Barcelona with Kids

We recently had a four-day weekend and decided to extend it by a day and travel to Barcelona for five days.  We had a wonderful time exploring this historic, beautiful, interesting city.  This was an extremely child-friendly destination and a really fabulous holiday.  Here's what we did....


Why Barcelona?
Barcelona is a city in northern Spain, and is the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia.   It boasts gorgeous beaches, incredible food, Gaudi's architecture, TONS of museums, fabulous shopping, a magical gothic quarter, a famous football team, delicious hot chocolate, and the list goes on and on. It is a short flight from Frankfurt and is a perfect spot for a long weekend.

Where to stay?
We consulted with some dear friends who are from Barcelona and they were right on in suggesting we stay in the middle of the Gothic Quarter, near the Gothic Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia.  We stayed at an apartment run by Feel Good Apartments Gothic.  This clean, modern, spacious and artsy loft apartment was in the BEST location.  It had a door covered with stickers (which was actually really cool), no fancy foyer, narrow winding stairs, and no elevator.  This was not an issue for us and was a totally acceptable considering location and price.

Things to do...

There is SO much to do in Barcelona.  Beaches, restaurants, shopping, museums, football, architecture, history, art, tapas, exploring....the list is endless.  If you are considering a trip to Barcelona it is certainly worthwhile getting a guidebook (we love Lonely Planet) and educating oneself about all the options.  Rick Steves also has a great episode about Barcelona, available on Hulu and PBS, and snips such as this one are available on youtube.  Here is what we thought worked well with kids on our trip....

Getting around...
Barcelona is BIG.  Between La Rambla, the Gothic Quarter, the waterfront, the beaches, the cathedral, the parks....it's quite a large area, and not everything is really walk-able, even for the most active families.  Our friends recommended we do at least one if not more days on one of the hop-on, hop-off busses.  This was a GREAT suggestion.  We chose Barcelona Bus Turistic, and paid for two days.  The bus has three routes, and each route stops at literally every relevant activity.  Plus, it is a double-decker bus and honestly, the novelty of riding atop an open air double decker bus is a highlight in and of itself.  We purchased tickets at the very helpful Tourist Office at the base of the....


Columbus Monument
The Columbus Monument is one of the iconic sites in Barcelona.  It was constructed in the late 1800s in honor of Christopher Columbus' voyage to America.  It is located at the base of La Rambla, and near the entrance to the waterfront district Port Vell, and is unmissable.  However, many people do not realize that you can GO UP IT, in a tiny round elevator.   This is really worth it, it's a great view and really fun.

La Rambla and the Gothic Quarter
A visit to Barcelona absolutely must include some time to wander around La Rambla and the Gothic Quarter.  La Rambla is a long and tree-lined pedestrian route in central Barcelona, crossed by many other picturesque and historic streets.  It is an easy walk down most side streets into the Gothic Quarter, which was our favorite area, and the area in which we stayed.  The Gothic Quarter was actually built on the remains of the Roman city, and you can see portions of the Roman walls.  The Gothic Quarter is so beautiful, with many courtyards and winding alleys, and even a handful of little playgrounds (which are especially useful at 7am with early-rising children).  It is choc-full of boutiques, shops, tapas bars, and restaurants.  The magic of this area touched us as adults, and also each of our three children.

Barcelona's Cathedrals
Barcelona is well known for Gaudi's almost-completed masterpiece, Sagrada Familia.  We attempted to go inside this enormous and amazing architectural treasure, but had not purchased tickets in advance and were dissuaded by the incredibly long lines.  Next time!  We wandered around the outside of it, and did check out some other Gaudi spots.

We were incredibly impressed by the Gothic Cathedral.  Not only it is beautiful, but it is connected to a Gothic cloister, full of greenery, gothic architecture, and incredibly beautiful, candle-laden altars to various Saints.  At dusk, one cannot imagine a more magical spot.  It also contains 13 white geese, which have historic and religions meaning.  We allowed the kids to each pick a Saint to light a candle for, and to throw some bread scraps to the geese.



