Our last full day of this trip ended with another airport hotel in Lima sneaking a good night’s sleep before catching a flight home. But first, we had some more things to see in the Sacred Valley. Eight of our Adventurers packed our bags and hopped in a transport van to see what we couldContinue reading “Cusco/Lima, Peru; Stopover 2”
Author Archives: Tiffany
Machu Picchu, Peru; Day 1
Nine Adventurers left our Ollantaytambo house at 7:45am stocked with to-go breakfasts and a change of clothes. We loaded into 4 tuk-tuks and traveled 7 minutes all the way across town to the train station. The trip cost $12 for all so we felt pretty good about the start to our day. The train ofContinue reading “Machu Picchu, Peru; Day 1”
Ollantaytambo, Peru; Day 1
For shorter trips we prefer to pick destinations close to each other. For this trip we made an exception and gave ourselves a full day of travel in the middle of the trip. It went like this: 8:00 – last breakfast in the jungle, bid a fond farewell to our guides and the staff andContinue reading “Ollantaytambo, Peru; Day 1”
Tahuayo Lodge, Peru; Day 3
Today was a choose your own Adventure day for the nine of us. Tiffany, Tracy, Suaram, CreeperKitty, Toaster-Ham and Rose chose fishing in the morning. We got an early start with breakfast at 630 and boat departure at 7am. As we motored downriver toward our fishing hole we were lucky to see a sleepy porcupineContinue reading “Tahuayo Lodge, Peru; Day 3”
Tahuayo Lodge, Peru; Day 1
Our first full day in Peru started with more Adventurers, travel, another Adventurer and finally ended with frogs, cockroaches and one hairy spider. Last night when we arrived at the airport hotel, we joined forces with Jessica, Rose and Budz, who we are thrilled have joined us for another November Adventure. We all flew fromContinue reading “Tahuayo Lodge, Peru; Day 1”
Lima, Peru; Stopover 1
We left home for our latest Adventure before 7am today. It was cold, rainy and dark. By the time we arrived at LAX the blue skies were showing which we think is a great sign for the week. We arrived to the gate early so we had time to chill. We had an uneventful flightContinue reading “Lima, Peru; Stopover 1”
Tokyo, Japan; Day 6
Our day started with all nine of us going out for breakfast for the first time this week. We chose one of the only places open before 10am, an English-style cafe. It had comfy worn leather seating, outstanding coffee, yummy puffy Japanese pancakes for the kids and croque monsieur for the adults. We then triedContinue reading “Tokyo, Japan; Day 6”
Tokyo, Japan; Day 4
We had a slowish start this morning after our intense Karaoke session last night. Our weather remains sunny and temperate so we stopped by a park to enjoy the beautiful fall day. We went to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Established as a park in 1906, it was originally built as a garden for theContinue reading “Tokyo, Japan; Day 4”
Tokyo, Japan; Day 1
We enjoyed our stay in Kyoto and certainly could spend more time there. It was full of tourists this weekend for the autumn leaves but it doesn’t feel touristy at all. No shops filled with key chains, magnets, thimbles, spoons or other collectibles we see all over the world. Though it was crowded, it feltContinue reading “Tokyo, Japan; Day 1”
Kyoto, Japan; Day 2
Our first full day in Kyoto started around 4am local time. Thanks jet lag for giving us an excuse to visit the downstairs convenience store at 5am for fried chicken and instant Raman. More on convenience store food later – it’s better than it sounds – and incredibly popular with the Japanese. We feel fortunateContinue reading “Kyoto, Japan; Day 2”
Athens, Greece; Day 3
Athens is practically synonymous with the Acropolis and Parthenon, at least in the minds of current and former middle schoolers in the midst of a Greek mythology obsession. In truth, Athens is a city of over 5 million people with lots going on besides its ancient history. Nevertheless, from the old neighborhoods of Athens CentreContinue reading “Athens, Greece; Day 3”
Athens, Greece; Day 1
We left our Naxos apartment at about 8:15am for our walk to the ferry. It was sunny and already warm, so we chose a quick stop at a bakery for some breakfast items and then took a shady path toward the boat. We quickly waved goodbye to the Temple of Apollo and boarded the SuperrunnerContinue reading “Athens, Greece; Day 1”
Naxos, Greece; Day 3
