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We recently spent a long weekend at a "urlaub im bauernhof" - a holiday on a farm - near Lake Konstanz in southern Germany. On a friend's recommendation, whose husband had grown up vacationing on farms, we looked up one near the sea and booked a last minute family getaway. Though we booked very late during peak season (late August / early September), we found a cosy farm with just enough of a rustic feel (and no in-room wifi) to give us that "get away from it all" feeling. I can't wait to book another one of these holidays, and hopefully will make the next one with friends who also have small kids - I couldn't think of a better place to organize a simple and fun group holiday. To find a place, we simply went to Google, and looked for Bauernhof Urlaub Bodensee. There are a number of options all over Germany, including a ton in the Black Forest (where the hiking trails must be lovely for families with older kids). Some of the farms will offer full brea

We recently returned from a lovely, but hot, trip to Barcelona. Note to self, next time plan to visit in spring, fall, or even winter. Lucky for us, air conditioning is pretty universal. We rented  apartments  through VRBO in the Eixample neighborhood, which turned out to be super close to the airport shuttle bus as well! On arrival, we took a taxi (15 euros for a group of 5), but we took the  airport bus  on the way back. At 5 euros / person, it was a little pricier, but quick and easy. We settled into the apartments, which had most of the basics we would need for a few days - tabs for the dishwasher, a few trash bags, and even a bottle of cava! After stocking the apartment with food, we headed out for a wander, and found some delicious  burgers . Back inside for the evening, it was a low-key day to unpack and plan out the next few days. Day 1: We started with a mid-morning walk to  La Boqueria  after breakfast in the apartment, loaded up with frozen bottles of water to keep us

Over Easter weekend, we took a short (3 days / 2 nights) trip to Metz, a town about 2 hours away from home. It was our first time out with the little guy (nearly 2 years old now) in a while, and I think our traveling-with-kids skills have gotten a little rusty. So, although we didn't get to see too much of the city, we did learn a lot of valuable lessons for our next go-round of a holiday. What we did right: Find restaurants without the funny French closing hours. There are a number of tourist-centric restaurants around ( Buffalo Grill , most restaurants around the central train station, etc) that do not abide by the "normal" closing hours of lunch til 3, then dinner served only after 7 pm. We gave up the idea of eating at a charming French restaurant quickly, once we realized it would require keeping our grumpy toddler up past his bedtime to eat. Nobody wants to see that. Always check restaurant hours, especially in smaller French cities.  Find wide open spaces. We