Park Guell

Since a visit to Barcelona is not complete without an exploration of Gaudi, and our visit to the Sagrada Familia was thwarted by long lines, we made it a priority to check out Gaudi's famous park, Park Guell.  This architectural garden complex allowed us to explore Gaudi's style, and take in gorgeous views of Barcelona.

Barcelona's Waterfront
The gorgeous ocean and beaches are certainly part of what makes Barcelona so special.  We visited in the winter, so were not able to swim or do any summer-y activities, but just being able to walk around in the sun (and not be too hot) was really pleasant.  The waterfront starts at the newly constructed Port Vell, with an ultra-modern pedestrian walkway, dock, and gorgeous mall, and continues through countless Platjas (beaches).  There are a few playground areas, and some interesting shops and restaurants.   The children also found some beautiful shells.  Barcelona's waterfront is truly gorgeous, and is a wonderful contrast, and complement to, the Gothic beauty of the city.

There is also a gondola that connects the waterfront to some parklands.  We attempted to go on this, but the lines were too long.

Annella Olimpica and Surrouding Areas
Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics.  The Olympic Park, Annella Olimpica, is a stop on the Touristic Bus, and is a fun spot for kids to run around.  It's interesting to see the huge facilities that are built for the olympics.

In the vicinity of the Annella Olimpica are several other tourist destinations that looked awesome, especially the gorgeous Museu National d'Art de Cataluyna, but we did not make it to them.

Arenas de Barcelona
We are not fans of bull fighting, but did enjoy seeing the huge Arenas de Barcelona - a bull fighting arena that has been converted into a mall with a beautiful viewing platform.  Randomly, in this mall, we found a kiosk that had large fishtanks with Garra Rufa, aka Doctor Fish.  These small fish are fed fish food but think that human skin is a fabulous and delicious treat.  We paid five Euros to let them eat the dead skin on my and Mike's feet.  It was absolutely hysterically ticklish and the kids were delighted.  As Mike said, it was the funniest five Euros we have ever spent.

FC Barcelona
Barcelona has a very famous football team - FC Barcelona.  There happened to be an afternoon game the weekend we were there, so we bought tickets at the Columbus Monument tourist information office, and checked it out.  It was really interesting and lots of fun, but the game we were at was apparently not very important, and the crowd was quite subdued.  The stadium is huge and reminded me a bit of Comiskey Park.  I am so glad we went, and we now all feel a bit of an affinity with FC Barcelona.

Museu Picasso, Ciutat Vella
Barcelona is FULL of museums.  However, there is so much exploring to do, and it was so sunny and interesting to walk around and ride the Touristic Bus, that we did not make museums a priority.  But, I made it a requirement that we spend a Sunday afternoon (some museums are free Sunday afternoons in Barcelona) at the Museu Picasso, which chronologically portrays Picasso's formation as an artist.  We had a stroller for our littlest one, and so got stroller-priority to skip the hugely long line.     This was worth a visit as it is awesome to see the progression of Picasso's works from incredibly realistic to beautifully abstract.  To get a feel for it, you can watch Rick Steves walk through Museu Picasso here.


Flamenco Dancing
We had wanted to check out Flamenco Dancing while in Barcelona, so when we were waiting in line for the Museu Picasso and saw a man soliciting people to see a flamenco show, we jumped on it.  This was one of the best things we did in Barcelona, it was incredibly authentic, reasonably priced and had delicious sangria.  All three kids were transfixed, and the setting was gorgeous.  Espai Barroc is the name of the venue, and is worth a visit.

Pigeons...
Like many spots in Europe, Barcelona contains a woman selling bird seed in Placa de Catalunya, reminiscent of the "feed the birds, tuppence a bag" lady from Mary Poppins.  My children have never been covered with pigeons before, and absolutely loved this experience.  We quickly popped into a nearby restaurant to thoroughly wash after this experience.


Food and Drink...
Tapas and Paella.  Need I say more?  The food in Barcelona is fabulous.  My kids loved it.  And the hot chocolate in Barcelona is not to be missed.  It is incredibly thick, and with a churro, is a great afternoon snack (and pick-me-up)!

