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On our 3rd day in the UK capital, Maria, Mike, Emily and me went out of our London apartment for a breakfast outside, as we have seen a pleasant cafe and wanted to taste the muffins and the hot cakes there. It was fantastic and the kids were quite excited, since Maria informed them we should bring them to view the Wimbledon stadium and then the Arsenal Stadium. These 2 sports facilities are quite large, so it took us the whole morning to reach them and make pictures. In the early afternoon, immediately after we had a bite in a little, family-focused cafe, we decided it’s time to do some shopping.
We were lucky to be in London during the sales and therefore we succeeded to purchase a lot of things at a great price. We spend most of our time on Oxford Street, where we entered the huge store Selfridges, the Zara and Marks & Spencer retailer shops. From Nike store we bought a couple of trousers and sport shoes for Mike and a good sports dress for Emily.
We went back to the London vacation apartment to get rid of the bags and sleep a little bit. Happy but exhausted the kids felt in bed immediately. As soon as they got up we went to a wonderful bistro in the Kensington area in which we were lodging. The place was really nicely organized and the meals was quite tasty. I had a great, conventional English meal with draught beer, while Maria had a salad and a glass of white wine. The kids were amazed by the desserts.
Maria and I adore to dance but with the kids dance clubbing is not achievable, though we knew London had an excellent dance scene. Therefore, we assured ourselves that we will return, just the 2 of us to see that other place of the United kingdom capital, which we missed on this trip with the children.
Once I got up the subsequent day, the kids were still asleep in their room in the London flat we have hired, while Maria was up organizing their breakfast and doing coffee for the both of us. We enjoyed a peaceful half an hour and talked about which sites we are to see throughout the day. Then the children woke up and dressed up, enjoyed the breakfast and were at last prepared to go.
On that day Maria made a decision that we ought to bring the children to see some ceremonies, which may be experienced only in London and which, as we were confident, would win over our children for a long time. We left our London holiday flat and used the subway to access the Buckingham Palace, where we saw the changing of the guards’ service. Mike and Emily were absolutely stunned by the foot guards with their red and black uniforms and the specific high black helmets. The service was not short, but the children were intriqued and saw it until the end and from then on did not wish to leave the Memorial of Queen Victoria, wherefrom we got the whole program.
I went to purchase sandwiches and fish’n’chips for all of us, while Maria took Emily and Mike and went to the nearby Green Park where we had a modest family picnic and the kids liked sitting on the lawn and running with other kids that approached them.
As the afternoon was quite hot, I suggested we must move to the Hide Park and the Kensington Gardens, where is the Princess Diana Memorial and the recreation space next to it. This children area is good for children up to 12 years old. Mike and Emily particularly enjoyed the wooden pirate vessel and were talking about it during the entire evening as we went back to our London holiday flat.
When my wife Melanie said that we should go on a holiday in London with the kids, I found it strange, as London was not the ideal child-friendly place that I can think of. In addition to that I considered it might be way too pricey. But I was completely wrong.
The initial thing my wife did was to look through the web and to find a reasonable London flat with good position and a reasonable price. The 2nd thing was to find low cost airplane tickets from one of the budget flight companies. Once the day came, we got the children and the luggage and headed towards the airport. And once in London, we got to the London holiday flat where the kids were amazed by the room they will had to share and my spouse was happy for the totally equipped kitchen in which she was able to make lunch for the entire household.
Two hours after our appearance, Maria, the children and I were ready to go visiting sites. I should say that there is often something organised for the families with children. The very first spots me and Maria thought of however, were the well-known London Zoo and the London Aquarium. The youngsters were really thrilled with the pets they saw and kept on chatting about them as we ate sandwiches for lunch. In the late afternoon we arrived at the London flat tired, yet in good mood and full of pleasant memories.
Later in the day we visited a little bistro, as we assured it is open for children too and that it has a good food selection for children. The restaurant was very close to our London holiday apartment, that was very convenient as the children were exhausted and we needed to bring them back to our London apartment as soon as possible. Then Maria and I had some time for ourselves, drinking wine in the living area zone, watching the news.
