Destinations

We arrived on Wednesday, Aug 10. It’s been a fun, but not over-taxing, four days. We’ve seen some and still have some of the big sites to see (up next: la Sagrada …

As most parents likely know, when you visit a new city with your kids, you must plan to visit some parks and playgrounds. This is especially true the younger the children are. …

We have had the good fortune to spend a lot of time in the Windy City. For us, one of the biggest joys of visiting a metropolis like Chicago is the freedom …

South Bend, Indiana. Probably not the first place you think of when you are planning a family vacation. But with a beautiful university campus to explore, a bevy of affordable restaurants, and …

#tbt to that time I went to Europe with my dad, my brother and his girlfriend…

As we dove deep into planning our six week European adventure, we talked about all the places we were interested in visiting — for me, Paris is always at the top of …

In elementary school, I used to tell people that Schwartau was the shortened version of my real last name, the Ellis Island version given to my ancestors when they immigrated to America. …

August 20, 2005. I was 20 years old, had 6 years of French under my belt, and got to fly international first class (!!!) avec mon père to Paris. Two full semesters …

We had the opportunity to spend 8 wonderful days in this city. We’ve seen so much, met lots of friendly people, and have blisters on our feet from walking so much. I wish …

A lot of people don’t like Paris. Whether it’s bad experiences with rude French people or confusion on the metro or witnessing homeless guys peeing on the side of a building, plenty …

(To view any of the photo thumbnails larger, just click on them to load in a lightbox viewer.) Budapest is made up of two cities – the hilly, quieter Buda and the …

I’m sure there’s some writing advice out there that says not to give away the punchline in the title but alas. Rules were made to be broken, dammit! My brother and I …

I just finished filling out the paperwork for Skyler’s college savings account. Who knows if this kid will go to college or what the college world will even look like in 15 …

From 1999-2003, I attended the International Baccalaureate program at St. Petersburg High (Go Green Devils!) so for four years, I had a 20-30 minute commute to and from school. My friends did …

I wanted to share the map of Nashville that I share with visiting friends and family. This is what I give to people who are visiting for a weekend, need all-ages activities, …

Though I’ve been a few times, LA has never been high on my list of places to go. I don’t remember much from my first trip, when I was 11, or all …

For four weeks, we swapped homes with Cora and Hans, a sweet and fun-loving couple from the Hague. We got to experience city life in the Netherlands (bikes, history, gin and very …

My husband has been talking about going to the Catbird Seat for years. A tiny, 22-seat U-shaped counter where patrons watch the chefs at work, and enjoy a chef’s choice tasting menu …

As anyone who follows my IG or reads this blog knows, I love Nashville. I have always considered Nashville home, even as a kid living in Florida; we visited family here many …

My husband turned 40 at the beginning of 2021, and we had been planning a week at an all-inclusive as a celebration. Neither of us had ever done an all-inclusive before and …