Farmer John is a farmer at heart and home, but his day job is a 9-5. He had meetings in Germany for a week. The stars aligned and the kids & I were able to go with him. We book ended Germany with short stays in Italy and France.

EUROPEAN INSPIRED ART

Before we left I wanted the kids to learn a little about Europe. I had them create a piece of art based on each of the three countries we would be visiting.

Italy: Venetian canal craft from Crayola
Germany: German Cuckoo Clock from Cassie Stephens. I love her art ideas.
France: Rose windows in medieval cathedrals from Ms. Novak’s Organized Chaos

Since we would be visiting art museums, I also asked the kids to recreate a masterpiece.

FLYING TO EUROPE

First up on our vacation agenda: Obligatory pic with the infamous PDX carpet.

I’m pretty sure this carpet is one of the most photographed airport carpets in the world. When the original carpet was being replaced people went crazy over it and started taking pics with it. The carpet even has an instagram account.

We flew Delta. I have no complaints. I had my own monitor to see the map of where we were in our flight and to watch the movies I wanted to watch. The kids had their own screens and each watched the shows they wanted. Awesome! Once we were out of the US I got complimentary Jack with my coke. Yep, not going to complain.

We flew from Portland to Amsterdam. Then switched planes in Amsterdam for our flight to Venice.

Flying over the Alps was a pinch me moment. They were breathtaking.

Our first peek at Venice. My thoughts of the city from this view: not too impressed. Apparently Venice is a city best viewed up close.

VENICE, ITALY

I can’t say enough about how much I loved Venice. I adored the Old World charm.

You can’t stroll through Venice without noticing beautiful masks. I even spotted a chicken one.

TRAIN TO GERMANY

We traveled by way of the Deutsche Bahn trains. We boarded the train in Venice at the Santa Lucia station. We traveled to Verona, over the Brenner pass, to Munich, and finally on to Nuremberg. It was a long ride, but a lovely way to see the beauty of Europe.

When we were traveling in and out of Germany, kids under the age of 15 rode free on the Deutsche Bahn trains. This was a great way to save money on vacation.

NUREMBERG, GERMANY

We stayed in Nuremberg for a week. John spent most of his time working, while the kids and I explored. We primarily toured Nuremberg, but ventured one day to Munich.

PARIS, FRANCE

We took the train from Germany to Paris. We had only one half day + one full day in Paris, which is not nearly enough time. But, we did make the most of our time and saw some amazing pieces of history.

The details on many of the buildings and monuments absolutely amaze me.

DRINKING IN EUROPE

We had virtually no trouble traveling through Europe, even without speaking Italian, German, or French. It helped that we do speak English, as do many Europeans. Also, I did have a little cheat sheet of common words for each language. We got through transportation, accommodations, shopping, even ordering food, with very few issues. Our one snafu the entire trip was water to drink at restaurants. We drink a lot of water. We are accustomed to tap water being available most everywhere. This was the one cultural difference that through me for a loop. Water was often brought in liter bottles, with a hefty charge. Also, carbonated water is their norm. So, if we forgot to ask for it without bubbles we were thoroughly bummed. None of us cared for the sparkling stuff. I didn’t mind paying for the water, but I thought the cost was too high. I remember one place where I let the kids order soda and I got wine because those drinks were cheaper than the water.

It is obvious I take drinking water for granted.

FLYING HOME

From Paris, we flew to Amsterdam.

On our way out of Amsterdam I noticed a group of windmills in the ocean. I’m not sure how they are used, but they intrigued me.

The Rockies may not be the Alps, but Canada has a beautiful mountain range, too.

Our kids earned their wings as we were getting pretty close to Portland.

WE MADE IT HOME

I bought masks in Venice for the kids to paint once we got home.

Farm Kid2 made John & I a thank you card for the trip.

This was a fantastic trip full of so many great memories. I am incredibly thankful for the experience.

The post 2015 European Vacation appeared first on .

A couple times while in Venice we visited St. Mark’s Square. It was fabulous, still filled with old world charm.

BASILICA OF SAN MARCO

This Catholic cathedral is wowing. I love old cathedrals and was bummed we didn’t make it inside, but it was glorious even on the outside.

CLOCK TOWER

The clock tower was built during the 15th century, making it an early renaissance building. I am always in ah of the work artists created during the Renaissance.

ST. MARK’S CAMPANILE

The current tower was completed in 1912, after the original building from the 1500’s collapsed.

THE PROCURATIE

THE CORRER MUSEUM / MUSEO CORRER

Part of the Procuratie houses the Correr Museum.

The museum pass we bought had access to this museum, so we visited it. I don’t have a lot to say about it. It had some interesting items. It was beautiful. But… I could probably skip it, if we return to Venice.

Peeking out the windows of the museum.

