Category Archives: Europe

F1 Monaco Grand Prix Voyage with Azamara

BonBon February 21, 2017 24 Comments

Nice Port, view from the top deck of Azamara Quest

Being at the Monaco Grand Prix has been on my bucket list since I started watching Formula 1, way back 2003. Aside from the sport, I’ve been wanting to see the beauty of Monte Carlo. My husband and I have been in and out Europe but hadn’t got the chance to visit Monaco and the French Riviera until last year. We just passed our 10th Wedding anniversary so we decided to do a couple’s trip – we haven’t done one since we had our first kid. We were lucky in that my in-laws were kind enough to fly in from South Africa to hang out and spend time with the kids. I know… they are the best!!! We went away for 2 weeks, kinda too long but we were so at peace knowing that the kids are in good hands and thanks to advance technology, we got to Skype with them everytime we got WIFI signal. We are beyond thankful.

You know the famous saying of Mark Twain, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Fortunately, I made my passion for travel into something that I can do for a living. I started my home-based travel agency last year and one of “the perks of the job” was to go onboard an Azamara Cruise for free… a choice of any destination I wanted. Pretty neat huh?!? So many options but one stuck out of the catalog was the 5 day F1 Monaco Grand Prix Voyage.

Azamara Quest tendered by Monte Carlo harbor Photo credit by Azamara Cruises — **Azamara Quest tendered by Monte Carlo harbor**
**Photo credit by Azamara Cruises**

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Scenic Drive on the French Riviera

BonBon June 14, 2016 25 Comments

The best way to see Cote D'Azur is to drive with a convertible car; the goal is driving a Ferrari:) #oneday

One of the most scenic drives in the world is in the South of France. I knew my husband would love this drive but I wasn’t so sure if it was a good idea since I know what it can be like to drive in a foreign country without knowing the local roads and traffic. So, I didn’t bother to book a car nor book any tours in advance. This recent trip we took was with just me and my husband; the first time we’ve spend time away from the kids in their lives. My idea was to be spontaneous; aside from being busy the past months before the trip, I was also thinking to take this vacation slow – no schedules, no planned itinerary, and no tours.

We spent the first 3 days of our trip in Cannes for the Film Festival and see a little bit of Nice. We then decided to take a drive through the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region. It has a lot of similarity with the scenery in Madeira, Portugal and Cape Town, South Africa where my husband is from. He enjoyed cruising around in a convertible with the top down 🙂 Indeed, a must-do if you visit this corner of the world.

Here are few of the photos we took along the way. Hope this will inspire you to visit the French Riviera. Buzz me to help you plan your adventure. xoxo Read More

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My Kids favorite European City – BRUSSELS

BonBon November 25, 2015 21 Comments

In the past days the news flash on our Amazon Echo has been talking about Brussels. The city is at the highest terror alert after the attacks in Paris. People were advised to stay away from train/bus stations, airports and not to gather around public places. Metro service and underground streetcar services have been interrupted. Last Saturday, the city was nearly empty since stores, bars and cafes closed down after 6 p.m.

**The Grand-Place is the central square of the City of Brussels**

This is the Grand Place in Brussels on a typical night. Can you imagine what’s it was like last weekend?

Lately, we have been bombarded with awful news around the world; Paris attack is just one of them… a long list for terrorist attacks happened this year. It is unimaginable for people who happened to be in those areas and it is heart breaking to hear their stories.

As a traveler and someone who encourages family travel, I had to pause and wonder as to what this means to people who love to travel. Would these incidents change their perspective towards travel? Is it still safe to travel or is their such a thing as safe anymore? I honestly can’t answer these questions for you but if you ask me, I’d say that my family will continue to travel the world. My hopes and plans for my children haven’t changed a bit. I still wanted them to explore the world – to learn, to have fun and discover the unknown.

Let no fear change the way you live! Read More

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Venice with Kids: Know Before You Go

BonBon July 26, 2015 18 Comments

Magical View from Rialto bridge at night:) And lots of pier all around the canal...

