France – Ullan Adventures

Interview with Beckett – A Year of Travel Wrap-up

Kirsten / June 5, 2014

Interview with Beckett at the end of our year of traveling (age 7)

Q: Have you enjoyed traveling this past year?
Beckett: Yes. I’ve enjoyed traveling because you can go a lot of fun places like Turkey and Thailand.

Q: What do you like most about traveling?
Beckett: That I get to do fun activities like paragliding and ziplining and stuff. And elephant camp.

Riding an elephant in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Q: What did you like least about traveling?
Beckett: I have to pack and unpack my bag. And as soon as I find somewhere fun, I have to leave.

Q: What toys/games are you happy you brought with you?
Beckett: Stuffies! Stuffies is like everything I brought.

Q: What were your favorite places? Why?
Beckett: Thailand because we went to an elephant camp and took care of elephants for a day and cleaned it, checked the poo, ate lunch then bathed it. And I also went ziplining through the trees in a jungle. We saw gibbons through the trees.

Turkey because I went paragliding and they have delicious pancakes – yum yum. The paragliding was so fun – you were 6000’ up – but the drive was really scary.

Santorini because we went ATV-ing. And Morocco because we went ATV-ing out in the desert and because of the cobra show.

Watching a cobra in the Medina in Marrakech, Morocco

Q: What were your least favorite places? Why?
Beckett: Istanbul. There was just nothing really good to see there. And Spain, there was just nothing really good to do around.

Q: What were your favorite experiences?
Beckett: Ziplining. Taking care of elephants for a day. Paragliding! ATV-ing. Going up the Eiffel Tower. Walking on the Great Wall of China and taking the toboggan down. Ice cream show in Turkey. Yee Peng. Tigers. Turkish Bath.

Beck and Mara running on the Great Wall of China

Q: What were your least favorite experiences?
Beckett: My least favorite experience was trying new foods. The ferry from Rhodes to Turkey – I hate that. I did not like Pamukkale. The scary drive up the mountain to paraglide. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace in Istanbul were boring.

Q: Did you enjoy being homeschooled?
Beckett: Uhhhhh… don’t know. It was ok.

Q: What was your favorite homeschool subject?
Beckett: Science

Q: What was your least favorite homeschool subject?
Beckett: Writing

Q: What have you learned from your travels so far?
Beckett: That traveling can be fun but also not fun. How bad the ferry from Rhodes to Turkey was. How boring plane rides are. How fun ATVs are. How fun paragliding and taking care of an elephant is. How fun ziplining is.

Q: What were some of your favorite foods?
Beckett: Turkish pancakes. Crepes. Mac n’ cheese from Hotel Letoon in Fethiye, Turkey. Baguettes. Food-go-round. MK in Thailand.

Eating Gözleme (Turkish pancakes) in Calis Beach, Turkey

Q: What do you miss the most about the USA?
Beckett: Having a house and not having to pack your bags every once in a while. And unpack them. Finding friends and not having to leave them.

Q: What will you miss the most about traveling?
Beckett: Going fun places and doing once in a lifetime experiences.

Q: Where do you want to travel next?
Beckett: Go on African safari.

007 — Me-O Veterinary Clinic in Kidzania in Bangkok

118 — Making curry paste at Sammy’s Cooking School in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Washing MaeBonChon in the river at Patara Elephant Camp in Thailand

416 — Feeding a baby tiger at the Night Safari in Chiang Mai, Thailand

FC Barcelona futbol game at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain

Beckett and his magic genie lamp in Marrakech, Morocco

467 — Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

228 — Crossing the Mekong River in a longtail boat from Thailand to Laos

063 — Going Viking at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway

Fresh squeezed OJ from #63 in Marrakech, Morocco — Fresh squeezed OJ from stall #63 in Marrakech, Morocco

Feeding pigeons at Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Tree "snow" in Paris — Tree “snow” in Paris

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Africa Asia Chiang Mai China Countries Europe Favorite Moments France Greece Laos Montenegro Morocco Spain Thailand Turkey World Travels

Interview with Mara – A Year of Travel Wrap-up

Kirsten / June 5, 2014

Interview with Mara at the end of our year of traveling (age 9)

116 — MaeKwan at Patara Elephant Camp in Thailand

Q: Have you enjoyed traveling this past year?
Mara: Well… it’s fun at times. But sometimes I miss just having a house. But it’s great – I love traveling the world and it’s amazing!

Q: What do you like most about traveling?
Mara: Going new places and experiencing new cultures. And I love to try the different foods. And the different treats are always fun.

Q: What did you like least about traveling?
Mara: I don’t get to have much stuff and it’s kind of hard to make friends when you know you’re going to be leaving soon. Sometimes I just miss having friends and having a real house and being able to decorate it.

Q: What toys/games are you happy you brought with you?
Mara: Well, I’m happy I brought my stuffed animals. Or some of my stuffed animals. And I’m happy I brought my Barbies. That’s pretty much all I brought.

