#i mean we did very much meet each other last tour in madrid but we were supposed to meet each other again

[lovvecherrymotion]

not to be sad on main or anything but it does feel bittersweet i didn't get to meet my first fandom friend this tour

[pedros-mustache-main]

mutuals as historical buildings??

now that’s what i’m talking about!!!!

@archaicmusings: the acropolis of athens, athens, greece.

i mean? duh? did you expect anything different? of course cal with her interest in classics history would be one of the most recognizable buildings of the classics age! now, don’t ask me what the heck this building was for because i don’t know. that is not my side of history, friends, and i’m smart enough to admit that.

anyways, can’t you just see cal leading a tour around the building?! she would absolutely be wearing socks and sandals and that makes me love her more. 

 @almightygwil: little red schoolhouse, farmington, maine.

this is more of a concept of buildings than a specific building, but the one pictured above (built in 1852) is pretty spot on in terms of the building(s) i would choose for ellie. 

when i think of ellie, i think of little house on prairie. i think of one room schoolhouses and lots of kids under the tutelage of one teacher. essentially, when i think of ellie, i think of the historical life i would kill to live in the mid-to-late nineteenth century (if things didn’t suck for so many people back then). ellie is warm and absolutely gives great hugs (even if i’ve need received one from her) and i would love to be her student in one of these schools. 

@im-an-adult-ish: wrigley field, chicago, illinois. 

do i know anything about baseball? barely. do i know about the significance of wrigley field? again, not really. 

what i do know is baseball is really important to meredith and so is wrigley field. i mean, her dog is named after it so that’s some indication of its importance. i do think that something about wrigley field screams “all american” and meredith is a very all-american girl (in the best possible way). 

@ineloqueent: yerkes observatory, williams bay, wisconsin. 

according to the internet, the yerkes observatory was “the birthplace of modern astrophysics” in 1892 when it was founded. i don’t know if that holds water, but i do know that tina loves stars and space and looking at stars in space. of all the other observatories i was looking at, i liked this one the most because, while it serves a specific function, it also is architecturally beautiful. it’s really european in feel (especially for being in wisconsin of all places) and we love our european tina!!! anyway, the combined natures of science meeting european architecture was what made me say, “yeah tina would be this building.” 

@dancingdiscofloof: palacio de cristal, madrid, spain.

the first place on our list that i’ve been to irl!

i had absolutely no idea where we were going when we started the trek from madrid’s palace to this crystal palace. really, i was just walking and trying not to cry ‘cause i’d only eaten bread and cheese for a week. but then! out of the blue! this beautiful crystal palace in the middle of a park. also ducks!

this building reminds me of rove for two reasons: it’s classic, and rove is classic. it’s also modern, and rove is also modern. from what i can gather, the crystal palace operates slightly like a museum. different art exhibits have been housed in the building from time to time. (when i was there, the sculptures inside were these weird, like, sandstone naked people?? idk what that was about) 

anyway, rove kinda reminds me of a museum or at least a very classy museum tour-guide.

@gwiilymslee: le mont saint michel, normandy, france.

look at that! it’s like freaking tangled! america could never!!!

all freaking out aside, audrey is absolutely a princess who deserves not only her own castle, but her own castle on an island. i think mont-saint-michel truly has this otherworldly feel to it, like something out of a novel or a movie. audrey gives me those same vibes.

@joemazzmatazz: san bernadino alle ossa, milan, italy.

another place on our list i’ve been to irl! i was in italy (among other countries) last year, and i randomly found this chapel nearby the milan cathedral. there are bones and skeletons of (supposed) plague victims decorating the very cramped room, and let me tell you, it was one of the weirder experiences of my life sitting in that room. 

i chose this for regan because, while i could have gone for the quintessential 80s punk scene and that would have fit just fine, i also think regan is a blend of the macabre and the aesthetic if that makes sense? like she’s one of those people who can really pull off the edgy, grunge vibe while also maintaining class and sophistication. that’s the general feeling i got from this chapel when i was there, so i thought it fit. 

@deacyblues: the flatiron building, new york, new york.

pearl will never not scream early 20th century to me. the flatiron building was built in 1902 and is typically seen as a landmark of the rapid growth of new york city, as well as the development of architecture in the united states. 

anyway, to me the flatiron building is iconic of the early 1920s, and so is pearl. the building has some european feel to it, too, with the way the faces of each side are carved, and pearl often speaks with this blend of american/british vernacular. really, i think what i’m trying to say is pearl reminds me of transatlantic movie-stars, and so does the flatiron building.

@six-bloodyminutes: the guggenheim, new york, new york.

there are two sides to mo. when i first met her, i was like, “huh, this girl is pretty put together. she seems like she knows what’s going on.” then i got to know her more and i thought, “oh wait. she, in fact, does not know what’s going on.” 

the geggenheim reminds me of mo because, from the exterior, it’s sleek and classic, but also unique. it makes you want to take a closer look. on the inside, it’s full of modern art that makes zero sense whatsoever. mo is much the same: put together on the outside, but on the inside, she’s full of surprises, absolutely delightful in her exuberance, and a joy to get to know better. also: i feel like if she were a staircase, she’d be the staircase inside of the guggenheim as well. 

@hijackmy-heart: casa mila, barcalona, spain.

nat is fun. like she makes me laugh a lot and she’s witty (in two languages!!) and she absolutely knows how to have a good time. much like this really strange looking building. there’s a certain whimsy to nat that i feel like this building evokes, too. all in all, 10/10 building, 10/10 person.

@kiwi-hardy: bishop’s castle, rye, colorado.

the last place on the list that i’ve been too irl! the story of bishop’s castle is strange: essentially this man named jim bishop bought land in c.o. for $450 in the 60′s, and he has been handcrafting this massive stone castle ever since. there have been legal battles (over the stones used themselves and over road signs and who controls the castle in the event of jim’s death) but let me tell you one thing: that castle is not built to code whatsoever. i was afraid for my life.

i feel like nothing captures the chaos of leah as much as the house with a fire-breathing dragon on one side, a gift shop on another, and spray painted signs all over the property that say many things but particularly “enter at your own risk”

[peter-parkouuuur]

Chapter 12: Papa Bear Mode (Spider-boy - Peter Parker x Stark!Reader)

WAH! Here’s Chapter 12!!!

I’ve watched FFH thrice and it still gets to me. Ugh, I love our little baby spider-boy.

Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 13

Enjoy!!!

“Live in Madrid, watching the world’s favorite sport,” Peter mumbles as he holds his phone camera up high, filming another vlog.

“Also Peter’s first time to watch real football… not American football.” Y/n makes sure that the camera hears the remark.

“I forgot you’re part-European. Figures.” Peter scoffs jokingly, pointing the camera at her.

You just roll your eyes at him before noticing that one of the players scored a goal.

“GOAL!!!” Y/n shouts at the top of her lungs.

“Isn’t this fun?!” You sit back down beside Peter.

“I’ve never watched soccer before and this is pretty fun.” Peter laughs along, sporting the home team’s scarf.

“If I knew how hectic this whole thing is, I would’ve gotten us one of those VIP seats.” Tony grumbles, putting on his sunglasses, not so much for sun protection as it is night time, mainly just to hide his annoyance of it all.

Tony decided to join in watching the match at the last minute. It was either he goes around Madrid by himself or watches the game with Y/n and Peter.

“Our seats are amazing by the way. We’re like a few meters away from the players.” Peter looks at the football players in awe.

“It’s almost the 90th minute, we need one more goal.” Y/n grumbles tapping her feet uncontrollably.

“I’ve never seen you so tense, sweetie. I should bring you to sports events more often.” Tony looks at you in amusement.

“Oh no, you’re not dragging me into watching basketball with you. I’m not a fan.” You shake your head in disagreement.

“I’ll watch with you, Mr. Stark.” Peter volunteers.

“I’ll hold you to it, Parker.” Tony nods.

“Oh my god!” You are at the edge of your seat as you watch the striker head towards the penalty area.

“Come on! You can do it.” Peter stands up as you do the same.

“Holy shit.” You mumble.

“GOAAAAAAL!” The arena echoes in celebration.

You and Peter look at each other with grins on your faces. Peter ends his video as you grab the back of his head and kiss him for at least a good 5 seconds. Tony clears his throat looking at the two teenagers in the middle of an intimate celebratory embrace.

“Hi, dad.” Y/n awkwardly laughs.

“You’re grounded when we get back to New York, young lady.” Tony states, his face is stiff from being on Papa Bear mode.

The three walk out of the arena and see Happy parked right outside the stadium. Peter and Y/n are attached at the hip, hand-holding and cheek-kissing.

“Now you know how I feel.” Happy laughs as soon as he sees Tony’s annoyed expression.

“Remind me to lock the windows in Y/n’s room the second we get back to New York.” Tony tells Happy the second the two teenagers enter the car.

“They’re good kids, Tony. It’s just puppy love.” Happy shrugs his shoulders.

“Based on the kisses I just saw, I don’t think so.” Tony scoffs.

Happy just chuckles before sliding inside the driver’s seat. Tony slides in beside Y/n.

“Dinner at the hotel?” Tony suggests.

“Yes, please! I’m craving for Tapas right now.” You jump in your seat, the adrenaline from the football game still running fast.

“I take it your team won, Y/n?” Happy asks as he pulls into the traffic.

“Yes, we did win, with just seconds to spare before the 90th minute.” Y/n replies proudly.

Peter looks at you in amusement, still overwhelmed that he’s in Spain with the Starks and watched an actual game live.

“I have to admit, I’m starting to get why you’re into this sport.” Peter laughs.

“Well, I’m part French. I watched a lot of games in Paris with my brother. I’m so glad you enjoyed your first football game.” You giggle, taking Peter’s hand in yours.

The two teenagers intertwine their fingers, a blush creeping on both faces.

“I knew I should’ve brought Pepper with me.” Tony grumbles in his seat.

He doesn’t miss the hand-holding action happening between his daughter and Peter. He just shrugs it off and hides a smile.

‘If I have to give away my daughter to some guy, Peter Parker would be fine with me. He better not break her heart or there would be hell to pay.’ Tony thinks to himself, looking out the window.

Peter rubs his thumb across Y/n’s knuckles. 2 months after meeting Tony Stark, he’s been to multiple Stark Industries events, traveled to two countries, and got himself a girlfriend in the process. It’s all been too surreal for him that if he blinks long enough, he’d be back to his boring old life in Queens.

“You want to go around the city tomorrow morning? I mean, we do leave for New York in the afternoon, but if you’re up for it, we can like, stroll around or something?” Y/n suggests to Peter.

“That’d be awesome! Where will we go?” He asks.

“The palace, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel…. Anywhere in a span of 6 hours.” You shrug your shoulders.

“Six hours?!” Peter raises his voice.

“Yeah?! Are six hours too short? We can always go out at 7 am, but I doubt anything will be open by then.” Y/n replies.

“No no, it’s fine! I just didn’t think that we’d need six hours just to tour around Madrid, that’s all.” Peter clarifies.

“We’re only here for two days. Might as well take advantage of it. We can always just ‘swing’ around.” You joke, emphasizing the word ‘swing’.

“I mean if it’ll beat traffic, why not?” Peter agrees.

“There will be no Spidey action when I’m around.” Tony interrupts the two of you.

“Sorry, Mr. Stark.” Peter apologies.

“Fine.” You grumble.

Happy stops in front of the hotel and one of the hotel security opens the car door for Tony.

“Mr. Stark.” He greets with his thick Spanish accent.

Y/n and Peter follow Tony towards the hotel’s restaurant, La Rotonda.

“Feel free to eat your heart out, kids,” Tony tells you and Peter as the waiter shows you to your table.

“I don’t see why all of us have to share one suite?” You grumble, walking out of the bathroom in your pink pajamas.

“Because I don’t want to see anyone try and sneak out from his room to go to another room and do whatever it is that hormonal teenagers do.” Tony looks at you and Peter.

“We’ll be in the living room.” You tell your dad, grabbing Peter’s hand.

“Lights out by 12!” Tony exclaims.

“Check on them from time to time, won’t you?” Tony tells Happy.

“I’ll watch them like a hawk.” Happy nods in agreement.

“You were planning on swinging me around late at night, were you?” You ask Peter as the two of you sit down on the couch.

“Yeah, I actually was. I hear Madrid has a pretty good nightlife.” Peter replies, turning on the tv.

You snuggle to his side and rest your head against his chest as he put his arms around you.

“I guess staying in isn’t half bad though.” You sign, holding onto his arms.

“Your hair smells like coconut, I like it.” Peter sniffs.

“I don’t know how I feel about you sniffing my hair.” You giggle.

You sit up to face him properly, your heads just a few inches away from one another’s. He presses his forehead against yours before you finally pull him in to kiss him. It starts off very slow, his hands move to the back of your head, slowly caressing your hair while yours rest against his chest. Peter finally having the courage to continue further, coaxes you to open your mouth slightly as he slips his tongue and caresses it with yours.

