Montecasino Bird Gardens (Vacation Pics Part Two)
I mentioned in the first vacation photo post that we… Read More »Montecasino Bird Gardens (Vacation Pics Part Two)
Tourism
Vacation Pics (Part One)
Aren’t you proud that we managed to take some photos… Read More »Vacation Pics (Part One)
Exploring Lake Minnewanka
As with most of the well-known tourist spots, we’ve visited… Read More »Exploring Lake Minnewanka
A Visit to Calaway Park
The weather forecast wasn’t great, but we had family over… Read More »A Visit to Calaway Park
Exploring Bowness Park
Now that the weather is getting better, we’ve had more… Read More »Exploring Bowness Park
Mother’s Day 2019
Jan and I aren’t really big on celebrating holidays. We’re… Read More »Mother’s Day 2019
Royal Alberta Museum
For the first time in forever, we went away for… Read More »Royal Alberta Museum
Calgary Zoo Visited
We had such a wonderful weekend with friends from South… Read More »Calgary Zoo Visited
Johnston Canyon
Since Canada is gorgeous and we have serious wanderlust, we… Read More »Johnston Canyon
Peace Bridge Explored
One of the coolest landmarks in Calgary has to be… Read More »Peace Bridge Explored
Walking on Water – Lake Louise
You’d think–after everything–we’d pretty much be sick of road trips,… Read More »Walking on Water – Lake Louise
Horton Tree Farms
Living in Canada means loads of snow and maple syrup.… Read More »Horton Tree Farms
Visit to Reptilia Zoo
It’s no secret that Kayla is a serious lover of… Read More »Visit to Reptilia Zoo
Canadian International Autoshow 2018
As you can probably guess from the title, we saw… Read More »Canadian International Autoshow 2018
CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium (My WIP)
I’m typing this as the snow is falling and slowly… Read More »CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium (My WIP)
The Travel Tip Round-Up
Since the last bunch of posts were all travel-related (you missed it? Start here), I figured I’d share some of the tips we’ve learned in our travels. I realise the internet is chock-full of travel tips, but this is a roundup of the things that work for us.
From Beethoven to Burg Castle
On the last full day of our vacation, we drove to Bonn to fulfil a dream. Lizanne is a muso and a massive Beethoven enthusiast. So, when she found out that we could go to his birthplace, she was pretty much out of her skin.
Hello, Amsterdam
Oh, Amsterdam. Still one of my favourite places on earth. The sweet smell in the air (no, not the weed, the pastries :P), the buzz in the streets and the beauty of the city will always draw me to return. Add the fact that we can be understood when speaking Afrikaans and it becomes all the more alluring to visit the Netherlands.
Rome – Day 4
By this time, we were knackered. Four days in Rome, walking off your toes will do that to you. Having said that, we were still just as in awe of the place as we were upon arrival. Rome, folks. It’s magical.
Rome – Day 3
After the excitement from the night before, we returned to the Pantheon first thing on the third morning.
Well, first thing is relative. The Groenewalds are early risers. An admirable trait, I tell you. Kayla and I, though, *are not* early risers. In fact, we’re some of the grumpiest morning people you’ll ever meet. Nobody wants that. 🙂 Luckily, we walk fast.
Rome – Day 2
In an unfortunate turn of events, we seem to have lost some of the vacation photos. Don’t hyperventilate yet, though. All my photos are still intact. We’ll get the rest at some point in time, but you probably won’t get to see them. Meh.
Our second day in Rome (day one here) was sunny and generally lovely. We hit all the tourist spots, but didn’t actually go into these places. Let’s call what we did the anti-tourist tour of Rome. With three kids under 6, we weren’t going to attempt the snaking lines into the Colosseum or onto Palatine Hill, for example. Still, we found ourselves drooling over the Roman Forum, Altare della Patria and the Colosseum.
Rome – Day 1
So, Rome.
Folks, you don’t even begin to understand the spell this place has me under. Even now, I can’t get it out of my mind. But then, Venice was amazing, so maybe I should have known how bewitching I’d find Rome.
Surviving German Christmas Markets
So, the time of year is officially here, as I mentioned the other day. Today I want to talk about the markets in depth, and maybe give some advice to first-time market-goers, because this stuff can be a little overwhelming.
The markets are a pretty amazing part of the German Christmas experience, even if you don’t like Christmas. Or the cold. Or crowds, for that matter.