Month: March 2017

8 Things about Us

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1 – We took the Amtrak Auto Train from Virginia to Florida in 2009.  The twins were not quite 2 and 1/2 years old. It was a pretty chill way to travel with small kids.  They don’t have to be strapped in their seats for hours – once you close your cabin door, they can squirm and explore.  The gentle swaying of the train also rocked the twins right to sleep.  Since we were headed to FL in February it was essentially a train full of doting “grandparents” – instead of giving a traveling family the stink eye, many seemed happy to see small kids. The free wine and snacks when you board certainly helped.

2 – I travel with tea bags to make sure I can always get a cup.  My grandmother was British and she got me hooked when I was a teenager. I’m always looking for the perfect spot to enjoy a cup.  I think I’ve found quite a few.

3 – I used to be scared of flying but now I’m much more chill about it.  Oddly enough, the longer the flight, the happier I am – 12 hours is the longest flight I’ve done.  Just think – no dishes to do, no meals to fix, no negotiating over what we watch since we all have our own screen, no laundry…You get the idea.  It’s nice to just chill out with absolutely no chores to do. The twins are also old enough to not need our constant attention.

4 – I’m afraid of heights.  If there’s a sight to be seen from up high, I will likely wait behind and J and the twins will go on up.  I made it up to the top of the Eiffel Tower but there was a moment in the elevator where I thought I had made a terrible mistake. My eyes were closed the whole way up.  But I ended up doing ok.  I was also pretty miserable on the top of the Rock of Gibraltar.  That surprised me as I usually do ok on terra firma even if up high.

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Look at me all the way down there!

5 – I grew up in Massachusetts as did my husband.  In fact, we first laid eyes on each other in 8th grade band class when I moved to his town.  I then moved to Florida in high school and stayed there for 10 years.  I moved back to Massachusetts when I was 25, where J and I reconnected and feel in love.  Oh the romance.

6 – J is a musician.  He will always stop for street performers when we are traveling.  I like that about him.

7 – We have a cat named Elvis. He’s always well cared for by our neighbors when we are away and I can tell he’s excited to see us when we get home.  Maybe not as excited as a dog would be…

8 – I have 53 wish lists on Airbnb.  Hotels just don’t work well for us as a family.  It’s heaven to have a spot to tuck the kids away and then still enjoy being up.  Plus, I hate going out to breakfast.  If I have to shower and get dressed before breakfast, it just doesn’t feel like a vacation.

I don’t know why I picked 8 but there you have it.

Dispatches from Abroad, Part 1

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Last year we went to London and Paris, spending a full week in each city.  Of course a good time was had by all and as expected, with time, I’ve managed to forget some of the small details.  And that’s when my text history came to the rescue.  I remembered sending my parents and sister frequent text updates about our trip.  So I dug them up, dusted them off, cropped them, and presto.  They can now be shared for your reading pleasure.

FullSizeRender (4)The first text set the tone for numbered lists and I stuck to that format for many of the others.  As you can see, the most pressing update is the revelation that English muffins are just muffins.I wish I could claim to find that less interesting than I do but it was the first thing I sought out at the grocery store.

Catherine’s dissatisfaction with menu options will be a reoccurring theme.  Definitely not the last time we see that mentioned.

Successfully managing our first tube ride was also no insignificant task.  Though I take the subway all the time where we live, the system in London is quite a bit different.  I was delighted that kids ride free but it took a few attempts before we figured out how to get 1 adult and 1 child through an automatic ticket gate. I’m relatively certain people had no idea we were tourists…

FullSizeRender (5)I was so excited to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.  I had carefully plotted out the days which we’d be able to see it so as to be sure not to miss out.  Maybe a slightly over hyped attraction, at least for kids who hate waiting.  Unless you can get in the section right at the gates and a better view of the action.  Which would require waiting.  I don’t know about anyone else’s kids, but mine do not do waiting very well.  So while they held out for the pageantry, they were clearly unimpressed.

At least we tried.  Right??

 

Our 3rd update rolls around and sure enough, and we were back on the tube and still eating lots of food.  Only in this update, I have children happy with the food.  Yay!
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Well, we tried to experience some cultural highlights and be frugal at the same time.  Free doesn’t always translate into “fun had by all” when  you’re traveling.  Especially when creepy organ music is involved.

