Archive of ‘Family Travels’ category

Our first trip without a stroller!

So last July, my good friend tipped me off that flights to Paris were $350 and I had to hop on it. I questioned our judgement after realizing that our kids aren’t city folks and I contemplated not telling them about the trip at all so that I could enjoy a trip with Cisco without any whining or complaining, but we didn’t have the heart- LOL. Literally the day after we purchased the tickets, I ventured into Philly with the girls in the heat and walked from Reading Terminal to Broad and Walnut and it was non-stop whining. We planned on having this trip be their Christmas present, so we didn’t tell them about it for 5 months, which was plenty of time to change our mind and cut our losses!

Well, we told them on Christmas that they’d be joining us and I’m thankful to say that WE SURVIVED! Yes, we are “lucky” they are good travelers, but I’m not gonna discredit our parenting skills either! Before kids, Cisco and I would fill our itinerary. He planned this trip for the most part and when I saw we had 1 thing on the itinerary I almost had a panic attack. There are definitely things I would have done differently, but hey- I didn’t take the time to do it- so I was happy! How did him planning this trip even become a “thing?” The first time we went to Disney, Adelina had just turned 1, Giselle was 3 and I was just exhausted. At that time, Cisco was the one that wanted to go to Disney in the first place (he’s kind of a big fan) A few months before we were scheduled to leave, I had nothing planned (because naturally, I would do it without being told) and told him that if he wanted to do anything on this trip, he’d have to plan it- AND HE DID! And he passed with flying colors! So I handed him over the reigns for the most part- I still gotta make sure his “vision: of our trip is somewhat in line with what I envisioned (replace “vision” with expectations)- LOL! We’re a very good team in that way. He does research based on what’s the best value. I’ll make the decision on what’s worth putting paying a little bit extra for and what’s not.

1 thing I could not stand about Paris was the airport… WTF is up with their departure terminal? I mean, maybe Norwegian has the shittiest gates in the airport? I know it’s a budget airline, but seriously, they had 1 “deli” not even a restaurant- for the area between security and the actual gate (which is Tiny AF). Isn’t security usually before all the restaurants and shops?? Normally I would go through security, get to my gate and any extra time I have I’ll stroll around the airport. Here, you have to leave the area with the gates to access any shops/restaurants- and then go back through security. It was not really well thought out and definitely ranks as one of the worst (if not THE worst) airport experience ever.

