A laid-back, family-friendly rustic mountain retreat in the middle of a long Ukrainian winter? Yes, please!
In late February, after seven months of suburban Kyiv city life, we made our way to Voevodyno, a family-friendly resort in the fresh air of the Carpathian Mountains. It was the break we needed.
Lviv . . . the most beautiful, romantic, full-of-personality little town in Ukraine there ever was. Not that I've been to that many towns in Ukraine quite yet, but I imagine that this is the best one (shhhhhh, don't tell Kyiv). It's quaint, historic, lively, full of stunning architecture, offers unique restaurants and fantastic parks . . . and we barely even scratched the surface. Like barely even scratched the surface.
In August, we traveled internationally during COVID-19 with our four kiddos, one big, loveable Golden Retriever, and about 1,000,000 bags. If a similar trip is on the horizon for you, here's our story and my tips for how to make the trip as safe as possible, and (hopefully) less stressful.
Romantic hilltop towns. Medieval town squares. Vineyards as far as the eye can see. Farm-to-table restaurants. Italian wine. Pecorino cheese. Olive groves. Ahh, Tuscany.
We just returned from a wonderful week in this paradise. We explored seven towns in seven days, ate fabulous food, and ran free in the most beautiful town squares. We visited family farms, saw saffron-picking and cheese-making in progress. We explored old fortresses and cycled along ancient city walls. We ate gelato every.single.day. The kids filled their pockets with olives, wine corks, acorns, and fall leaves. After all, it's the simple memories that are sometimes the most treasured ones.
After a perfect family beach vacation to Mallorca in 2016, we found it hard to consider anything else but going back in 2017. Hundreds of stunning beaches, beautiful landscapes, crystal clear water . . . you can read all about that here.
And then my husband threw a wrench in things, "how about we try some place new?"
What? Did I just hear that right? I was so set on going back to Mallorcan perfection, that I hadn't even given thought to some other beach locale. We looked at our options, and ultimately we decided to throw caution to the wind and try some place new.
If you loved to travel pre-kids, you probably got a big shock the first time you traveled with kids. Goodbye vacation, hello stressful multi-tasking of the whereabouts, safety, and happiness of little people amidst canceled flights, busy airports, and a foreign place where you don’t speak the language.
