time we got to the flat it was 5:30. Phone maps keep giving us the wrong walking directions to the flat from the key cafe (where we got the flat keys) we ended up getting another Uber after we had walked 15 min in the wrong direction.
Once at the flat we were starving, there was a family friend pub at the corner so we eat dinner there. Matt had a fried veggie hamburger that was delicious, Pablo and Zach had hamburgers, and I had a cheese and tomato panini that was just okay.
After we bought some groceries (market was across the street, once of the reasons we choose this Airbnb place), for breakfast for the next few days.
We went to bed early, we were all tired from traveling.
Boys took a nap in the car from the airport.
July 19 -
We had breakfast at the flat, at around 5 am and we headed out at around 7:00 am, jet lag people!!
We walked to Tower Bridge, which was 12 minutes away from the flat. From there we walked all over London, we saw: Tower Bridge, London Tower, London Bridge (yes we also sang the song lol), Borough Market, Shakespeare's Globe, London Eye (buy the skip the line, it will make a big difference), Big Ben, Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Wellington Arch, Harrods, and ended at the Ampersand Hotel for afternoon tea.
We had lunch at St. James Park, best fish and chips ever!
We stopped at different places for coffee and orange juice, snacks, drinks, etc. But we pretty much walked the whole day. At 4:00 we took a cab back to Borough Market, there was a pirate ship that was supposed to be open but it was not. From there we walked back to the flat, another 30 min or so. We did find a Starbucks close by to buy our city mug. We arrived back at the flat at 6:30 pm, after 11 and half hours of exploring (and mostly walking). The boys did GREAT never complained and had a fantastic time. We heard thing like "wow, this is beautiful" "I cannot believe we are here" "Look how old this is" "Thank you so much for bringing us here" "best Christmas gift ever" (these were things we heard all through out the trip, lots of thank you, and comments and how amazing everything was.
July 20 -
We had breakfast at the flat and a late start to the day, after walking allover the day before we took it easy. We took the underground to The Making of Harry Potter and we spend about 4 hour there. It is a self guided tour, so we saw everything at our own pace.
After we went to Selfridges, which is a department store, where Matthew found 25 euros on the floor, lucky duck. For dinner we eat at "Burgers & Cocktails" I had a fried squid burger, it was amazing!!!
July 21 -
Traveling day!
We took the a flight to Amsterdam, we arrived there at 3:30 pm and took and uber to our Airbnb, which was amazing!!
Once at our flat, we walked around exploring the streets around us, which were filled with restaurants. We had dinner at "Pasta, Pasta" and desert at Mister Popsicle.
We had a little patio. The studio was on the top floor of an apartment building.
July 22 -
We started with breakfast at "Los Felix" yes, Mexican food, and it was so gooooooooddddd, I wold go there again. We actually had a different place in mind but it was so packed, that we ended up here and it was meant to be. This was at around 9 am.
After that we walked to get our canal and Van Gogh museum tickets. We did the canal cruise first, which was an hour long, then we walked alllllll over, it even rained on us. Some things we saw were,; Anne Franks house, Rijkcsmuseum, Vondel Park, Westertoren, Royal Palace, De Nieuwe Kerk, De Bijenkorf, and the Fall Raven store, ended the day at the Van Gogh museum at 6:00 pm.
The Van Gogh museum was the reason we went to Amsterdam (and the only museum we did), we were there for a very long time, read everything, saw everything, and had a great time.
We had MacDonalds for an early dinner before the museum.
We were back at the flat and in bed by 10:30 pm.
This was another day of. lot of walking, we did take the bus several times, but we walked a lot.
We out our lock at one of the bridges.
July 23 -
Travel day.
We took the Thalys train to Paris. The train ride was great, get the first class tickets, you get a snack, lunch, and wifi. the time went fast, we all took naps, it was an easy way to travel.
We arrived in Paris and took an Uber to the flat, which had the BEST view ever. Many streets were close because the Tour of France was happening, which was actually happening on our streets. So cool!!
We walked from our flat (across from the Eiffel Tower) to the Arc of Triomphe. Were we had dinner, it was about a 45-60 min walk, each way. On our way back we had yummy crepes.
Taken on our first night there, walking back to our flat.
July 24 -
Busy, busy day!!!!
We had such a good breakfast, soft scrambled eggs with chives (ham for Zachary and Pablo), bread, coffee, orange juice, and chocolate croissant.
We went to explore Paris with a long list of places to see; first we picked up or Disneyland Tickets, Champs Elysees area, Louvre Museum, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries Garden, Museum D'Orsay, Post Des Arts (we did not out our lock, as it said to please do not put any more locks on it), Conciergerie, Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame Cathredral, and Place de la Bastille.