I also entirely forgot about how poorly my kiddos were adjusting to the time zone change. Before re-reading these texts, I would have humble bragged about how my kiddos just seem to adapt so easily, blah blah blah.  But it’s all coming back now.  Just wait for the next text…

FullSizeRender_2[1]Catherine wasn’t about to go down quietly.  Oh no.  It’s definitely all coming back to me. I don’t know how I managed to forget.  I guess it’s kind of like childbirth amnesia.

Maybe we made too big of a deal about having them look left before crossing the street.  I’ll consider that one a lesson learned.

I can’t remember if I made good on my play date promises but something tells me she held me to it.  Catherine doesn’t forget things like that.

 

FullSizeRender[1]The next text update I sent my parents and sister while we were in London hits upon one of the delights of having kids old enough to realize what’s going on around them.  They understand when you’ve done something wrong.  And they don’t let it go.  Such as when we took the bus headed in the wrong direction.

We had a lovely tea at the Orangery and it’s location couldn’t have been better if you have kids.  It was right near the Princess of Wales Memorial Playground at Kensington Gardens.  The grounds were lovely and the kids could run and play and blow off some steam.  As you can see they had lots of energy to play, despite lacking the energy to walk the few blocks to tea.

FullSizeRender (6)As part of my trip planning, I scoped out numerous dining options that offered a free kids menu.  We took advantage at a lot of places where we ate.  But as you can see, there were some challenges.

The Mission London book was awesome and helped tremendously when we were doing some traditional sightseeing. It kept the twins engaged and the adults had fun too.

The book must be what prompted our discussion of spy names in the next text update I sent.  Have I piqued your curiosity?
Nate is really really into skyscrapers.  So it was no FullSizeRender (7)surprise he was over the moon at the prospect of going to The View at the Shard.  My pictures from that visit are some of my favorite of the trip.

And as you can see we made another visit to Westminster Abbey but this time sans creepy organ music.

Why didn’t anyone tell me about salt beef sandwiches?

And yes, my kiddos really really hate walking.  Any time we have to walk more than a block, they whine, moan and groan, and complain. It makes sightseeing by foot such a delight.

Well, I hope these real time dispatches are somewhat entertaining to read.  Though you likely won’t be as amused as my parents were but they’re the grandparents.  They’re genetically obligated to be amused.

Preparing for Sweden

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The Wandering Twins’ Perspective

Yay! We are going on another European Trip! But this time we’re going north to Scandinavia. To be pacific, Sweden. We go in just a few weeks! We have snack bags full of delicious treats for our trip. Lara bars, Cliff Bars, and Tic Tacs etc galore.

Hi! Nate here and I would like to tell you my perspective of preparing for Sweden. We got a TON of books so we will like, never be bored and there are SUPER yummy snacks and I am trying to get mom and dad to go to Malmo to see the tallest building in Scandinavia, the Twisting Torso, powered by geothermal energy. Super awesome, right?

The Parents’ Perspective

We leave for Sweden in just a few weeks!  With less than a month to go, this is when my wheels start to spin. I’m noticing a trend as we prepare for this trip – about a month out, I tend to start buying lots of clothes.  I’m not much of a shopper so my wardrobe is not exactly robust.  Faced with having to pack several days worth of casual clothes, I realize that I have 2 pairs of pants that fit (fit being the operative word these days) and I should probably get another pair or two.  I also realize that all of my casual shirts are stained or have tiny holes in them. Oh, and the kids need new shoes, of course, because they’re kids and all they do is grow out of shoes or destroy the ones that do fit by playing in the mud. But at least I can earn lots of miles through credit card or airline shopping portals since I refuse to physically go shopping.

I’m also hard at work gathering provisions for the oh-so-crucial snack bags that keep us nourished no matter the travel circumstances.  Okay, so it’s really about keeping my kids quiet, who am I kidding?  With a healthy bit of junk, it’s definitely not all about nourishment.

I’ll be honest, I do not have a reputation for being organized when it comes to packing. The past few conversations I’ve had with my mother, she’s mentioned packing cubes each time.  I just don’t get them.  I cannot figure out why putting your stuff in a cube is better than cutting out the middle man and putting it straight in the suitcase.  With that being said, it would surprise my family to know that I usually create packing lists.