Safety
When we were researching a trip to Barcelona, we found innumerable articles discussing the prevalence of pick-pockets in Barcelona, especially on La Rambla and in the Gothic Quarter.  Knowing that this was an issue, we were very careful with our belongings and did not carry purses or bags.  We felt safe in Barcelona, even at night, and did not have any issues.

Overall
We LOVED our time in Barcelona.  It is a magical, beautiful and fascinating city.  I feel so lucky that we were able to experience it with our children.  We highly recommend spending some time in Barcelona!

Super Interesting Day in Worms, Germany with Kids

This past Sunday, we decided to spend the day in Worms (pronounced Vorms), Germany.  It was really interesting and educational and quite fun.  Here's our take on Worms.

Why Worms?
Worms is a small city which has an incredibly rich and varied history.  It is a great place to teach children about Jewish history, Martin Luther's Reformation, visit a gorgeous Romanesque cathedral, and discuss dragon-slayers.  It was the seat of the short-lived Burgundian kingdom which created the German dragon-slaying epic the "Nibelungenlied."  It also has a beautiful city wall, and is a wine-making city.

How to get there?
Worms is only an hour drive from Frankfurt.  There are plenty of small parking lots scattered around the city.  We found a spot easily!  There is also a centrally located train station.

Things to do...

Judengasse

We started our stay in Worms in the Judengasse, the beautifully reconstructed Jewish quarter.  It was destroyed multiple times over the past thousand years and sheds light on the long history of Jewish people in Worms and Europe.  We have many friends and relatives who are Jewish, and this made the visit even more poignant to us.

Synagogue and Jewish Museum

(Synagogenplatz, Judengasse) Along the Judengasse is the Synagogue, which dates back to 1034.  This Synagogue also has a women's section, which is interesting to visit and discuss with children, and a fascinating ritual bath down a very old set of brick steps.

(Raschi-Haus, Hintere Judengasse 6) The Jewish Museum is just down a pathway from the Synagogue.  This was fascinating, we really enjoyed it.  The museum starts with a 10 minute long video (they played it in English for us) about Jewish traditions and the Jewish history of Worms, including the horrors of Jewish persecution.  However, this movie was very family friendly.  The museum contains artifacts and items related to Jewish traditions and celebrations, which are fascinating and beautiful.  It is most certainly worth a visit, and allows children and adults to really ponder the experiences of the Jewish individuals in Europe over the last thousand years.  We discussed, and signed our names in the guest book.
                                                                                                                                                           Kaiserdom

(www.wormser-dom.de)  The Dom in Worms was built in the late 11th and 12th centuries, and is late-Romanesque.  Our children thought it looked more like a castle than a cathedral on the outside, however, it is still very impressive.  If you visit, be sure to pop inside. It is absolutely gorgeous.  We were all completely in awe of the baroque altar.  The inside is breathtaking, and the children enjoyed trying to count all the golden angels flitting around.  It also has a creepy crypt with stone sarcophagi containing bodies that are over 1,000 years old.


Jewish Cemetery 
Just outside of the medieval city wall near Willy-Brandt-Ring is Europe's oldest Jewish cemetery, with about 2,500 gravestones, some of which are over 1,000 years old and are notable historical individuals.  It has a beautiful path and is a peaceful and somber place to visit while walking around Worms.

Luther Memorial (Lutherdenkmal)
Before visiting Worms, our 7, 5, and 3-year-olds had never learned about Martin Luther and Reformation.  We visited this memorial and explained the quick and kid-friendly version of Martin Luther's teachings (for an example, click here).  We also discussed that Worms was the place where many important figures, including the Emperor and other German sovereigns, tried to get Martin Luther to recant his teachings - and that he refused.  The kids respected that.

Dragons and Dragon-Slaying
There are dragon sculptures scattered throughout Worms, as Worms is the locale of the German dragon-slaying poetic epic, Nibelungen.  There is a museum dedicated to this epic, The Nibelungen Museum and Gate Tower, but we did not make it there.  Worms has many seasonal festivals - we will go back for one of them and visit the museum at that time.  Although we missed the museum, we did enjoy finding the dragon sculptures around Worms.  They are magical and whimsical.