We stopped at Lenotre to buy pastries, we wanted it alllll.
Then we had lunch at The Frog, it was an American place, but all the French places didn't have much for Matthew to eat and we did not want to force him to eat something he would hate and we didn't;t want him to just eat pasta the whole time. He ended up having a Greek cheese patty hamburgers which was delicious.
After we took the bus to Faure Le Page, and I got my purse, yes the purse which was the reason I worked ESY hahahahahahah, I wanted them ALLL but one was enough, they didn't have the wallet I wanted so I may need to just order it by email.
We stopped at a super market to buy food for snacks, something to drink, and eggs for breakfast for the next two days.
We headed back to the flat to rest our feet and change to go to the Eiffel Tower for dinner. We had a three course meal at the 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant. The food was devious and we got to skip the line, we even had our own elevator. I would highly recommend it. After dinner we were able to go to the 2nd floor of the tour, however Zachary was coming down with a cold and it was super windy, so we decided to skip it.
This was another super long day of walking.
Checking in to go have dinner. Monday like this are the best!
July 25 -
Zachary was definitely under the weather today, we considered several time staying in the flat and relaxing but we went out. It was definitely not meant to be.
We headed to the Palace of Versailles. we meet John there, which was the best part of the day :) we hanged out in line and when it w as time to go in, we realized that we only had tickets for a specific place not the whole palace, arg. I did remember later that I had only gotten those because the boys were free for that part and I did not want to pat a lot of $. I was going to buy tickets for the palace but the line was huge, when I came back Zachary felt feverish, so we decided to go eat and head back instead. I did get to see some of the gardens which were beautiful. Sad that we didn't get to hang out more with John (but maybe we can plan the next trip together).
Back at the flat the boys took a very long nap, because we had had a late lunch we had something light for dinner and went to bed early.
It rained a lot on and off.
July 26 -
Zachary woke up feeling much better, which was great because we went to Disneyland Paris and it was amazing.
We left the flat at 9:30 am and came back after 8pm.
Lines at Disneyland were horrible, 75 to 120 minutes long. We ended up only doing like 5 rides total, it rained like crazy, my feet were socking. It is miracle that Zachary didn't get worst, I guess the medicine they sell is good. Regardless we had so much fun, great lunch, and a fantastic time.
We had crepes for dinner, near the flat.
Didn't take a lot of pictures, was in the moment sharing the experience with the boys and enjoying looking at everything they had.
July 27 -
We didn't have to wake up early (yes), had a yummy breakfast, cooked by me with the most beautiful view f the Eiffel Tower, packed everything and headed to the airport. I think out flight left at 2:10.
Good thing we were there early, the lines to check in our bags was huge, huge. But we made it, of course after we stressed about the line being so long lol.
Once we arrived in Barcelona, we learned that the taxis were on strike, so the adventure began right of the plane. We took the bus to the metro station to our apartment. Of course the metro stations we used had no elevators or electric stairs. Pablo had to carry two 50 lbs bags up and down the stairs, also keep in mind that it was hot and super humid. I carried the carry one and keep and eye on the boys.
We finally arrived at our apartment, which had an AC in the main room, but no elevator and it was on the third floor. After checking it out, using the bathroom and chilling for like a second, we went to the grocery store, around the corner, to buy food for breakfast. After we found the yummiest place two eat, around the corner, the food was delicious and they made Matthew cheese pasta.
Of course I got dirty, I always get dirty with this shirt.
July 28 -
Woke up early and had breakfast. While we all got ready we did a loud of laundry to leave it drying from the window.
We went to Camp Nou, which was 20 min walking. We were there for several hours and enjoyed it greatly. We were able to have a snack at their bar outdoor area, beer before coffee on this day. It was a BLAST. The boys got some gear, of course. On the way back we had lunch at a small place, but it was so good. Then we dropped off the shopping at the apartment and keep on exploring.
Today we saw; La Sagrada Family, and had the best churros ever, Las Ramblas, Plaza Catalunya, Columbus Monument, did a boat tour, and went to the Moll d'Espanya. We had sangria and paella, the chef came out and made Matthew a pasta with veggies just for him, I cannot remember the name of the restaurant but it was on the third floor of the mall on the side facing the ocean, best place ever.
Camp Nou menu.