The author Rick Riordan has created many stories and characters that bring mythological gods into the present day. Our kids first got hooked on The Kane Chronicles, which got them excited about Egyptian gods and seeing sights in Egypt, London and New York. Next, as a family, we listened to nearly 60 hours of audioContinue reading “Naxos, Greece; Day 3”
Naxos, Greece; Day 1
We started our day at 6 am, which is early for these Adventurers. We left our lovely cliff-side resort as the sun was coming up, returned the rental car, and enjoyed a quick ride to the Port of Heraklion to catch the early ferry. When we were planning the travel day, the routes from CreteContinue reading “Naxos, Greece; Day 1”
Crete, Greece; Day 3
Hey everyone! Today Suaram (me) is writing the post, and I have to say, we didn’t even do that much. Today was just a well-earned day of rest and relaxation after some hard work (like exploring palace ruins). First of all, I should introduce where we’re staying and why we did not spend the dayContinue reading “Crete, Greece; Day 3”
Crete, Greece; Day 1
After a late night visiting with friends and family, we left our apartment with a minute to spare before our morning check-out time. We played a little basketball in our nearby park cage while we got a game plan for what to do until our 16:30pm flight. Sitting at the airport that whole time wasn’tContinue reading “Crete, Greece; Day 1”
Amsterdam, Netherlands 2024; Day 3
We were all in Amsterdam in June 2022 for a few days so it still feels familiar. That trip we spent all our time outdoors because a couple of our Adventurers had just finished a bout with Covid. This trip we have some more options so we’re taking advantage. We puttered around in the morningContinue reading “Amsterdam, Netherlands 2024; Day 3”
Amsterdam, Netherlands 2024; Day 1
Yes, that’s right! Your favorite 5 Adventurers are back at it with two weeks of more world travels and, of course, more blog content. Our travel day started yesterday in San Clemente, CA, just 18 hours after the kids finished the school year. We made a quick stop in Irvine at pEd and Loesje’s forContinue reading “Amsterdam, Netherlands 2024; Day 1”
Singapore; Day 4
There are some iconic sights in this city that we wanted to check off of our bucket list, so today we started with a short subway ride to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Opened in 2010 at a cost of $6.9 billion, it immediately became a defining visual on the skyline. It is shaped likeContinue reading “Singapore; Day 4”
Singapore; Day 3
We are excited to be back to our full complement of 8 Adventurers after a stomach bug sidelined Suaram yesterday. Today’s first Adventure took us back to Little India to wander the neighborhood during the daylight. While that helped visibility, it also made for a hot and humid walking experience. We trudged our way throughContinue reading “Singapore; Day 3”
Siem Reap, Cambodia; Day 4
Day 4 was a return to the temples of Angkor. We saw the three largest temples on our first day, so today was for exploring a wider set of artistic styles and time periods. We were falling asleep writing our Day 2 post (jet lag!) so we didn’t talk a lot about the significance ofContinue reading “Siem Reap, Cambodia; Day 4”
Siem Reap, Cambodia; Day 3
We took a break from temples today to explore some other aspects of local culture. After a satisfying hot breakfast from the hotel, we started by visiting a local spot called Artisans d’Angkor. This business was started in 1992 with a dual purpose: provide job opportunities to rural youth and revive traditional Khmer craftmaking. TheyContinue reading “Siem Reap, Cambodia; Day 3”
Siem Reap, Cambodia; Day 2
2 of our Adventurers are now old enough to have more than a passing interest in writing for the blog. As much as T&B would love to hand off writing duties entirely to the next generation, we only got these first 2 paragraphs from CreeperKitty and then Suaram. Perhaps we shall hear more from theContinue reading “Siem Reap, Cambodia; Day 2”
Travel to SE Asia Day 2
We started our travel yesterday driving to LAX from our home in San Clemente. Traffic in Southern California lives up to its reputation of being horrible and was further complicated by a steady and sometimes heavy rain. What we’d planned as a 90 minute trip quickly turned into 120 with the constant worry one fenderContinue reading “Travel to SE Asia Day 2”
Home!