On the following morning, after a long and excellent night’s rest in the vacation Edinburgh getaway home we’ve hired, we had a breakfast and made a decision to explore the New Town, which like we observed on the guide was located to the north direction from the Old Town and was actually next to it.
Maria told me we now have a great deal to find out in this section of the Scottish capital and I agreed. The initial monument to view was the Scott Monument, which was constructed and organized for the memory of Sir Walter Scot. After that we enjoyed nice sights above the town and made some great photographs. The following place to go to was the National Gallery of Scotland where we were able to view the finest art selections in the region. There was no admission fee at all, which was good and the exact was valid for the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, that however we couldn’t go to as it was closed for repair until November 2011.
Maria was hungry, thus we bought fish and chips and had some relaxation at the Princes Street Gardens, which is a tiny but nicely arranged park set between the Princes Street and the Castle Hills.
In the afternoon we climbed the Calton Hill and then we went searching along the Princes Street, the George Street and the Broughton Street.
As this day was completely devoted on the New Town, in the evening hours we went out of our Edinburgh serviced flat and we headed towards a pub we have seen in the course of the day – The Living Room, where the food was excellent and the guests could enjoy not just the beer and the cocktails but in addition the show of the bartenders. Then we went to the Standing Order Pub and finished the night there.
During the next morning, Maria and I got up early and spent some time drinking tea and contemplating the men and women from the terrace of our Edinburgh holiday flat. The moment we appeared to be dressed properly to go for a walk, we went directly to the Royal Mile in the Old Town and so we visited the Edinburgh Castle and the Holyroodhouse Palace. Maria has informed me that I have to put on even and comfortable footwear and therefore I was able to cope with the stoned streets in the old town.
We had a sandwich and a drink in the Holyrood Park on the eastern area and then headed towards the Arthur’s Seat and then towards the Cathedral St. Giles and the Scotch Whiskey Heritage Centre. After that we certainly needed refreshment and Maria suggested we should have a bite and some beer on one of the pubs along the Royal Mile. Following the snack we had, we headed for some souvenir shopping. Then we two agreed, it might be better to return to our Edinburgh accommodation and have some relaxation. I watched TV, whilst Maria checked her e-mail and made a research about the cafes and dining places in the Scottish main city that were near to our vacation flat.
Late in the afternoon we went out again and had a great lengthy walk alongside the Princes Street, which represents the heart and in a way divides the Scottish capital into an Old and a New Town. On the Princes Street we noticed some good stores, and saw exactly where the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery are and made a decision to visit them on one of the next days.
We had a quiet meal at Rick’s pub, which is a trendy pub in the heart of the city, offering food and beverages. We had deep fried pizza, which we discovered is a usual local meal and then we went to bed earlier as we were quite worn out from the landmarks and purchasing during the day.
I came in the Scottish main city in the late evening last Thursday for a long weekend break and went right away to my Edinburgh holiday residence. I was supposed to see a friend, but her air travel was planned for a later hour, thus I had time for a shower and some relaxation in front of the TV set. When my date eventually came, she put her suitcases in her room and we didn’t spent one minute yet rushed outside to see the city.
Prior to my excursion I tried to make a study about which are the nicest cafes in Edinburgh, but was really confused. There were so many remarks and so many reviews by travellers, that I made a decision we’ll go to the bars close to our vacation apartment in Edinburgh and try to stick to our intuition. We made a visit to the Last Drop Pub, as we were intrigued by its extended history, then we’d a beer at the Sandy Bell’s Pub in which we listened to some folk songs.
Then we went to the Portobello area that was not near our holiday apartment in Edinburgh but was an interesting region as we had been informed. We stayed for 30 minutes ay the Malt and Hops Pub where the beer selection was awesome, then we went to the Carriers Quarters where we were served the best beer for the night.
We were in a excellent mood and we met some new friends, who were eager to find out about our countries and home towns and we exchanged our emails to keep in touch one back at home. The time was flying and therefore Maria and me and we decided to return to our Edinburgh lodging and get a good rest, as we had quite a lengthy program for the next few days.
