Easter Lamb Cake

It sort of looks like a lamb, doesn't it? A dear German friend of mine baked us this traditional Osterlamm, or Easter lamb cake, last year. Just about every German family has a different variation of the recipe for this Easter treat, usually handed down through the generations.

Chestnuts Roasting

Maybe this is a familiar sight on the east coast, but living on the west coast all my life I'd never seen "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" until our visit to Zurich in the winter.  There were chestnuts roasting on almost every street corner!

Review of Café-Restaurant Des Remparts in Gruyères

Café-Restaurant Des Remparts

If you're ever in the incredibly precious town of Gruyères in Switzerland and find yourself a little or a lot hungry, you have my recommendation to try Café-Restaurant Des Remparts, right on Rue du Bourg, the only street through the old town.  Gruyères is of course famous for its cheese, so you will definitely want to try Des Remparts's fondue.  Served with fresh bread and baby potatoes, it is creamy delicious.

We also tried an excellent soup - I believe it was asparagus cheese soup:

My daughter had croquettes that were very good:

The scenery out of the big picture windows of the town below and the low mountains is fabulous:

Below is the children's menu for your little ones:

Café-Restaurant Des Remparts is located at Rue du Bourg 19 in Gruyères, Switzerland.

Lovin' the Swiss fondue!

Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid

I would have eaten every meal of the day at the Market of San Miguel in Madrid if I could have.  Grazing around and nibbling at all kinds of tapas and sweets is just my thing.  A little chorizo here, a few empanadillas there.  A glass of sangria if it's after noon and a bite of chocolate con churros in between.  Yum.  

The attractive, iron-structured, covered market in the heart of Madrid beside the Plaza Mayor is a great place for travelers to visit and shop.  There are over 30 stalls of pre-made delicacies, wine bars, florists, and fresh fruit and vegetables for purchase.

Why don't I let the photos do the talking:

You'll get no complaints from the kids if you're eating here because there's so much to choose from and there are plenty of french fry vendors!

Visiting Madrid With Kids

Puerta del Sol in Madrid

When I think of Madrid I think of hot.  Hot, dry, summer temperatures.  This capital of a country with over 5,000 miles of coastlines is probably farther from a cool ocean breeze than any other city in Spain. Just come prepared for the heat, plan a daily siesta, and see all there is to see in Madrid.

Puerta del Sol
Madrid is a walking city - everything is best explored on foot.  The Plaza Mayor and Puerte del Sol are very near each other - both off the Calle Mayor - and a good place to start your tour of the town.  Puerte del Sol is, in fact, the symbolic center of Spain, as so marked by the kilómetro cero, a plaque on the ground in front of the post office from which distances in the country can be measured.  (I've seen these in Paris and Budapest, too.)  The Puerte del Sol is a busy, bustling square with a couple of landmarks such as the old post office and the statue of the bear and madrone tree.

Kilómetro cero

Bear and madrone tree - symbol of Madrid.

Plaza Mayor
A short distance away is Plaza Mayor, an enormous rectangular central plaza enclosed by residences with lovely balconies and an equestrian statue of Philip III in the center.  The most notably beautiful section of the buildings is the Casa de la Panadería with hand-painted frescoes on its façade.  Plaza Mayor used to be the site of bullfights and public executions, but now there are restaurants and shops and just general strolling.

Mercado de San Miguel
If you're hungry, you can troll for some tapas in nearby Mercado de San Miguel, a covered market where you can sample just about any little Spanish delicacy you desire, or rehydrate with some fresh-squeezed juice (or maybe sangria?)

Tapas at Mercado de San Miguel.

Royal Palace
Madrid's Royal Palace is a stunning site to visit.  Built in the 1700s, it was home to several royal families, but is now only used for award ceremonies, royal audiences, banquets, and other special events.  The Changing of the Guard is an interesting ceremony for younger children especially, and it's held every Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. except in the summer months.  Our family took an audioguide tour that covered the interior and exterior grounds.  I love the grand Almudena Cathedral right across the plaza from the palace.

In the courtyard of the Royal Palace, Madrid.

Almudena Cathedral, as seen from the palace courtyard.

Chandelier in the Royal Palace.