Oh yeah, and there was a carnival there

Our experience in Germany thus far has had a lot of carnivals and kinder-festivals.  It's so awesome when you go somewhere with three kids and just happen upon some bouncy-houses and carnival rides, and that seems to happen to us a lot in Germany!


Where to have lunch?
We wandered around and found a fabulous Doner restaurant - City Donor (Kammerstrasse 55) with excellent pizza.  It was clean, and the staff was so kind and friendly.  We recommend this spot for lunch!!

Overall...
We had a really interesting, informative and educational day in Worms.  I think we all left with new insights and points of reference with respect to Jewish history and tradition, and Reformation.  It was also really fun.  We think Worms is worth a day-trip.

A Fabulous Weekend in Strasbourg with the Kids

Why Strasbourg?
Strasbourg, France is the capital and largest city of the Alsace region of France.  It's very close to Germany's border (only a 2 1/2 hour drive from Frankfurt), and is the official seat of the European Parliament, as well as several other European institutions.  It is a beautiful city that melds French and German architecture - and is so beautiful that the entire old part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It has so much charm, and lots to do.  We only spent two nights in Strasbourg, but one could easily spend a week or more fully exploring the Alsace region of France.  Here are our tips for having a spectacular and memorable weekend in and around Strasbourg.

How to get there?  What about parking?

We chose to drive (in our new-to-us Volkswagen Touran),  The drive from Frankfurt took between 2 1/2 and 3 hours.  There is also a train from Frankfurt which takes 2 hours and 15 minutes.  We visited Strasbourg in early October.  From what I understand the "high" season of Strasbourg tourism is during the spring and summer, and the Christmas market.  I would warn any potential visitors that parking may be an issue during a high season.  Many hotels have no parking, or advertise that they have parking when really they mean they only have a few spots, or that there is a garage nearby.  The garages are not huge, and get filled up really quickly.  Cars line up around the block waiting for parking spots.  So be careful, it may be better to take the train or plan for out-of-the-way parking if you visit during a high season.

What is there to do in Strasbourg?
There is so much to do in Strasbourg!  Firstly, it beautiful, picturesque, and so charming.  One could easily wander along the river banks and eat bread and cheese on a bench all day long.  There are many courtyards and parks, it is easy to explore and enjoy.  However, some actual activities that are very kid-friendly include....

Notre Dame Cathedral, Strasbourg

Strasbourg's architectural gem is the Cathedral of Our Lady, which is widely considered the pinnacle of Gothic architecture.  It dates back to 1176, and is breathtaking, and right in the middle of the historic city center.  You cannot miss it.  The interior is peaceful and cool, and contains an absolutely amazing astronomical clock.  We missed the clock's mechanical procession and cock crowing at 12:30pm daily, but just seeing the clock is incredible.  It is a perpetual clock and contains the positions of the sun and moon, eclipses, and various other measurements; it looks literally magical.

Near to the clock is a grate in the floor in which children (and adults) drop coins.  This was more fascinating to our younger kids than the clock.

And, like all good Cathedrals, Notre Dame of Strasbourg contains a tower with a windey staircase that one can climb.  The viewing platform on this cathedral betters any we have seen on our travels.  It is huge and flat and very picturesque.  It is also a bonus that it has two staircases, one of which takes people up, and one which takes people down (unlike the Cologne Dom).  This, coupled with the large viewing platform, makes visiting the cathedral a good activity for any time of day regardless of crowds.

Boat Tour of the City

I highly recommend taking the Batorama (http://www.batorama.fr), a 70 minute long tour of Strasbourg from the Ill River.  These boat cruises are really fun and informative.  Each seat has a headset and the tour can be listened to in many languages, and they even have kid's audio programs.  Our five and seven-year-olds were completely engaged in the audio tour and learned a lot about the history of Strasbourg.  Book early in the day, as they tend to sell out!

Carousel at the Place de Gutemberg

Tucked away in a beautiful square in the city center is a gorgeous two-decker carousel.  On certain days, there is a wine, cheese and bread market in this square.  It is worth asking at your hotel if the wine and cheese market is happening during your visit, as it can make a delicious, and authentic meal.