ON THE OUTSIDE OF ST. MARK’S SQUARE

Technically not in St. Mark’s Square, but just on the outside, along the Venetian Lagoon, was a lovely boardwalk area.

THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS

Just up the way from this boardwalk is the Ponte della Paglia. From here we saw the romanticized Bridge of Sighs.

The bridge was made of limestone in the year 1600 and connects the new prison to the interrogation rooms at Doge’s Palace.

DOGE’S PALACE / PALAZZO DUCALE

I love, loved this palace. The Gothic architecture: gorgeous. The history: intriguing. There was so much to explore: paintings, weapons, prisons.

The portico

The courtyard

The interior

The old prison

Standing on the Bridge of Sighs

Looking out a window at the little island with the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore. I had intentions of going to that island, but we never made it.

Peeking out another window at the beautiful and bustling lagoon.

Italy was on my must-travel-to list. Visiting Venice only makes me want to explore this beautiful country even more. I will be forever plotting a way to go back.

The post Exploring Venice: St Mark’s Square appeared first on .

We spent our second full day in Venice taking a boat ride to Murano.

VAPORETTO

We boarded the waterbus at the Ferrovia “A” stop located on the Grand Canal near the train station. We took line 3 to Murano and got off at the first stop, Murano Colonna.

The Charm Suites building located at the corner of the Grand Canal and the Cannaregio Canal

Heading out to the Laguna Veneta (Venetian Lagoon).

Looking back at Venice from the lagoon.

The Isola di San Michele houses a Renaissance church and Christian burial grounds. We didn’t stop at the island, but I’m sure it’s interesting.

IN MURANO

Getting off at the Murano Colonna stop meant we got to walk a bit to our first destination, the Glass Museum. I chose this on purpose to see more of the city by foot.

CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI

We walked along the Fondamenta dei Vetrai, searching for the glass museum, somehow missing the museum, and ending up on Fondamenta Venier. The pedestrian street came to an end at an inviting little path and open doorway. We walked in to see what appeared to be an abandoned church. I think it is actually still used during mass, it’s just not touristy like a lot of the Catholic churches in Venice. We didn’t go inside, but the outside was lovely.

GLASS MUSEUM

After our detour, we eventually made it to the glass museum. The Museo del Vetro is a museum on the history of glass. It was founded in 1861 and is one of them most complete glass collections in the world. On display are pieces dating all the way back to Roman times. There is a plethora of information, with examples, on the history of glass in the world and how Murano made its mark in glass making. If you are highly interested in glass, this would be a great place to visit. I found it interesting, but many of the terms describing the glass I didn’t fully understand.

The bird glass description “Crystal glasses with birds,… painted with opaque refunded polychrome enamels.” 18th century
The man with the missing arm described as “Lamp worked figurine in white enamel on uncolored glass…” 18th century

The bottom photo in this grouping is a time frame with 50 glass pieces ranging from the Roman times to the 20th century showing the milestones in the history of Murano glass.

I’m a sucker for chandeliers and ornate ceilings.

Modern pieces created out of white glass. 1980

The museum is in what was once a private palace, the Palazzo Giustinian. I enjoyed seeing the glass, but I loved the building, too – especially the outside courtyard.

LUNCH

We stopped at a homey looking restaurant for lunch. I can’t recall the name, but it was good.

Between us we had calamari, typical marinara spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, and locally caught fish.

John & I also enjoyed a Venice favorite, the spritz. Well, to be honest, enjoyed may not quite be the word to describe the drink. I didn’t care for it much. But, I did certainly enjoy the experience of being in such a wonderful place with my family and having the opportunity to try a local drink.

SHOPPING FOR GLASS

There were many shops selling beautiful glass work in Murano, of course. The one that stands out most is owned by glass artist Boscolo Andrea. All 5 of us could have stared and admired the amazing work for hours. We enjoyed watching a woman craft what I believe was going to be a pen. She was very friendly and patient with my kids.

We purchased a few small items. We were traveling Europe with only carry on’s, leaving very little room for souvenirs. As far as saving money, this was a great method. But, it was horrible for bringing back treasures. Next time I will look into how to ship items back home.

MORE SHOPPING

We browsed through a number of shops. As a chicken/bird enthusiast, I loved the many chicken pieces. They don’t match my home decor at all, but I still would have liked to bring a couple home just because they are awesome. We also stumbled across a store selling mosaic tiles. On an unlimited budget, I would have loved to pick out a bunch.

HEADING BACK

After a few glorious hours, it was time to get to the vaporetto stop and cruise back to Venice.

There were a variety of watercraft in the lagoon including fishing boats and sailboats.

Approaching the stop near St. Mark’s Square.