Retiro Park
When temperatures soar in Madrid, a nice place to cool off is Retiro Park at the edge of the city center.  Shady and wooded, this park offers relaxation as well as activities.  There are play structures for children, free summer concerts on Sundays, street performers and puppet shows.  Rowboats can be rented and paddled around in the large artificial pond next to the spectacular King Alfonso XII monument.

Large semicircular collonnade monument to King Alfonso XII.

Prado Museum
On the same side of town as Retiro Park is the famous Prado Museum.  Goyas and El Grecos as well as Dutch masters fill the beautiful building and are worth a look, especially after 6:00 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays when admission is free!  (Also free on Sundays after 5:00 p.m.)

Prado Museum in Madrid.

Snacks
For a late afternoon snack while walking around town, pick up some convent cookies from Convento de Corpus Christi or take a coffee break at Chocolatería San Ginés, the most famous churro bakery in Madrid.

Bullfighting
My husband and I attended a bullfight at Madrid's Plaza de Toros many, many years ago, and although we appreciated the cultural beauty of the art, we were mortified when the dead bull was dragged out of the arena.  Still, my kids insisted they wanted to see a bullfight.  Fortunately or unfortunately, there weren't any scheduled when we were in Madrid.  You can check performance dates and buy tickets here.

Plaza de Toros de las Ventas in Madrid

Evening Strolls
We liked taking evening walks around Madrid's Parque de la Montaña, where you will find - of all things - a 2nd century B.C. Egyptian temple that was gifted to Spain in the 1960s.  At this park you can also enjoy brilliant views of the Royal Palace at night.

Related posts:
Convent Cookies
Local Artists
Chocolatería San Ginés
Madrid Atocha Railway Station
Egyptian Temple in Madrid

Sleeping Cabin on the Train from Lisbon to Madrid

Oddly enough, the only direct train from Lisbon to Madrid, and vice versa, is a night train.  So, since we had no other way to get from the capital of Portugal to the Madrid airport for our flight home, we booked a 4-person sleeping cabin for $110 per person.  Expensive, I know.  When you compare our crowded, bumpy, noisy, 11 hour night on the train with a stay in an equally expensive luxury hotel, it's a little depressing.  But the experience was valuable for my kids, and I'd do it again.

I slept fine (with just a little help from a good pair of earplugs and a double dose of Advil PM), and my son and daughter said they slept alright.  But my husband had trouble.  He's about 6'1", and the bed was too short for him.  The beds are also somewhat narrow.  He said he hardly slept at all.

As you can see from my photos, the cabins are narrow with little room for luggage.  The bed linens are okay and the blankets aren't needed because the room gets stuffy and warm in the summer.  In the corner is a small sink with running water and each passenger is provided a little gift pack which includes earplugs, a bar of soap, a travel toothbrush and toothpaste.  Nice touch, I think.  We felt very safe because the door had a lock as well as a security chain.  I did tell the kids to wake one of us up if they had to go to the bathroom at night, though, just to be cautious.

My husband and daughter, who are early risers, strolled up to the dining car before dawn and had breakfast.  They both agreed it was a good meal, with fresh rolls and orange juice.  My daughter particularly enjoyed watching the sunrise from the train as the Spanish countryside swished by outside the window.

Alhambra Part 4: Alcazaba Fort

Sitting in front of the Alhambra's Alcazaba.

When the Sultans of the Nasrid dynasty chose to build a palace in the foothills of Sierra Nevada on the plain of Granada, they needed a fortress, of course, on the highest point of the hill, to keep watch over their kingdom and defend the royal family.  The resulting Alcazaba, which just means fortress, still stands today and is one of the four ancient sites to visit in the magnificent Alhambra complex in Granada, Spain.

Visitors may enter the Alcazaba with their ticket to the Palace Nazare and/or Generalife Gardens.  Since the Alcazaba is right across from the entrance to the palace, plan to tour the fort before you enter the palace, and give yourself about an hour to see the Alcazaba.

Remains of the living quarters inside the Alhambra's Alcazaba.

What is there to see inside?  Ruins mostly, of the living quarters, stables, and dungeons.  The most fun is climbing up the defensive walls and watchtowers for expansive views over Granada.

Awesome views of the city from the Alcazaba.

Vending machine with soggy sandwiches.

