Europe
Radisson Blu OSL Airport Family Review: Where to Stay in Oslo When You’re Exhausted and Ready to Give Up
Catherine - 0
Flights didn’t look good departing from Oslo to Amsterdam on December 30 but if nothing else we are risk takers. What do a couple too few seats even mean to a standby traveler? Anything can happen. After all, we made it on a flight from Kirkenes to Oslo that morning when the odds were against us, and not just...
Europe
The Happy Ending: Our Family Christmas in Norway Saga Part 3 | Stranded with 3 Children Praying for an Airbnb to Save Christmas
Catherine - 0
Across town, in the opposite direction of the graffiti and promiscuous pictures was where we found our home for Christmas. This darling airbnb, with red cupboards in the kitchen and four single beds laying side by side each other in the bedroom, was perfect for our celebrations. Though we longed to be in Tromsø, we were finally in a...
Europe
Visiting Kirkenes, Norway with a Family: The Easternmost Town in Scandinavia and Gateway to Russia | Land of No Food
Catherine - 0
We found ourselves in Kirkenes after debarking from our two night cruise on the Hurtigruten. Kirkenes is a tiny little town of only 3,000 inhabitants on just over 500 acres, and was upgraded from a village just 20 years ago! The peninsula is sandwiched between the Bøkfjorden fjord, and the Varangerfjord fjord that borders Russia, and the city is...
Europe
Airbnb Gone Bad: Our Family Christmas in Norway Saga Part 2 | Stranded in A Stinky Airbnb with 3 Children Praying for Fresh Air
Catherine - 0
We knew it would be an adventure to travel for Christmas, especially through two different climates and with a suitcase full of Christmas presents, but we didn’t quite anticipate everything that could go wrong, would go wrong. On our first leg of the trip from Salt Lake City, Utah to Galveston, Texas one of our bags of luggage was...
Europe
That One Time When I Got to Fly in the Cockpit | Scandinavian Airlines with a Family: We Are Travelers, Scandinavia, Europe
Catherine - 2
Scandinavian Airlines, SAS Airlines, flies throughout Denmark, Sweden and Norway to 1300 destinations all across Europe. Their slogan, “We Are Travelers” is fitting as Scandinavians travel an average of five times a year throughout the three countries listed above! It was also fitting for our particular family as we are not only travelers, but have Scandinavian ancestry. Everything comes...
Europe
Standby Gone Bad: Our Family Christmas in Norway Saga Part 1 | Stranded in Oslo, Norway at OSL, Oslo Airport, Gardermoen with 3 Children Praying for Christmas Presents
Catherine - 0
Our family trip to Norway was one of those standby adventures gone wrong, but one we probably should have known better to anticipate. I was stressed for weeks leading up to this vacation. We had three flights to take after disembarking the Disney Wonder cruise ship, and making our way to our Christmas destination in Norway. That meant three...
Galveston
Where to Eat When you Can’t Get Your Kid an Elephant Ear at Paradise Pier: Fish Tales in Galveston, Texas
Catherine - 0
We actually had our heart set on some Elephant Ears at the pier to be enjoyed while riding the Ferris Wheel at the end of the dock of Pleasure Pier, but unbeknownst to us, said Pleasure Pier is closed Monday thru Thursday! After drying a bucket of tears and wringing out our soaking clothes from the injustice of it...
Europe
Iceland Children’s Book of the Trip Selection: Trukkar Og Tæki by Roger de Klerk
Catherine - 0
We started a tradition the year we went to Iceland: Buy a book in each place we visit. We started this tradition in Iceland, specifically, because we celebrated Christmas here and it is an Icelandic tradition to give or get a new book on Christmas Eve and spend the night reading it. This practice is called jólabókaflóð. We absolutely...
Europe
Christmas Traditions and How We Started the Book of the Trip in Iceland: Someone to Watch Over Me by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Catherine - 0
One of my most favorite Icelandic Christmas traditions is the exchange of books on the evening of the 24th of December. After a feast, which begins promptly at 6p, presents are opened by all. Included in the gifts is always the traditional gift of a book. The rest of the evening and the entirely of Christmas Day is spent...
Europe
Braving the Elements: Driving in Iceland During the Winter with Toddlers and Failing Miserably at Seeing the Northern Lights
Catherine - 0
Driving in Iceland in the winter can, and most likely will be terrifying and treacherous. Many of the roads are actually closed during the winter because driving conditions are so poor, including the entire northeast region. Driving in Iceland isn’t too bad in the city, but once you leave Reykjavik, country roads aren’t a priority for snowplows. In addition...