I got up very early on the next morning here and I went down to a small bakery, a two-minute stroll away from the Amsterdam apartment we have hired, to purchase breakfast for my two girls. They were nicely surprised when they found me coming with croissants and other tasty things, still hot. We had a good family breakfast and looked at the map for the points of interest that we have prepared to see.
These spots included the Nemo destination, which is the greatest science center in the country and which happened to be in a location that was really easily available from the Amsterdam getaway residence we were residing at. Then we joined the Maritime Museum too, since it is established just next to Nemo.
Our subsequent stop was the Magere Brug, which is situated in the heart of Amsterdam and dates back from the 1930’s and is decorated in white. From then on we went to get a snack at a dining area nearby, that had a specific menu for the kids.
Ellie was tired and for that reason Anna and I took her to the Artis place, which is a big zoo in the downtown area of Amsterdam. Besides zoo, here are also placed a planetarium and a zoological museum, along with a geological museum. I could say, me and my wife were interested in the place as well and had some enjoyable time there.
That last evening in the capital of Netherlands was spend outdoors of our Amsterdam holiday dwelling. The 3 of us visited the Rembrandt Square and after that to the Leidseplein Square. These two areas are the main amusement places in the town, where are focused a lot of dance clubs, cinemas and theatres, in addition a betting house and the great thing is that all of these are very easily obtainable by walking, thus we all had great moment.
On the following morning, our little girl Ellie woke us up, because she was eager and excited and desired to go on sightseeing journey as soon as doable. My wife Anna was persistent and thus she made Ellie eat her breakfast first, whilst we were having our first cup of espresso in the Amsterdam residence where we were staying. We made a decision to spend that day to the galleries in Amsterdam, but all of us decided that the 3 main galleries in the capital of the Netherlands is going to be enough.
The first museum to stop by and the one closest to the Amsterdam holiday residence, was the Van Gogh Museum. I am an utter fan of this particular well-known artist and was very satisfied to see the largest selection of art from Van Gogh. The next site we saw was the House of Anne Frank, which features various historical artefacts telling the tale of a small lady who made a large effect on the world. Our third stop that day was at the national museum of the country Rijkmuseum. We were able to get snack at the gardens around that art gallery, which are very nice and sunlit.
On the way back to the Amsterdam vacation flat we have booked, we entered a few souvenir shops and several big department shops. Anna especially liked one of the outdoor markets we passed by and purchased some presents.
Right after a short nap in our Amsterdam holiday apartment, we were ready to go out again and Anna recommended we enjoy a quiet night, sitting at the large terrace of one of the local cafes. There was a children playground spot, so Ellie was busy too, as we were eating and enjoying a cold glass of ale and some house wine.
I’ve been to the netherlands capital many times, but it was usually on business and although I knew the zones, I wasn’t very conscious of how charming and amazing that city is when you are with your family and loved ones. Thus, for our 5th anniversary, I decided to take my spouse and our child on a extended weekend break in Amsterdam.
I organized the plane seat tickets and reserved a serviced Amsterdam apartment from a web site which I found easy to use and basic to book. The serviced Amsterdam getaway apartment that I chose was very carefully selected, as I required Anna and our daughter Ellie to be near to the key landmarks and yet to be able to go back to the apartment quickly in case they need to.
Once we arrived in the capital of Netherlands, we were all excited, because this was our very first real family vacation, because until now Ellie was too small to travel with us. Thus, we settled in our Amsterdam flat, placed our luggage and were eager to go out again.
The initial thing we did on that day was to start on a canal sail, as the canals in Amsterdam are symbol of the city that build its romantic attractiveness, uncovering stunning breathtaking vistas. There are lots of canal cruises to pick from in Amsterdam, but we decided to take a larger charter boat, where we also had the chance to have dinner.
That afternoon we spend in the old town and the central zone of the city, which are near to our Amsterdam apartment. The centre is compact and is pleasant to explore when walking. It features great architecture which is a fest for the eye, numerous bridges and a lot of cafes, elegant restaurants and small parks.