My original plans when scheduling our European trip included only one full day in Venice, but with a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. Timing wise, I couldn’t get the castle visit to work out, so instead we spent an extra day in Venice. I’m sure we would have liked the castle, but I am so thankful for another day in Venice. Because of the extra day we were able to explore Murano. I loved the relaxed atmosphere of  the glass-themed island so much.

The post Exploring Venice: Murano Island appeared first on .

In 2015, Farmer John was scheduled to spend a week in Germany for work. The kids & I tagged along. We extended the trip to 2 weeks and had a fantastic time in Europe. Our first stop was somewhere I have always wanted to go, Venice.

Venice. A dream turned reality. I can still hardly believe it.

ARRIVING

We flew from Portland to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Venice. I’m pretty comfortable with airport travel. But figuring out how to get from the airport to our actual destination can be tricky. Thankfully, I had done some research and found the best option for us was to take an airport bus. The directions I had on where to buy the bus tickets was spot on, so we easily made it to the bus. After a quick trip on Italy’s mainland, we made it to the bus terminal (Piazzale Roma) located on one of Venice’s many islands.

HOTEL

We made it easily to the bus terminal, now the next step was finding our hotel… on foot. I purposely chose a hotel not too far from the bus terminal and train station. Once we figured out which direction to head it was a pretty straight shot, up and over the Constitution Bridge (Ponte della Costituzione) & passed the Santa Lucia train station, to the alley where the hotel was located.

We stayed at the Hotel Caprera, which is located in the Cannaregio district.

I have no complaints about the hotel. Check in was easy. Check out was easy. The room was clean. The staff was polite. The breakfast was fine. The price, for being in the historical district of Venice, was reasonable. I would absolutely stay there again. Hopefully, one day I will get that chance.

OUR FIRST EVENING

We arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon/early evening. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city and eating dinner.

WALKING THE STREETS

The next day we spent wandering the streets of Venice with the goal of making it to St. Mark’s Square. Simply walking from place to place was enjoyable. I adored the atmosphere.

Getting around was a little confusing because of all the narrow alleys. But, we did pretty well and only once did we end up in a completely different place than we meant to. I had a fairly good idea of the places we were going to visit, so I printed maps highlighting the best route. Even when we didn’t stick to the plan exactly, the maps were still helpful. Don’t get the wrong impression, I didn’t have my nose in a map the whole time. But, they definitely helped me feel calm in a strange city without the anxiety of being lost. We didn’t have data on our phones while in Europe. Next time we need to figure that out.

Walking past all the canals was so dreamy.

Oh, the windows and doors! Loved them! They had such old world charm.

Hanging laundry. We don’t see that much at home. I even loved their laundry.

So many Carnival inspired masks were for sale. I knew they were part of the Venetian culture so I planned on us taking a class to learn about their history and actually paint a mask. Unfortunately, timing wise, this didn’t work out for us and they were sold out by the time we arrived. I was bummed, but that gives me something to look forward to next time we’re in the neighborhood. I did, however, buy blank masks and the kids painted them once we got home. I love the masks, but boy did they take up a lot of space in my very limited bag.

Close to St. Mark’s Square is higher end shopping. I’m not much of a shopper, so this didn’t interest me. But, I did enjoy checking out the window displays.

RIALTO BRIDGE

During our second evening in Venice, we walked to and explored the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge). I had no idea how wide the bridge was or that shops were on it. The bridge was built in the 1500’s, and at the time, was the only bridge to span the Grand Canal. It is amazingly beautiful. There are plenty of Rialto signs pointing in the correct direction around town, so it’s hard to miss it.

SELFIE STICKS

Oh geesh, the selfie stick pushers. In a couple of the more touristy areas were these guys selling selfie sticks. They were a tad pushy, but we didn’t have any trouble with them when we said no thanks.

THE FOOD!

I’m not a foodie. I like food… a lot, but I enjoy fairly simple food and gourmet, expensive food is not really my thing. So, I wasn’t searching for gourmet cuisine in Venice. I wanted simple food that tasted good. And, it was good! The food critics may not enjoy it, but I thought it was fabulous. John wants to go back just to eat.

We had pizza, calzone, calamari, spaghetti with clams, cannoli, and lots of cicchetti. Cicchetti are small portions of delicious food like rice balls, meat balls & sandwiches. We also stopped at a produce stand and grabbed a few items.

We didn’t often eat in the restaurants, since it costs more to do so. But the weather was so nice, it wasn’t a problem to find a nice place to sit outside and eat.

The kids favorite food: gelato
The adults favorite food: all the cicchetti

THE VAPORETTO

The vaporetto are the water taxi’s throughout Venice. They are crazy expensive. I opted to purchase just one day tickets and enjoy all we could from the vaporetto in the one day.

