amsterdam

Last spring, some Virginia Beach friends of ours, Nick and Tami, were taking their first Euro holiday with their new baby girl.  Simone is only a few months younger than their little one.  We had loved travelling with Nick and Tami PC (pre-children) so of course we were stoked to meet them on one of the legs of their Euro tour, AMSTERDAM.  We all knew this would not be the Amsterdam trips of thee ol' days of yore.  But with a 7 month old and 5 month old, we were getting pretty good at not letting the little rascals hold us back travel-wise.

We rented an Airbnb flat in the heart of the posh and busy Jordaan neighborhood.  Massive windows that looked out onto the canals where we could perch and still feel part of the nightlight even with babies down for the night.  Our Airbnb host owned the famous Café Papeneiland, a beautiful and cozy brown bar a few doors down from us.  He delivered their famous apple (pie) cake with fresh cream to us upon request - when tourists and locals schlepped across the city for it.

We didn't set lofty goals like wait hours in line for the Anne Frank house, or visit the Van Gogh Museum, or endure The Heineken experience (done it).  Instead, due to the four us of having a common love for good, strong (read: Belgium) beer, we had a few bars on our must see list.  Other than that we enjoyed walking the neighborhoods, taking in the culture, and dodging the bikes.

The Dutch and their bikes amaze me.  The cluster of littles riding in the front buckets of Mummy or Daddy's bikes being taken to school or nursery.  The sweet boyfriend holding an umbrella over his girlfriend's head as they fly down the cobblestone streets on their respective bikes, meanwhile she is dressed to the nines, heels and all.  I kept asking, "HOW do they do it? Ride with such grace and ease." Marco always followed with, "They have done it their whole life."  I put Amsterdam in a category with Paris and Rome.  To me, they are three of the best people watching cities in Europe.

It's not just a postcard city full of canals, pretty buildings, and "coffee shops."  A must must visit full of (tall) friendly people with refreshing outlooks on life.  Oh and they don't do curtains and leave their front doors wide open when they are home, a strange sight to see in city living - and a great way to see a snippet into their culture and daily life for a peeping Tom outsider like me.

Some photos.  Look at the babies!  

lake como

Lake Como!  Forever ago - this past summer - we visited the amazing northern Italian destination with our friends John, Jenevieve, and their two boys.

We rented an apartment in the town of Sala Comacina.  Our flat was right on the lake, with a massive terrace.  Never knowing when children will cut a day short, we wanted a home base with amazing views.   (First two photos below were taken from our terrace.)

Mornings we watched the sun come up - lighting up the mountains, and  in the evenings once kids were in bed we dined on the terrace and watched the sun set while we sipped bottles of Italian red.

We spent the first day exploring towns across the lake - Bellagio and Varena.  We traveled via water taxi, cheers-ing our juice box wines and pointing out hillside villas, each one more ridiculous and over the top than the last.  We meandered the cobblestone towns stopping for lunch, playgrounds, gelato, drinks, and more gelato.

Jenevieve had the great idea of swapping turns babysitting for each other so one night Marco and I got to enjoy a fancy dinner at the base of our village right on the lake.

We visited Villa de Balbianello, famously featured in the James Bond film Casino Royale. We wandered their gardens but then had to cut the villa tour short (read: children).

We stopped at lake side restaurants for pizza and gelato.  We pulled over in George Clonney's village to get a close peek at his famous villa.

On our last full day there, we took a day trip to Lake Lugano, Switzerland.  I was sweaty-palmed and grew more and more light headed as the car climbed the tiny roads to the town of Monte Bre, high up a mountain. Marco and Jenevieve giggled at my sad state as Marco continued his thrilling drive.  We did a challenging walk and ended with a picnic high above the lake.

Travelling with children can be at points frustrating and even exhausting but if you slow your pace, plan a bit ahead, and try not to cram too much into a day (I like a loose itinerary) it really can be quite special to travel as a family.  

Having Simone with us on our journey I have learned to slow my roll and take it all in.  I can put down the camera and iPhone and sit back and sip my cocktail (for the five minutes that she lets me). If it weren't for baby wake-ups at 5:30 am we wouldn't have caught those killer sunrises, or taken a pre-breakfast walk along The Greenway trail.

Cliché alert: One of my favorite trips to date.  Seriously, what a breathtaking holiday spot.  I hope my photos do it a bit of justice.