July 29 -
We headed out early and took the metro the El Tibidavo. Pablo learned from this place while we were in Paris and I am so glad he did. It was beautiful! The church is so pretty and the view of the city is amazing. We had a great time, we had more churros for a snack. After that, we went back to Las Ramblas and we walked on the small side streets full of shops. I finally went to Hema and got some cute planner stuff. We did some shopping, and the boys got more team Barcelona gear. The architecture of the building is so amazing. We ended up having dinner at El Best y La Luna, the boys first time eating paella and they loved it. For desert we had ice cream and we bought pastries at Escriba (totally recommend). To end the night we saw the fountain at Plaza Catalunya.
At El Dibidavo.
July 30 -
Today we went on an un planned hike. We had planned to go to Park Guell, which we did, however we did not know it was a real park. We hiked/walked to different parts of the park and looked at the view. The area with Guell museum is so pretty. We did not know it was a museum, but we were able to see the architecture from outside and enjoy the beauty of it.
We had hamburgers for lunch, I ordered a beer flight thinking it would be small samples of 4 beers, but no, it was 4 regular size beers, good thing Pablo drank some. After we walked to "Eyescream and Friends" it was so yummy and looked so cute.
At Park Guell.
July 31 -
Beach Day.
This was the reason we stayed an extra day in Barcelona, to have a beach day in the Mediterean sea.
We went to Playa Bogatell, which is a less busy beach and not so touristy. We were there early, before it got too hot and enjoyed played in the sand, did get too wet, but had a great time. We eat at L'Escamarla, which was okay, the paellas the days before had been better.
Then we headed back to Las Ramblas and got more desserts, couldn't help it the pastries there were just so good.
Beautiful day at the beach.
Travel day. We left the apartment at 6 am, we planned to get to the airport early as we had heard it took a long time for security. So we checked in quickly, passed security, had breakfast, played on the phones and finally boarded and were late taking off, which made us late to London.
In London we had to run, literally run from terminal 2 to terminal 5 to catch our flight to Montreal. We almost did to make it. We checked in our bags with 60 minutes to spare and made it to the terminal right when it was time to board.
Let me tell you next time, we are taking the earliest flight or the flight the night before. In our original plans Montreal was a two hour stop, but we decided to stay there for a few nights, which was the best decision ever. Other wise we would had had three different flights for a total of 16 flying ours and many airport hours.
After running through the London airport we all sleep on the plane. It was the shortest 6.5 hours ever!
Once we arrived in Montreal we took uber to our hotel, this was the only place we had a hotel. We had dinner at the hotel, we were so tired from such a long day I think we were all fast sleep by 7 pm.
Leaving London!
August 02 -
Happy 9 Birthday to the boys!!!!
We went out for breakfast and to explore downtown.
Back at the hotel we went swimming for a few hours. After we all got ready and out for lunch. The boys chose Mexican. We went to a non tourist place and had a yummy meal.
The hotel staff brought the boys a slice of cake, it was so good and so nice of them.
After breakfast we went to explore more of downtown, and to buy some ketchup chips and water. We also had ice cream. Of course it started raining our of no where, and we hanged out at the mall until the rained stopped.
Happy Birthday!!!!
August 03 -
Best breakfast ever at L'Avenue (eat here on 8/4 as well).
After we walked the farmers market and Old Port.
We ended the day at the pool.
At Old Port.
August 04 -
This was our last day here. We went to breakfast, came back to the hotel and packed.
After we checked out, we explored the bog mall in Downtown and did some shopping. Took the boys to their first actual Bookstore. We had lunch t the food court, well the boys eat at the food court, Pablo and I were still full from breakfast. It rained again, on the way back to the hotel.
At around 3:30pm we headed to the airport even thought out flight was at 8. We didn't want to be stuck in after work traffic. At the airport once we passed security and everything, we had dinner and hanged out. Our flight was already delayed.
It turned out that many flights were canceled and our flight was delayed for 3 hours. We finally left Montreal at 11:30 pm and arrived home at 4 am (CA time). The boys wanted pancakes and stayed up playing all morning, Pablo and I crashed for a few hours. Man it was a long night. We were so happy to be home.
The trip was amazing!!!
If Barcelona wasn't so humid we wold be making plans to move, we loved it there, the people were so nice and the food was so good. We were so sad to hear about the terrorist attack.
We were lucky that everything went smooth. We will definitely be planning another European adventure in the near future.
I tried to put new pictures that I hadn't posted on IG, there is no way I can share the 800 plus pictures, Pablo and I each took. I hope to make a photo album in the next few months.
So now that I am back at work and the boys are in school, we have started planning out what we will do next year. Yes we do plan a year or so in advance, we have been talking about different ideas.
I will try to keep this up with the blog, specially when it comes to traveling with the boys, to help give ideas of where to go and what to do.