Packing listWe have just 2 1/2 weeks to go for our trip to Sweden and I’ve already started the packing list. Getting the list started, along with acquiring provisions for the snack bags, puts a little spring in my step and makes me feel like the trip is right around the corner.

Growing up, we went to the beach every summer for two weeks and rented a house. Every year, a few weeks before our vacation, my mom would put boxes in the dining room.  With each trip to the grocery store, she would add provisions to the boxes for our trip.  As the weeks went on, we’d watch the boxes fill up and get excited knowing our vacation was around the corner. Obviously, we can’t bring groceries with us to Sweden, but the packing list and snack bag provisions have the same effect.

As for other trip preparations, no one around here is on board for my suggestion to head over to Ikea for a Swedish meal. I think it’s a brilliant idea and they’re nothing but a bunch of grumps.

We might also be working on our Canadian accents since we’re not sure what kind of reception Americans will get.  I shudder to think some one would assume we’re happy with our current political “situation.”

*And yes, I do know that Catherine used the wrong word in her section, but I can’t bring myself to tell her. I think the mix up is too cute.

 

The Day the Magic of Travel Failed Us (a/k/a The Granada Incident)

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In 2014 we went to Spain with my sister and my parents.  It was a big family trip to celebrate my 40th birthday.  We all flew into Madrid, spent a few days there before renting cars and heading to Osuna which is about an hour east of Sevilla.  It was a great trip. Except for our day trip to Granada which, um, had a few wrinkles.

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Looking happy and in love while touring the Alhambra

It started out as an ordinary travel day.  We all loaded up the cars and off we went – our GPS calmly guiding our way.  One thing of note – while we had 2 rental cars, we only got 1 GPS in an effort to minimize expense.  The GPS was in our car and my sister and parents were following in the other car.  This is a key fact that becomes relevant later…

We went straight to the Alhambra and parked.  For those who haven’t been to Granada, the Alhambra overlooks the city of Granada below.  After touring the Alhambra, we decided to explore the city.  We hadn’t done much advance research on what we wanted to see or do in Granada. Maybe not the best approach.

As we gathered our thoughts in the plaza, I noticed a gentleman selling a large sketch of the plaza itself.  There was a sign that said he lost his passport and was selling the sketch for 20 Euro.  I loved the sketch and bought it immediately, feeling good that I was helping this man.  My husband was wandering around the plaza at the time I made the purchase.  When I brought it over to him and explained what it was, he told me that I probably just gave a pedophile money. J insisted the only reason why people “lose their passports” is because they are criminals.  Now bear in mind, J is a law enforcement officer so he does tend to assume the worst in these situations.  Naturally, I was crestfallen and feeling badly about giving him money.  But I loved the sketch.  The Sketch Incident was the first sign of rocky times ahead.

I don’t like to drive and quite frankly, I’m not that great at it.  I get flustered easily.  I don’t do it often since I commute by public transportation. This is a key fact that becomes relevant soon.

J had done all of the driving on the trip thus far.  After a long day of sightseeing and in an effort to rebound from the Sketch Incident, I offered to drive the 2 hours back to Osuna so he could enjoy a beer or two with dinner.

After a lovely dinner, our little caravan headed home with me and the GPS in the lead and  my sister and parents following.  The first sign of trouble was when I encountered a rotary or traffic circle or roundabout, depending on where you’re from.  Whatever you call them, I don’t like them.  But I bravely drove forward into the circle of traffic.  Which is precisely when J started barking at me because apparently, my approach was a touch on the reckless side given that my sister was following.

That traffic circle behind us, quite literally, I took a deep breath and thought, if I just make it to the highway, all will be fine.  Or not.

For some reason the way the arrow was painted on the road of the entrance ramp threw me for a loop and I had this thought that I was going the wrong way on the ramp. I may have become a little flustered and sought reassurance from my husband.  Unfortunately, he didn’t understand why I was flustered. Instead of reassurance, there was more unhelpful barking.

