Travel – These Fleeting Days

A fun and adventurous road trip in Ireland with Kids

Highlights from our 14 day road trip in Ireland

After our amazing road trips in Australia and Italy, the idea of exploring the beautiful Ireland tempted us to spend 2 weeks of our summer vacation here. The size of this country is incomparable to its vast beautiful landscapes, charming castles filled with ancient history, the beaches and the cozy villages along the coast.

As we were travelling with small kids, it was a great idea to do a road trip at our own pace and that gave us a freedom and flexibility to customize our adventure. We made sure that our itinerary also included many things for our kids to do as well!

This post contains the highlights of some of the beautiful places we visited from our road trip in Ireland. I will be sharing a detailed itinerary in the next posts.

Galway city

A wild and vibrant bohemian city situated along the Wild Atlantic Way, Galway is a popular seaside destination with long sandy beaches. Take a walk around the city center while exploring the colorful shop facades, the cafés, pubs and the restaurants. Eyre Square (‘An Fhaiche Mhór’ in Irish) in the heart of Galway City, officially known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Park is a popular tourist spot. The famous Lynch castle and the Spanish Arch positioned on the left bank of the Corrib River, are few of the Galway`s historical gems, dating back to pre-medieval times.

Connemara National Park

Situated in the West of Ireland in County Galway, Connemara National Park is one of
Ireland’s six National Parks and is part of Wild Atlantic way. It covers over 2,000 hectares of scenic mountains, grasslands and woodlands. There are many walking trails of varying distances and levels and some are accessible by strollers too. Neel (almost 5y old) walked all the way collecting sticks, flowers and stones. There are designated areas for picnics and a playground for young children.

Kylemore abbey, nestled in the heart of Connemara, on the Wild Atlantic Way is worth a visit too.

Aran Islands – Inishmore

We spent an entire day in Inishmore island (Inis Mór), the largest of the three Aran islands. We drove to Rossaveal port and took the ferry to Inishmore. There are many ways to explore the island but we chose to take a pony tour. Our guide was really good and stopped at many locations explaining about the landscape filled with limestone structures, centuries old Christian and Celtic sites and many other interesting facts about the island. From the Dún Aonghasa visitor center, we climbed the cliff to visit Dún Aonghasa, a breathtaking semi circular stone fort overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. These cliffs are not stroller friendly, so make sure to take a baby carrier along with you.

Cliffs of Moher

Situated on the Wild Atlantic Way on Ireland`s west coast are the stunning Cliffs of Moher. It is one of Ireland`s premier tourist attraction and a must see for many people visiting Ireland. We visited the cliffs on a rainy / foggy day and the cliffs were fully cloaked in fog. We thought we would be unlucky and would not get to see these magnificent cliffs. Luckily, the fog lifted and we were able to bask in the glory of one of the most outstanding coastal features of Ireland. There are many hikes you can do to experience the beautiful landscape. However, we took a walk from the visitor center to almost near Hags head (until the path became too narrow to take our stroller) and walked back to our car.

Ring of Kerry

Take a drive through one of Ireland’s most famous scenic routes Ring of Kerry. It is a beautiful circular loop around the Iveragh Peninsula, beginning and ending in Killarney. Unfortunately, due to heavy rain, we could not stop and spend the day in any of the scenic spots, but we were glad we decided to do this trip. The spectacular views of the lakes, mountains, the cozy little villages like Portmagee, Waterville and Sneem and the rugged coastline was all worth the trip! By the end of the route, we stopped at Muckross House in Killarney, a 19th century Victorian mansion set against the stunning beauty of Killarney National Park and took a tour of the house.

Some of the beautiful spots in Ring of Kerry

Cork

Though we did not get to visit all the beautiful places in Cork, we were able to cover atleast a few of them. Inchydoney and Warren beaches located 10-15min drive from Clonakilty are worth a visit. Though the water was too cold to swim, kids enjoyed collecting shells, snails and worms (the last 2 were Neel`s idea). Clonakilty is a charming market town in West Cork with beautiful history and heritage of its own. Fota Wildlife Park, a 100 acre wildlife park located on the scenic Fota Island is a unique place with lots of animals and birds with some of them (like wallabies and lemurs) roaming freely throughout the park. It is a great place to bring your kids and spend the day here. Cobh Harbour located in Cork is said to be the second largest natural harbour in the world and is best known for being the ‘last port of call’ to the ill-fated RMS Titanic.

