Forget4Explore

THIS IS IT.....the final European destination!! We arrived in Amsterdam after a quick and relatively painless flight from Berlin. The boys actually did really well and there were no major malfunctions. We had to kill quite a bit of time before check in, so we nestled in with some overpriced coffee.  After that we hit up the Foodhallen, which actually had a great market in the street. After purchasing some necessities, cheese, meat and a couple of beers, we sauntered back to our hotel to check in. (Warning: Rant)  This is where Amsterdam was ruined, at least for me. We booked our hotel on Priceline (no easy feat considering it is hard to find a hotel room for 3 adults and 2 infants). We were on the cusp of going to our triple room when out of no where, a hotel employee emerges and informs us that we will need to purchase a second room for an adult and an infant. Citing fire safety laws and some BS about each child requiring a provided cot, she offers us ...

After a very lengthy bus ride, we've made it to Prague. Seven and a half hours on a bus, with the boys and a militaristic stewardess who expected us to keep them in their seats belted. She gave up on us pretty quickly. Despite all of that, they did really well. We settled into our lovely and cozy apartment. This place feels like a home. It's going to be hard to leave. We managed to track down a Vietnamese restaurant that was open, filled our bellies and settled into bed. The next day was for exploring. Prague is a beautiful city!! A beautiful city ruined by tourists. The old town area reminds me of being at Disney. Nice buildings, tons of people, overpriced and trying to bleed your pockets. The cobble streets were hard to navigate with the strollers and hoards of people. That being said, it is picturesque. We walked to the main square, past the famous astronomical clock and over Charles Bridge. Staromestske Namesti (Old Town Square) The Church of our Lady be...

*****Luke Blogging**** Budapest is the city of bridges.  It is actually two cities.  Buda on one side of the Danube river and Pest on the other.  As soon as we arrived we knew this would be a great place.  It is full of ancient buildings, excellent restaurants, thermal baths, ruin bars, and has the best public transport I have ever used. We stayed in downtown Budapest very near the Oktogon subway station.  We had a great little apartment with a very eccentric host named Gabor.  He had a bottle of Palinka (a fruit Brandy) ready to try in the fridge.  It was delicious but will knock your socks of if you have more than two.  It was a comfy two bedroom affair with kitchen and two bathrooms.  Very clean and secure, with a courtyard for the boys to run around in. Palinka for a welcome shot. Safe and secure apartment building.  This is the inner courtyard. We approached exploring Budapest like any other city. ...