I then recall trying to exit the highway to get gas but missed it and then drove to a dead end because J failed to provide navigational assistance.  My sister and parents dutifully followed me to the dead end.  I asked my beloved husband to give me some clearer navigational guidance. I believe this is the point where I started to cry in frustration. Actual tears with kids in the backseat and my sister and parents stopped at the dead end right behind us.  J’s response was to start saying really helpful things like “go straight” and “go straight again” every 20 seconds when there was no other option but to go straight. This was not as helpful as he thought.  By the time we turned ourselves around and got back on the highway and then properly exited for the gas station, I was a touch frazzled.

Because we are parents, the first thing we do at a gas station on a road trip is find the bathrooms.  I grabbed Catherine and set out – without saying anything to J because I was a touch frazzled, remember? I met up with J as we walked out of the restrooms and said “Where’s Nate?” His response: “I thought you had him.”  Oops.  Turns out we had left Nate in the car.  At a rest stop on the side of a Spanish highway.  At 10pm.   Of course, all was well and Nate was happily entertaining himself in the car.Yes, my sister and parents were also getting gas but they were at a pump that was not in view of our car and they were making their own trips to the bathroom.

Thankfully the rest of our journey was uneventful and we made it safely back to Osuna without further incident.

I did not attempt to drive again while in Spain.  We did not bicker again the rest of the trip. Coincidence?  I don’t think so.

Car Spain

Happier times in the car – with me in the passenger seat and J behind the wheel.

A footnote to the Sketch Incident – I  left it behind at the gate area when we were boarding our plane home.  J was the one to notice I didn’t have it and raced back to get it.

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The Sketch which now hangs in our finished basement.

It’s been a little over 2 years since the Granada Incident.  We can now laugh about it. We laugh, look at each other fondly and say “we need a Granada do-over.” Okay, so I also do this thing when J is being annoying where I raise my eyebrows and say “go straight, go straight” in a jerky manly voice. It seems to get the message across.

 

Georgia – The Itinerary

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Bear with me as The Wandering Twins takes a trip down memory lane recounting our first adventure.  It was over 3 years ago but we still get warm and fuzzy talking about it.  This is going to sound drippy – but here goes – the trip was magical.  For starters, Georgia is an amazing country and we had the benefit of locals to show us around.  But it was also the trip that showed us how manageable it is to travel with children and how well our kiddos responded made us want to keep going and going, trip after trip.
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A brief summary of our itinerary to Georgia with more detail below:

  • Day 1 – Arrived in Tbilisi
  • Day 2 – Tbilisi
  • Day 3 – Sighnaghi
  • Day 4 – Sighnaghi
  • Day 4 – back to Tbilisi
  • Day 5 – Tbilisi
  • Day 6-Travel to Stepantsminda
  • Day 7 – Stepantsminda
  • Day 8 – Travel back to Tbilisi
  • Day 9 – Tbilisi
  • Day 10 – Travel to Borjomi
  • Day 11 – Travel to Akhaltsikhe
  • Day 12 – Travel back to Tbilisi
  • Day 13 – Tbilisi
  • Day 14 – Travel home

This was before Airbnb options were plentiful and my friend was able to make local arrangements for an apartment for us for our 2 week stay. Essentially, a little old lady volunteered to vacate her apartment in exchange for our money. It was right down the street from their home so it couldn’t have been better situated.  Even better, it was right across from a great coffee and gelato shop –  Luca Polare – and it was delightful.  Our apartment was inexpensive which alleviated our guilt for going on overnight excursions and having hotel expenses on top of the apartment.

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Our hotel in Sighnaghi was the Hotel Kabadoni and it was delightful.  This is my view while having a cup of tea on the hotel restaurant’s terrace.  The hotel restaurant also had a lovely breakfast.  One word of caution – if you order the breakfast sausage, be prepared for a hot dog-style sausage. The kiddos thought it was hilarious to be eating hot dogs for breakfast.

We had dinner both nights at Pheasant’s Tears – the first night we ate inside but the second night we outside and it was delightful.

 

Exploring Sighnaghi by horseback proved to be quite the adventure – for the whole family. None of us could be described as accomplished horseback riders.  But we managed and had a lovely tour of the area.

