I was grateful that my friends came to visit us this year in Europe. We had a lot to catch up on since it has been years since I last saw them. Somehow it eased my loneliness due to being homesick. Apart from the Netherlands, Spain was on their travel itinerary as well, so we made a quick 4-day weekend trip to Barcelona. 

One of the most famous attractions we visited in Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia, a massive church designed by the renowned architect Antoni Gaudi. The church, which has been under construction for over 100 years, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is considered one of the most unique and beautiful buildings in the world. Up until the present, the church is still in construction even after Gaudi passed. We saw the overall plan for the church, and they had only completed two out of the four buildings that were planned. 

We took a tour of the inside of the church and climbed to the top for a panoramic view of the city. Sagrada Familia was a sight to behold. Every nook and corner was a work of art. I may be a bit biased because I prefer architectural art over art paintings, and this specific masterpiece was a 10/10 must-see.

My friends and I also joined a Gothic Quarter walking tour. For those interested in history, the Gothic Quarter is a must-try activity. This medieval neighborhood is home to the Cathedral of Barcelona, the Palau de la Generalitat, and the Plaça del Rei, all of which offer a glimpse into the city's rich history. Our tour guide was very eager to share with us the history as her great-grandpa relieved it himself. We sure hit our steps goal while admiring the old city and listening to the stories behind each old historic building.

We also joined the Gaudi walking tour where we were able to see buildings designed by Gaudi, which has become a focal point of architectural art in Barcelona. We were able to see buildings that Gaudi designed such as Casa Batlao and La Pedrera - Casa Mila. Gaudi's work is known for its unique and whimsical style, blending elements of nature, religion, and modernist design. A lot of it is evident in all the buildings he had designed. I was really amazed by Gaudi's work. We only saw three of his buildings, yet I really wished we had seen the other art as well.

Aside from cultural walking tours, we also indulged in the food scene in Barcelona. Barcelona is a great destination for foodies. The city is known for its affordable and delicious seafood, tapas, and paella. We sure ate a lot of paellas and tapas the entire trip.  We also did a bit of retail therapy in Zara and Mango as these brands originated in Spain. I saved EUR10 for each item I bought, in comparison if I bought them in the Netherlands.

Our trip was short but we sure had a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back and bring my family to Barcelona, or to Spain in general. It was ironic because I caught COVID right after my flight back to the Netherlands. Boohoo! (T_T)

Summer season is near! Summer is also known as Camping season. A lot of people and families plan their road trips and camping trips across Europe during this season. Last year, we have discussed trying out camping within the Netherlands for starters, before we venture out to a full blown Europe camping adventure that is in our bucketlist. I have posted two experiences we had in different campgrounds like Kemphaan and Hemels. Now, we travelled up north to check two things in our bucketlist.

GEITHOORN

Geithoorn is a small town known for as the "Venice of Netherlands. It has always been in our bucketlist as place to visit in the Netherlands. What makes this town so special, is that the town cannot be accessed by car. It is surrounded by waterways, canals and lakes, which makes the town magical, like straight out of a fairytale book. The layout of the town is not optimized for motorized vehicles, so you have to explore the place by foot. Geithoorn is surrounded by rivers and canals, that most houses have bridges to connect them to the main road. 

We long wanted to come visit Geithoorn, so we planned that this summer, we'll camp there. I was able to book a nice campsite at Camping d'Hof. It was a vacation park which has a small area for tent pitchers like us. The good thing is that they have access to the lake, in which you can park your boat.

Geithoorn is a small town, so it is easy to explore for one whole day. The only struggle is that the town is in between lakes, mode of transportation is only by bus or car. There are car parking spots at the outskirt of the town. One of the top activities to do in Geithoorn is a boat tour or rent a private boat. 

When we visited the town, we rented a small boat for two days and explored the whole town. Most boat rental companies will provide a map of routes you can do depending on the amount of time you rented the boat. Driving the boat is easy to learn, just takes a few minutes to get used to navigating and steering. 

If you do not want to do the boat [I highly suggest you do!] tour, you can just wander around Geithoorn by foot. Explore the different small shops tucked inside the pretty houses, or dine around the restaurants in town. 

CAMPING d'HOF

There were only a few campgrounds in Geithoorn, and most if them have no electricity outlet. One thing we prefer are campsites with access to an electric outlet nearby the tent. Camping d'Hof is the only campground which has electric outlets near the campground. They have two small campground nearby the lake. 

Camping d'Hof is located conveniently south of the main town, in a quiet area with access to the lake. During the summer season, they offer watersport activities and offer gear rentals. We went there during the end of the summer, so we were able to see just a few people trying out kite surfing. 

They have different types of accommodations aside from the tent pitches, like cabins, camping pods and caravan and rooms inside their main building. The place also has a recreation hall and offers laundry service for a fee. They also provide boat rentals, which is essential if you want to explore Geithoorn by water. 

We stayed for 3 days, living our best life in the magical town of Geithoorn. We rented a boat for two days and had the campground for ourselves for a day. It was convenient for we were able to park our boat near the campground. I'll share this video as it best sums up our camping trip.

@carolranas Our last camping vacation this summer in Geithoorn. @imsosh and Dax had so much fun riding the boat! #voorjou #becarol #foryou #teamperez #zomervibes ♬ Love Tonight (David Guetta Remix) - Shouse

Overall, Geithoorn is on top of our list of towns you need to visit in the Netherlands. It is best to visit during the Spring and Summer season so the surrounding nature is alive and thriving. 

Have you been to Geithoorn? Which city one of your favorite in Europe and why?

Summer vacation calls for activities for our hyper children. Six weeks of vacation is a bit long, and we need additional stimulation and activities for our kids this summer. 

1. Museum Hopping (with a Museumkaart)

If you cannot file for a long vacation or you are filling up the afternoons with activities, Museums are your go-to. The Netherlands have an abundance of museums and activities for that matter, notable ones if I may say.

Note that it is a good thing to purchase a Museumkaart, so you can save a lot of money. Admission fees for most of the museums are usually free if you have a subscription/Museumkaart. If you plan to visit 4-5 museums a year, it is practical to get a Museumkaart for the cost will offset the fees to visit to 4-5 museums. 

2. Attraction Park / Theme Park

Weekends or a day or two of vacation leave can be spent on Attraction Parks/Theme Parks. There are different attraction parks you can explore in the Netherlands as well as its neighbouring countries.

Efteling would be one of the most famous in the Netherlands. It has been claimed to be fairytale-like. There are also other theme parks that cater to certain age group of children. For example, the Sprookjeswonderland in Enkhuizen is catered to younger children and Walibi and Toverland is for the older age group. Nevertheless, you won't have any problems for entertainment as in general children loves these places. 

3. Camping by the beach, forest or lake

This is one of the reasons that moving to Europe was a good idea. Long gone are the days where you are holed up in hotels in big cities for vacation (which is typical in Asia). Here in Europe, there is an abundance of camping grounds and parks where you can explore different cities and their respective nature reserves. 

Camping is mostly for the whole immersive experience. Some people may not prefer it, for their idea of a vacation is to have convenience and not to have any more stress. I mainly view camping as practicing some life skills and immersion with nature. I never imagined myself enjoying camping (partly because hotels are too expensive and restrictive). It makes sense now to have a Eurotrip (Europe roadtrip) for it is convenient to visit different countries for the duration of your trip.

Do you have other suggestions for activities for this kids summer vacation?

A tired parent would love to read it in the comments below!