“You’re a pretty good kisser, Peter Parker.” You laugh lightly, scrunching his shirt to pull him in, your legs on top of his.

“Well I have to keep up, you know?” He chuckles, his lips moving to your jaw then back to your lips.

The two of you didn’t feel anyone come in but a mist of cold water interrupts the two of you from your makeout session.

“What the hell?” Y/n curses.

You open your eyes to see Happy standing right in front of you and Peter.

“Don’t make me spray you two again.” He threatens.

“Wha?-“ Before you could protest, Happy raises the spray again.

“Okay! We got it.” Y/n grumbles.

Happy walks away. You and Peter look at each other before bursting into laughter. You wipe the water off his face.

“You know, I never really got to ask you properly…” Peter starts.

“Ask me what?” You furrow your eyebrows at him.

“If you wanted to be my girlfriend.” He uses the sleeve of his sweater to wipe off the water on your cheek.

“Peter, I’d love to be your girlfriend.” You smile at him.

A wide grin immediately appears on his face before he leans in to kiss you again, this time not as intense.

“Are you done kissing my daughter, Parker?” Tony walks in.

Peter sits up and coughs slightly. You move your legs off of Peter’s lap and follow your dad’s gaze. Happy follows suit and sits beside you.

“You know what they say in catholic schools, leave space for the Holy Spirit.” Tony sits beside Peter.

“What are we watching?” Tony looks at the tv screen.

“Tropic Thunder.” Y/n replies.

Peter takes your hand in his as the four of you watch the movie in peace, bursting into laughter a couple of times. Tony, again, doesn’t miss the hand-holding action going on between Peter and his daughter. He could sulk and tell them off about it, telling them to stay away but he knows Y/n might rebel if he presses harder than he should. Happy looks at Tony and glances at the two teenagers’ hands. Tony just nods and rolls his eyes.

“Wow. It’s like we’re not even in the room.” You look at your dad.

“You two are acting weird. What? You’ve never seen teenagers hold hands?” You look at your dad and Happy.

“Sorry, sweetie. I’m just not used to it. I’ve seen Nico but it’s different because you’re my princess. If Parker wasn’t so awkward and afraid of me, I would’ve threatened him to get away from you.” Tony jokes.

Peter’s eyes grew large and before darting his gaze at Tony.

“Dad, you’re seriously ruining movie night for me. Both of you.” You give your dad and Happy the death stare.

“Alright alright. We’ll try to keep quiet. But you are grounded the second we arrive in New York.” He tells you with a serious look on his face.

“That was serious? Because I kissed my boyfriend in front of you?!” You raise your voice.

“Boyfriend?!” Tony and Happy stand up in front of you and Peter.

You and Peter look at each other, not really knowing what to do or how to reply in this situation.

“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to cut movie night off early, go to bed, sweetie. Parker, you stay.” You slowly remove your hand from Peter’s hold.

“Good luck.” You mouth at him before walking away.

As soon as Y/n is out of sight, Tony and Happy look at Peter with stern faces.

“So my daughter is now your girlfriend, is she?” Tony starts.

“It’s time we have the talk, Mr. Parker.” Tony raises his eyebrows at the teenager who is awkwardly shifting his eyes between Tony and Happy.

“Now, a normal father would just warn you off and tell you that he’d kill you if you hurt his daughter… But you know that I am Iron Man and that I can destroy you if you hurt Y/n, take away your suit, and ban you from the Avengers headquarters.” Tony threatens, sitting down beside Peter.

“I don’t want to hear her complain about you, see her cry over you, or listen to her rants about you being a terrible boyfriend. There’s hell to pay, Peter Parker.” He finishes.

Tony puts his hand out for Peter to take.

“Congrats on not crying. Take good care of her.” Peter shakes Tony’s hand, still, a bit shook.

“I’ll take good care of her, Mr. Stark.” Peter assures him.

“Good. Go to sleep.” He motions for Peter to leave the room.

Happy just looks at Tony in amusement.

“The next thing you know Eloise might introduce you to her crush from school.” Happy jokes.

“That one will be much harder, I don’t know to threaten people in French.” Tony retorts.

“I told you they’re good kids.” Happy states.

“They are…. They’re good kids, but they’re also crazy for each other.” Tony shakes his head.

“Better him than some jerk with a trust fund.” Happy laughs.

“Yeah, and at least this one’s a genius. I might have to recommend him to MIT.” Tony stands up as the two father figures of Y/n head out to sleep.

Y/n and Peter are at the Plaza Mayor eating churros at 10 in the morning. People are beginning to trickle in numbers, just as the first working day of the week comes to a start. You finish off your last churro and notice that Peter still has at least two.

“Are you not hungry? What’s wrong?” You ask.

“Nothing. I’m just not in the mood for churros, that’s all.” Peter smiles at you.

“Did Happy and my dad say something to you? Is that it?” You raise your eyebrows at him before glancing at the guy who has been looking at your table for the past few minutes now.

‘Of course, Happy’s here.’ You think to yourself.

“No, I’m just… well yeah… We’re okay, right?” Peter inquires.

“Do you not want us to be okay? Peter, you need to relax. My dad is not the scariest man in the world. You’ve met Bucky, right? That one is scary.” You joke.

“He is awfully quiet.” Peter nods in agreement.

He lets out a sigh of relief before putting his churro out for you to bite which you happily agree to.

“You’re gonna make me fat.” You protest jokingly.

“I don’t think one churro is going to make you fat.” Peter kisses you on the cheek.

He spots a trinket store in his line of sight. He notices you wearing the charm bracelet that he gave you for your birthday.

“Where are you going?” Peter stands up from his seat and tells you that he has to do something very important.

You finish eating the remainder of his churros before he could come back to finish them.

“Put your right arm out.” Peter takes his seat beside you with a cute smile on his face.

“Okay?” You put your arm out and notice Peter clip a Spanish fan charm to her charm bracelet.

“Peter.” You gasp in awe.

“This is adorable. Thank you.” You smile at him shyly.

“I love it. Thank you.” You kiss him by the cheek knowing that Happy is only a few tables away from the two of you.

“You’re welcome.” He smiles back at you, not knowing that Happy is present, and kisses you lightly.

“I’m gonna miss our little bubble here in Madrid.” You hold onto his hand.

“Me too. Compared to Queens, Madrid is quite the place.” Peter retorts.

“It is one of my favorite cities in the world. I’m glad dad brought you along with us.” Your thumbs caress his knuckles.

“There’s no place I’d rather be.” Peter replies kissing you again.

You happily kiss him back, your hands moving to his neck while his hands play with your hair.

“Happy’s here.” You pull away after at least 20 seconds.

“I know. I saw him trying to hide his face with the menu.” You and Peter look at your dad’s head of security.

You wave your hand at him and he waves back.

“It’s like we can’t catch a break.” You laugh.

“It’s better that he’s sitting at least 15 feet away from us. He won’t get to spray us this time.” Peter jokes.

“Well then, let’s give him a reason to get worked up again.” You giggle before leaning in to kiss your boyfriend again.

“There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.” Tony sits on the chair opposite you and Peter with a stern look on his face.

“By the way, you two are not allowed to kiss for more than 5 seconds when I’m around. That’s an order.” Tony warns.

“Oh, but you and Pepper can?” You raise your eyebrows at your dad.

“That’s different. Pepper is my fiancée and we’re over 21.” Tony replies.

“Ugh. I hate it when you go full-Papa Bear mode on me.” You grumble.

“Sweetie, this is just the beginning.” Tony smirks at the two of you.

-------------------------------------------------

I’m so sorry I forgot to add the taglist in my previous chapter huhuhu!!

@capandbuck @multifandom-slytherin @accio-rogers @ccold-as-ice @nerdywitch @founding-fuck-bois @bookgirlunicorn @spidey-boio @antaraxy

@tom-hollands-eyelash @saturn-aka-six @sebbystanlover-vk

[christinealtomare]

Final Stuttgart thoughts:

Whoops, so I didn’t get a chance to post this before passing out last night!

Overall, I really enjoyed the Stuttgart cast. Milan and Judith were definitely the highlights, while Mathias was a pleasant surprise. All three have really deviated from what Christy, Derek, and Ramin originally did, but honestly? That’s not a bad thing. They all put their own spins on the characters and it works so well. 

Mathias especially really made Gleb his own and ran with it and it’s the best interpretation of Gleb that I’ve heard to date. From the tone and acting, it doesn’t seem like his Gleb is pursuing Anya romantically at all. He really plays up the infatuation more, clashes with Anya early on, and is very threatening from the very beginning. Instead of feeling like a creepy uncle or dudebro hitting on Anya, their scenes are so much more interesting than any other Gleb/Anya duo I’ve ever heard because right from the first meeting you can tell that these two are symbolizing very conflicting ideologies and that they have a sense of that. Hence, their “The Neva Flows” was the most interesting scene for me in the whole audio (and I never thought I’d say that about a gle*ya scene!) because it’s almost like a mini game of Cat and Mouse between them in that scene (and throughout tbh) but it’s hard to tell who’s who. Mathias’ Gleb is a very convincing Chekist. I can buy that he’s high up enough to warrant that new office and someone they would trust to execute Anya and not just because of who his father is. You actually get the implication throughout that this guy did some pretty horrible stuff to earn that view of the Nevsky Prospect. I went in not expecting much from Mathias’ Gleb and came out with him as the new favourite. So pleasantly surprised. To be honest, the most unrealistic part of his portrayal for me is that he didn’t shoot Anya in the end.

Judith, in turn, is such an interesting and complex Anya! The word that keeps coming to mind when I think of her Anya is rational? Christy, Jana, and Lila all play super passionate Anyas who are led by their hearts. Judith’s Anya is still very much a dreamer and the emotion is absolutely still there, but she’s also so incredibly realistic and self-assured. She has a goal and a plan about how to achieve it. Whereas with Christy, I always kind of got the impression that’s she’s had this dream of Paris for all these years, but until she meets Dmitry it’s almost like she doesn’t have the strongest plan? With Judith, it feels like there has always been a game plan in place and Dmitry and Vlad are two side-kicks she’s picked up along the way. Lynn Ahrens described her Anya as, “From Germany, [JUDITH] is like a gentle force of nature. That’s real strength.” This is honestly so true of her portrayal. Gosh, I don’t even know how to describe it any better? 

When she meets Dmitry for the first time, she’s annoyed by his sarcasm but it’s almost kind of as if she also understands to an extent that the reason Dmitry is considered a reliable illegal supplier is because he doesn’t go around forging papers for just anybody and when describing her trek, she’s almost kind of justifying to him why she would be a reliable client and is deserving of the exit papers? That’s what makes her “In My Dreams” so interesting because for her Anya, getting that peek into her literal dreams feels rare? So you can really tell that this is something she cares about because until that point, she approaches Dmitry very rationally. Her Anya also shows a lot of self-restraint. It takes a lot to get her to snap and when it does happen, you don’t expect it. It’s a surprise because it takes a lot to push her to that point (the drunk guys + finding out about the con). She never really shouts back at Dmitry. In the encounters with Gleb, you can tell how much her skin is crawling and how much she disagrees with what he’s preaching, but she honestly plays Gleb like a fiddle haha. 

Her remarks are biting and bitter and even in that final confrontation, the more Mathias shouts, the more Judith taunts him. She’s finally letting her disdain be known, yet she almost never shouts back. She’s certainly goading him in that scene, almost like a, “Do it. I dare you to shoot.” So it’s beyond satisfying how after that breakdown and everything he’s preached throughout the show, Gleb can’t shoot her. Additionally, Journey to the Past is such a satisfying moment because Judith lets it all out during that number. Every other Anya has made me cry by the end of that song, but with Judith’s its so extra special because there’s that sense of she’s really earned this, you know?

Both Milan and Judith play a much more subdued Dimya. Those two can belt but they save it for the more intense moments and it works amazingly. Additionally, their Dimya clearly aren’t as snappy with one another? They both have an incredible sarcasm and wit but even during the diamond scene, they’re never really shouting at each other, just arguing. So when Judith does finally snap after “Everything to Win.” it’s really a defining moment because until that point, her Anya is very determined and doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve as much. 

Finally, Milan is such a treat as Dmitry! He’s sarcastic and witty without ever being a total dick to Anya. He laughs at her initially when she asks for exit papers, but by the end of “In My Dreams”, he comes to respect her as an equal. The scenes where he and Vlad are My Fair Lady-ing Anya are interesting because Judith’s Anya is difficult to manipulate and Milan’s Dmitry can tell. He takes a very careful approach in trying to turn Anya into Anastasia. I really expected him to be a more happier Dmitry because of his personality but Milan really surprised me? Like Judith’s Anya, his Dmitry has a goal in mind. He and Judith start out as reluctant partners in crime, turn into friends, and by the end of the Travelling Sequence it’s surprising and cute because it really feels like Milan’s Dmitry absolutely, 100% did not mean to fall in love with Anya and it surprises him so much. His “Everything to Win” is honestly the best climax I could ever hope for, for Dmitry. And of course, as we all knew, the chemistry with Judith is just perfect.