We hopped on the boat at the Ferrovia “A” stop, which was near our hotel, cruised the Grand Canal a short stretch to the Cannaregio Canal. Then it was out to the Venetian Lagoon, or Laguna Veneta. I loved this. Somehow, even with a boat full of strangers, the ride was magical. I’m fairly certain it was due to the amazing scenery. We got off at the first stop in Murano, Murano Colonna.

After spending a few hours in Murano, we got back on the boat at the same Murano Colonna stop, enjoyed the ride once again through the lagoon, and disembarked at the Fondamente Nove stop near St. Mark’s Square.

We explored the St. Mark’s area awhile, then boarded the boat again and headed up the Grand Canal towards our hotel. Again, the views were amazing… if you enjoy old world buildings. Which, I do.

It was a great day on the vaporetto. However, I do have one complaint. I don’t know the reason, but when we were set to board in the morning heading to Murano, it took for-e-ver. We left far after we were scheduled to. It was frustrating just because I wanted the most time in Murano.

SMOKERS

Of all the things we saw, I think the plethora of people smoking surprised my kids the most. Smoking is banned in most public places in the US, so they don’t see it a lot. They were shocked. And not just in Venice, but throughout our entire European trip.

STREET PERFORMERS

Many of the street performers were great. I enjoyed listening to them very much.

BIRDS & BUGS

I found the lack of critters throughout Venice odd. We saw a few pigeons and seagulls and literally one insect.

LOVE ROCKS

Love rocks were created by a grieving mother in a community near our home. To read more about them click here. We brought enough love rocks for each of us to leave one in each country we visited. It was kind of like leaving a piece of our home in Europe.

MOVIN’ ON

Of course, the time came for us to move on and continue our adventure elsewhere.

Like I said earlier, the hotel wasn’t far from the train station so we were able to walk.

I bought our train tickets prior to leaving home, and we arrived at the station with plenty of time to spare. So, the event was hassle free. We even enjoyed our last cicchetti.

I couldn’t have dreamt about a better time in Venice. I have found either you love Venice or you hate Venice. It was crowded in some parts, but not obnoxiously crowded. The weather was perfect; not too hot, not too cold, not humid. I didn’t notice an unpleasant odor that some complain about. The people were friendly. The food was da bomb. So, I’m on Team Love Venice.

The post Exploring Venice appeared first on .

Unfortunately, the Christmas hub-bub is catching up with me now. These last few countries didn’t get near the exploration as the first ones we studied.

England
Merry Christmas

It seems many of the traditions in the U.S are quite similar to those in England. Since they also send Christmas cards to friends & family I had Farm Kid1 make cards for 3 different people. They also do advent calendars, so we talked about those & the various ones we have in our house. I have one I made for me, one I made for the kids to do each day & my mom got them each a chocolate advent calendar this year. We also watched the episode of 19 Kids & Counting when they traveled to England. Farm Kid1 says he really wants to go to London so he can ride a red double decker bus. I hope he gets to do that some day.

LONDON CANVAS COLLAGE
I was able to pull in real life experiences for Great Britain. Years ago, the hubby & I spent a week in England. So we talked about this collage I made. And, Farm Kid1 has a friend who was born in Wales & his mom speaks with a British accent. They made it into our conversation that day.

Italy
Buon Natale

Italy is a place on my really-gonna-go-to-someday list. We talked about why I would like to go there – which is that I’m a huge fan of the Renaissance time period. I’ve just gotta see those masterpieces in person. And the rolling hills, the Venetian canals & real Italian pasta are calling my name. And, Rome. I want to walk the streets of Rome. Many of the countries we studied were primarily Catholic, so we also talked about the Vatican. It actually was a great way to pull all the countries together. Farm Kid1 learned to play the Italian song, Carol of the Bagpipes, on the piano. Something I didn’t know is that bagpipes are a big part of Christmas in Italy.

Israel
Mo’adim Lesimkha

We ended this unit with the Holy Land. We talked about Bethlehem & Jerusalem & how many people attend the Christmas service right at the spot where Jesus was born. We also watched the episode of 19 Kids & Counting when the Duggar family traveled to Israel. Farm Kid1 loved the camels, of course. He practiced playing Little Town of Bethlehem on the piano. I would like to study this country again & explore Hanukkah.

This was such a fun unit of study. I feel like I learned just as much as Farm Kid1. Now how do I pick which countries to study next year? We already discussed the ones that have meaning to our family in some way. I will have to pick a country in South America & Africa since we didn’t visit those continents this year. And, wouldn’t it be fun if I could come up with a whole unit study on Christmas Around the World incorporating math, spelling, reading & grammar. I’ve got a whole year, maybe I can come up with something.

Our Christmas Around the World Links:
Week 1 – Finland, France & Australia
Week 2 – Mexico, Philippines & Switzerland
Week 3 – England, Italy & Israel

The post Christmas Around the World – Week 3 appeared first on .