Wicklow

Located south of Dublin, Wicklow Mountains National Park is the largest National Park in Ireland. There are many things you can see and do throughout the mountains. The Glendalough Valley is located in the National Park and has many attractions like its world famous Monastic Site and the scenic Upper lake which are accessible through stroller friendly trails, easy for the young kids to walk too. From here, we took a scenic drive through the mountains until Sally Gap and back to Wicklow not before stopping to enjoy the breathtaking view of Lough Tay. Powerscourt Estate, House and Gardens, another grand mansion with a lot of history has one of the most beautiful gardens in Ireland!

I will be posting a detailed itinerary of our trip soon giving you all the details of the places we visited, stayed and the things we did with our kids.

Save these ideas for your trip to Ireland with your kids next time.

A family road trip in Tuscany – 7 days in our campervan

Since our last roadtrip in Australia in a campervan (read about it here), we were looking for another chance to do a similar roadtrip. When the lockdown measures were eased last year, we decided to take a week long trip to Tuscany.

Tuscany is one of the most beautiful regions and pretty much the most touristic part in Italy! One can experience beautiful countryside, historical hilltop villages, the vineyards offering rich local wine, scrumptious local food and much more.

Choosing our campervan

Rather than renting a campervan in Italy, we decided to rent one from Switzerland through this website. We found quite a good one for 4-people for a reasonable price and the owner was really helpful in giving us all the information. Some tips when you rent a campervan:

Buy a good guidebook to get all the information about the campsites. We got this one for our roadtrip. There is an app you can download too.
Make sure to take child seats (if you have small kids) with you.
Check the space available in the van and pack your luggage accordingly.
Usually the owners offer a lot of things in the van like utensils, bedsheets, blankets etc. Check before you take these things with you.
Make sure to survey the van completely before starting the trip and don’t hesitate to tell the owner if something is broken or not working properly.
The rates per night at the campsite may change according to the season, it is best advised to book the space in advance.
Some of the facilities like swimming pools or restaurants in certain campsites are usually unavailable during off season, so don`t be disappointed.

What to carry for the trip

As we were travelling with two small kids, we made sure to carry enough necessities but at the same time, we tried not to overpack.

Clothes: We took enough clothes for all of us. However, campsites usually have all the utilities including washing machines and we were able to wash and dry our clothes whenever we wanted.
Food: We had a kitchenette (Including utensils) in our van and made use of it quite a lot. Eating out with 2 kids is not always easy and fun so we tried to cook atleast one meal in the camper. Some items we took from home, like coffee machine, coffee powder, milk powder (For Nyra), pasta, rösti (hashbrown) and snacks. We bought the rest in Italy.
Care kit: Shampoo and soaps, medicines (Especially for the kids), sun-screen lotions for all of us.
Others: Proper hiking shoes, diapers & wet wipes (not too many as we could easily buy them in the stores in Italy), garbage bags, Stroller, baby carrier, chargers and my kindle.

Planning our route

I had an extensive itinerary planned for the trip. In the end, we skipped some sights as the roads were either too narrow for our campervan or we could not find any parking spots. In the end, our itinerary looked like this. Make sure to reserve the camping spots in advance. It could either be full during peak times or closed during other times.

Places we visited on our road trip

Genoa

After a 6h drive from home and a 2h waiting time near the Italian border, we finally reached our first stop, Genoa. We made the mistake of not booking any camping space in advance and we had to search for one for quite sometime. Luckily, we found a spot in Camping Genova est. After a delicious meal at the restaurant inside the campsite for dinner, we rested for the night.

About Campsite: The campsite is a bit outside the city and located on top of the hills. So be careful when you drive with a big motorhome. There is a restaurant offering authentic Italian food. The view of the Italian riviera from here is amazing. It has clean basic facilities like toilets, showers and washing machines.

