When visiting the Netherlands, you will want to see the tulips, the windmills, Amsterdam, the art and much more ( here are my tips for a few days in Amsterdam ). When you venture off the beaten path and go into the rest of the country you will find some pretty amazing people, sights and places. One of them is the Brunssummerheide  (sorry this one is in Dutch). Heather in early bloom - middle of August Where is it? The town of Brunssum is about 2 hours south east from Amsterdam, and about a 20 minute drive from Maastricht or Aachen (DE). It is literally on top of the old dutch coal mines and as you drive around Brunssum you will see reminders of the old mines. You are in the hilly part of the country, and we are all very proud of those hills. They are quite picturesque, and if you like this area make sure to visit Valkenburg, Gulpen, and for example Vaals where you can walk in 3 countries in 5 seconds... Many bike routes run through the Brunssummerheide and if you like to...

Playing tourist in your own country is often times so easy. Of course I knew about the statue garden and the modern art museum Kroller Muller, but I had no idea the museum houses a very large set of Vincent Van Gogh paintings, including one his most famous works and some of his early beginnings. Yes, even Vincent had to start somewhere, and some of it is downright funny to look at. Most visitors to the Netherlands won't make it to this place, it is in the middle of the country, in a nature reserve, which means you will want to drive there. Arnhem is the largest, somewhat known city (WWII - a Bridge too Far) near the park and museum. The Museum You can find the usual details on their website (in English) . We actually spent a large portion (5 hours) of the day at the museum, enjoying the outdoor statue garden, eating at the restaurant under the canopy and lastly checking out the inside with the Van Gogh collection. As always, the museum gets busy in the early afternoon. So lea...

People ask me all the time, what should I do and avoid in Amsterdam? Well, there is a lot of fun stuff to do without it all costing an arm and a leg. Just enjoying the city, its sights and its outdoor seating is largely free (considering you have to eat or drink anyways)... Here are some of my favorite things to do and go see as well as some practical things. Just Been There Art Look at or buy art inspired by this trip. If you like this trip, but can't go, or you too have just been there, this unique art may rekindle fond memories of your own trip. Click the image for a link to the online store. Note: you will be leaving this site and connect to the artists site. Canal Scene - Amsterdam All art copyright Christine Ong-Dijcks. Food The important bit (in my opinion) when wandering around Amsterdam. Of course you will see lots of restaurants around Leidse Plein or Rembrandt Plein. Some may even be worth it... but I would go with some more funky or local options. You should find...

Prague is a city to enjoy, and as many European cities has excellent public transportation options to save some money on airport transfers into the city. Airport Express Bus This bus stops at both Terminal 1 and 2. I've found it a convenient option, although it costs 60 Czech Crowns, about double that of the public bus and subway. If you are coming from a Schengen country, you will hop on at T2. The bus stop is at the end of the public bus stops, just walk outside from the terminal and follow signs for Airport Express. Have some small amount of Czech crowns and pay the driver directly. No need to get tickets beforehand. It took about 30 minutes on a Sunday to get to the central train station. The return trip on a Friday afternoon took about 45 minutes or so. So plan ahead. The bus drops you off outside (actually - on top of) the main station. To get to the city and the actual station, take the elevators down or walk down the steps. From the main train station hall, ...

During our stay in Pechon we did some fun day trips, seeing some of the coastal towns, visiting a beautiful cave and eating some great food. Day 1 - Lastres, Llanes and Pechon This was our first day driving around Cantabria with a first stop in Lastres. When doing this you will pass Llanes, but we figured that we drive west first and then double back via Llanes to Pechon. Duration: Casual day (10:00 - 18:00)  Short drives (less then 1 hour) between places What to bring: Towel and beach gear, because the two towns have nice beaches Water / drinks Food if you want to picnic on the beach / park / Paseo Comfy shoes to walk the cobblestones A sweater since you are at the beach and it might be foggy and windy, even in late June if you are early or stay later Umbrella (just in case) Who can come: Kids will love the beaches Adults the towns and food Walking is mostly easy with a few steps and lots of cobble stones Traffic is astonishing light on the A8, ...

This June / July (2018) we took a 10 day trip to Northern Spain. Our intent was to enjoy the coast, beaches, nature, the people and very importantly, the food. See the entire 10 day itinerary here . Traveling to Spain - Bilbao Airport - Pechon You'll find loads of flights from all Europe into Bilbao, which we found to be a good spot to land and leave from. We picked up our rental at the airport. Read the more practical stuff about picking up your car, driving around, gassing up and the toll roads in this post from the same trip . The drive to Pechon is 1 1/2 hours or so from Bilbao Airport and quite easy and nice. Down the A8 towards Santander (if you arrive early in the day, consider stopping in Santander). Pechon has 2 entrance and access roads that meet in the town forming a loop. One way goes past the camp ground, the other has some really nice views, including this guy: The town is small and cute. There are a few Posada's for you to stay. As we stayed at...

Yes, there are too many things to do and see across these regions. Each one of them would warrant an entire stay of 10 days. But as always, you will have to make some choices if you want to see some of the highlights. Here is what we did as a family of 3, with a kid that just turned 11. High-Level Itinerary We started and ended at Bilbao Airport, but we skipped the city itself, despite it's wonderful Gugenheim museum. We decided to see the local coast line, enjoy local food and see a few other towns and cities. So here are those: Day 1 (afternoon) - Arrival Bilbao Airport Picking up the car and driving details => read before you start... Drive to Pechon - 1 1/2 hours "Check into" our HomeAway apartment Get groceries at Lupa Walk to the beach Cook a simple meal and chill Day 2 - Lastres and Llanes ( details about days 2 - 4 can be found here ) Roadtrip to see Lastres Lunch at La Rula in the harbor (menu del did for Euro 12 p/p) Lastres t...