The one complaint I have is that it felt like the Madrid cast brought more to the table in terms of... everything? However, the audio I heard from Madrid was from their very first preview, while this one was a few days after opening night so I’m also not super surprised that there is a difference in energy between the two casts.

Overall, if you get the chance to watch either international production, please do it. In my personal opinion, I think these two productions are taking fresher approaches than the Tour and it’s almost like seeing an entirely different show, even if you’ve seen/heard the Broadway production. Neither Stuttgart nor Madrid will disappoint you.

[catalinda04]

Carried Away Chapter 52: On Tour

Masterlist

“Does everyone have their passports? Does everyone have their money? Good, then give mom and dad a hug, and let’s get on the move!” Lucy looked over her group of 22 students and two chaperones accompanying her to Europe. The students dispersed to find their parents and give them one last hug before their bus left the school parking lot for the airport. Lucy’s mom, Marie, and Emma were the two chaperones. John Claussen hugged his daughter tight, and gave her a kiss on the cheek before turning to his wife.

Looking around Lucy noted several tearful parents, and more than one tearful student waving goodbye to each other as they boarded the bus. The students were all excited for all the sights they would get to see, the parents were fearful to send their babies out into the world. Lucy felt an even mixture of nerves, excitement, and calm. The students had been raising money for this trip for two years, and it was finally here. She was getting to show her students a couple of her favorite cities in the world, and of course, Henry would be waiting for her in Madrid.

On the bus to the airport, Lucy talked strategy with Emma and Marie, assigned duty days, and talked group dynamics. Each chaperone was assigned a “team” of travelers. Lucy had hand picked her team of her favorite students, mostly consisting of her drama students.

“And Henry is joining us in Madrid?” Marie asked.

“Yes. His premier is the first night we’re in Madrid, then, hopefully, he’ll join us for the next day when we head out to Toledo.”

“Are you going to this premiere too?” Marie asked her daughter.

“No. I can’t leave the group. These parents have entrusted their kids to me. I can’t just go off for the evening and party. Plus I don’t have anything to wear. Can you imagine what a dress would look like by the time we’ve switched hotels three times?”

“I’m sure Emma and I could handle them for one evening.” Marie insisted.

“I don’t doubt that you could, but when push comes to shove, if anything happens, it’s my butt on the line.” Lucy explained.

“You, my dear, are much too cautious.”

“That’s not what you said last year when I said I was going to Europe for six weeks,” she reminded her mother.

“It comes and goes.” Marie laughed.

When Lucy and the group were checked in at the airport and had found their gate, Lucy released them to find lunch. “Stay in groups of 3 or more, don’t go out of security, and be back here by 1:30.” Lucy told the group before sending them off. She turned to Emma and Marie, “lunch?” She asked, and the two women nodded in agreement. They finally settled on a food court lunch, and went their separate ways before coming back to share a table. While Emma and Marie ate at a normal speed, Lucy sped through her meal.

“Hungry?” Emma asked laughing.

“No, I told Henry I’d call before we boarded. Then if we have enough time in Amsterdam, I’m going to call him after we land.” Lucy said. Emma gagged.

“Very funny. Do I need to remind you what you were like last Spring? And I haven’t seen him in almost a month.”

“Why didn’t he come after the Asia leg of the press tour?” Marie asked.

“I told him not to. Between the end of the year and last minute prep for the trip, I didn’t need the distraction. I mean we’ve talked almost every day, but it’s not the same.”

“Go. Talk to your ridiculously good looking, British boyfriend. We’ll see you at the gate.” Emma laughed, shooing her friend away.

Lucy found a quiet corner near their gate and called Henry. Lucy could hear the smile in his voice as he answered the call. After sharing their I miss yous and can’t wait to see yous, Lucy commented, “Emma says we’re nauseating. I told her to shut her trap.” Lucy laughed.

“Well done. I’m counting the days until I can see you again.” Henry said, making Lucy swoon.

“Me too. I’m torn. I don’t want the trip to go too fast, we’ve all been looking forward to this for two years, but I want to be in Madrid already so I can see you. I probably won’t be able to call much before Madrid. Internet is usually spotty at the hotels they book us in, and we’re so tired at the end of the day of touring anyway that all we want to do is shower off the day, and sleep. But I’ll be able to check my texts.”

“Remind me what your itinerary is again.” Henry said, loving how excited Lucy was when she talked about all the activities they had packed into very few days. Eventually the time came for the call to disconnect, the travelers were starting to congregate at the gate, and boarding would begin soon.

“Darcy, I have to go. I love you! And I’ll see you in 9 days. If I can call from Amsterdam, I will, but I also promised Sarah that I’d call her, since we’ll be so close.”

“Well, Cupcake, if I hear from you, I will, and if not, have a phenomenal time, and I will see you in 9 days. Madrid or bust.”

“I love you, Henry.” Lucy said thickly, her eyes watering slightly.

“I love you too, Lucy.” Henry said wistfully.

Lucy wiped her eyes and rejoined her group. They were allowed priority board because of the size of their group. Lucy settled into her cramped seat near the back of the plane, an aisle on her right side, her mother on her left. “I miss flying with Henry.” Lucy grumbled.

“Well, you’re stuck back here with us commoners for this trip. When you fly back to London, you can fly in luxury, until then I don’t want to hear it. You at least have an aisle.” Said her mother from the middle seat.

The flight passed uneventfully, and the group landed in Amsterdam, for a layover of a few hours before flying to Milan to start their tour. Lucy guided the tired teens through customs and they all found their gate. Lucy gave the same instructions as in Minneapolis. The travelers all looked exhausted, and went in search of coffee. Lucy attempted a call to Henry, but his phone went to voicemail. Lucy was disappointed but tried not to let her emotions take over. She was jet lagged and had to be on her game for the kids. She called Sarah, who did answer. They had a brief conversation, mostly about the upcoming trip, and the flight they had just finished. She was smiling by the time she disconnected the call with her friend. The kids were starting to migrate back to their gate. Most looking slightly more awake, and clutching shopping bags from airport stores.

Most of the group, including Lucy slept on the short flight from Amsterdam to Milan. Lucy led the tired but excited group through customs and baggage claim. Finally they met their tour director, Giuseppe, a handsome Italian man with gorgeous olive toned skin, and dark hair. “He’ll be popular with the girls.” Lucy thought as she introduced herself to him. He led the group to a waiting bus to take them to the Cinque Terre.

Once Lucy was sure her kids had what they needed, she approached Giuseppe. She had exchanged several emails with him before the tour, but now that the tour had started, she wanted to reconfirm that Henry would be welcome to join the group in Madrid.

“Ciao, Giuseppe.” Lucy said, taking a place in the seat next to the man.

“Ciao, Lucia. What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to remind you that my boyfriend will be meeting us in Madrid, and will probably be coming with us to Toledo.”

“Yes, I remember, thank you for reminding me. Will he be joining us for any meals?”

“I don’t know. I’ll text him when I have WiFi. When do you need to know?”

“The day before is fine. But while I have have you up here, we have some things to take care of,” he said pulling a binder from his bag. He and Lucy arranged the students room assignments and talked about any food allergies the group had. Eventually the group arrived at their hotel in time to check in and explore the city for an hour or so before dinner.

Lucy looked around at her students, most looked like they would fall asleep in their pesto. Lucy felt the same. After their dinner, Lucy called a group meeting where she went over the following day’s itinerary, and scheduled curfew time. None of the students complained about the 9:00 curfew she set, they all went straight to their rooms for a decent night’s sleep.

The morning arrived bright and beautiful. The warm Italian air blew through the open window of her hotel room as Lucy readied herself for the first day of actual touring. She met all of the travelers in the hotel’s restaurant area for breakfast, and reminded them to pack or wear their swimsuits.

With more than a little confusion, the group managed to board their bus to the train station, then the train that would take them into the Cinque Terre. They arrived to the first of the five little villages around mid morning. The sign at the train station read, Riomaggiore. There were several people on the platform waiting to catch the train to the next village. Lucy instructed her travelers to disembark and stand clear of the other passengers until the train had departed.

Lucy was doing a quick head count of her team when she heard a voice ask her, “Mi scusi, Signorina. Dov’è it porto?”

Lucy finished her count, and turned toward the voice. “I’m sorry, I don’t speak ital...HENRY!” She exclaimed, recognizing the handsome man in the tank top, cargo shorts, and baseball cap. She ran to him, jumping to wrap her legs around his waist as her arms encircled his neck. She pressed her lips to his in a kiss that felt like coming home.

“Lucia? Scusami, but we’re going this way.” Lucy heard Giuseppe say behind her. Lucy jumped apart from Henry.

“Sorry, Giuseppe. This is my boyfriend Henry. Henry this is Giuseppe our tour director.” Lucy said, making introductions. The two men shook hands.

“I thought he was not joining us until Madrid.” Giuseppe said to Lucy.

“Oh, I’m just here for the day,” Henry explained. “I have to be in Rome for work in two days, so I thought I would pop in to see my girl.”

“Well, benvenuto in Italia.” Giuseppe greeted, “We’re all going this way.” He indicated behind him, out of the station. Lucy took Henry’s hand and they followed the group off the platform. Giuseppe led the group through the tunnel into the city, and gave directions to different sights, as well as the meeting time to go to the next village.

Lucy called her group around. “Ok guys. You heard Giuseppe. I want to to either be with an adult, or in groups of 3 or more. Be back here,” she pointed to the spot they were standing on, “by 11:20. That’s 10 minutes before Giuseppe’s time. Remember, groups of 3 or more, or with an adult, watch your belongings, and have some fun. You are excused.” Lucy said, sending the kids off. Most stayed for another minute to say hello to Henry, before they took off. Lucy turned to Emma and Marie. “Look what I found!” she pointed to Henry.

“It’s nice to see you again Henry.” Marie said, pulling the tall man in for a hug. This was the first time she had seen him since the breakup.

“Marie, it’s lovely to see you again. How are you?” Henry asked, returning the hug.

“Well, I’m in Italy, so I can’t complain,” she joked.

“Emma, lovely to see you again as well.” He hugged Lucy’s friend.

“Sure, first you take away my prom date, now you take away my travel companion. So rude,” Emma joked.

“Only for today. I’m on my way to Rome for some press obligations. I thought it would be fun to surprise everyone.” He explained wrapping his arm around Lucy’s shoulders. Lucy leaned into his side, smiling like a fool.

“Should we go explore?” Lucy asked the group, and the four set off up the hill through the town. They passed several groups of students.

“Really guys? Gelato at,” she checked her watch, “10:15 in the morning?”

“We’re on vacation,” was their response.

“Fair enough. But make sure you’re drinking water too!” She called to them as they walked on.

The four adults wandered the streets of the little village, popping into shops as they felt like it. Emma and Marie either hung back from the couple, or walked ahead, to give them some space.

At the appointed time, Lucy was pleased to see all of her students gathered on time. They boarded the train to the next village. Manarola, the sign for this village read. Lucy gave the students their gathering time, and let them roam freely. Lucy, Henry, Marie, and Emma found a cafe, and claimed a table. Emma and Henry ordered coffee, while Marie and Lucy ordered ice water. The day had turned quite warm. Henry kept the women entertained with stories from the press tour, most of which Lucy had already heard, but was happy to listen to again, simple because Henry was there in person telling the story.

The four wandered the city, making their way to waterfront, where a group of the students had found a rock and were jumping off of it, into the Mediterranean. Lucy laughed, took pictures, and warned them to be careful.

The group made their way to the last of the villages they would be visiting. Monterroso al Mare. Giuseppe told them they would have the most time here. They would meet back at the train station at 6:00 to go back to their hotel for the evening. Lucy organized her travelers, helping them find places to get lunch. Henry joined Lucy, Emma, Marie and six travelers at a long table at a quaint cafe. Lucy answered questions about Italian cuisine, proud that the students would expand their horizons.

When everyone had finished their meals, Lucy asked their server for their checks. The server informed Lucy the bill had been taken care of by the gentleman at the end of the table, and nodded in Henry’s direction. Lucy gave him a look that said, thank you, and you shouldn’t have done that.

“Chicos and chicas, I think you all owe a very large grazie, to Henry. He paid for everyone’s lunch today.” she told the kids. Their eyes went wide, and a couple of the girls stood to give Henry a hug in thanks.

“Mom, Emma, I think Henry and I are going to wander by ourselves for a bit. We’ll meet you at the gelato stand by the train station in, say, two hours?”

“I wondered when you would cast us off. See you then.” Emma said, waving.

Henry and Lucy walked back to the beach. Henry claimed them a couple of beach chairs, and they sat in the shade, soaking in each others presence. Hey took off their shoes and walked down the beach, playing in the gentle waves rolling up on the sand. Then it happened. A girl approached Henry. He had been recognized. Lucy stood off to the side while Henry signed autographs and she volunteered to take pictures. Lucy wasn’t sure how long the picture session went on, but she looked at her watch, and caught Henry’s attention, pointing at her wrist, indicating it was time to go. Henry excused himself politely, took Lucy’s hand and together they walked toward the gelato stand. Lucy looked behind her to see more than one camera phone being pointed in their direction.