Q: What were your favorite places? Why?
Mara: I loved Thailand because there were so many adventures and there are lots of crazy markets. I loved Paris because I wanted to go there all my life and I SO LOVED going up the Eiffel Tower. And I loved Hong Kong because there was a restaurant we called “Noodle Girl” and it was soooo yum! Santorini was AM-AZ-ING!

Me in front of the Eiffel Tower for the first time!

Q: What were your least favorite places? Why?
Mara: Well, that’s kind of hard but Spain was the worst place we went. But it was still pretty darn good. And in Istanbul, all the restaurants served Turkish food which got boring. Plus the Grand Bazaar was just ok. There are so many stray cats and dogs which got scary.

Q: What were your favorite experiences?
Mara: I loved the elephant camp in Thailand. It was UNBELIEVABLY cool! And I also loved the crazy markets. I liked the Noodle Girl restaurant in Hong Kong – it makes me so hungry for grilled steak. Yee Peng was amazing! Great Wall of China! Marrakech ATVs were awesome! Seeing my family paraglide was neat. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France was amazing! It was so cool. And there were lights on it that blinked and made it looked like it sparkled.

All smiles while warming up after the Forbidden City

Q: What were your least favorite experiences?
Mara: Pamukkale (in Turkey) was ok. And Tiger Kingdom was ok. I really disliked the Louvre, Notre Dame, and La Sagrada Familia. The Alcazar (in Seville, Spain) was bor-ing. The Parthenon was boring. I disliked the ferry from Rhodes to Turkey because the sea was so rocky and wavy and over half the people threw up. Climbing up the Kotor wall was just so long and boring.

Q: Did you enjoy being homeschooled?
Mara: Yes because less school hours. And I don’t have to wake up early, early, early. I have the nicest teacher in the world. I also liked the way she taught multiplication and division.

Q: What was your favorite homeschool subject?
Mara: I don’t have one. I do like multiplication.

Q: What was your least favorite homeschool subject?
Mara: My least favorite was spelling.

Learning about Ancient Greece and hosting our own Olympics

Q: What have you learned from your travels so far?
Mara: A lot about how boring planes are. And how rocky and wavy ferries can be. And how annoying it is to wake up early. I also learned a lot about geography. I also learned how to negotiate. And how fun tuk tuks are. And I learned how annoying it is to have everything you own fit into a suitcase. And that elephants are fun and amazing creatures.

Q: What were some of your favorite foods?
Mara: Pizza in Fethiye, Turkey at Nil Bar. Steak at “Noodle Girl” in the Hong Kong airport. And Nic’s in Chiang Mai, Thailand had great meatballs and pizza. The baguettes we had in Spain were AMAZING! Mint tea in Marrakech. Mmm mmm. The crepes and macarons in Paris – yum! The gyros in Santorini and the olives in Athens were good. I also liked sushi and coconut milk straight from the coconut in Thailand.

I did NOT like the orange hot dog under the Eiffel Tower. Blahhhh.

Q: What do you miss the most about the USA?
Mara: I miss being able to talk to kids in English. And I miss English TV. I miss going to swim team. Girl Scouts! Toy stores!

Q: What will you miss the most about traveling?
Mara: I’m going to miss the food and the cultures and going new places.

Q: Where do you want to travel next?
Mara: Egypt to see the Pyramids. And Russia – I like snow.

139 — Cooking Thai food at Sammy’s Cooking School in Chiang Mai, Thailand

454 — Loi Krathong festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

224 — Longtail boat trip on the Mekong from Thailand to Laos

Riding a bull at a carnival in La Herradura, Spain

Europe France

6 Wonderful Days in Paris

Kirsten / April 8, 2014

I’d promised Mara I’d take her to Paris when she was really young. With us going to Europe it became a no-brainer to go to Paris.

We rented a flat in the 1st Arrondissement which was walking distance to the Louvre. Our flat was a 1 bedroom with a pull-out sofa in the kitchen/main room. The place was TINY! I mean minuscule. Definitely got the living in Paris experience!

We kept ourselves really busy while there. In addition to visiting the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Versailles, and the Louvre, we had a great time exploring the city.

I’d been to Paris 3 times before and it always left me a bit cold. I’d always enjoyed it, but never really loved the city. Well this time I fell in love with the city. It was magical. And Mara felt the same way – she fell in love with the city and said she was going to move there some day!

Here are some of our highlights from our time in Paris:

Enjoying Baguettes!

We visited the Arc de Triomphe and the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées. And of course we made a stop at Ladurée for their Macarons. So good – definitely worth the 45 minute wait in line!

Chuck & the kids in front of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées

We walked over to the Latin Quarter a couple of times for dinner. Nothing like eating crepes on the street!