Livorno

From Genoa, we drove towards Livorno. The drive took us through the most beautiful scenic route of Italian riviera filled with colorful houses, turquoise sea and cute little villages all along. We reached our campsite Camping Tripesce by lunchtime. After we got settled in our camping spot, and ate lunch at the camp restaurant, we spent sometime on the beach next to the campsite. In the evening, we took a walk to the city, found a cafe and enjoyed gelato and coffee. We cooked burger for dinner in the kitchenette in our campervan.

About Campsite: The campsite is located right next to the beach and this makes the location quite unique. A bar and a restaurant offers wide variety of foods. The campsite runs a supermarket with fresh vegetables, fruits and all kinds of Tuscan products. A playarea and a mini golf area keep the young guests happy and busy. Clean amenities like toilets, showers and washing sinks are available in plenty.

Siena

Next day we drove to Siena. After getting settled in our campsite Camping Siena Colleverde, we took a bus to the city center. Siena is one of the highlights of Tuscany and the historic old town is one of the most beautiful spots in Italy. The old brick houses, the curved medieval alleys and the historic churches attract visitors from all over the world. The centre of the city is dominated by a large, shell-shaped square called the Piazza del Campo. We wandered around, browsing through shops selling local food, wine and other Tuscan products. After having lunch at this local restaurant (one of the best restaurants we found this time), we drove back to our campsite . Dinner was local foccacia bread with olives and cheese we bought in the city center.

About Campsite: The campsite is well located. Buses stop regularly at the bus stop right next to the campsite and you can visit the city center quite easily. Toilets, showers and washing sinks are clean. There is a swimming pool open during summer, a restaurant and a supermarket offering wide range of food. There is also a playground for the kids.

On our second day in Siena, we decided to try out an Agriturismo. These are farms/ camping grounds and are usually privately owned. We chose to stay at Agriturismo Podernuovo. After taking a short hike to a nearby river, we spent the rest of the day exploring the campsite. We cooked pasta for dinner and ordered freshly baked biscuits, rolls and foccacia for breakfast next day from our owners.

About Campsite: Located on the hills amidst green vegetation and fields, the campsite offers the best view of Crete Senesi. On the grounds of the farm there are many quiet spots where you can sit and relax. The farm has clean toilets and washing areas. You can buy local products like jams, wines, cheese, olive oil and breads from the farm owners. Kids can pet the farm animals.

Volterra

Fans of the movie series “Twilight” may recognize the place “Volterra”, where the fictitious vampire royalty the Volturi reside. The place inspired much of the movie series, even though the scenes in the movies that were set in Volterra were filmed in a different part of Italy. Volterra is a beautiful hilltop town with history that dates back from before the 8th century BC. We wandered around for few hours just exploring Volterra’s winding cobbled streets filled with Roman, Etruscan and Medieval structures before eating lunch here. We bought lots of local meat (for mike), fresh olives and breads to eat for dinner.

Cinque Terra

The next day we drove to Deiva Marina and stopped at our next campsite Camping Valdeiva. After we cooked and ate pasta for lunch, we took a train to Vernazza. Our camp offered shuttle service to train station every half hour. Among the 5 villages of the Cinque Terre, Vernazza is supposed to be the most beautiful, best known and most visited of all. Vernazza is the perfect starting point for hikes along the Blue Trail connecting Vernazza with Monterosso and Corniglia. We spent the rest of the day walking around the cobbled streets of Vernazza.

About Campsite: The campsite is located few minutes away from the famous Cinque Terre. It has quite a lot of facilities like swimming pool, playgrounds and restaurants. Clean toilets, showers and washing sinks are available too.

We drove back towards home the next day, not before stopping one last night at Sonogno in Switzerland. Located in Locarno (canton of Ticino), with plenty of stone houses and typical alleys, Sonogno is the last village of the Verzasca Valley. We parked at the general camper parking area for the night.

Hope our short family trip inspires you and gives you enough information for your next trip in Tuscany.

Cheers!

Travelling solo with small kids

It can be quite daunting to travel with small kids. But when you are all alone with a baby and a toddler or a young child, things can get even more challenging. My first solo trip with Neel was to Dubai. Though I was quite nervous to travel alone with a 6month old, things went quite smoothly. The flight was on time, we got the best seats and the flight attendants were really helpful. Since then, I have been travelling with Neel alone on day trips, with a friend and her kids on weekend trips and more Internationally to India and Dubai.