“Sorry about that darling.” Henry apologized.

“You have nothing to apologize for. I know that being with you in public carries the risk of attention. It’s just part and parcel of being with you.”

Henry kissed her temple, “Well thank you for tolerating it, Cupcake.”

“I tolerate it because I love you, Darcy.” Lucy replied kissing the underside of his jaw.

Lucy and Henry said goodbye at the train station. Lucy knew the entire bus of travelers was watching them, but she didn’t care. She kissed Henry deeply, and left him with a promise to see him in a week. Henry stood waving as the bus pulled away, and Lucy steadfastly didn’t meet the gazes of the other Tour Leaders on the bus. She assumed she’d probably get some questions from them at the leader’s meeting that night, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

Lucy stared out the window of the bus, when a voice drifted back to her. One of the students from one of the other groups was talking to his Tour Leader. “Superman was here today! I got my picture with him! Check it out!” The boy of about 15 showed his phone to his teacher. She looked at the screen, then back at Lucy. Yes, a lot of questions. Lucy thought to herself.

The rest of the trip passed quickly. Lucy managed to not lose any of her students, and to her knowledge none of them had snuck out at night. On the high-speed train from Barcelona to Madrid, Lucy looked the picture of impatience. Her fingers drummed on the armrest of her seat, she checked her watch, and the estimated arrival time.

“Honey, you need to calm down. You’re doing to give yourself an aneurysm. Settle down. The train will get to the station on time, and Henry will probably be waiting for you at the hotel, just like you arranged. But you need to stop that drumming before I break all of your fingers.” Marie said, putting her hand over her daughter’s.

“Sorry mom. I don’t know why I’m so anxious. I just saw him a week ago!”

“I believe they call it love honey.” Marie laughed, and Lucy managed to settle herself.

The train stopped at Atocha station, in the center of the city. Lucy and the group collected their luggage and began the trek to their hotel, which was just a few blocks from the station. Lucy, who had been at the back of the pack for most of the tour, lead the pack to the hotel. Henry was indeed waiting in the lobby. Lucy flung herself into his arms, ecstatic to see him again, then quickly separated from him. She had told her travelers that everything was hotter in Madrid, and she was right. She was a sweaty mess, just from the three block walk from the train station.

“Darling, I can’t stay. I have to get back to the press. But I will see you later. Leave your phone on, and I can call you when I’m done.” Henry said, kissing Lucy’s forehead before exiting the hotel as the last of the group arrived. Lucy didn’t see the wink exchanged by Marie and Henry.

The group deposited their luggage in their assigned rooms quickly, before heading right back out for lunch and a visit to the Prado museum. After spending their allotted two hours at the Prado, the group returned to the hotel to freshen-up for their evening tour in the Puerta del Sol and dinner nearby. Lucy unlocked the room she was sharing with her mother, and saw a garment bag hanging on the bathroom door that hadn’t been there when she left earlier. There was a note attached to the bag.

Cupcake -

I’ve worked out everything with your mother. Put on the dress, and make yourself look as beautiful as I think you are. A car will be around to collect you at 5:00.

Darcy

Lucy turned to her mother, who was smirking. “Mom, I told you. I can’t just leave the group. I’m responsible for them!”

     Marie walked to her daughter, and put her hand on her shoulders. “Dear, nothing is going to happen. Emma and I have this. Go have fun. We’re doing a walking tour and dinner, nothing bad is going to happen. Now, you had better start getting ready, you only have about 90 minutes.”

It was close, but with the help of Emma, Marie, and couple of the girls, Lucy was just being zipped into the dress Henry had procured for her, when the front desk called, telling her the car was waiting.

Marie surveyed her daughter. The dress was simple, but beautiful. The fabric was light and airy, which was a godsend in the hot Madrid atmosphere. The gorgeous sapphire blue material dipped into a V at Lucy’s neck. It flowed away from her waist gently down to her knee in the front, while the back had a slight train. The dress billowed whenever Lucy took a step, creating a dramatic silhouette. She looked beautiful. Henry had even thought to supply shoes for her. The simple white strappy sandals showcased the tan Lucy had acquired in the past week. One of the girls styled Lucy’s hair in a sideways braid, ending in curls. Paired with the dress, Marie barely recognized her daughter.

“Mom, here’s my phone. Call Henry’s number if there’s an emergency, and I will call you when we’re done at the premiere.” Lucy said, giving her mother a hug before rushing out the door and down to the waiting car.

Lucy found a driver waiting for her in the lobby. He escorted her out to the waiting car and opened the door for her. He navigated the Madrid city traffic with ease, and pulled up to a plaza near the Plaza Mayor. The driver came around to open the door for Lucy. She exited the car, and easily found the entrance to the red carpet. She showed the pass Henry had included in his note, and gave her name. She was led to a waiting area, but was not left waiting long, before Henry arrived, looking stunning in a cream colored suit with a shirt almost the same color as her dress.

“You came!” He yelled as he saw her, pulling her close carefully.

“I wasn’t really given much choice.” She gave him one of her teacher looks. “You colluded with my mother.”

“Are you terribly upset?” He asked, hoping he wasn’t in serious trouble.

“No. I wanted to come, but if anything happens, I’m blaming you.”

“Fair enough.” he agreed with a grin.

As they walked the red carpet, Lucy thought about how she’d gotten to this point. How she was now going to be in a newspaper in a third country. She, who normally tried to make sure there were as few pictures of her out in the public as possible, was now attending her second movie premiere at the arm of the lead actor.   

When the interviewers asked Henry about her and they discovered she was a Spanish teacher, they asked her to come forward as well. She begged off in the best Spanish she could muster in the situation. Her nerves had all but pushed all of her Spanish knowledge out of her brain. It took all she had to remember, “No gracias, este es la noche de mi novio. Lo siento. (No thank you. This is my boyfriend’s night.I’m sorry.) But she did notice an increase in the number of flashes after her profession was announced. “Aye dios mio.” she thought to herself.

Chapter 51           Chapter 53

Riomaggiore

Manarola

Monterroso Al Mare

Lucy’s Premiere Dress

[joehas]

Q&A with John O´Loughlin.

A BIT ABOUT YOU

Q1 Who are you and what do you do?

I am Joe Haslam and I´m the Executive Director of the Owners Scaleup Program and a Professor at IE Business School in Madrid. At IE, I teach classes on scaling and scaleups to University level students, to MBAs and to Senior Executives.  

I´m also a director a number of companies, mainly scaleups or startups started by serial entrepreneurs. I do a lot of speaking at conferences (now mostly virtual) as well as writing and podcasting.

To quote Peter Drucker “Entrepreneurship is risky mainly because so few of the so-called entrepreneurs know what they are doing” Having spoken to maybe 500 founders in the last ten years, I´ve a fair idea what you should not do to scale a business. I put the emphasis on not making known mistakes so that you give yourself the best chance to figure out what it is you need to do.

Q2.      What is your background?

After graduation from UCC, I went to London to work for Perot Systems as a Consultant. That was a great status job but it was no way to live so I came back to Ireland.

A group of us left consulting to set up a company called Marrakech during the dot com era. We raised over seventy million dollars and grew to over 250 people. This is where my interest in scaling up comes from.

After four years, I moved to Madrid to do an MBA at IE Business School. The first weekend, I met this girl and we are still together. In terms of lifestyle, I think that Madrid and Berlin are the two best cities to live in Europe.

Q3. Favourite business news resource?

CB Insights is a wonderful resource. It tells you, often on one page, who the cool companies are in each sector. My students absolute love this visual storytelling.    

I used to read The Economist every Saturday morning when it arrived on paper but I got out of the habit of doing this when i subscribed online instead. This makes no sense, I know, but habits are powerful.

My news now comes from links I find on Twitter. I think it´s a wonderful resource and it allows me to keep in touch with the news from places i previously lived in. You don´t have to live in Silicon Valley anymore to keep in touch with what is going on there.  

Q4. If I was to ask for a business book recommendation?

Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell is a great way to understand the importance of coaching. Coaching is much misunderstood. It´s not about telling someone what to do but to help them to find the answers themselves. Business should be like sport where everyone has a coach.

I think every man should read The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer. It has helped me a lot to understand how women feel in certain circumstances. Some men think they are helping but they are doing exactly the wrong thing.

Scaleup books are many. The best is Scaling Up by Verne Harnish. High Growth Handbook by Elad Gil is very Silicon Valley but also very well structured. Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman is a strategy I disagree with but you have to read it anyway. Scaling by Roland Siebelink makes the really important points in a way that you cant miss them. Growth and Scaleup Enablers for SMEs by Veijo Komulainen is deceptively useful.

Q5. Are you listening to any good business podcasts at the moment?

Like a lot of people, I listen to Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway twice a week. I can see why it annoys people but its makes business fun and that is welcome. In contrast the a16z podcasts are much richer in content but you do have to force yourself to listen to the end.

In terms of scaleup resources, we are very well served. There is Scaleup Valley by Mike Dias, Masters of Scale by Reid Hoffman, Notion Capital´s “Pain of Scale” and The Scaling Startups Podcast by Ross Sheil.

While listening in the car or walking to work is better than nothing, I also recommend that you group listen. By this I mean to schedule a meeting with the management team. Listen to it together and then discuss immediately.

Q6. What’s your best bit of business advice?

I have got loads of this.

Find out what you are good at and get even better at it. Find out what you are bad at and get other people to do it.

Getting a “No” only means “no” today. Failure is part of the process of growing, so don´t take it personally. If you are shooting for big things then you should expect to fail.

Follow up. I see this all the time. Someone makes an intro, you have a meeting but you move onto another meeting before mining the first one fully.

Vulnerability is a super power. Ask for help. People are mostly good and will help if you are open about asking for it.

Q7. What do you do to wind down/relax?

I run 5km, 5 times a week. I also swim 1,000 meters twice a week. I hate bicycles though so I am not a Mamil.

As you get older, if you don´t do physical exercise then everything falls apart. Also it´s a time to think. And thinking cannot be done in short batches. I can think of many problems where the solution only came after thinking uninterrupted about it for more than half an hour.

Stress is a real issue so i try to have one entire day every week when i have no meetings or deadlines. This takes the pressure off and lets me go into random areas as opposed to the here and now. We have really only four productive hours a day, so I try to block off those and then do other not so intellectual tasks the rest of the time.    

ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS

Q8. Why are you in the news?

I´m never not in the news. It´s part of my job to be in the news! Last week it was Saudi Arabia, the week before India, the week before that South Korea.  

Engaging with people is how you learn. I´m really hard on my students who come to class just to listen. E.M. Forster's quote “How do I know what I think until I see what I say” captures this exactly.  

To quote a friend of mine from a private conversation “clear, strong writing was now a differentiator in the tech industry in the same way design had been in the early 2000s, when Apple schooled everyone on what actually created value.  Tech companies had spent ten years catching up on design, investing in talent and buying up studios—but they didn’t yet correctly value written communication. Internally, to customers, or to the public”

Q9. What is your biggest business challenge at present?

I have never had any expectation of stability so the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is just what it is this year.  There are always challenges, they just have different names.  

It is now more difficult to travel to Madrid for the Owners Scaleup Program, particularly from Latin America. A good Professor can creates an atmosphere in a classroom that is hard to match online. They also miss out on the social part of the program. Eating Cachopo and drinking Mencia in Restaurante Asturiano Carlos Tartiere is an important part of the Program.

I used to travel 20 weeks a year to promote IE Business School so that doesnt happen either anymore. Nothing beats going to a country to get to know something about the people in your classroom. In February, I did a six city tour of Mexico (Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mérida, León, Querétaro, CDMX). I haven´t left Spain since.    

Q10. What are you doing to address this?

We have moved online. But not online just in the sense of recording a video but my classes are now live. Death by Powerpoint is now gone as everyone is much more comfortable contributing from their happy place. On video, everyone is equal.  

I was also very lucky in that three years ago, I agreed to shoot something called a High Impact Online Program (HiOP) which is series of short videos and readings which is more like a Netflix series than a class. We .. ahem ... scaled up the course on Scaleup.

IE invested a lot of money in a production team to create this, especially as everything was new so we didn´t really know what we were doing. I am also using something called the WOW Room a lot more for classes. This has 48 screens shaped in the form of a “U” and with up to 200 degree vision. The reality now is that Professors are turning into TV Presenters.  

Q11. In terms of your scaling journey, why have you picked the UK?

In most countries in the world where I visit, the term scaleup is unknown. The exception is the UK where because of the work of the ScaleUp Institute, I´m usually not starting at zero.    

Going back to about 2014, a series of reports were done by organisations such as Deloitte and PWC as well as institutions such as the LSE highlighting the importance of SMEs to the UK economy and what could be done to scale them up.

