Tag: museums
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Experiencing Christmas, Holy Doors & A Jubilee Year {Vatican City}
Our visit to Rome and Vatican City happened to fall during an especially unique time. When we arrived, the Christmas tree was already standing tall in St. Peter’s Square, and workers were putting the finishing touches on the nativity scene beside it. We watched as Christmas market stalls slowly appeared along the sweeping colonnades, transforming…
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Space Race & the Moon Landing- Visiting the U.S. Space & Rocket Center {Alabama}
We spent a weekend down in Alabama, and our first stop was the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. While many people immediately think of Cape Canaveral when they hear “NASA,” Huntsville played an equally vital role in the space program—this is where the rockets were designed, built, and tested. It’s also home to…
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History, Haunts, & Halloween in Salem {Massachusetts}
With Halloween just around the corner, what better time to talk about one of the most spirited places in America—Salem, Massachusetts. Known as the “Witch City,” Salem fully embraces its spooky side every October. The streets come alive with costumes, ghost tours, candlelit walks, and an undeniable buzz that fills the crisp autumn air. This…
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Windmill, Canals & Golden Streets – Exploring Haarlem {Netherlands}
On our last day of our trip, we had planned to set out for the city of Delft. I had unapologetic ideas of how many pieces of Delftware ceramics I was going to buy. But our plan was derailed when we learned that the NATO Summit was being held in the nearby Hague. There was…
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A day Around Amsterdam- Beauty Amid the Bustle {Netherlands}
Sometimes a new city becomes a new favorite. And sometimes, the city just doesn’t connect with us like others do. Amsterdam, we decided, is not really our scene. We truly enjoyed many of the places we visited in the city, but we just didn’t connect with Amsterdam itself. Part of it was the sheer busyness-…
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Summer Days Around Munich {Germany}
We really love returning to a place we have visited before and experiencing it in a different way. Sometimes we see the same place with new eyes. Sometimes we make a point to see something completely new. The last time we were in Munich, we mostly saw the Christmas markets of the city. That visit…
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Painted Houses, Mountain Views, Violins, & Masks- A Day in Mittenwald {Germany}
We love small towns and places off the tourist trail, and the town of Mittenwald fits that bill perfectly. Our day in Mittenwald was filled with all our favorite things- museum, bakery, and mountain trails. The day also came with a few misadventures, but we’ll get to that later. Taking the train from Innsbruck we…
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Exploring Innsbruck {Austria}
We spent a few wonderful days exploring around Innsbruck. It didn’t take us long to realize that this could be a new favorite city. It is elegant, interesting, beautiful, and full of incredible mountain views. Innsbruck is a very historic town, dating as far back as the Stone Age. Around 1180 the town was first…
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Perfect Views & Family Bones-Exploring Hallstatt {Austria}
For as long as I can remember, any idea I had about what Austria looked liked came from two places- Salzburg and Hallstatt. Salzburg of course from the hundreds of times I watched the Sound of Music. But whenever it was that I started looking through guide books and travel books, Hallstatt was always featured.…
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Cowboys & Cattle Drives at the Fort Worth Stockyards {Texas}
For the longest time, the two places that our daughter has wanted to see are Alaska and Texas. So she was very excited to learn that on our way home we would be stopping in Texas. As we flew into the Dallas-Fort Worth airport her eyes lit up as she said “Are we in THE…