With the birth of my daughter Nyra, my urge to travel alone has thankfully not dimmed, infact I have already made some weekend trips in Switzerland and have flown to India and Dubai. Based on my experience, I have highlighted some tips for travelling alone with small kids and I hope some of these tips really help you have a peaceful and yet a fun-filled vacation.

Start Small with day trips

If you are really nervous to travel alone with young kids, try taking day trips alone. Pack for the day and visit a city nearby or go for a hike. By the end of the day, you will be more comfortable travelling with kids and you can even estimate how many clothes or diapers, and milk you may need to carry (for babies) and snacks and food for the young kids.

Take weekend trips with friends

When you are comfortable travelling alone with kids on day trips, try going with a friend and their kids on weekend trips. The best part here is that you get to parent alongside someone else so you don’t really feel alone and you get to have lots of fun too.

Prepare an itinerary

Whether you are going to stay in one place or planning to visit different places during your trip, prepare a detailed itinerary. I still remember the old times when Mike and I used to plan everything spontaneously on our vacation. Unfortunately, when you’re alone with young children you have to have a plan. When the baby is crying and the toddler is whining, it’s hard to think straight much less formulate a plan. As the kids get older or you get more confident, you can start doing things more spontaneously. There are several downloadable Family travel planner online you can use for all the planning.

Take it slow

Try to schedule all the activities during the day and take it easy in the evening. You will not get to enjoy anything if kids are overtired and cranky.

Book a Hotel Apartment or Airbnb

Look for accommodation like hotel apartment or an Airbnb which usually includes all the facilities required for a family including changing tables, highchair, kitchen to cook food and large space for the kids to play.

Pack smartly

When you are travelling alone with small children, you tend to forget many things while packing. I recommend using a Packing list for such cases. I have been using this Packing list from Flying Tigers for the past few years.

Carry a comfortable backpack with lots of compartments. You will most probably carry it for a long time during your trip and you don`t want to kill your back (especially if you have to carry your little one too).
Try not to overpack with things you can actually buy at your destination. I always pack diapers, wetwipes and things I need for the baby for the first few nights. I buy for the rest of the vacation at the place I am visiting. It saves a lot of space in your luggage and you can travel light.
Travel with a stroller where you can also hang your backpack (so you don`t have to carry it all the time).
Make sure that everything you need is at your reach. I organize all the things I need in separate ziplock bags. I pack toys, books, snacks and extra clothes for us in different bags. This way things are easily accessible when you really need them.
Use a small pouch as a diaper bag with very few diapers and wetwipes (And store the rest in your backpack). This way you don`t need to take out the whole backpack to change your little ones especially when you are in the flight.

Prepare for the travel

If you are flying, some of these tips may come in handy:

When you need to use the restroom, try using the Accessible toilets at the airport. These restrooms are usually really spacious and can fit your stroller, bags, and kids with ease. They also have changing tables.
Look for a children`s play area at the airport. Let your kids release all the energy before the flight so that they get to rest while flying.
Make sure to pack lots of snacks, milk and other foods which your kids love.
Try taking as many small toys as you can.
Download songs/ movies that your kids love and play them when things get really hard. (If there is no inflight entertainment).
Make sure that you have all the documents required for the travel and easily reachable (if you are carrying them in your backpack).
If available, try booking a night flight as the kids will be asleep for most of the flight.
Don`t hesitate to book a porter to carry your bags at the airport.

Ask for Help or Accept help!

Things went quite awry this time when I flew back from India. The flight was delayed, Nyra`s diaper exploded and everything including my pant was wet, Nyra was crying (screaming) constantly before the flight and nothing could soothe her. I was quite overwhelmed. But a really nice lady offered to help me carry my stuff while I tried to calm Nyra down. I was so grateful for this kind lady who stepped forward to help me.

Don`t forget about yourself

Make sure you have comfortable clothes that fit well so you’re not worried about adjusting your clothes all day. Download your favorite books if you are carrying kindle.