While the situation since then has not got noticeably better, the UK has managed to put  place a lot more of what SMEs need to scaleup than other countries have. As an example the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and the Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR).

Q12. Where are the biggest opportunities in your sector over the next 3 years?

If there is a case for Brexit at all it is based on the idea that convergence and cooperation has dampened animal spirits of UK Entrepreneurs. Now that Brexit has happened, there is an element that average is over and that it´s get big or die.

One student of mine compares it to Russia's Shock Therapy is the aftermath of the dissolution of the USSR. It is likely that some people who have always had the ambition and the capability will use Brexit as the trigger to make aggressive bets and to double down on a new business model to catch an exponential wave.

While this is easier said than done, I think every SME needs to take a hard look at itself and redefine challenges as opportunities to grow.  There is help out there and people who want to see you succeed.

Joe Haslam 1 December 2020

[nicolekidmanwigfactory]

Pedro Almodóvar's "A Little Night Music"

I was VERY VERY VERY bored at work last night and it occurred to me that A Little Night Music would be a perfect musical for Almodóvar to adapt, with it’s switching partners and examination of the sexes and sexuality. So I got creative and imagined what that might look like and modeled it based on his late 1980s/early 1990s movies. All the songs would remain in their normal places, perhaps with a few lines modified to reflect its updated time and setting.

The show is interrupted with commentary by the Liebeslieder Singers, now a group of Flamenco Singers. While still in waltz time, the music takes on the more traditional musical sounds of Spain.

Desiree Armfeldt, Spain's aging, but glamorous thespian, tours the country during the 1980s at the height of the La movida madrileña in a flashy production of Lorca’s Blood Wedding. Back on his Toledo estate, her father, Señor Armfeldt- Madrid's most famous drag queen/rent boy before the Civil War- raises his daughter’s daughter, Federica, a dour girl with a penchant for staging suicides based on the Catholic martyrs. Señor Armfeldt enchants Federica with stories of his childhood, including the three sonrisas of the night.

Desiree’s former lover, the widowed Federico is a cabinet minister in the Suarez government and newly married to the still-virginal Ana, a former novitiate who left the convent due to an incident involving the Friday fish during the previous year’s Lenten season. Federico's son, Enrique, a theology student at the local university, has known Ana since birth and shares a familial bond with her, as well as a carnal desire. Ana’s maid, Paula, a companion of Franco and his allies, regales Ana with tales of her worldly knowledge.

With the help of his manservant, Señor Armfeldt puts on his old drag and reminisces about his prime, before the Civil War, and how his talents brought him his riches, and how even with Franco gone, he’s far too old to go back to his old life of drag and tricks. At appropriate pauses in “Liasions,” Señor Armfeldt delivers veiled insults toward his daughter which also serve as critiques of regressive Franco regime and its Catholic supporters.

Federico and Ana attend a performance of Blood Wedding, but leave after Ana becomes upset, Federico returns to stage door Desiree, where they rekindle their relationship and have a tryst after he explains his marital predicament to Desiree. Desiree’s current lover, the bisexual and recently retired torero Carlo Magnus-Malcolm, interrupts them and after talking her way out of the sticky situation, Federico leaves and returns home to Ana. Carlo doubts Desiree’s story and tells his wife, the transgender matchmaker/cabaret singer Carlota, who realizes Ana is an old classmate of her younger sister.

Carlota pays Ana a visit and informs her of her husband’s infidelity over a glass of sangria. Over a flashback montage with an anachronistic recording of Estrella Morente singing in the background, Carlota explains to Ana how during her time living and working as a Catholic priest, listening to the confessions of adulterous men showed her that men cause their wives nothing but pain. The priestly Carlota took on each of their sins personally, leading her to realize that she herself did so because she accepted their sins as a woman, not as a priest, leading Carlota to come to terms with her long-questioned gender identity. Ana questions why Carlota puts up with her husband’s infidelities.

Desiree plots to steal Federico from Ana. Ana and Carlota plot to shame Desiree for her home wrecking and embarrass their husbands in the process. Enrique struggles with reconciling his theological studies and his borderline-incestuous feelings for his step-mother, going so far to frequenting a similar looking prostitute. Federica’s staged suicides become more elaborate. All of this eventually culminates in a visit from Desiree to her father and daugher. She convinces her father to host Federico and his family at the estate outside of Toledo to spend a weekend in the country. The invitations go out, and lo and behold, who shows up but Carlo and Carlota, on their way to Granada for Carlo to meet with an up-and-coming matador to possibly take on and train.

During the siesta, Señor Armfeldt’s guests mingle: Ana and Carlota get their plan straight; Federico and Carlo discuss their shared ambitions with Desiree in the driest of terms while keeping wary of the other; Enrique gets on well with Federica and confesses that he’s in love with his stepmother, the first time he’s said it aloud.

Señor Armfeldt, tasked with his most extravagant party since the fall of the Second Spanish Republic, puts on his highest drag and proceeds to dust off his pre-war persona of Madame Tápame during dinner, much to the embarrassment of Desiree but delight of her guests. Carlota flirts with Federico, angering her husband and upsetting Ana, despite Ana’s knowledge of the plan. Desiree is able to rebuff all of Carlota’s disguised insults with her own stinging rebukes. Madame Tápame, reveling in being able to live out her vocation once again, reads everyone at the table for their atrocious behavior, but Enrique storms away from the table after declaring everyone immoral. To cut the tension, Federica stages a suicide modeled on the martyrdom of Santa Cecilia, using one of Carlo’s banderillos as the sword.  

Everyone leaves the table except Federica. Still posing as Santa Cecilia, we see her smile for the first time before she leaves to find Ana and tell her about Enrique’s love. Desiree catches up with Federico to “rescue” him from his marriage, but he rebuffs her. She’s hurt but lets him go.

Ana finds Enrique with another of Carlo’s banderillos, who’s ready to slice his throat when Ana declares how comical he’s been. They embrace and run off into the barn. Ana’s maid Paula, who’d snuck off during the chaos of dinner, sneaks out of the main house, kisses Señor Armfeldt’s manservant good night, and sings “The Miller’s Son” to compare the fun of her life to Ana’s marriage, which also serves to examine the cultural revolution of Spain as a result of La movida madrileña- Ana’s marriage representing the Franco years and Paula being La movida. During the final “there are mouths to be kissed/before mouths to be fed...” portion, Paula gives a knowing glance, referring to Ana and her newfound freedom (NB: not that Federico was an oppressive and dictatorial husband, just than her life with Federico was symbolic of life under Franco, sexually repressed and unfulfilling). 

Carlota finds Federico on the terrace and apologizes to him for her behavior at dinner. They see Enrique and Ana run by, kissing and discussing their future alive. Realizing what this means for him, Carlota comforts Federico. Inside the house, Desiree ends her relationship with Carlo once and for all. He spots Federico and Carolta sitting together through a window and misinterpreting their body language, challenges the other man to a fight. Federico refuses and takes a fist to the face and Carlota runs into her husband’s arms, bowled over by his willingness to fight for her. Desiree finds Federico again, and now free from his marital obligations, he allows himelf to be “rescued.” Señor Armfeldt, still in drag as Madame Tápame, discusses the night’s events with Federica, and says perhaps she’s not as irrelevant as she once thought, but even she must know when it’s time to stop living for the past and let the new generation of fools and lovers take over. 

Señor Armfeldt is wheeled away and the curtain comes down on the evening’s three couples, now appropriately matched and dancing together in the flamenco style.

[eurotraveltales-blog]

Day 2: Madrid

Today was much more eventful than yesterday, and it was also cooler out, which was perfect because we spent all day outside.

Apriet wants me to start by saying that the palace we walked by yesterday continually disappointed us when we tried to revisit it today. More on this later.

The morning started off a little rough. I couldn’t fall asleep at all between 3:30 and 6:00 because that time is equivalent to early evening on the west coast, which is when I am the most awake. FYI - every country we’re going to visit on this trip is 9 hours ahead of PST except for Greece, which is 10 hours ahead. Anyway, I finally fell asleep around 6:00 but my alarm went off at 9:00 because we had wanted to get up and see the changing of the guards at the palace, which happens at 11:00. Instead of actually getting up and getting ready though, I started researching to get as much information as I could about the Eurail pass, since that was a pretty pressing issue. We’re supposed to be leaving Madrid for Barcelona in 2 days, so we needed to pull something together real fast. I found out that buying the tickets online was still a better option than buying them in person at Chamartin station because Eurail was having a summer sale promotion and all passes were 37% off. In addition, buying the passes in person in Chamartin ran the risk of being 20% more expensive than the standard non-sale price, and I also read that there was only a limited selection of passes available at physical Eurail aid stations as opposed to the full selection online.

To ship the passes to Spain would take 4 business days, so at the latest, it would arrive on the 23rd, which is the day we’re supposed to leave Barcelona for Lyon, France. We were pushing it, but it was our best bet. We decided we just wouldn’t leave Barcelona until the passes arrived, since there was guaranteed delivery either on or by the 23rd. The other frustrating thing was that the earliest option for the activation date of our passes was the 24th, which means that not only are we not able to use the pass to get to Barcelona, but we also can’t use the pass to get to Lyon. We’ll have to bite the bullet and purchase point-to-point tickets for those two trips. But at least we’ll have the pass for the rest of the travel days between cities/countries! We just have to hope that the point-to-point tickets aren’t exorbitantly priced. Also in terms of transportation, we still have to figure out the ferry from Santorini to Athens, which will be the last leg of our trip, since we are flying back to the US out of Athens. Sigh... what even is a vacation. Work never ends, no?

After calling the hostel in Barcelona to confirm that we can have packages shipped there and to confirm the address, we scrambled to buy our passes to ensure they would arrive in Barcelona before we leave. Needless to say, we not only missed the free breakfast provided by the hostel (now we know it closes at 10:00!), but we also missed the changing of the guards at the palace. Perhaps tomorrow?

Enough about transportation woes! We still had a good day, and I was glad we didn’t have to find a way to Chamartin anymore, since that would’ve taken up a healthy portion of the afternoon. We set our sights on the Basilica de San Miguel, a large Catholic church built in 1745. On the way there, we stopped in a market called Dia, and it had a lot of Spanish-specific snacks, and it even had personal hygiene products, so we browsed for a little while. Apriet bought sunscreen and deodorant, and I kind of wanted some fruit or a Spanish-specific snack, but nothing was really striking my fancy. The cathedral was definitely the oldest building I had ever set foot in. It was open to visitors, and as you’ll see in the pictures to follow - very, very historic and full of Catholic symbols, figures, paintings, and statues. The architecture and stained glass windows were astounding to see in person. Pictures don’t even capture the spectacular beauty of the place.

After leaving the cathedral, we walked around for a good bit trying to find a quick bite to eat. We were both pretty hungry at this point, having missed breakfast. We stumbled upon a little café called Café y Te, and the waitress only spoke Spanish so it was a little intimidating, but we got through it with only the occasional awkward moment - in other words, a day in the life. I had a Spanish omelette, and Apriet had a chicken flatbread sandwich. The Spanish omelette was similar to what Americans would consider a quiche, only denser. There was potato mixed in with the egg. It was pretty tasty! Also included in the meal was toast with freshly pureed tomatoes, and bread with Iberian ham. Iberian ham is sharp and flavorful, but a little tough to rip apart and chew. The tomatoes, much like the eggs from Sobrino de Botin yesterday, tasted significantly more flavorful and fresh compared to American tomatoes. I don’t know what it is - do Europeans just grow food better? Or maybe they prepare it differently. Or all of the above. The meal also came with both freshly squeezed orange juice and a cup of espresso, both of which I downed like there was no tomorrow. The juice came straight out of an orange, and even THAT was better than freshly-squeezed orange juice from America, further solidifying my theory that Europeans are just plain better at growing food than are Americans. The espresso was fantastic, and very much needed, given my aforementioned lack of sleep.

Ah, yes. Now we begin the long-awaited palace story.

We both felt much better after the meal, and made our way down to The Royal Palace, or Palacio Real. The line to tour the palace was about a mile long, so we just walked around the courtyard taking pictures, deciding to return later. There was a lookout area carved out of a high fence that allowed you to see out into the Spanish countryside. Let me also mention now that there was a sign by the visitor entrance of the palace that gave information about visitation hours, days, months, etc. and admission prices. At first, we thought it said the palace would be open free of charge from 16:00 to 18:00 on Monday to Thursday, so we decided to explore the Sabatini gardens, which are the palace gardens, until it was time to return for the free tour.