We also visited the Love Locks on the Pont des Arts bridge:

Being spring, trees were releasing their cotton like seeds. The kids found a mound of it near the bridge and had a great time playing with it!

Some other highlights:

This violinist was incredible. We sat listening to him for a while!

On our last day, we met up with my friend Benedicte. We met her for lunch then went to her apartment. She then took us to one of her favorite bakeries where we stocked up on pastries before heading to the Eiffel Tower to enjoy them. Then she graciously drove us to the metro station where we headed to the airport and our flight to Greece. Til next time Paris!

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Europe France

Notre Dame Cathedral

Kirsten / April 7, 2014

We visited Notre Dame on of our meandering days in Paris. After doing all the big ticket stuff (Eiffel, Louvre, Versailles), this became a bit of a “whatever” for everyone. Especially the kids, who had already been to what felt like the same type of place several times in the last few months (Alhambra, Seville Cathedral, La Sagrada Familia).

Luckily lines were fairly short and we toured and moved on quickly!

We also visited the Treasury inside the church which houses many Holy objects.

Europe France

Palace of Versailles

Kirsten / April 6, 2014

I remember visiting Versailles when I was 13 years old. It was the first palace I’d ever seen in my life and I was blown away. I think because it was my first one, it’s always held a special place to me.

Once we decided to go to Paris, I couldn’t wait to take Chuck and the kids to Versailles. Chuck had never been and while the kids had been to a couple of castles, they’d never gone to anything like this.

We had to take the metro to the train out of Paris to Versailles. After a short walk, we arrived on the grounds.

We each grabbed headphones and were able to each have our own audio tour. I think this made it an even better experience for all of us.

The palace is stunning.

My favorite, favorite room is the famous “Hall of Mirrors”:

After the Hall of Mirrors, we continued wandering around the palace.

After we visited the palace, we checked out the ground apartments that were used by members of the royal family.

We also took a brief look at the grounds before heading back to Paris.

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Europe Favorite Moments France

Visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris – by Mara

Kirsten / April 5, 2014

Mara: Ever since I was 3 or 4, I wanted to the visit the Eiffel Tower. My mom promised she would take me there. I finally went at age 9. The first time I saw it, it was the best thing ever.

(Mom here: As Mara said, we started talking about the Eiffel Tower when Mara was 3 or 4. I don’t remember why exactly – if there was a book we read with the Eiffel Tower in it or what – but I do remember the conversation and telling her about Paris and the Tower. And I promised I would take her there some day. In fact, I even added it to my bucket list. Over the past 5-6 years, Paris got brought up more times than I can count. We’d always talk about going to Paris and I kept promising her that “some day” I would take her. So once we decided to spend 2 months in Spain, it became a no-brainer to fly up to Paris. By that point, Beckett was almost as excited to go as well.

Getting to Paris was only half of it. The REAL excitement was finally seeing the Eiffel Tower and seeing it up close. This was the moment we talked about over many years and Mara’s reaction to seeing it was priceless (see below).

Even though Mara is scared of heights, she was brave and went up it at 9:30pm at night. She was only scared for a little bit but quickly got comfortable and had no problems going to the tippy top.

THIS was the highlight of her, and our, trip to Paris. And it was worth the wait!)

Our first up-close view of the Eiffel Tower

Here are some pictures of us in front of the Eiffel Tower:

Mara: When we went up it, I was scared. But then I got used to it. It took an hour to get to the tippy top. But it was worth it. The views were amazing. It got so late.

261 — This is pretty indicative of the night at that point – it was about 11pm and Mara was wiped and Beck was wired from being overtired

Mara: I would love to go back to Paris, France.

Europe France

The Louvre

Kirsten / April 4, 2014

Our trip to the Louvre wasn’t quite as magical as I was hoping. Luckily Chuck and I have both been there before, but we’d looked forward to showing the kids some historic and important art. The kids weren’t nearly as excited about this as we were.

They did OK to start, but were really unimpressed with the “Mona Lisa”.

They found the sculptures mildly more interesting. I was in awe of it though and felt so privileged to see Michelangelo’s and many other’s work up close.

We also visited the Napoleon apartments which were dripping in luxury.

We also got to see some crown jewels:

We also wandered around the other floors and saw other art.

After many hours of wandering around, we were ready to leave, but Chuck wanted to head to the Egyptian Antiquities section. This turned out to be a huge mistake. At this point we were all exhausted and the kids were over being there. It took a bit of walking around to even get there, but at least seeing the artifacts was pretty cool.

Unfortunately, we had a big problem trying to get out of that section and getting to the exit. We walked and walked and walked but couldn’t get to the exit and at this point we were all so done and just wanted out.

Eventually we obviously made it out, but I think that last detour really cast a negativity over the day and the kids left with a pretty negative opinion on the museum.

I’m hoping that some day they’ll appreciate what they saw and feel lucky to have gone though…

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