It`s all worth it

Though we love travelling as a family, sometimes I have to travel alone especially if Mike is busy with his work. My zeal for travelling has also given me great strength in travelling solo with my kids. Even though it can be overwhelming and things are definitely going to go wrong, I am happy to know that I can travel anywhere with my two kids and I hope that some of my tips will also give you the confidence to travel alone with your little ones.

A day in a cozy Mountain village in the Alps

Located in the Bernese highlands, 1650 metres above the Lauterbrunnen valley, is the most beautiful alpine village, Mürren.
With only around 450 inhabitants, it is a car-free village, accessible only by cable cars either from Lauterbrunnen or from Stechelberg.

One morning we drove from our Airbnb in Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg and took the cable car up to Mürren. Relishing a hot cup of coffee and a croissant, we took a walk around the village while enjoying the unique view of the famous Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains.

From there, we took the funicular up to Allmendhubel. At 1907 metres above the sea level, Allmendhubel has the best view of the alpine peaks. There is a restaurant called The Panorama, offering the most delicious Swiss delicacies, an adventure playground called the “Flower park” for kids, a “Flower Trail” consisting of almost 150 different alpine flowers (including Edelweiss and alpine roses), that bloom in summer. After having our lunch at the restaurant and exploring the flower trail, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the playground before we took the funicular back to Mürren.

How long did we stay: We spent one whole day in Mürren / Allmendhubel.

Accessible by a cable car from Mürren is another famous Swiss summit Schilthorn. The Schilthorn – Piz Gloria is world-famous for its 360 ° restaurant and also as the location for the Bond classic “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”.
The younger me would have craved to go up to Schilthorn-Piz Gloria. But the mother in me decided instead to stay longer in Allmendhubel where I was sure the playground was definitely going to keep my kids busy.

Where did we stay: At this Airbnb, 15min drive from Lauterbrunnen.

Where did we eat: For lunch we had rösti and carrot soup at Panorama restaurant Allmendhubel and for dinner pizza and pasta at Restaurant Luna piccante.

Things to be aware of:
– Mürren is a car-free village. If you have small kids with you, make sure to carry light. We chose to take stroller instead of carrying Nyra in a carrier and we were able to keep most of the unused jackets and other bags on the stroller.
– Be prepared for the unpredictable weather.
– Parking at Stechelberg can fill up as early as 8am in the morning especially during weekends and vacation time in Summer.
– Flower trail at Allmendhubel is not stroller- friendly. You can leave the stroller at the restaurant and take a walk around the trail.

With love from Switzerland 🇨🇭

Madhurya.

Bernese Highlands – Lauterbrunnen

In 1911, the 19-year-old J.R.R. Tolkien hiked through the Swiss Alps – and of course through the Lauterbrunnen Valley with its steep rockfaces. Hardly anyone knew that he found his inspiration for the landscape in «Lord of the Rings» here. The Lauterbrunnen Valley was the inspiration behind Rivendell from the Lord of the Rings.

Right before I went back to work after my maternity leave, we decided to spend a week in the Bernese Oberland. It had been on my mind to visit this region for quite sometime, and with the pandemic situation, we decided to spend a short vacation inside Switzerland rather than flying somewhere else.

We took this trip mid-July expecting the weather to be nice and warm and boy were we wrong! It rained most of the time, but this time I was prepared. I had packed clothes suitable for both rain and sun for all of us. Along with Sweaters, jackets and raincoats, I carried swimwear, shorts and dresses for all of us to tackle the unpredictable weather.

We left around 7.30 in the morning in our car to reach our first destination, Lauterbrunnen. It was a 2.5h drive from our home. It was not such a long drive, but with little ones on board it is always better to be prepared. I had packed enough snacks, water and toys for both kids to survive the drive. Thankfully, they slept halfway and we were able to drive smoothly.

We stopped at Iseltwald at around 9.50am to have coffee and feed Nyra. After taking a stroll around, we got back on the road again. By the time we reached Lauterbrunnen, it was 11.00am.

The Lauterbrunnen valley is the world’s most spectacular glacial valley, home to 72 waterfalls, including some of the highest in Europe. We took the famous Lauterbrunnen Valley hike which is an easy child-friendly hike starting from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg (almost 4km) where you can either take a bus back into town or walk back along the trail. Beautiful Swiss alpine homes, mountains, waterfalls, green pastures kept us in awe during the entire walk.