The gardens were fantastic. The weather was perfect - warm and sunny with a crisp breeze. There was an accordionist playing Pachabel’s Canon and Khodorkovsky’s Por Ti VoLare, which turns out to be a very popular song among European street performers. There were fountains, neatly trimmed shrubs, and hibiscus plants all over the garden. The garden air was filled with the scent of the hibiscus flowers carried by the breeze, and it was a smell I wanted to capture forever. Maybe one day that’ll be a thing. We continued walking through the gardens, and when some British dude came up and asked if he could serenade us, we sorta ran away and found a bench to nap on. It was a great bench, because it was half in the shade (my preference) and half in the sun (Apriet’s preference). At 15:30, we made our way back to the palace for the free tour, only to find out that the sign actually said that it was only free from 16:00 to 18:00 from October to March, and that for April to September, it was free from 18:00 to 20:00. Since we were there anyway though, we decided to just try to pay a reduced student-under-25 fare (5 euros vs. the standard 10 euros) to get in. Neither of us had our college IDs, but we figured they wouldn’t ask. They did. We had even gone through palace security and everything, but we ended up just leaving when we found out we couldn’t get in.

Next up, El Retiro Parque - hands down my favorite part of the day. This park is huuuuge, and it was all the way on the other side of Madrid, so we definitely got our exercise today - we ended up walking a total of 12.5 miles in total today. We also passed by a bunch of little tiendas (shops) on the way to the park. One of the first things I saw in the park was a water spigot, which was a pretty big deal because my water bottle was running low, and drinking fountains are not really a thing in Spain, let alone hydration stations. If you want water, you have to buy a bottle, and that’s no fun. I try to avoid drinking tap water, especially since Apriet had tried the tap water at the hostel and said it tasted a little chlorine-y so I was thrilled to discover the spigot water tasted perfectly fine. It was funny though because you had to slam on the button with the palm of your hand to make the water come out, as opposed to just pushing down on it. A very sweet older gentleman showed me the trick after I had finished awkwardly pressing down on the button with unnecessary force. After that, it was kind of funny to watch other people struggle with the same issue. We found a nice shady spot in the park and sat for a bit, then I decided to explore the park a little while Apriet laid down and tried to take a nap. She didn’t get very far because some random dude came up and tried to talk to her, and plus there were ants all over the ground. Conversely, I had a wonderful time walking through the park - there were trees, flowers, and birds everywhere, and a million different intersecting paths to choose from. The paths were covered in a thin layer of fine white sand/dirt, and the softness that met my feet with each step made for an extremely relaxing walk. I also came upon a little creek with a small waterfall, a fenced off area with a soccer field and tennis courts, and a small black cat even graced me with her presence. After meeting back up with Apriet, we decided to head back to the other side of the city, but not before stopping at one of the tiendas and purchasing a couple of scarves.

It was about 19:00 by the time we got back to the other side of the city, and since we were already near, we decided to give the palace another try, since we were certain we had read the sign correctly this time. Wrong. There was a sentence saying that the doors would close an hour before closing time, which was at 20:00. Demonstrates the importance of reading ALL the text on a sign, I suppose. But at the same time, signs like that are made to throw people off. Why not just say that they’re open from 18:00 to 19:00 if they’re essentially closed to additional visitors after 19:00?

Discouraged, we sat down near an accordionist and listened to him play his very limited repertoire, by which I mean he played the same song five times in a row. We people-watched until we couldn’t handle hearing the song one more time, and made our way to dinner at a restaurant/bar called el minibar. We ordered a couple of tapas - croquetas and some kind of goat cheese thing that turned out to be VERY good with bread. The croquetas were also hella delicious.

Like yesterday, we called it after dinner and returned to the hostels like the homebodies we are. Now hopefully I can sleep a little better than last night. Tomorrow is our last full day in Madrid - we’ll see what it brings.

[kevingbakeruk]

13 Top Mom Bloggers Share Expert Tips For Family Travel

Having children doesn’t have to slow you down on vacation! Whether you’re an adventure enthusiast, road trip-lover, or relaxation seeker, you can do it all—even with kids in tow. 

Expert Tips For Family Travel

We asked top mom bloggers from around the world to share their tips and tricks for traveling with kids—along with their favorite family vacation destinations—to help inspire your next trip. From where to go and when to start planning to what you absolutely can’t forget to pack, these moms are experts when it comes to family travel. Heed their advice, and make this the year you finally plan a vacation that pleases everyone.

While you might not be able to control the number of meltdowns or bathroom breaks needed while you’re away, you can control where your family stays each night. Opt for a vacation rental and ensure that your family has the perfect place to stay during your trip. Enjoy amenities that come with renting an entire home, like extra room, outside space for energetic little ones, enough proper beds for everyone, a fully-stocked kitchen, and in-home laundry. All you need to do is set your budget, choose your rental, and go!

Fun Money Mom | Florida

Favorite family vacation destination: Living in Florida, our favorite family vacation destination is Walt Disney World. It’s an easy drive and no matter how many times we go, we have a different experience each time.

Top tip: Planning ahead is so important! I try to find the least popular times to visit destinations and, if possible, that’s when we go. I also search the internet for deals before we leave. There are sites online with discounted tickets to popular events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. If it’s a beach vacation, I look for places where kids eat free or two-for-one deals on attractions like mini-golf.

Don’t forget to pack: I’d be completely lost if I forgot my camera. After all, part of the fun of a great family vacation is reminiscing over the photos when you get back home.

  Harrassed Mom | South Africa

Favorite family vacation destination: The Western Cape has come to be one of my favorite places. Last year we stayed in Botrivier and it was such a stunning spot! Kid-friendly, close to the beach, and the weather was perfect. The beach is a great destination because it is “free” fun for the kids.

Top tip: Space! Your accommodation needs to have space for the kids to run. And preferably a restaurant/shop nearby.

Don’t forget to pack: WETWIPES! And water for everyone.

Kreativemommy | Florida and India

Favorite family vacation destination: Our first family-fun trip was to Disney World in Florida with our eldest child when she was just four years old. I would love to take my younger one there too, as Disney World is truly magical. Not only did our daughter love it, but my husband and I did too. More recently, our favorite family destination is Goa, India. Goa is famous for its beautiful beaches, yummy seafood, flea markets, and water sports. It was a memorable trip and we are looking forward to going back soon.

Top tip: Traveling with kids means a lot of pre-planning and a lot of things to be carried along on a trip. The most important tip for other moms traveling with kids is to book everything in advance. It’s always better to book the accommodation, cabs, or anything else you will need a reservation for before your arrival. It saves time, and you don’t want any kind of hassle when you are traveling with kids.

Don’t forget to pack: There are many things that I make sure to pack on a family trip, but the three that top the list are: books (very helpful on long drives with kids), food (cookies, cakes, fruits, or anything that the kids can easily eat while traveling), and medicines (better to be prepared than running around on a vacation).

One more thing you can’t forget to pack: a camera. Traveling with family is all about creating memories to be treasured.

Lady and the Blog | Spain

Favorite family vacation destination: We recently returned from Spain and had the most wonderful time. Between the hustle and bustle of Madrid, the beauty and design of San Sebastiàn and then the relaxing beachfront escape that El Vendrell provided, the trip offered the best of all worlds! I have to say, as someone who has been to dozens of countries all around the world, Spain was my favorite yet!

Top tip: I think it’s important to remember that there needs to be a third of your day that is scheduled specifically for downtime. Your children can only do so much. Keep your accommodation centrally located for sightseeing and dining and easily accessible for afternoon naps.

Don’t forget to pack: Some people may not appreciate this one, but chargers! My family needs our electronics. While in Spain, we took two 6-hour train rides and they were both managed all thanks to game apps and downloaded movies. Thank goodness for battery packs and plugs!

Merlot Mommy | Florida

Favorite family vacation destination: We’re big Disney fanatics in our house. I went to Walt Disney World with my parents and grandparents for the first time when I was 6 years old. Those memories have lasted my whole life, and we’ve been helping to create lasting memories with our family since our kids were little, too. WDW is our favorite family vacation destination because of that. Our kids love the magic of the Mouse.

Top tip: We love traveling in the shoulder season—fewer people, often better rates. We look for dates that work for us, and it’s always a more pleasant trip. Our kids help with the planning so it’s a team effort and everyone helps to make some of the planning decisions.

Don’t forget to pack: Water bottles and sunscreen—two musts for a hot, sunny day at a theme park!

Mommy Scene | Oregon Coast

Favorite family vacation destination: We love exploring the Oregon Coast when traveling with kids because we can keep going back and always see something new! Our favorite Oregon destinations are the seaside boardwalks that are perfect for family hikes, Newport Aquarium, and visiting old landmark lighthouses.

Top tip: We have three small children, and it’s important for us to plan flexible activities for each day. We generally research an area using a service such as TripAdvisor and we choose several destination options. I love when a travel resource also includes reviews of each attraction in an area! We also enjoy staying at a vacation rental rather than a hotel because vacation rental houses often include multiple rooms and more amenities (such as a kitchen or hot tub right outside the door) for a young family of five. Our experience at a vacation rental is often unique each time, allowing us to build fun memories with our kids on our family vacation.

Don’t forget to pack: We can’t forget to pack the double stroller! A reliable compact stroller is a must-have for traveling with kids through a new city. But make sure it easily folds up to fit in the trunk of any rental car.

Mommy’s Memorandum | South Dakota

Favorite family vacation destination: Ask my family and hands down we will all say South Dakota. It was a family vacation that made us curious, allowed us relaxation, and kept us going out for more. We toured Mount Rushmore and Bear Country and everything in between. It is wide open land with scenic views and a pace that allows for relaxation.

Top tip: We’re always looking for someplace new. Our first question is “where have we never been?” and then we start searching for things to do and places to stay in that location. We’ve planned destinations based on books we’ve read, movies seen (Oak Island for Nicholas Sparks fans), and also places we’ve read about on the internet or in books. We keep a running list, and as our life takes us down different roads, we check in with our list.

Don’t forget to pack: Our one thing is a day pack. We each have one loaded with high protein snacks, extra water, a walkie talkie (in case we get separated), and bandannas. It makes spontaneous travel easy…sometimes we just pull off to the side of the road, grab the day pack and see where the trail takes us. Other times, we follow a tour guide. We’re always ready with our day pack. As soon as we come in at night, we restock any items used.

Rockin Mama | Maui

Favorite family vacation destination: Our favorite family destination is Maui. The island offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and begs to be discovered and explored. As a family, we have the option of simply relaxing by the beach or making the trek up the mountain to see the sunrise at Haleakala. Whether you crave adventure or want to unplug, the island offers a myriad of activities, water sports, and more.

Top tip: My best tip for selecting a destination is to plan ahead with sufficient time. Not only will this ensure the best prices, you have the most options when it comes to selecting accommodations and activities you desire, particularly during high season.

Don’t forget to pack: The one thing we can’t forget to pack is a camera to document all of our incredible memories together as a family.

Role Mommy | Jamaica

Favorite family vacation destination: My all-time favorite family destination is Treasure Beach, Jamaica. We fell in love with it when we visited for the first time six years ago and discovered the adventurous way to travel with your family through community tourism. Over the course of one week, we went out with our boat captain Dennis Abrahams (who happens to earn a #1 rating as the most popular activity tour to take in Treasure Beach). Captain Dennis took us to Pelican Bar (a bar in the middle of the ocean), cooked us a jerk lobster beach lunch on a private island, and navigated our way through Black River where we observed wildlife and crocodiles and swung off tree vines to cool off on a hot summer day. On another trip, we even stopped to meet a farmer who gave us watermelons before ending our journey at the beach with a lobster dinner under the stars. I could go on and on, but if you have older kids and are in for adventure, fun and great food, then Treasure Beach is the place for you!

Top tip: Absolutely check out reviews that real people have written about the places you’re visiting. I have to say, even though we have been to Treasure Beach a few times, when we wanted to try new places to eat or visit, I definitely checked out TripAdvisor to see what places people raved about and which restaurants or cafes they loved. And of course, I loved the fact that Captain Dennis has the #1 tour in Treasure Beach—I know firsthand he’s earned the recognition!

Don’t forget to pack: One thing I have found to be a huge resource now is to make sure we get International data and calling when we are out of the country. That helps when searching for things to do or navigating your way to a destination if you’re on your own. In terms of packing, sunscreen and bug spray are always high on our list!

The Mommyhood Chronicles | Hawaii

Favorite family vacation destination: Hawaii is a great family vacation because of the vast amount of kids activities in one of the most gorgeous places in the world. We love the various fresh foods and the different family trips you can take there. I highly recommend Kauai and Maui for great family fun. Don’t forget to try the pineapple and shaved ice!

Top tip: You have to make sure everyone in your family can enjoy the trip. We have kids at various ages and if one kid is not occupied, it can get boring quickly and end up being a bad vacation. We also try to make sure there are family-friendly activities at the various places we visit.

Don’t forget to pack: Sunscreen and medicines.

The Multitasking Mom

Favorite family vacation destination: Our family loves to take road trips where we spend a few days at accommodations with some fun local sites nearby. We like to stay in places that have nearby activities and preferably a pool, so we can choose how active we want to be and just enjoy each other’s company. We also might take one or two days to see local sights. Especially with young kids, we like to have a plan, but not be over-planned.

Top tip: I’d put together a list of must-dos and nice-to-dos. Include any time restrictions, like if a museum you want to see is closed on certain days. Fill in the must-dos on your schedule. Then keep your list of nice-to-dos with you so if you feel like you need another activity, you have a whole list already compiled.

