Category Archives: Destinations

Destinations, Europe, Public Transportation, Stockholm, Sweden, Travel Tips

Stockholm from the Ferry – Route 80 – Nybroplan – Frihamnen

1 Comment

NOTE: Post updated in March 2021.

If you’d like to see Stockholm from a boat, take one (or all) of Stockholm’s ferries that are part of the SL system. SL stands for Storstockholms Lokaltrafik = public transportation in Stockholm, Sweden.

All you need is a regular ticket – preferably a timed visitor SL Access smart card, but a single ticket will work as well (for an excellent guide about public transportation in Stockholm, see sweetsweden’s post “Your Guide to Public Transport in Stockholm“).

SL operates four “shuttle” ferry routes. Follow this link for the timetables for all ferries, and this link for the maps of the ferry routes (also shown below).

1) Route 80 – which, when we took it in May 2019, used to run between Stockholm Nybroplan in the Stockholm center and Frihamnen, which is close to where several large cruise ships dock when they visit the town,  and took about 50 minutes one way.

It looks like since May 2019 this route was expanded to go beyond Frihammen and includes 9 more stops now, going all the way to Frösvik! (Which means if we’re ever back in Stockholm, we’ll have to take the trip again and update the post with more photos!)

Continue reading Stockholm from the Ferry – Route 80 – Nybroplan – Frihamnen →
Attractions, Destinations, Europe, Germany, Historic Sites, Museums

German Resistance Memorial Center in Berlin

3 Comments

Berlin’s German Resistance Memorial Center (Gedenkstätte Deutscher Widerstand) is a 13-minute walk from the nearest  subway and train station at Potsdamer Platz, but don’t let that discourage you from visiting. There are two other interesting museums nearby – Modern Art Museum (Neue Nationalgalerie) and the Gallery of Paintings (Gemäldegalerie), though you likely won’t be able to visit all three on the same day, since you should set aside at least three hours for the Resistance Center, more if you plan on being very thorough and read every single display and story about those who stood up to the regime of Nazi Germany.

If you think the museum looks like a nondescript office building from the outside, you are correct – it was built in the early 1900s for the Naval Office, and since 1933 it housed the General Army Office in the Army High Command.

It was in this building that Adolf Hitler announced to the leaders of the German Military (Reichswehr) that he would “conquer new living space (Lebensraum) in the East.”

This building was also the center of an attempted coup against Hitler on July 20, 1944, and a place of execution of the conspirators shortly thereafter. Continue reading German Resistance Memorial Center in Berlin →

Attractions, Destinations, Massachusetts, Nature, New York, USA, USA Florida Orlando, Washington DC

Most Romantic Places in the USA

8 Comments

With Valentine’s Day approaching I thought I’d ask my fellow travel bloggers for their nominations for the most romantic place they’ve seen during their trips around the world.

I’ve received so many replies, I’ve decided to split the submissions into groups.

Below are the nominations for the most romantic places in the USA, starting with mine. If you haven’t been there yet, I hope you’ll get to see all of them some day.

(Posts on romantic places in other locations coming up soon.)

Boston Harbor Islands

Boston from the public ferry running between Boston Long Wharf North and the Boston Harbor Islands
Boston from the public ferry running between Boston Long Wharf North and the Boston Harbor Islands

Boston, Massachusetts, with its Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston Public Garden, Boston Common, the Emerald Necklace, and the Charles River is full of beautiful romantic spots, but the one I like the most is the Georges Island, one of Boston Harbor Islands, which offers great views of Boston right across the harbor.

Continue reading Most Romantic Places in the USA →

Destinations, General, Public Transportation, Random, Social Media, Travel Tips, Twitter

Safe Travels: 7 Tips for Staying Safe while Traveling

14 Comments

“Safe Travels.”

You probably heard or said that phrase dozens of times. Usually the meaning behind it is simple – we hope your car won’t break, your flight will be uneventful, and nothing bad happens while you’re on your way. However, the phrase could also mean – I hope won’t encounter any natural or man-made disasters while you travel, be it a tsunami, an earthquake, or, recently, a terrorist attack.

Wherever and however you travel, you can make your travels safer with a few precautions.

I assume that you have already researched the destination where you’re going, whether on U.S. Department of State’s Country Information pages, or an equivalent site.

Here are a few other tips from me and my fellow travel bloggers on how to stay safe while traveling:

#1. Register Your Itinerary with a Government Agency

Susan from Gen X Traveler says: “I register my travels with the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveller Enrollment Program (STEP) program. That way our government know where to look for me if they need to evacuate Americans.”

Sally from Our 3 Kids v The World adds: “Australia has the same, it’s called Smarttraveller website. You fill in your itinerary & if anything thing happens our government will know where we are. The onus is on yourself to register your movements on the site.”

Canadian traveler Alouise from Take Me To The World, registers with Registration of Canadians Abroad.

Do a bit of research to see if your country offers such registration service. Continue reading Safe Travels: 7 Tips for Staying Safe while Traveling →

Amusement Parks, Attractions, Destinations, Europe, Florida, Massachusetts, Museums, Nature, Orlando, Poland, Science, USA, Washington DC

#ThrowbackThursday: Our Travels (with Kids) 10 and 5 Years Ago

14 Comments

I’m lazy today and don’t want to write much 🙂 so I thought I’d share some of our photos from our travels ten and five years ago. Sometimes it’s really fun to go down the memory lane!

2006 February – Rabka, Poland

During February vacation in 2006 I took my son to Poland to spend some time with my parents. We went to Rabka, Poland, a small town popular with families because of its salt works (it’s a spa town).

My son had fun going sledding with my Dad:

Dziadek (Grandfather) and Wnuczek (grandson) having fun on the sled being pulled by the sleigh in Rabka, Poland, in 2006
Dziadek (Grandfather) and Wnuczek (grandson) having fun on the sled being pulled by the sleigh in Rabka, Poland, in 2006

Continue reading #ThrowbackThursday: Our Travels (with Kids) 10 and 5 Years Ago →

Attractions, Destinations, Massachusetts, Museums, Nature, USA, USA | Massachusetts | Boston, Where we stayed

Tips for a Fun December Weekend in Boston

18 Comments

Every December the Boston Ballet stages a production of The Nutcracker at the Boston Opera House. I know it’s a tradition for some families to see the performance every year, but I wasn’t sure whether taking my daughter to see it made sense, because I was afraid she wasn’t mature enough to sit through the two-hour performance.

I was wrong.

This past December 2015, we were lucky to win two tickets to The Nutcracker through a WBUR raffle. (WBUR is a local National Public Radio station, my favorite station that I listen to every day.)

Continue reading Tips for a Fun December Weekend in Boston →