CreeperPuppy bounced out of bed this morning ready to jump in the van. A surprise after three long days of driving but he was excited to get home! We all were but the kids are most of all. We have been truly amazed at how resilient the kids have been for the last 13 months.Continue reading “Home!”
Travel Home; Day 2
About 10 years ago, Brian and Tiffany read a magazine article about a new museum focused on American Art that had a huge endowment 4 times that of the Whitney. Unlike most museums, it would not be housed in an old palace or renaissance/marble equivalent. This was to be in a new facility nestled inContinue reading “Travel Home; Day 2”
Travel Home; Day 1
It feels like we’ve been slowly making our way home since we left London at the end of June. We’ve been creeping westward with each of our destinations but the main focus of our New York, Leesburg and Union Pier stops were fun and family. Today was different. Today was all about making rapid progressContinue reading “Travel Home; Day 1”
Union Pier, Michigan; Day 4
Today the Adventurers gave themselves a challenge – the ‘PentAquaPalooza’. This was a challenge to get in five different sources of water today. The last one was the easiest – a shower – so it was the first four that we set off in search of under sunny summer skies. Our first stop is anContinue reading “Union Pier, Michigan; Day 4”
Union Pier, Michigan; Day 2
Today was a very pleasant SW Michigan summer day full of small Adventures for these travelers. We enjoyed a pancake breakfast with Busha and Grandpa Mike and then some time playing in the pool. After pool we headed to the local steakhouse for a tasty dinner – we were joined for desert by Brian’s sisterContinue reading “Union Pier, Michigan; Day 2”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 4; Day 6
Today marked our 41st day in Leesburg across 4 parts and it will be our last for this world trip. We spent more time today packing the van with all our camping gear we left home with and all the extra toys the kids have picked up along the way. There is still room forContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 4; Day 6”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 4; Day 4
Another day of quiet Adventures for these weary travelers. The kids played with toys, went to the library and watched a movie. Brian and Tiffany took Jeremy Picklepants to the city to get new treads. His tires were not in the best shape when we got him last Summer and we definitely needed new onesContinue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 4; Day 4”
Leesburg, Ohio Part 4; Day 2
Today, like many people across the United States, we gathered with those we love to enjoy food and each others’ company. For us it was at the Bailey House hosted by Nancy and Stan Purdy. It was great to be back there, particularly since Pa has had some health issues over the past few months.Continue reading “Leesburg, Ohio Part 4; Day 2”
New York, New York; Day 4
Today didn’t have a particular agenda but we had some things we wanted to do. They were all somewhat in the 40s and 50s street-wise so we’ll call this our Midtown day. When we arrived on Wednesday the forecast said that today would be rainy and this morning was warm but a bit grey andContinue reading “New York, New York; Day 4”
New York, New York; Day 2
We were all awake much earlier than usual thanks to our 6 hour time change so our day started unusually early. We had a quick breakfast at a nearby cafe and then hit the subway. Brian pointed out that in the last month we’ve ridden 3 of the oldest subway systems in the world –Continue reading “New York, New York; Day 2”
London, United Kingdom; Day 5
For our last day in Europe we packed in a few more activities around London. Our first stop was the Tower of London (with a better view of Big Ben on the way). Initially built in the 11th century the Tower of London served as a royal residence, a defensive structure and a prison overContinue reading “London, United Kingdom; Day 5”
London, United Kingdom; Day 3
Today’s Adventures centered around a trip to London’s famous Theatre district – The West End. None of the 5 of us had ever seen a show there so it was something new for everyone. For the kids it was essentially their first big time theatre experience. We caught a black cab again to get toContinue reading “London, United Kingdom; Day 3”
London, United Kingdom; Day 1
Our travel days are dwindling and based on today’s experience we’re ok with that. We ended up booking a flight to get from Amsterdam to London rather than continuing our Eurrail Adventures. We missed out on going through the Chunnel which would have been novel but at the time, booking a quick flight seemed theContinue reading “London, United Kingdom; Day 1”