Don’t forget to pack: Since we love road trips, we can’t forget car activities. No one wants hours of driving with a cranky toddler.

The Taylor House | Colorado

Favorite family vacation destination: Our favorite family vacation destination has to be Colorado! We love the mountains and all of the outdoor adventures that await us there. We’re huge outdoor people so we love to hike, fish, swim, and everything that goes along with a Colorado adventure vacation!

Top tip: I think about what it is we want to do—is it hiking, riding rides at a theme park, lying on the beach? Then I narrow it down from there. I try to pick a location that we’ve never been to before, because we like to see new things and discover new places. Consider the busy times of year too, and avoid those when you’re planning.

Don’t forget to pack: My camera!!!! Photos are so important to me, I want to be able to look back at them and remember that amazing time my family had!

  The post 13 Top Mom Bloggers Share Expert Tips For Family Travel appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://www.flipkey.com/blog/2017/10/04/family-travel-tips/

[janerchambers88]

13 Top Mom Bloggers Share Expert Tips For Family Travel

Having children doesn’t have to slow you down on vacation! Whether you’re an adventure enthusiast, road trip-lover, or relaxation seeker, you can do it all—even with kids in tow. 

Expert Tips For Family Travel

We asked top mom bloggers from around the world to share their tips and tricks for traveling with kids—along with their favorite family vacation destinations—to help inspire your next trip. From where to go and when to start planning to what you absolutely can’t forget to pack, these moms are experts when it comes to family travel. Heed their advice, and make this the year you finally plan a vacation that pleases everyone.

While you might not be able to control the number of meltdowns or bathroom breaks needed while you’re away, you can control where your family stays each night. Opt for a vacation rental and ensure that your family has the perfect place to stay during your trip. Enjoy amenities that come with renting an entire home, like extra room, outside space for energetic little ones, enough proper beds for everyone, a fully-stocked kitchen, and in-home laundry. All you need to do is set your budget, choose your rental, and go!

Fun Money Mom | Florida

Favorite family vacation destination: Living in Florida, our favorite family vacation destination is Walt Disney World. It’s an easy drive and no matter how many times we go, we have a different experience each time.

Top tip: Planning ahead is so important! I try to find the least popular times to visit destinations and, if possible, that’s when we go. I also search the internet for deals before we leave. There are sites online with discounted tickets to popular events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. If it’s a beach vacation, I look for places where kids eat free or two-for-one deals on attractions like mini-golf.

Don’t forget to pack: I’d be completely lost if I forgot my camera. After all, part of the fun of a great family vacation is reminiscing over the photos when you get back home.

  Harrassed Mom | South Africa

Favorite family vacation destination: The Western Cape has come to be one of my favorite places. Last year we stayed in Botrivier and it was such a stunning spot! Kid-friendly, close to the beach, and the weather was perfect. The beach is a great destination because it is “free” fun for the kids.

Top tip: Space! Your accommodation needs to have space for the kids to run. And preferably a restaurant/shop nearby.

Don’t forget to pack: WETWIPES! And water for everyone.

Kreativemommy | Florida and India

Favorite family vacation destination: Our first family-fun trip was to Disney World in Florida with our eldest child when she was just four years old. I would love to take my younger one there too, as Disney World is truly magical. Not only did our daughter love it, but my husband and I did too. More recently, our favorite family destination is Goa, India. Goa is famous for its beautiful beaches, yummy seafood, flea markets, and water sports. It was a memorable trip and we are looking forward to going back soon.

Top tip: Traveling with kids means a lot of pre-planning and a lot of things to be carried along on a trip. The most important tip for other moms traveling with kids is to book everything in advance. It’s always better to book the accommodation, cabs, or anything else you will need a reservation for before your arrival. It saves time, and you don’t want any kind of hassle when you are traveling with kids.

Don’t forget to pack: There are many things that I make sure to pack on a family trip, but the three that top the list are: books (very helpful on long drives with kids), food (cookies, cakes, fruits, or anything that the kids can easily eat while traveling), and medicines (better to be prepared than running around on a vacation).

One more thing you can’t forget to pack: a camera. Traveling with family is all about creating memories to be treasured.

Lady and the Blog | Spain

Favorite family vacation destination: We recently returned from Spain and had the most wonderful time. Between the hustle and bustle of Madrid, the beauty and design of San Sebastiàn and then the relaxing beachfront escape that El Vendrell provided, the trip offered the best of all worlds! I have to say, as someone who has been to dozens of countries all around the world, Spain was my favorite yet!

Top tip: I think it’s important to remember that there needs to be a third of your day that is scheduled specifically for downtime. Your children can only do so much. Keep your accommodation centrally located for sightseeing and dining and easily accessible for afternoon naps.

Don’t forget to pack: Some people may not appreciate this one, but chargers! My family needs our electronics. While in Spain, we took two 6-hour train rides and they were both managed all thanks to game apps and downloaded movies. Thank goodness for battery packs and plugs!

Merlot Mommy | Florida

Favorite family vacation destination: We’re big Disney fanatics in our house. I went to Walt Disney World with my parents and grandparents for the first time when I was 6 years old. Those memories have lasted my whole life, and we’ve been helping to create lasting memories with our family since our kids were little, too. WDW is our favorite family vacation destination because of that. Our kids love the magic of the Mouse.

Top tip: We love traveling in the shoulder season—fewer people, often better rates. We look for dates that work for us, and it’s always a more pleasant trip. Our kids help with the planning so it’s a team effort and everyone helps to make some of the planning decisions.

Don’t forget to pack: Water bottles and sunscreen—two musts for a hot, sunny day at a theme park!

Mommy Scene | Oregon Coast

Favorite family vacation destination: We love exploring the Oregon Coast when traveling with kids because we can keep going back and always see something new! Our favorite Oregon destinations are the seaside boardwalks that are perfect for family hikes, Newport Aquarium, and visiting old landmark lighthouses.

Top tip: We have three small children, and it’s important for us to plan flexible activities for each day. We generally research an area using a service such as TripAdvisor and we choose several destination options. I love when a travel resource also includes reviews of each attraction in an area! We also enjoy staying at a vacation rental rather than a hotel because vacation rental houses often include multiple rooms and more amenities (such as a kitchen or hot tub right outside the door) for a young family of five. Our experience at a vacation rental is often unique each time, allowing us to build fun memories with our kids on our family vacation.

Don’t forget to pack: We can’t forget to pack the double stroller! A reliable compact stroller is a must-have for traveling with kids through a new city. But make sure it easily folds up to fit in the trunk of any rental car.

Mommy’s Memorandum | South Dakota

Favorite family vacation destination: Ask my family and hands down we will all say South Dakota. It was a family vacation that made us curious, allowed us relaxation, and kept us going out for more. We toured Mount Rushmore and Bear Country and everything in between. It is wide open land with scenic views and a pace that allows for relaxation.

Top tip: We’re always looking for someplace new. Our first question is “where have we never been?” and then we start searching for things to do and places to stay in that location. We’ve planned destinations based on books we’ve read, movies seen (Oak Island for Nicholas Sparks fans), and also places we’ve read about on the internet or in books. We keep a running list, and as our life takes us down different roads, we check in with our list.

Don’t forget to pack: Our one thing is a day pack. We each have one loaded with high protein snacks, extra water, a walkie talkie (in case we get separated), and bandannas. It makes spontaneous travel easy…sometimes we just pull off to the side of the road, grab the day pack and see where the trail takes us. Other times, we follow a tour guide. We’re always ready with our day pack. As soon as we come in at night, we restock any items used.

Rockin Mama | Maui

Favorite family vacation destination: Our favorite family destination is Maui. The island offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and begs to be discovered and explored. As a family, we have the option of simply relaxing by the beach or making the trek up the mountain to see the sunrise at Haleakala. Whether you crave adventure or want to unplug, the island offers a myriad of activities, water sports, and more.

Top tip: My best tip for selecting a destination is to plan ahead with sufficient time. Not only will this ensure the best prices, you have the most options when it comes to selecting accommodations and activities you desire, particularly during high season.

Don’t forget to pack: The one thing we can’t forget to pack is a camera to document all of our incredible memories together as a family.

Role Mommy | Jamaica

Favorite family vacation destination: My all-time favorite family destination is Treasure Beach, Jamaica. We fell in love with it when we visited for the first time six years ago and discovered the adventurous way to travel with your family through community tourism. Over the course of one week, we went out with our boat captain Dennis Abrahams (who happens to earn a #1 rating as the most popular activity tour to take in Treasure Beach). Captain Dennis took us to Pelican Bar (a bar in the middle of the ocean), cooked us a jerk lobster beach lunch on a private island, and navigated our way through Black River where we observed wildlife and crocodiles and swung off tree vines to cool off on a hot summer day. On another trip, we even stopped to meet a farmer who gave us watermelons before ending our journey at the beach with a lobster dinner under the stars. I could go on and on, but if you have older kids and are in for adventure, fun and great food, then Treasure Beach is the place for you!

Top tip: Absolutely check out reviews that real people have written about the places you’re visiting. I have to say, even though we have been to Treasure Beach a few times, when we wanted to try new places to eat or visit, I definitely checked out TripAdvisor to see what places people raved about and which restaurants or cafes they loved. And of course, I loved the fact that Captain Dennis has the #1 tour in Treasure Beach—I know firsthand he’s earned the recognition!

Don’t forget to pack: One thing I have found to be a huge resource now is to make sure we get International data and calling when we are out of the country. That helps when searching for things to do or navigating your way to a destination if you’re on your own. In terms of packing, sunscreen and bug spray are always high on our list!

The Mommyhood Chronicles | Hawaii

Favorite family vacation destination: Hawaii is a great family vacation because of the vast amount of kids activities in one of the most gorgeous places in the world. We love the various fresh foods and the different family trips you can take there. I highly recommend Kauai and Maui for great family fun. Don’t forget to try the pineapple and shaved ice!

Top tip: You have to make sure everyone in your family can enjoy the trip. We have kids at various ages and if one kid is not occupied, it can get boring quickly and end up being a bad vacation. We also try to make sure there are family-friendly activities at the various places we visit.

Don’t forget to pack: Sunscreen and medicines.

The Multitasking Mom

Favorite family vacation destination: Our family loves to take road trips where we spend a few days at accommodations with some fun local sites nearby. We like to stay in places that have nearby activities and preferably a pool, so we can choose how active we want to be and just enjoy each other’s company. We also might take one or two days to see local sights. Especially with young kids, we like to have a plan, but not be over-planned.

Top tip: I’d put together a list of must-dos and nice-to-dos. Include any time restrictions, like if a museum you want to see is closed on certain days. Fill in the must-dos on your schedule. Then keep your list of nice-to-dos with you so if you feel like you need another activity, you have a whole list already compiled.

Don’t forget to pack: Since we love road trips, we can’t forget car activities. No one wants hours of driving with a cranky toddler.

The Taylor House | Colorado

Favorite family vacation destination: Our favorite family vacation destination has to be Colorado! We love the mountains and all of the outdoor adventures that await us there. We’re huge outdoor people so we love to hike, fish, swim, and everything that goes along with a Colorado adventure vacation!

Top tip: I think about what it is we want to do—is it hiking, riding rides at a theme park, lying on the beach? Then I narrow it down from there. I try to pick a location that we’ve never been to before, because we like to see new things and discover new places. Consider the busy times of year too, and avoid those when you’re planning.

Don’t forget to pack: My camera!!!! Photos are so important to me, I want to be able to look back at them and remember that amazing time my family had!

  The post 13 Top Mom Bloggers Share Expert Tips For Family Travel appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

[mrrolandtfranco]

13 Top Mom Bloggers Share Expert Tips For Family Travel

Having children doesn’t have to slow you down on vacation! Whether you’re an adventure enthusiast, road trip-lover, or relaxation seeker, you can do it all—even with kids in tow. 

Expert Tips For Family Travel

We asked top mom bloggers from around the world to share their tips and tricks for traveling with kids—along with their favorite family vacation destinations—to help inspire your next trip. From where to go and when to start planning to what you absolutely can’t forget to pack, these moms are experts when it comes to family travel. Heed their advice, and make this the year you finally plan a vacation that pleases everyone.

While you might not be able to control the number of meltdowns or bathroom breaks needed while you’re away, you can control where your family stays each night. Opt for a vacation rental and ensure that your family has the perfect place to stay during your trip. Enjoy amenities that come with renting an entire home, like extra room, outside space for energetic little ones, enough proper beds for everyone, a fully-stocked kitchen, and in-home laundry. All you need to do is set your budget, choose your rental, and go!

Fun Money Mom | Florida

Favorite family vacation destination: Living in Florida, our favorite family vacation destination is Walt Disney World. It’s an easy drive and no matter how many times we go, we have a different experience each time.