Petite France, Gingerbread, and Walking Alongside the River

Like many places in France, Strasbourg is a wonderful city for exploring on foot.  Take the time to wander around the Petite France section of Strasbourg, explore the river banks, and buy some local, freshly made gingerbread, a Strasbourg speciality.

Haut Konenigsbourg Castle  

About a 40 minute drive from Strasbourg is Haut Koenigsbourg Castle (http://www.haut-koenigsbourg.fr/en/).  This castle has existed since before 1150.  It was a ruin, and was refurbished by the German Emperor Willhem II over 100 years ago.  It is now one of the major tourist attractions in France.  The castle is located on a high crest, and has spectacular views.  We purchased audio tours with our headsets, and enjoyed listening to the history of the castle and the importance of certain areas.  As we were with kids, we skipped the guided tours so we could explore at a child-friendly pace.  Getting the kids each their own headsets was worth the extra money as they enjoyed listening and were less bored than they would have been otherwise!

The castle is beautiful and enormous!  It is beautifully refurbished but does not seem like a reconstruction, it really allows one to envision how castle life was centuries ago.  The castle also has a small cafeteria where we had a delicious lunch.

La Montagne des Singes - Monkey Reserve

On the same forested hill as Koenigsbourg Castle is La Montagne des Singes (http://www.montagnedessinges.com/en/parc.php?id_cat=1), a 60-acre forested reserve for Barbary Macaques, a furry, medium sized monkey.  Over 200 of them roam free in the forest, and enjoy eating the popcorn that the staff gives to visitors upon admission.  The monkeys do not care for human contact, so will not climb on you or initiate any kind of touching, but will gladly take popcorn from your hand.  It's amazing to watch them interact with eachother and play together.  The babies are especially sweet!  Staff members are on hand to ensure all visitors are behaving appropriately.  Visiting La Montagne des Singes was one of  the most special things we have ever done, and I would highly recommend it.  It was truly magical to get to observe and interact with uncaged monkeys.

Other Attractions...

There are so many other things to do in and around Strasbourg.  I would really like to go back and experience the Christmas market, as well as L'Orangerie (http://www.jds.fr/strasbourg/parc-avec-aire-de-jeux/parc-orangerie-strasbourg-4673_L), which is the largest park in Strasbourg and contains a mini-zoo.  I would also like to check out some of the museums in Strasbourg, such as those listed here

http://www.musees.strasbourg.eu, and explore the Alsace countryside, villages, and other castles.  

Where to stay?

As always, we booked a hotel with booking.com, and stayed in the city-center.  We stayed (with my in-laws) at the Hotel Restaurant Au Cerf d'Or (http://www.cerf-dor-strasbourg.fr/en/).  This hotel was great, it's in a very central location and has a friendly reception desk that was very accommodating.  It felt very French and was quite charming.  It has an indoor pool and a restaurant, but we did not get a chance to visit either!

I would think that any hotel in the old area or city center would be a good pick for Strasbourg.

Where to eat?

Strasbourg, being in France, operates on a generally later eating schedule than places such as America.  Many restaurants do not even open until after 7:00pm.  However, there are a few spots that one can find if an earlier dinner is required due to the presence of young children.  There are also various bakeries that are great for breakfast or snacks of croissants or pain au chocolate (chocolate croissant).   Here are some extra special places we found that are worth a visit...

Cafe Rohan  (http://www.brasserie-rohan.com)

Cafe Rohan is located around the corner from the Cathedral, and is very centrally located.  It is open early, is very child-friendly, and serves a perfect mix of Alsace specialities and child-friendly food.  We really enjoyed our meal here.

Amorino (http://www.amorino.com/en/newsletter/page-shop/Strasbourg)

Strasbourg is so beautiful - it's nice to wander around at night after dinner.  Both nights in Strasbourg we ventured to Amorino for gelato.  The kids were delighted with the beautiful flowers that are made out of the gelato.  This is a great dessert spot and is worth a stop.  

Overall...
We were so impressed with Strasbourg.  We loved it, and would like to go back.  It was a great spot for a family weekend getaway!