I have a tip to share about eating/snacking while visiting the Alhambra.  The entire complex is enormous, and walking distances are far from one site to another.  There are two sit-down restaurants within the Alhambra walls:  the Parador de Granada restaurant and the Hotel América restaurant.  If, however, you don't want a sit-down meal, your choices of snacks and beverages are few.  After not finding anything, anywhere, we finally purchased a couple of soggy triangular-cut sandwiches from a vending machine in the small building that houses the restrooms.  I'm not really a picky eater, but these sandwiches were truly inedible.  Not until later did we find the small kiosk near the entrance of the Alcazaba that serves fresh bocadillos, beer, and other yummy snacks.  I took a photo (below) so that you won't miss it.

This kiosk is where you want to grab a sandwich at the Alhambra.

And, since I mentioned the restrooms, DO use the ones near the vending machine and the Square of the Cisterns bookshop.  They are the only bathrooms I found, they are free, and there is a balcony in the ladies room with a fabulous view over the plaza.

Read Alhambra Part 1:  Generalife Gardens here.

Read Alhambra Part 2:  Palace Nazare here.

Read Alhambra Part 3:  Palace of Charles V here.

Pelgrom Tavern in Antwerp

Atmosphere and authenticity is what you'll get when you visit Pelgrom Tavern and Restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium.  Don't let your children be spooked as they walk down the deep, dark staircase into the medieval cellar beneath one of Antwerp's charming little alleys.  

Step into medieval Pelgrom Tavern and Restaurant.

In this ancient underground cellar you can enjoy traditional Flemish food or a variety of local beers by medieval-style candlelight.  As a child my family came here often and I always loved the ambience.  My children did too when we took them there:

I guess Rick Steves has discovered Pelgrom Tavern and recommended it in one of his books, and now the restaurant is perhaps a bit more touristy than when I was a child and it was mostly frequented by locals.  Still, the long communal tables and intimate atmosphere invite conversation and a shared good time by everyone.

Do You Need Train Reservations?

I love the ol' hop-on hop-off days of train travel with a Eurail Pass in Europe.  Those were the days when you really only had to make a reservation on a train if you wanted a sleeper couchette.  Hop-on hop-off still exists in many European countries, but some, such as Switzerland and Spain, insist on seat reservations on all but small, regional trains.  It takes some of the spontaneity out of train travel.

What surprised me when traveling in Switzerland last winter was that seat reservations were not as necessary as I was led to believe.  We were traveling with a Swiss Pass and I had only booked seats on our two major travel days from Zurich to Adelboden and back again.  (And the cutest thing was that our Rail Europe travel agent had booked our group of 11 a whole car by having this paper sign taped to the windows!)  We took other long train rides (Frutigen to Gruyères, for example) and just simply boarded without reservations, no problem.

On a 2nd class train car in Switzerland.

In Spain this summer we didn't have rail passes so naturally got a seat assignment when we purchased our tickets, but it didn't seem to matter where we sat on the regional trains (Seville to Córdoba, for example).  In Portugal we took a few train rides out of Lisbon and didn't need seat reservations.

Certainly all high-speed trains such as TGV, ICE, Eurostar, Thalyes, AVE and others require seat reservations.  Even if you have a rail pass be sure to purchase (there's a surcharge) a seat reservation before boarding.

Another thing that's changed from "the old days" of European train travel is that there's not much difference between 1st and 2nd class cars anymore now that most seating is "bus style" as opposed to train compartments.  Sure, the seats are a little wider in 1st class, and we were shocked to be served a complimentary box of sushi, of all things, on a 1st class ride from Paris to Cologne.

And sometimes you just get lucky:  when my Girl Scout troop and I were headed to the Zurich airport for our flight home, one of our connecting trains was delayed.  A very kind Swiss train attendant knew we were nervous about catching our plane, personally led us to another train, and seated us in 1st class for the rest of our journey.  The girls felt very special!

Want Ice With That?

Have you ever asked for a glass of ice water in Europe?  'Cause this is what you'll get - if you're lucky. One ice cube floating in a glass.  Another time the waiter once brought us one small ice cube on a dish to add to our drink.  A large cup of crushed ice is unfortunately still foreign, even in the warm Mediterranean climates.