Overall, we spent 6 nights in Paris, drove from Paris to Loire Valley and spent 2 nights in Amboise. Some of our trip highlights were:
1) After waiting 1 1/2 hours to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower with our 5:30pm reservation, we made the sunset JUST IN TIME. Like literally, just in time. If we caught the next elevator up, we would have missed it. That alone was pretty amazing and was likely the work of Jesus Himself!
2) Seeing how the girls made the locals smile with their attempts at broken French.
3) It had been pretty cold the first 4 days of our trip, and on our last full day in Paris we got beautiful weather and the perfect spring time Parisian day. We went to Luxemborg Gardens, grabbed some chairs and basked in the sun after we had our picnic lunch. We strolled Ile Saint-Louise,and enjoyed ice cream at the famous Berthillon. We had plans to tour the inside of Notre Dame but skipped them to follow the music playing on the Pont Saint-Louis bridge. The girls screamed “BUBBLES!!!” and there was a man with his large bubble solution and his wand, blowing hundreds of large bubbles in the air. A few feet over was another man playing his guitar- and it is a memory I will always cherish- nixing our plans to see the girls entertain themselves for over an hour chasing bubbles, and seeing the joy in Cisco’s face as he was taking pictures of them with music playing in the background as the sun was just about getting ready to set! After that we headed to the Seine River cruise at sunset and enjoyed our final dinner in Paris in Rue Cler.
4) Disneyland Paris! Did I mention that Cisco is a huge Disney fan? I didn’t want to go, but he insisted. And to earn some pats on the back from the kids, he even told them that I didn’t wanna go to Disney so he could get all the credit- LOL My favorite memory from here was going to “It’s a Small World.” I have memories of my Dad taking me to Disney World and going to “It’s a Small World” there. I had a moment where I was grateful to share a memory with them, that my Dad shared with me- and so I cried! And my girls were filled with empathy when they saw my tears- which made me cry more.
5) My morning runs to explore and take pics of the city and then pick up croissants for the fam back at the hotel. I was usually the first one to wake up so this was my “me” time which I treasured.
6) Dinner at Chez Bruno in Amboise- literally THE BEST dinner I had in my life- and I am so grateful we shared it with the kids. I swear we are in the “golden years” of parenting because they waited in line a lot, walked a TON, and we were able to enjoy some nice dinners together!
7) Our drive to Amboise- driving through the historic towns, yellow fields of rapeseed, and symmetrical tree lined roads.
8) Making friends in Amboise with Mimie from the Amboise market and Philippe who we met at Le Clos d’Amboise- where we had our last dinner in France. Philippe overheard me talking to his neighbor and learned that I was from NY, which inclined him to share that his wine is served at Bouley at Home, in NY. He is a wine connoisseur, and has a vineyard in nearby Cheverny. He offered some of the wine he ordered for himself and his wife- which had floral tones to it- which I never had before. Such a kind gesture to offer wine- and he made sure to give me his card for our future visit!
9) Versailles! What an amazing site as soon as we arrived- I could not have imagined how grand this place is- to get to the front gate is about a quarter mile. Our Uber driver was so much fun- we had a 40 minute drive from Paris so we made quite the effort to talk with each other which we all really enjoyed. We only covered the first level and part of the second level- after a while I was like, “OK I get it, you had a lot of money to spend.” LOL… So we took the shuttle to see other parts of the property since it isn’t possible to do all that walking with the kids- the whole property is about 3 miles. It would have taken us another day or 2 to really explore the entire thing. We rented a boat to enjoy some time on the lake and when we were done, we sat down along the edge of the lake to watch the ducks/fish with the kiddos. An older man sat down beside us, who was with his grandson, and offered us some stale baguette to feed to the fish and ducks.
10) Which reminds me to say- we found the French to be very warm- everyone (except 2 people, that number would be much higher in Philly- lol) we interacted with was friendly, we didn’t find them to be snobby/stuck up at all. I think it helped that we had kids that were saying “bonjour” and “au revoir” and “merci beaucoup” everytime they had the chance. Our Uber driver on the way to Versailles was really happy when we sang the French portion of the song “Take a Break” from Hamilton and the classic “Champs Elysees” (which I never heard of, but apparently Cisco knew it since he took French)

I couldn’t believe how much we enjoyed our time there. As the time to go to Paris was approaching, I was getting a little stressed because I worried that there wasn’t much that the kids would be interested in. But they really enjoyed the sight seeing. I feel like we underestimate how great they are at adjusting because they surprise us everytime at how much they can handle.

And last but not least, today I received 4 texts within a span of 30 minutes about the devastating fires that took place at Notre Dame. When I heard the news and saw the church up in flames on my phone, I took it lightly, thinking it was going to be contained quickly. When I saw the damage unfold, I couldn’t help but cry knowing we were able to marvel at its beauty just a few weeks ago, and its significance to so many people, but especially the French- and happening during Holy Week as well- is heartbreaking.

Here’s a link with some pics from our travels:
Pics of the Van der Buellas

The Van Der Buellas are back!

So a good friend of ours gave us our nickname- the Van Der Buellas- back in the day before we had kids. Oh, the days before kids are a distant memory! Anyhow, we enjoy traveling, but I personally didn’t do much traveling until I was in my mid 20’s, which was over 10 years ago! We’ve enjoyed some adventures with the kiddos, but this was our first time using our passports since we had kiddos- woohoo!

This past year, 2016, marked 10 years of wedded bliss! Ha! For anyone who is married with kids, or anyone really… 10 years is a damn long time, isn’t it? And bliss is hardly the word to describe it. It’s messy. But we’re here and together! So we needed to celebrate, because this was huge (for us.)