Our spot to dine under the stars at Pheasant’s Tears
Sights around town
Showing off my mad horsewoman skills
The kiddos on the wall surrounding the city
Excited for our second meal at Pheasant’s Tears

The kids enjoyed exploring the wall that surrounds Sighnaghi and walking the city streets just taking it all in.

Our visit to Mt. Kazbegi and Stepantsminda was one of my favorites. Our friends joined us and we all piled into their SUV for the 2ish hour drive.  We had to stop a few times for car sickness issues – for the kids and adults.  The roads are winding and more than a little dizzying.  We packed a simple lunch stopping at Entree to pick up sandwiches before leaving Tbilisi.  A solid decision since there weren’t many/any options along the way for food.

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The view from the spot where we stopped to eat our lunch.

One of our stops was at a lookout point built by the Soviets.  The views were amazing and completely worth the stress of worrying about my kids falling over the side of the mountains.  Which was completely irrational.  Sort of.

We stayed in the most amazing hotel in Stepansmidna.  J and I frequently go the hotel site just to pretend we have another trip to plan.  I’m generally not a fan of staying in hotels when traveling with the  kids but this was different.  And perfect. Rooms Hotel is one of the most delightful places I’ve stayed.  Ever.  The kids had plenty of freedom to roam and play which gave the adults plenty of freedom to curl up on the cushy sofas on the expansive deck with a bottle of wine and chat away. A few pictures below don’t do our stay justice.  The pictures of Mt. Kazbegi were taken from the deck – likely with a glass of wine in hand – so there was no need for rugged hiking to take in such impressive views.

 

Our next stop was Borjomi and we stayed at Nick and Goerge’s Guesthouse which my friend arranged for us.  It was delightful.  The owners were so welcoming and doted on the kids.  There was one other couple staying there and it was peaceful and quiet.  Dinner and breakfast were provided and besides being delicious, the amount of food set out was positively gluttonous – in a good way.  I’ve never seen so many options laid out on a table for just one meal.

It was through the guest house owners that we had a tour of Borjomi National Forest on horseback.  It was slightly terrifying at times but the kids had guides walking their horses and while there was a language barrier, the guides were mindful of how the kids were holding up during our 3-hour tour.  Because of the language barrier, we had no idea how long the ride was or where we were going, which made me a little uncomfortable. Admittedly, I had visions of these two strange men leading  my family into the wilderness only to abandon, torture, or kill us. But, as is so often the case, my worst fears went unrealized.  Go figure.

The garden of the guest house
The kiddos with one of the owners of the guest house
Jason eating grapes right off the vines at our guest house stay

Our final stop as we explored beyond Tbilisi was Akhaltsikhe where we stayed at the newly opened Hotel Rabath Gino Wellness and it was another delightful excursion.  We were on our own without our friends on our Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe jaunt and it felt good to do things independently and navigate on our own.  Well, kind of on our own as we did have a driver but since he didn’t speak English, I think we still get credit for being on our own.

View of the hotel
The view of the hotel courtyard from our room

The hotel was great as was the attached restaurant.  As I mentioned, this was our first time really being on our own.  Our ordering choices reflected our status as novices.  We were wondering why the waitress seemed so amused as she took our order but once the parade of food started coming we realized just how much we over ordered.  But it was all delish so no harm, no foul.

From Akhaltsikhe we headed back to Tbilisi to enjoy our last full day before flying home.  It was tough to go home and I remember having serious re-entry issues when we got home.

Our 1st Adventure -Georgia (no, not the state…)

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Nate settling in on the plane
Catherine getting settled in on the plane
Catherine and Nate waiting at the security line

The Wandering Twins’ Perspective

I loved the plane! Well, you can expect that, as it was me and Nate’s first international flight ever! We were switching from movie to drawing to reading and back again, just in a different order. Me and Nate were so exited, we nearly yelped with joy when we saw that there were video game controllers. The seats were arranged two by two so it was possible that Nate and I wouldn’t argue and bicker over the window seat. There wasn’t much to see because, well, it was an overnight flight. Still, it was cool to look at the sunrise as we landed in Turkey for our layover. Why Turkey? We were riding on Turkish Airlines, where the flight attendants served some Turkish delights every now and then. They served the kind with almonds and pistachios, not the other kinds. When we landed, I forget what time it was but it was time for dinner. I was like, so confused because um.. we didn’t have lunch on the plane. We were only served breakfast on the plane because we had to wake up really early to catch our flight.Wait… we had to wake up at about midnight. I might have fallen asleep during the flight but it was so long ago, I totally forget most of the flight. I was in first grade at the time, and now I’m in fourth grade so I hope you understand why I forgot. Overall, it was fun and I had a good time. When we landed, I was shocked at the size of the airport. I had never been in one this big before! There was even a hotel! Because the layover went overnight, that’s where we slept. We weren’t tired because we were jet lagged so we decided to go and play with each other- like that worked out well! We can barely even being the same room without harassing each other.