My husband recently had a conversation with a coworker who is going to Venice with his family. He had a flashback of our unforgettable experience last 2011. Then, he asked me to write a blog about it since Venice is such a beautiful city and families who are planning to go shouldn’t hesitate tagging along their kids. Proper planning is needed.

Flashback… Venice -February 2011 while I was 6+ months pregnant together with our 14-month old boy. Imagine that!

It was our 1^st international flight with our son and I was pretty confident that I got everything covered. However, travel is often full of surprises and its part of the whole experience. Our journey started bad – 1^st flight delayed so we missed our connection from Heathrow to Venice, leading to an unexpected reroute with a bus transfer to Gatwick with 1 bag already lost.

We stayed Venice for a few days and it was magical as expected. Actually, it was more meaningful since we shared it with our little boy.

We made lasting memories in Venice with our boy... — **We made lasting memories in Venice with our boy…**

So, here is a list of few things to consider when traveling to Venice with kids. This is a Must-Do-Check-List.

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Top 5 Charming Villages in Madeira

BonBon June 3, 2015 10 Comments

My kids spending quality time with Avô (grandpa)

Madeira Island is an exciting destination for all types of travelers. For the venturers who want to discover the unknown, for the dependables who require travel with comfort and for the centrics who can either go for a good challenging adventure or go for anything fun and comfortable. Madeira offers varied activities for everyone. Well, as I mentioned in my previous blog, one of my favorite things to do in Madeira is to go around the island. So many things to see and do… and heeeey…. you can tour the entire island for a day or 2.

Here are my top 5 charming villages in Madeira:

São Vicente

Located north of the island lies this cute little village of São Vicente. You will find the chapel bridge (Capela da Ponte) or saint chapel (Capela do Santo) down the valley by the sea. Built in 1694 constructed right on the very spot where it is believed that Saint Vicente appeared.

Teixeira family - background view is the Sao Vicente chapel by the bridge — **Teixeira family – background view is the Sao Vicente chapel by the bridge**

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Beautiful Island of Madeira

BonBon May 16, 2015 7 Comments

Madeira, “Ilha Jardim” (Garden Island) or “Pearl of the Atlantic”,one of the most beautiful destinations in Europe. I fell in love with this small island the first time I visited. It was just me and my husband then; I was totally blown away with its scenery – simply beautiful! This time round, we visited the family with our 2 kids.

My husband’s parents grew up in this island, but they moved to South Africa for better opportunities when they were young. So, in this visit they flew to Madeira to meet us and spend some quality time with the rest of the family. It was indeed an unforgettable trip. We’re glad the kids met their Portuguese family.

Madeira is a small island which offers a lot of activities to all ages – from the busy streets of Funchal to the peak of Pico do Areeiro – you will be delighted with the stunning views and fun activities. There are a lot of tours to choose from; well… we are lucky to have locals as our guide. I think we pretty much did most of the Must-Do activities during our last 2 visits.

Here are my favorite activities with the kids: Read More

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Berlin with Kids

BonBon April 22, 2015 9 Comments

The Berlin Cathedral - gorgeous day in Berlin!

Berlin WWII - Raising a flag over the Reichstag - Picture courtesy of Wikipedia — **Berlin WWII – Raising a flag over the Reichstag – Picture courtesy of Wikipedia**

On the top of my bucket list was Berlin – I was curious, as everyone, how they rebuilt the city after WW2 and Reunification. A place so rich in history with its sad and bitter past. However, I assumed most have moved on; I am here to share with you the Berlin now!

So thrilled to finally visit Berlin; thankful I got to see and experience it with the whole family. We only stayed for few days, but I believed we covered most of the must-see attractions. If you decide to visit Berlin; stay for at least a week.

We flew from DFW to Berlin via Frankfurt. Our flight was delayed, but we managed to catch our connecting flight just in time and our luggage made it too! Yay…