Anyhow, we had a hard time deciding where to go. We initially wanted to do something alone, by ourselves- i.e. Europe. Flights were/are expensive and to make it worth spending that money, I’d want to stay somewhat long- at least 10 days. Well, that wasn’t happening. We don’t really have anyone to watch the kids for that long, so we nixed that idea. I came across flights for the Philippines back in March 2016 and snagged some relatively cheap tickets for Christmas in the Philippines!

Why the Philippines? SO many reasons!
1) My first time! Never been to Asia actually. I’ve never felt the connection to go to the Philippines. All of my immediate family and cousins, etc. are here. My parents never went back after they arrived in the U.S. So why not?
2) Christmas in the Philippines is supposed to be really special, and with the kids being off from school, we figured it was a great time to go.
3) The dollar is STRONG! We got to see a lot and do a lot, and were able to stay within our budget.
4) Family

So what were our highlights? Hmmmm.. SO MANY!
1) Our time together alone venturing throughout El Nido and Bohol was priceless. Swimming, kayaking, hiking, etc. Bohol was extra special and all I remember is Adelina hugging random Filipinos (i.e., our waiters/waitresses, people who worked at the transportation terminal, concierge) probably because she thought they were family! It was awesome being in a country where everyone looks like us! We had a dinner where we took a boat to a private island, to celebrate (our anniversary, my parents birthdays). Having this amazing dinner while the kids were playing on the beach was priceless!
2) The people and hospitality. I made strong connections with people there (employees at the resort) and family I had never met.
3) Seeing where my parents came from. I got to see where my dad grew up. Seeing the poverty there truly helped me put my life into perspective. Just thinking about their journey, where I am, and where my kids are in life- I’m so grateful!
4) Spending time with my family in Talisay, Cebu. I never met my family there and didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t adopted, but I imagine it being like meeting your birth parents. Not sure if there will be a connection, whether you’ll feel welcome and not knowing what to expect. Well I’m so glad we met my family there. They were EXTREMELY hospitable to us. And showed us where my Dad and his siblings grew up. I also learned so much history being there. My great grandfather was a mayor there in the 1940’s, and the house where my dad grew up, the Garces Ancestral Home, is an historical landmark in Talisay. To see my family name on a billboard that advertises Talisay, and see a street named after my great grandfather was unforgettable. And the time that I got to spend with them was priceless. I also got to meet my 94 year old grand aunt. It was so special. I hope to go back within the next couple of years and spend more time with them.
5) Spending time with Cisco’s family. I really didn’t know what to expect, but everyone’s warmth and hospitality is something I’ve never experienced and will never forget. I really got to connect with all his cousins and their kids, and get an understanding of how Filipinos live. S L O W paced- i.e. lots of traffic and super slow internet! LOL first world problems, really.
6) Visiting a school and spending time with the nuns that run the school. Cisco’s family is so giving and have helped a group of nuns run a school that started in a garage.

I posted a few pics here from our trip, but here is a link that has a bit more. Not all 2000+ that we took, but more like 60! 😉

https://goo.gl/photos/uq8EZcXTUuEZ6tpt7

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Camping Spots, 2-3 hours away from Philadelphia

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Creek at Bushkill Falls

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Lake at Promised Land State Park

So we just came back from our THIRD camping trip this past weekend. We went to Promised Land State park and loved it!  It was my first time going camping at a State Park vs. a privately owned facility and I definitely prefer it. Everything at the campground was well maintained and the bathrooms were spotless.  We stayed at the Lower Lake campground which has walking access to a fishing lake, which was really nice.  You have to drive to the swimming lake, which is about a 10 minute drive.  The lake, park, playground and surrounding areas are really well kept.  There is also a Conservatory Island, which (I believe) is a little over a mile.  It was a nice, shady, hiking option before dinner, when the campsite got too hot.

The campsites at Pickeral Point are along the water, walking distance to an unguarded swimming area.

And my favorite thing about this campground? IT’S SO CHEAP!  I looked into some other campgrounds that offered more activities, and it costs double.  Without electric, the campsites are $23/night. With electric, they are $31/night. Most privately owned campgrounds start around $45-$50 and is based only on DOUBLE OCCUPANCY. So if you have 2 or 3 kids @ $5/head, it comes out to around $60-$70/night.