Amsterdam, Netherlands; Day 3
It’s been almost 6 months since we celebrated one of our Adventurer’s birthdays. Brian took his second turn today – he’s the only one to have two birthdays on this trip. His first was in Yosemite Valley. His big day started with homemade cards from the family. We’ve traveled the whole year with paper, coloredContinue reading “Amsterdam, Netherlands; Day 3”
Amsterdam, Netherlands; Day 1
We continued to get good use of our Eurrail pass today with a journey from Brussels to Amsterdam. We’re relieved it was uneventful because there was a railway strike in Brussels today but it was scheduled in advance and over by noon. By the time we arrived at the station it was very crowded butContinue reading “Amsterdam, Netherlands; Day 1”
Brussels, Belgium; Day 4
One year ago today we waved goodbye to our San Clemente house and hit the road to our first destination in Monterey, California. Since then we’ve had so many Adventures they are hard to count and since we’re not quite done, we’ll wait on the counting for a little while longer. But it’s a bigContinue reading “Brussels, Belgium; Day 4”
Brussels, Belgium; Day 2
We had one Adventurer a bit under the weather today. Seems a summer cold has been working its way through the family and today it knocked Brian back a bit. So the other 4 had some fun around town. Our first stop was a well known landmark called Mannekin Pis. Dutch for ‘Little Pissing Man’Continue reading “Brussels, Belgium; Day 2”
Brussels, Belgium; Day 1
When deciding our destinations in Europe, the kids chose Belgium as one of their picks. They were very specific that it was for the waffles and chocolate and they don’t really care about anything else. At least they are honest. Perhaps we’ll find some ways to round out their experience. Oh, and get some ofContinue reading “Brussels, Belgium; Day 1”
Bailly-Romainvilliers, France; Day 3
Today was what the kids call a ‘do nothing’ day. They would argue that we don’t have enough of them – these are our days to relax with no specific agenda. Since today we are still at our Marriott vacation club, it offered some options. In the morning, the kids took themselves to the Kid’sContinue reading “Bailly-Romainvilliers, France; Day 3”
Bailly-Romainvilliers, France; Day 1
This morning we did our normal ‘packing up to go’ routine. Tiffany does a lot of the packing, Brian usually makes breakfast and cleans out the fridge/ cleans the kitchen. Today’s effort was sized to the kitchen – which in our little kitchen was not very big. We traveled out of Paris today but lessContinue reading “Bailly-Romainvilliers, France; Day 1”
Paris, France; Day 6
We enjoyed our quiet Friday. We put a pause on most of the touristy stuff to do some normal life type things – Paris style of course. The first stop was the Laverie to get some clean clothes. Our apartment is quite small so it doesn’t come with a washing machine. A short walk solvedContinue reading “Paris, France; Day 6”
Paris, France; Day 4
Today’s big Adventure took us to the Musée du Louvre. The forecast called for rain and we got a little damp on the way to the Metro. This experience just reinforced our pleasure at the plan for the day which was to spend time inside an old palace with hundreds of fabulous pieces of art.Continue reading “Paris, France; Day 4”
Paris, France; Day 2
On the first day in a new place we try to walk around to get oriented and to see some sights. Paris is much bigger than many of the places that we’ve been to but we still wanted to spend most of our day on foot. To start, however, we took our first Metro ride.Continue reading “Paris, France; Day 2”
Chamonix, France; Day 5
Our last day in Chamonix started with bright spring sunshine and stayed that way all day. We were very pleased since our plans included going back into the nearby mountains for some high altitude Adventures. This time our mode of transport was a cog wheel train that took us up 2,900 feet of altitude inContinue reading “Chamonix, France; Day 5”
Chamonix, France; Day 1
We ended the day in France but first spent some time exploring Geneva. We have enjoyed good weather through most of our trip. We even avoided significant rain in Venice despite the forecasts. Today we were only partially as fortunate. We started out with Brunch a place that offered pancakes – always a guarantee toContinue reading “Chamonix, France; Day 1”
Venice, Italy; Day 3
We woke this morning with a continued threat of rain. After a hearty breakfast in the apartment we saw grey skies but no moisture so we headed toward the water taxi. Our destination was the island of Murano – home of the famous glass blowers of Venice. Many of you are aware that we aren’tContinue reading “Venice, Italy; Day 3”
5 Adventures Together 