All posts by meanderingfamily

We're taking the scenic route. We're a family. We love spending time together. We like slow food and slow travel. We enjoy learning about and exploring other cultures and destinations. We balance our thirst for adventure with a strong appreciation for the luxury of being homebodies. Through research, smart planning and budgeting we find ways to do some pretty cool stuff. Together we are meandering along the circuitous path of life and discovering its many joys along the way.
All of Our Travels, Cambodia, Croatia, England, France, Hungary, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Slovenia, Thailand, United States, Vietnam

Unexpected Challenges

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People choose to travel for a number of reasons, but it often includes a desire to expose oneself to new experiences and cultures. It gives us an opportunity to grow and learn. To us, it’s what makes travel such a rich and worthwhile venture. However, putting yourself in unfamiliar situations, where you don’t always know the language, can sometimes cause stress and frustration. How you handle that stress and frustration will determine your success as a traveler and the satisfaction you get from traveling.

1) Be Prepared. This is partly about taking the time to learn a little about the place where you will be traveling, but it is also about preparing yourself mentally. Embrace the fact that there WILL be times when you are lost and confused. Expect it and accept it. Continue reading Unexpected Challenges →

All of Our Travels, Slovenia

Ljubljana Central Market

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We visited Ljubljana in mid-November. We were happy to find that the city was every bit as charming as we’d expected it to be, even more so. The fact that it was cold and rainy wasn’t a problem, because we were expecting that, so we came prepared with warm coats and umbrellas. However, there was one surprise that we weren’t expecting. Luckily, it was a pleasant surprise.

LjubljanaMarket_12 Continue reading Ljubljana Central Market →

All of Our Travels, Slovenia

Charming Ljubljana

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It was a rainy November day and before we’d even found a parking spot in Ljubljana (pronounced “lyoob-lya-nah”) we were already enamored. This picturesque capital of Slovenia is situated about halfway between Vienna and Venice and is often compared to Prague for to its outstanding architectural beauty. In fact, Jože Plečnik, the great Slovenian architect and urban planner, designed numerous architectural masterpieces in both cities, so the comparison is apt. Although, Ljubljana can be seen as a cheaper, smaller, and less-crowded alternative to Prague. Continue reading Charming Ljubljana →

All of Our Travels, Croatia

Exploring Pula’s Past

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Pula is situated at the southern tip of Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula and is the area’s largest city. Like all of Istria it offers gorgeous beaches, stunning natural beauty, and gourmet delights. The city boast 3,000 years of history. But Pula and its immediate surroundings are actually much older. Prehistoric artifacts dating to 1 million years ago has been found in the cave of Šandalja near Pula. There’s also been evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements.

About 3,000 years ago, Pula was part of Illyria, which describes the home of Indo-European tribes of the Baltic region during classical antiquity. It was at this time that the first hill-fort settlement was built on hill Kaštel and the fortification was named Histra, after the tribe called Histri.

Pula_1 Continue reading Exploring Pula’s Past →

All of Our Travels, Italy

Overnight in Venice

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Like most people on the planet, we’ve always dreamed of visiting Venice.  Just thinking about Venice conjures up a sense of romance. The photos you’ve all seen are achingly beautiful. It’s hard not to imagine yourself strolling through the narrow streets, perhaps with a Classical soundtrack, and of course, at some point, you find yourself in a gondola.

10553522_10204769297649644_277919280286666507_n Continue reading Overnight in Venice →

All of Our Travels, Croatia

Milestones: Being There

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One day we realized that our 9-year-old son did not know how to blow bubbles and we decided that it was time to remedy the situation. Up to this point, we weren’t purposely limiting his access to gum, but for whatever reason he’d rarely ever had it. Maybe 3 or 4 times in his life.

Anyway, one day we were at the grocery store in Rovinj and Ethan, our son, was not so subtly hinting that he really wondered what the gum at the check out stand would taste like. It was bubble gum. We bought some and proceeded to attempt to explain how to blow a bubble. It’s surprisingly difficult to explain. All you can really do it tell them to chew the gum until it’s soft, then put it just behind your teeth, push your tongue through, so that the gum covers it, then purse your lips around your tongue and blow. The *real* trick is getting the air to flow between your tongue and the gum. This is all very complex and hard for anyone on the receiving end to grasp. Continue reading Milestones: Being There →

All of Our Travels, Croatia

Rovinj: Go Ride A Bike

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The path through the coastal forest is covered in crunchy limestone gravel, making a pleasant sound as we pedal our bikes. Everything about the experience is perfect. The weather is perfect, the bike paths are groomed and well-planned. The views idyllic.

During one of our easy hour-long rides we encounter rocky beaches with unbelievably clear water, limestone cliffs, Roman pillars, verdant forests, wide-open green spaces, and even a camping resort.

Continue reading Rovinj: Go Ride A Bike →

All of Our Travels, Croatia

Rovinj: Our Paradise

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Rovinj, Croatia is a gorgeous little town on the Adriatic Sea. The scenic beauty of this tiny peninsula is truly astounding. The rich blue sky, the crystal clear water, the vivid green foliage, the iron-red soil, the warm golden tones of the limestone are each distinct and eye-popping.8940_10204930990331860_7995397351177636410_n Continue reading Rovinj: Our Paradise →

All of Our Travels, England

Why We Love London

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There is so much to love about London. It’s one of the most exciting and diverse cities in the world. Some come for the theatre, some for the Royal Family, some for the vibrant nightlife, and others for the shopping. For us, it was the history and the world-class museums. Walking through the streets of London, you will encounter over 2,000 years of history. What seems even more amazing is that it’s all in such close proximity. Within a few minutes time you can be within eyesight of Roman, Medieval, Elizabethan, Victorian, Mid-Century, and Modern sites. All blending (mostly) harmoniously into the cityscape.

1897736_10204713026722906_7059339642562089068_n Continue reading Why We Love London →

All of Our Travels, England

A REAL Full English

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I had my first English Breakfast (AKA Full English, Fry-Up, or Full Monty) while visiting Ipoh, Malaysia. We were staying at the M Boutique Hotel for 2 weeks and breakfast was included in the price of the room. The hotel was very stylish and we loved our visit there. We’d definitely recommend it to others.

For breakfast we had two restaurants to choose from, we alternated between them every day. One of the restaurants served “Western Food”, which is a catch-all descriptor that you often see when visiting Southeast Asia. As an American this never fails to baffle. I can’t help but wonder, what exactly is “Western Food”? It’s roughly equivalent to seeing an “Asian Food” restaurant in the US. That’s pretty broad. In this case, it tends to mean pasta, pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches, English Breakfasts, sometimes all of the above. Rarely, is it a good representation of anything I’d order back home. In general, we avoid these restaurants like the plague.

Anyway, back to my original story… Continue reading A REAL Full English →