So yes, we really enjoyed this place and will definitely be checking out other Pennsylvania State Parks, hopefully before camping season ends.  Camping season for Promised Land is between Memorial Day and Labor Day, not sure if that’s the case for all Pennsylvania State Parks.

Few things:
– bring bikes or scooters.  The road is smooth and paved, the kids loved getting on their scooters as soon as they woke up in the morning
– bring a lantern
– the firepit at some of the campsites are pretty cramped. Before booking next time, I plan to find out whether there’s any way to make sure I don’t get a campsite that feels cramped around the firepit. i.e. ground around the firepit is uneven to put chairs OR the firepit is tucked away near a bunch of trees- not an open space.
–  make sure to check whether the site you reserve is shaded

Some other parks I considered:

State Parks:
Locust Lake
French Creek

I wanted to go to a park that had access to a lake, since it was 90 degrees while we were there.

Private:
Otter Lake
Ringing Rocks

I used the website http://www.pacamping.com to help filter through the crazy list of campsites nearby.  PA camping has a nice website with an interactive map, to help you easily navigate the best campground within the area you are looking for.  This site has public and private campgrounds.

This site is for Pennsylvania State Parks, and you can make camping reservations here:  http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/staythenight/camping/

 

 

Amish Camping

Amish Camping
I wanted to go camping this year. My dad took us camping when I was younger and I loved it. I love being outdoors, however, I haven’t camped since I was a little kid. I have so many reasons why I want to start camping, but the main one is to do something fun with the kids that isn’t expensive. It’s something that, if we get good at it, that I’m hoping we can do a couple of times, a year, maybe all over the country.

Since we hadn’t gone camping as a family, I wanted to do a trial run at a family-friendly resort, hopefully within a 2-3 hour drive. Here are some campgrounds that I came across:

Rickett’s Glenn area
Whispering Pines Camping Estates
Red Rock Mountain Campground
Pioneer Campground

Near Philly
Colonial Woods Family Camping Resort
Little Red Barn Campground
Seven Tubs Nature Area
Ringing Rocks Family Campground

Lancaster, PA (near Hershey, PA)
Lake In Wood
Country Acres Campground

Others
Niagara Falls
Lake George, NY
Montauk, NY
Peaceful Woodlands family campground
Otter Lake Camp Resort
Penn’s Cave and Wildlife Park
Ocean View Resort – Ocean City, NJ
Frontier Town and Castaways – Ocean City, MD

We decided to go to Country Acres Campground. This was a nice compromise because my husband was not too keen on the idea of going camping. In retrospect, thinking that we would do a 2-3 hour drive with 2 kids for 2 nights of camping and hiking was too much. Country Acres was a little over an hour away and in the middle of beautiful Amish Country. Living here in Philly and having access to amazing Amish goodies at Reading Terminal, I take for granted living an hour outside of Amish country.

Being in the middle of Amish Country, we didn’t have to worry about bringing too many food items, utensils, pots, pans, etc. We also ended up doing things that would be less tiring for us that the kids would enjoy: Chocolate World, Hershey Gardens and Turkey Hill Experience. My 4 year old whines when she’s tired. We tried to do Mariposa Grove in Yosemite in May and barely made it past the beginning of the trail. I don’t know why I thought we could do Rickett’s Glen, it would not have been an enjoyable trip for anyone. I have to train a little harder to get my 4 year old to walk longer. I give in to putting her into the stroller too easily since it makes things faster for me.

Here’s what we ate:

Friday: Smorgasbord
Saturday breakfast: Amish goodies picked up the night before
Saturday lunch: Picnic lunch/sandwiches/fruit at Hershey Gardens
Saturday dinner: Hot Dogs on the fire pit
Sunday breakfast: Waffle House

All in all, great trip, short and sweet. It gave us a taste of what we like and don’t like about camping and the length of time that we did it was perfect too. We’d love to do a trip like this with friends, but we’ve found it hard to find families we are close to, who are down to do something like this. Camping isn’t a thing that minorities in my network do! It sounds silly, but anytime I become friends with a caucasian person, I wonder if they have potential to go camping with me and my fam!