Top tip: Planning ahead is so important! I try to find the least popular times to visit destinations and, if possible, that’s when we go. I also search the internet for deals before we leave. There are sites online with discounted tickets to popular events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. If it’s a beach vacation, I look for places where kids eat free or two-for-one deals on attractions like mini-golf.

Don’t forget to pack: I’d be completely lost if I forgot my camera. After all, part of the fun of a great family vacation is reminiscing over the photos when you get back home.

  Harrassed Mom | South Africa

Favorite family vacation destination: The Western Cape has come to be one of my favorite places. Last year we stayed in Botrivier and it was such a stunning spot! Kid-friendly, close to the beach, and the weather was perfect. The beach is a great destination because it is “free” fun for the kids.

Top tip: Space! Your accommodation needs to have space for the kids to run. And preferably a restaurant/shop nearby.

Don’t forget to pack: WETWIPES! And water for everyone.

Kreativemommy | Florida and India

Favorite family vacation destination: Our first family-fun trip was to Disney World in Florida with our eldest child when she was just four years old. I would love to take my younger one there too, as Disney World is truly magical. Not only did our daughter love it, but my husband and I did too. More recently, our favorite family destination is Goa, India. Goa is famous for its beautiful beaches, yummy seafood, flea markets, and water sports. It was a memorable trip and we are looking forward to going back soon.

Top tip: Traveling with kids means a lot of pre-planning and a lot of things to be carried along on a trip. The most important tip for other moms traveling with kids is to book everything in advance. It’s always better to book the accommodation, cabs, or anything else you will need a reservation for before your arrival. It saves time, and you don’t want any kind of hassle when you are traveling with kids.

Don’t forget to pack: There are many things that I make sure to pack on a family trip, but the three that top the list are: books (very helpful on long drives with kids), food (cookies, cakes, fruits, or anything that the kids can easily eat while traveling), and medicines (better to be prepared than running around on a vacation).

One more thing you can’t forget to pack: a camera. Traveling with family is all about creating memories to be treasured.

Lady and the Blog | Spain

Favorite family vacation destination: We recently returned from Spain and had the most wonderful time. Between the hustle and bustle of Madrid, the beauty and design of San Sebastiàn and then the relaxing beachfront escape that El Vendrell provided, the trip offered the best of all worlds! I have to say, as someone who has been to dozens of countries all around the world, Spain was my favorite yet!

Top tip: I think it’s important to remember that there needs to be a third of your day that is scheduled specifically for downtime. Your children can only do so much. Keep your accommodation centrally located for sightseeing and dining and easily accessible for afternoon naps.

Don’t forget to pack: Some people may not appreciate this one, but chargers! My family needs our electronics. While in Spain, we took two 6-hour train rides and they were both managed all thanks to game apps and downloaded movies. Thank goodness for battery packs and plugs!

Merlot Mommy | Florida

Favorite family vacation destination: We’re big Disney fanatics in our house. I went to Walt Disney World with my parents and grandparents for the first time when I was 6 years old. Those memories have lasted my whole life, and we’ve been helping to create lasting memories with our family since our kids were little, too. WDW is our favorite family vacation destination because of that. Our kids love the magic of the Mouse.

Top tip: We love traveling in the shoulder season—fewer people, often better rates. We look for dates that work for us, and it’s always a more pleasant trip. Our kids help with the planning so it’s a team effort and everyone helps to make some of the planning decisions.

Don’t forget to pack: Water bottles and sunscreen—two musts for a hot, sunny day at a theme park!

Mommy Scene | Oregon Coast

Favorite family vacation destination: We love exploring the Oregon Coast when traveling with kids because we can keep going back and always see something new! Our favorite Oregon destinations are the seaside boardwalks that are perfect for family hikes, Newport Aquarium, and visiting old landmark lighthouses.

Top tip: We have three small children, and it’s important for us to plan flexible activities for each day. We generally research an area using a service such as TripAdvisor and we choose several destination options. I love when a travel resource also includes reviews of each attraction in an area! We also enjoy staying at a vacation rental rather than a hotel because vacation rental houses often include multiple rooms and more amenities (such as a kitchen or hot tub right outside the door) for a young family of five. Our experience at a vacation rental is often unique each time, allowing us to build fun memories with our kids on our family vacation.

Don’t forget to pack: We can’t forget to pack the double stroller! A reliable compact stroller is a must-have for traveling with kids through a new city. But make sure it easily folds up to fit in the trunk of any rental car.

Mommy’s Memorandum | South Dakota

Favorite family vacation destination: Ask my family and hands down we will all say South Dakota. It was a family vacation that made us curious, allowed us relaxation, and kept us going out for more. We toured Mount Rushmore and Bear Country and everything in between. It is wide open land with scenic views and a pace that allows for relaxation.

Top tip: We’re always looking for someplace new. Our first question is “where have we never been?” and then we start searching for things to do and places to stay in that location. We’ve planned destinations based on books we’ve read, movies seen (Oak Island for Nicholas Sparks fans), and also places we’ve read about on the internet or in books. We keep a running list, and as our life takes us down different roads, we check in with our list.

Don’t forget to pack: Our one thing is a day pack. We each have one loaded with high protein snacks, extra water, a walkie talkie (in case we get separated), and bandannas. It makes spontaneous travel easy…sometimes we just pull off to the side of the road, grab the day pack and see where the trail takes us. Other times, we follow a tour guide. We’re always ready with our day pack. As soon as we come in at night, we restock any items used.

Rockin Mama | Maui

Favorite family vacation destination: Our favorite family destination is Maui. The island offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and begs to be discovered and explored. As a family, we have the option of simply relaxing by the beach or making the trek up the mountain to see the sunrise at Haleakala. Whether you crave adventure or want to unplug, the island offers a myriad of activities, water sports, and more.

Top tip: My best tip for selecting a destination is to plan ahead with sufficient time. Not only will this ensure the best prices, you have the most options when it comes to selecting accommodations and activities you desire, particularly during high season.

Don’t forget to pack: The one thing we can’t forget to pack is a camera to document all of our incredible memories together as a family.

Role Mommy | Jamaica

Favorite family vacation destination: My all-time favorite family destination is Treasure Beach, Jamaica. We fell in love with it when we visited for the first time six years ago and discovered the adventurous way to travel with your family through community tourism. Over the course of one week, we went out with our boat captain Dennis Abrahams (who happens to earn a #1 rating as the most popular activity tour to take in Treasure Beach). Captain Dennis took us to Pelican Bar (a bar in the middle of the ocean), cooked us a jerk lobster beach lunch on a private island, and navigated our way through Black River where we observed wildlife and crocodiles and swung off tree vines to cool off on a hot summer day. On another trip, we even stopped to meet a farmer who gave us watermelons before ending our journey at the beach with a lobster dinner under the stars. I could go on and on, but if you have older kids and are in for adventure, fun and great food, then Treasure Beach is the place for you!

Top tip: Absolutely check out reviews that real people have written about the places you’re visiting. I have to say, even though we have been to Treasure Beach a few times, when we wanted to try new places to eat or visit, I definitely checked out TripAdvisor to see what places people raved about and which restaurants or cafes they loved. And of course, I loved the fact that Captain Dennis has the #1 tour in Treasure Beach—I know firsthand he’s earned the recognition!

Don’t forget to pack: One thing I have found to be a huge resource now is to make sure we get International data and calling when we are out of the country. That helps when searching for things to do or navigating your way to a destination if you’re on your own. In terms of packing, sunscreen and bug spray are always high on our list!

The Mommyhood Chronicles | Hawaii

Favorite family vacation destination: Hawaii is a great family vacation because of the vast amount of kids activities in one of the most gorgeous places in the world. We love the various fresh foods and the different family trips you can take there. I highly recommend Kauai and Maui for great family fun. Don’t forget to try the pineapple and shaved ice!

Top tip: You have to make sure everyone in your family can enjoy the trip. We have kids at various ages and if one kid is not occupied, it can get boring quickly and end up being a bad vacation. We also try to make sure there are family-friendly activities at the various places we visit.

Don’t forget to pack: Sunscreen and medicines.

The Multitasking Mom

Favorite family vacation destination: Our family loves to take road trips where we spend a few days at accommodations with some fun local sites nearby. We like to stay in places that have nearby activities and preferably a pool, so we can choose how active we want to be and just enjoy each other’s company. We also might take one or two days to see local sights. Especially with young kids, we like to have a plan, but not be over-planned.

Top tip: I’d put together a list of must-dos and nice-to-dos. Include any time restrictions, like if a museum you want to see is closed on certain days. Fill in the must-dos on your schedule. Then keep your list of nice-to-dos with you so if you feel like you need another activity, you have a whole list already compiled.

Don’t forget to pack: Since we love road trips, we can’t forget car activities. No one wants hours of driving with a cranky toddler.

The Taylor House | Colorado

Favorite family vacation destination: Our favorite family vacation destination has to be Colorado! We love the mountains and all of the outdoor adventures that await us there. We’re huge outdoor people so we love to hike, fish, swim, and everything that goes along with a Colorado adventure vacation!

Top tip: I think about what it is we want to do—is it hiking, riding rides at a theme park, lying on the beach? Then I narrow it down from there. I try to pick a location that we’ve never been to before, because we like to see new things and discover new places. Consider the busy times of year too, and avoid those when you’re planning.

Don’t forget to pack: My camera!!!! Photos are so important to me, I want to be able to look back at them and remember that amazing time my family had!

  The post 13 Top Mom Bloggers Share Expert Tips For Family Travel appeared first on The FlipKey Blog.

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[travellingthoughts]

Day 13: Sunday 9th of April 2017

Ola everybody! So sorry I haven't written in a week, I've definitely been meaning to but as per usual time gets the better of me. I can't say I've done a whole heap over the last 6 days in Madrid. When I first got here I'm not going to lie I was pretty down. I chose a hostel which wasn't social in the slightest, and being a solo traveller that really made it hard. I had also come down with a sore throat/cold which was consuming my energy. Add having your period on top (sorry boys) and you have a very unhappy Len 😩 So the first 3 days were quiet, I walked around a little bit but mainly rested for reasons stated above. My first impression of Madrid wasn't the greatest. It's not as pretty as Barcelona... not even close. The streets aren't filled with beautiful balconies, amazing architecture and draping red curtains. It's a little like a concrete jungle if I'm honest, just slightly prettier. I guess I was the dickhead for expecting it to be like Barcelona if not better... now I know. There are plenty of people walking around which took the loneliness of the first few days away, but what I was really looking forward to was my girlfriend Jess coming from Salamanca. Shes the girl from my previous post; the girl I met in Barcelona. We became really close quite quickly and have connected on another level with each other ever since. She came down to Madrid for the weekend and I'm so so glad she did! We had an amazing couple of days/nights! When she first arrived, I met her at the bus station and walked her to her hostel! I went to the bar to order us a sangria when she came running out of no where and was like 'Eleni, there are hot guys in my room! Quick, come'. Before I knew it (and without Sangria) I was meeting what would be a beautiful group of boys from Austria. And yes, they were good looking 😆 One in particular was absolutely beautiful, inside and out. We were attached at the hip for the two days we spent with them, and I loved every bit of it (please don't read this!). Continuing on... we chatted with them all for a bit and then left to meet for a pub crawl in Puerto del Sol. We paid for our tickets and then were told that the crawl would start in 30 minutes, so we ran back to Jess' hostel to drink and chat with the boys 😝 Let's just say... we paid for the pub crawl but never ended up going! Instead we went to a local bar somewhere with the boys and had way too much Bacardi, Tequila and Sangria! It wasn't meant to be a big night but it turned out to be a huge one and I don't regret a single thing. We went from the bar to a club with 7 floors... how crazy! And each floor (from what I drunkly remember) had different kinds of music! Best time ever 😄Got Maccas as my usual drunk ass does, and went back to their hostel where I slept for an hour and then walked back to my hostel. Bed time: 9:30am 😰 The next day we went to a rooftop bar with amazing views over Madrid and had mojitos! It was a perfect way to endure a hangover! Then we made our way to an Irish bar (I swear I'm not an alcoholic) where we had more drinks! Everyone was pretty wrecked from the day and some went home, but Jess, Alex, Berni and I roamed the streets for a bit and then chilled at the hostel. Bed time: 4:30am. Fuck. This leads me into today. The boys left to go back home but I'll be seeing them in Vienna, Austria whilst I'm there, so I wasn't too upset. However, Jess was also leaving today and I was/am still absolutely gutted. We spent our last hours having a Starbucks coffee together and we went shopping. Took her to her bus stop where I had to say goodbye to the most amazing person I've met on my trip so far. I had to put my sunglasses on after she got on the bus because tears were shed, and I haven't cried in a long time so that says a lot! I absolutely fucking love you Jess and I promise we will meet again 😘 So right now: I'm obviously writing this 🤘🏽and am heading off to London tomorrow for a night, where I start my Topdeck tour on Tuesday! Holllllllllaaaaaa ✌🏼 Until next time (which hopefully won't be as long in time and in writing), Len 💋 P.S- I'm hungry 😩