After lunch and taking a stroll in the village, we drove to our Airbnb apartment which was a 15min drive from Lauterbrunnen. In the evening, we drove to Interlaken, about 10 minutes drive, and enjoyed an evening walk in the city.

How long did we stay: We spent one whole day in Lauterbrunnen.

Where did we stay: At this Airbnb, 15min drive from Lauterbrunnen. We were lucky to find this place as apartments in this region are usually booked during summer.

Where did we eat: Local burger and Älpler Makkaroni for us (and Sweetpotato puree for Nyra) in Restaurant Weidstubli in Lauterbrunnen for lunch. Indian food for us (and Butternut squash puree for Nyra) at Indian Tandoori Restaurant in Interlaken for dinner.

Things to be aware while traveling with kids: I found below things quite helpful,

Make sure to take lots of snacks while you are walking / hiking with kids. We snacked on local icecream, carrots and fruits during this hike. There were vending machines selling local cheese and meat which Mike and Neel found very tasty!
I had packed some ziplock bags with us. We made a fun game of picking interesting things during the walk like colorful flowers, stones and wooden pieces.

More on our trip in the Bernese highlands in the coming posts….

Some glimpses of our walk

-Madhurya

Baumwipfelpfad Neckertal

Toggenburg is located in the eastern part of Switzerland in canton St. Gallen. It lies between the mighty Säntis massif and the peaks of the seven Churfirsten mountains, where the Thur and Necker rivers take their course. One of the most beautiful regions in Switzerland, Toggenburg is composed of many villages like Wildhaus, Unterwasser, Alt St. Johann, which are famous tourist spots. In winter, there are many ski slopes in the region and in summer, there are several interesting panoramic views and themed hiking routes that wind through impressive mountain landscape.

Baumwipfelpfad Neckertal, the first treetop path opened in Switzerland, is located in Mogelsberg, a village in the Toggenburg region. The 500-metre path offers a unique experience of the local forest.

I drove my kids from our home in Dachsen and an hour later I was able to find this place quite easily. From the parking lot it is a few meters uphill walk to the hiking area.

First we walked around the treetop path. There is a lot to learn on this path. There are almost 40 stops/ stations that give a lot of information on the flora, fauna and the settlements in the region. From the viewing platform which is around 50 metres from the ground, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the entire Neckertal valley.

It is a very good place for kids to learn about the different trees, animals, birds and local people that inhabit this area. When we visited, there was a huge group of kids on their class trip; It was so nice to watch them discuss everything with their teachers.

Below the treetop path, there is a play area for kids and a forest adventure trail which is almost 650m long. After we came down, we walked around the forest trail. There are more interesting and fun stations on the forest trail too. Neel enjoyed the walk looking for different kinds of mushrooms.

I packed some lunch with us and after we ate them, I let Neel play for a while in the play-area. It consists of a zipline, balancing ropes, swings all made of wood and natural materials.

Everything looked so natural!

Before we headed back home, we ate some ice cream in the picnic tables set up, while enjoying the views of the region.

Some more information about this area:

Day ticket costs CHF 15 for adults (16years and above) and CHF 8 for children (6 – 15 years) and free for kids younger than 6.
There are many package deals available, find out about them here.
There is a small self-service bistro, where you can grab light snacks and drinks.
All around the park (including the treetop path), there are seating arrangements to sit and just soak in the beauty.
There are designated bbq areas and picnic tables
The whole facility is stroller- and wheelchair-friendly
There is wheelchair-friendly parking right outside the park
There is a huge parking facility just 15 min from the park at Parkplatz Sportzentrum.

Here are a few tips:

Make sure your stoller can handle the forest path.
As the bistro has very limited options to eat, make sure to take lunch from home. There are many picnic tables to sit and enjoy.
Our picnic lunch usually consists of sliced carrots, sliced cucumbers, sandwiches and fruits
It usually tends to get crowded on weekends so try to get there early
We spent almost 4 hours inside the area. You can explore the nearby villages or hike around.

I will surely bring the kids and Mike next time when the kids are a bit older and are able to better understand the natural habitat that we call home.

– Madhurya