Travel Tuesday

Travel Tuesday is kind of a fun trend among travel Twitterers (or is it Tweeters?)  It's when travel bloggers, every Tuesday, highlight their favorite travel posts of the week and mark their tweet with the hashtag (#) #TravelTuesday or just #TT, to make them easy to locate.  So for Travel Tuesday today, I'd like to share some posts I came across that I find particularly helpful to families traveling to Europe with kids.

Florence Museums with Kids by Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish - you don't want to miss the Uffizi, the Accademia Gallery, or other must-see museums in Florence, Italy, but how do you entice the little ones to endure (and even enjoy!) all that fine art?  This mom blogger who lives in Italy will tell you how.

Sleeping in a Tube in Switzerland by The Travelling Mom - love this post I just stumbled upon recently!  I'm a big fan of novelty accommodations when traveling, especially with children, because sometimes these places are what the kids are still talking about years later.  Igloo, tree house, train car, or The Travelling Mom's fun stay with her family in a tube - what a great time!  Check it out.

A-to-Z Family Travel Contest by Mo Travels - from animals to ziploc bags, these A-to-Z travel tips for family travelers are handy to know before you go.  J is for Journal, and there's an app for that . . . .

Seven Things to Do in Iceland by Nomadic Matt - Nomadic Matt doesn't travel with kids, but his suggestions on what to do in Iceland sound so exciting, and his photos are so beautiful, that I wanted to share this terrific travel destination with you.

Seven Reasons to Visit Spain's Costa de la Luz by BootsnAll - seven seems to be the magic number for reasons to go somewhere.  This post caught my eye and interest because southern Spain is our family's next European destination.   A magical and isolated old town, spectacular pueblos blancos, Moorish fortifications, and awesome windsurfing are all found here.

Super Duper Travel Adapter by Water Wine Travel - as far as travel gadgets go, anything that reduces clutter and cords is worth having.  This Super Duper Travel Adapter is handy and inexpensive - get one!

It'll Cost Ya

This Spa's For You

It’s Valentine’s Day.  I hope you all get a lovely, romantic gift of flowers, chocolate, jewelry, or dinner at a restaurant.  Some of you lucky ladies will maybe get a spa treatment, so I thought I’d write a few words about spas today.

The word “spa” comes from a town in Belgium actually named Spa.  The city of Spa has been famous in Europe for its healing hot mineral springs since the early 14th century.  There are many spa towns in Europe with natural water sources believed to have health benefits.  In fact, just about every European country has several hotspots of geothermal activity.

The town of Spa, Belgium

You may be surprised to know that one of Europe’s most famous spa towns is in Hungary.  Heviz, in western Hungary, is home to Europe’s largest natural thermal lake and the main spa facility there was built over 100 years ago.  Bulgaria, surprisingly, has over 500 mineral springs, including the hottest spring in the Balkans at 217° F!  Serbia is known for its many spa cities, too.

You’re probably familiar with the steam bathing and ritual cleansing of Turkish baths - Istanbul is brimming with these luxurious saunas.  And maybe you know that Iceland is richer in natural hot springs than any other country in the world, many of them with dramatically spouting geysers.

It’s obvious by the name there’s some sort of water source in Bath, England, in Somerset county.  In fact, the hot springs in Bath are the only ones naturally occurring in the UK.  Bath was first established as a restorative spa resort by the Romans in AD 43, when they built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills.

Roman bath in Bath, England

If you’ve ever been to Germany, you might have wondered why so many cities there are “Bad.”  Bad Kissingen, Bad Homburg, Baden-Baden are a few.  This is because Bad means bath in German, and there are many, many spa towns in Germany.  With typical German authoritarianism, Bad as the prefix of a city is an official designation and requires governmental authorization (which may also be suspended if a town fails to maintain the required standards).

Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall in England

And, since this is a blog for families with children, you might be interested to know that Forbes.com lists Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall in Durham, England, as the Top for Teens.  Thirteen to 16 year olds may receive various treatments here when accompanied by an adult, and everyone can enjoy the gym, pools, outdoor hot tubs, steam rooms, and roof garden.

Many Europeans are firm believers in the enriching physical and spiritual health benefits of hot thermal baths, and often their week-long stays at such resorts are covered by their health insurance.  But their wonderful wellness hotels, day spas and destination resorts are open to all vacationers coming to heal and rejuvenate.

Family Vacation

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

I prefer to be the harbinger of easy and enjoyable travel to Europe, but if it's not a volcano, it's a record-breaking snowfall causing trouble.  London's Heathrow airport, the world's busiest international airport, is closed.  Flights are delayed and cancelled in Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin.  Rail travel is stalled in most of Europe.  Many travelers' Christmas plans are ruined.



I can't help thinking about my Christmas trip to Adelboden, Switzerland, next year, with EIGHT high school-aged Girl Scouts in tow!  Sleeping for days on a cot in an airport with a group of very disappointed girls would break my heart (not to mention my patience.)

To keep up the Christmas cheer, let's remember the countries in Europe that can handle snow and ice with ease and beauty (I did not take these photos):

Ballachulish Western Highland, Scotland

Copenhagen, Denmark

Helsinki, Finland

Iceland

Lofoton Islands, Norway

Stockholm, Sweden