Ercolano, Italy – After an amazing day exploring the ruins of Pompeii, the obvious next stop was the fiery mountain itself. And so we ascended the infamous Mount Vesuvius (mostly by bus, but also on foot) to peek into the…
Ruins of Pompeii
Pompeii, Italy – I can’t think about Pompeii without hearing a song that my 7th-grade classmates wrote for Latin class: Once there was a city, a city named Pompeii. It was very pretty, ’til it blew up one day. Pompeii,…
Largo di Torre Argentina
Rome, Italy – We passed by the ruins of the Torre Argentina multiple times during our four days in Rome. (Fun fact: this is supposedly where Caesar was assassinated.) Each time, we stopped to count the kitties who have since taken…
Via Appia Antica
Rome, Italy – Here is a quick summary of what it’s like to travel with children. On some days, you go bike riding on the oldest Roman road, nonchalantly pedaling past 2000-year-old Ancient ruins. On some days, you (or your…
Roman Forum & Colosseum
Rome, Italy – Today’s tip for traveling with kids comes to you from the Roman Forum & Colosseum: Ancient ruins are infinitely more interesting if they are climbable. The twins did not love the Roman Colosseum as much as the…
La Pedriza, Sierra de Guadarrama
Madrid, Spain – La Pedriza is part of Sierra de Guadarrama national park, 30 minutes north of Madrid. Spectacular day, spectacular place.
Parque de El Retiro
Madrid, Spain – Number one priority for a weekend in Madrid? Sunday afternoon in Parque de El Retiro. This was a fabulous (free!) afternoon. We packed a picnic and spent our time exploring the park, playing at the playground, and…
Italian Haircuts
Venice, Italy – The long-dreaded but inevitable event has arrived: Italian haircuts. I tried to convince S&V that getting a haircut in a foreign country is a fun adventure, but they weren’t buying it. Still, everybody is pretty happy with…
The Commute’s a Brute
Venice, Italy – On the vaporetto to Italian class. It could be worse.
Soccer the Universal Language
Venice, Italy – One of the (very few) complaints we have about life in Venice, is that it’s not easy for the twins to make friends. The main challenge is that they are shy about the language barrier. Fortunately, soccer…