The Parental Perspective

There weren’t a lot of airline options for flying to Tbilisi and the route on Turkish Airlines seemed to be the best.  We flew from Washington, DC to Istanbul and from there to Tbilisi. Our flight from DC left at 11pm and we arrived in Istanbul at around 4pm local time. I had a few options for the timing of our layover. We could either choose a shorter layover with arrival in Tbilisi in the middle of the night or opt for a longer layover and arrival the following day at mid-morning.  While I would usually go for the shortest travel time possible, in this situation it made the most sense to pick the later flight.  Thanks to my friend’s guidance, I was aware of the TAV Airport Hotel located inside the international terminal at the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.  This hotel allows for reservations to be made in 3-hour blocks of time.  It was perfect!

As soon as we landed in Istanbul, we made our way to the airport hotel.

This wasn’t quite as straightforward as I was hoping, but we eventually figured it out. Turns out we had to go through security because our plane disembarked outside and we took a bus to the terminal.  We weren’t expecting that and kept thinking the hotel should be before security.  Once we sorted ourselves out and dutifully made our way through security, we checked in at the hotel.  As you can see from the picture below, our kids promptly scattered their things and my husband happily curled up in bed.

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Our TAV Airport Hotel room – Jason headed straight for the bed and the twins made quick work of spreading their belongings around the room.

Our plan was to get dinner and then explore the airport before going to sleep.  When we told the kids the plan, Catherine’s response was “what happened to lunch?”  That clever kiddo doesn’t miss a thing – except our pre-trip discussions of time zone changes.

Speaking of disembarking outside rather than pulled up to a gate, that presented its own challenges.  We were pulling up the rear when it came to getting off the plane since we had lots of stuff and tried to be considerate and let others off behind us.  The bus taking passengers from the plane to the terminal was tightly packed by the time we got off the plane.  Stupidly, we stepped to the side and thought we’d wait for the next bus.  After some stilted exchanges with airport personnel we realized that was it.  The only bus.  And now it was even more of a squish to get on.  But we did and it all worked out, though I was holding on tight to my kiddos to make sure we didn’t get separated.

Dinner was a bit difficult, to be honest. We were all tired from our lack of sleep on the overnight flight and we weren’t sure what to make of the restaurant options.  In the interest of time, we went to the food court rather than a full-service restaurant.  We stumbled our way through the line and ordered food that we thought looked good even if we weren’t sure exactly what it was.  In hindsight dinner at a seated restaurant might have been the better option as that would have given us time to consider choices rather than trying to rush through with a line of people behind us.

Once we finished dinner, we then made our way back to the hotel.  The food court and the hotel are at opposite ends of the international terminal.  As we walked, I’m sure we looked a bit “country mouse goes to the city” which I’m not used to since we don’t exactly live in a rural area. It was bustling with travelers from all over on the world and people from all walks of life.  Once again, I was a little stressed about keeping a hold of my kids; I was relieved to get back to our room so I could close the door and not worry about keeping an eye on everyone.

That night everyone slept well but me.  Go figure. And it was all my fault.  With the time zone changes, I hadn’t done a good job of staying away from caffeine and I probably had a cup of tea too close to the end of the day.  But I was in Turkey – I couldn’t resist trying the tea.

Our flight the next morning was around 7am and by the time we landed, got our luggage, and passed through customs, it was right around noon in Tbilisi.

Because we stayed overnight in Istanbul, I think that minimized the jet lag for the kids. When we arrived in Tbilisi the kids and my husband were ready to hit the ground running. I, however, was a hot mess. But I did what moms do and sucked it up.