This post was updated on June 7th, 2019. Canal cruises are something that absolutely must be done when visiting Amsterdam. I know they are completely “touristy.” I know there are several blogs out there that suggest avoiding the canal cruises. But, how can you return home from Amsterdam, not having cruised the canals? How do […]
This post was updated on March 31st, 2026. Whenever we are craving some adventure, we hop into the car and head to Matthiessen State Park. Sometimes the whole family goes, and sometimes we go when Mom is at work, and we guys are feeling the need to get out of the house, and do some
This post was updated on August 31st, 2017. On May 4, the Netherlands recognizes Remembrance Day, then on May 5, Liberation Day is celebrated. These two days are very close to the Dutch, who remember the fallen of World War II, and celebrate being liberated from the Nazis, prior to the end of the
This post was updated on October 9th, 2018. The National Parks of the United States are well known around the globe, but what is not as commonly known is that the country also boasts an amazing network of US State Parks. An astonishing number of state parks are filled with small natural wonders, are
This post was updated on July 10th, 2017. The Olde English Faire is an annual Renaissance Fair held in central Illinois. I attended the Faire with Brittany, Cash and Jaxon, who you can read about on our Traveling Companions page. If you are not familiar with a Renaissance Fair, it is an event celebrating
This post was updated on May 10th, 2022. People Always Ask About Certain Amsterdam Adventures.. Amsterdam is known many things, but when people know you have been there, they ask if you went to the red light district, or if you went to a coffee-house. It is said that Amsterdam glows red, literally, in the
This post was updated on May 10th, 2022. -Why it’s worth it, and how to minimize the wait. The morning after our train ride fiasco, we went to visit Anne Frank House and Museum. Visiting Anne Frank House was one of my two absolutely must do things while in Amsterdam. As we planned, and
This post was updated on May 10th, 2022. Take the ICE train to Amsterdam. It is the easiest way to get there… Once I had made a definitive plan to travel to Germany, I knew I absolutely could not be that close to Amsterdam, the iconic must experience it city, without taking a hop
This post was updated on August 22nd, 2018. Okay, so we all know there is a work and vacation correlation. Yeah, I know, its obvious. We have to work to be able to take a vacation.. We work to make money to pay our bills and maintain our lifestyle, and hopefully put a little
This post was updated on July 20th, 2018. Is Kaiserswerth Dusseldorf’s best kept secret? Kaiserswerth, Germany, is the oldest part of the city of Dusseldorf, and one which has something significant in relationship to everything in the original title of this post, emperors, nurses, saints and Michelin stars. On top of that, it is
This post was updated on October 21st, 2018. We spent our first afternoon in Germany making a visit to the Kaiserpfalz Ruins, and the town of Kaiserwerth. Kaiserwerth is more or less a suburb of Düsseldorf, and it is one of those places that locals love to go for a day trip, and often take
This post was updated on July 21st, 2018. We arrived in Dusseldorf, Germany at about 1910, local time. Mind you, we had left our home in central Illinois at 4:30, or 1630, the prior afternoon. Between the drive to OHare, the check-in, the wait, the flight, the layover, and the second flight, we had been
This post was updated on March 24th, 2026. Long trips, and in particular international travel, always elicit feelings of both exhilaration and apprehension, also known as ANXIETY. In particular, I get a bad case of pre-flight anxiety!There is so much to look forward to: seeing amazing and beautiful places, experiencing a new culture, tasting
