September is my birthday month, and for my birthday I was able to get a wonderful gift. Finally, I was able to travel solo (sort of). After 20 years, I have never done things by myself, and traveling is one of them. I wasn't alone per se. I stayed with my sister, who was on a business trip in London. She was there for a week. I decided to catch up with her and do some sightseeing as well.

My sister and I bought a two-day unlimited London pass to save some money on attractions. On the first day of the pass, we did the Hop-on Hop-off Bus as our mode of transport. We were able to see the notable places and attractions across London as we listened to the audio guide for a little historical background. It was nice to sit in the open-top area so you have the best view of all the nice places in London. We decided to finish the whole "red route" of the bus tour after we decided where to head next. 

We got off at Tower Bridge and decided to climb up the bridge. Tower Bridge is famously known as London Bridge, which in reality, was not. The London Bridge is a completely different common-looking bridge. You climb the tower either by elevator or by stairs. The stairs offer scenic views but will cost you your energy and legs. We chose to use the lift because we had a whole day of walking ahead of us. When you reach the top, you'll cross the bridge to go to the other side.  

After that, we visited the Tower of London which was just nearby Tower Bridge. We explored the areas included in our passes like the armory, treasury, and crown jewels. We walked back to the Tower Bridge and decided to hang out at the park near the bridge while waiting for our scheduled reservation at the Shard. 

Climbing up to the top of the Shard is included in our London passes, but you have to make a reservation beforehand. It was suggested to go up near sunset time for a breathtaking view of London, but slots were quickly filled. We took the 4PM schedule, which was not the ideal time but it'll do given our situation.  

On our second day of using the London Pass, we used the Thames Uber boat as our mode of transport. We explored the town of Greenwich. We spent the whole day in Greenwich. We walked past the massive Greenwich Park and climbed uphill to the Royal Observatory, where we saw the Prime Meridian line.

 After walking back down to Greenwich Park, we stopped at the Greenwich Market for lunch. It is a small courtyard located nearby the Royal Naval College. We had some Asian wok with Matcha Latte. After having our fill, we walked our way to the Royal Naval College to check out the amazing Painted Hall. It was a small room but boy, it blew my mind! 

After wandering around the college, we went to visit the Maritime Museum and admired some nice old ships. After wandering four floors of ships and sea things, we headed out to see the Cutty Sark before using Uber Boat to head back to Westminster. 

We weren't able to see and do many tours from the London Pass since most of the attractions we liked were closed at that time in observance of the wake of the Queen. Most roads were also blocked and redirected because of it. 

While my sister was busy working during the week, I was also busy exploring London by myself. I have made a list of all the things I want to try and see in London. For my first day of solo adventure, I headed straight to King's Cross Station to check the Platform 3/4 that was in the Harry Potter film. It was a bit of a letdown as the King Cross station was modern, yet there is this platform beside the Harry Potter store that had a long queue for a photo in Platform 3/4. I was told that the Warner Bros Studio tour had the better (and more realistic) version of Platform 3/4.

I headed to Camden and explored the Camden Lock Market. I spent much of my time there while it rained all afternoon. I can compare Camden Lock Market to Bugis Market in Singapore. There were a lot of these independent unique stores and food stalls. As the rain eases, I made my way to Mayfair to check out the infamous "posh villages/streets". I also did some thrift shopping in the area and saw a lot of good deals.

During my solo adventures, I went to join a lot of free walking tours. I joined the Westminster Abbey tour which was hosted by Free Tours on Foot. It was an interesting tour despite all the roadblocks we had. There was limited access to Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace in preparation for the Queen's State Funeral. Our guide was very happy to spill all the drama and secrets that surround the Monarchy, which is new for me as I am not in tune with the royalty drama and gossip. 

I also joined the London Food tour by See the Sights Tours in the afternoon. We walked around Shoreditch and Brick Lane Market. I tried some nice bagels and wings and had seen some of Banksy's art spread across Brick Lane.

It was nice to join these walking tours, especially if you are traveling alone and wanted to be immersed in the culture of each town across London. We ended the food tour at the Old Spitalfields Market. 

My sister and I attempted to take a peek at Buckingham Palace despite all the fuzz and roadblocks for the State Funeral. It was an impossible mission as there were a lot of people trying to get in and see it as well.  We were out of our luck as all entry points were either closed down or clogged with people wanting to pay their respects.

Being a Potterhead, I did not miss signing up for a Harry Potter Walking tour. I booked the Get Your Guide tour and reminisce about the scenes from the movies. As a fan, it was an amazing experience. It was a short tour because most of the Harry Potter movie locations were spread across London, but we were able to cover as much as to send us into a nostalgic mood. Also, the tour guide made it as interesting and fun as well.

Jollibee was on my list as well because it is something that reminded me of my homeland. After my morning walking Potter tour, I had lunch at Jollibee. It was interesting as most of the diners were Filipinos. Yet, the Jollibee menu I tried (chicken joy and spaghetti meal) tasted different, kind of bland as far as I remembered it. 

I also booked theater shows during my visit because it was Theatre Week! It means all shows were discounted! Lucky Me! I first watched Mamma Mia. I watched the movie version with Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried in it. My first theater experience was a blast! The amount of nostalgia and discipline (not singing along) I had was surreal. 

After watching theater shows, I walked around Covenant Garden Market and shopped a little, and dined out with my sister. Let me tell you, London easily became my ultimate favorite because of the sheer amount of food options you can try. The food scene is so culturally diverse and there is something for everyone's budget.

I also did the Nottinghill Market and Culture tour from Free Tours on Foot. Their tours and guides were wonderful and I was happy to give a tip despite it being free. I think I was able to cover all the significant places on my list because of these walking tours. 

On our last weekend in London, I showed my sister around my favorite places I visited. First, we went to the Victoria & Albert Museum and Nature Museum.  The V&A Museum was interesting because the artworks in it were mostly recast, aka a copy of the original piece. They have massive sculptures of famous artworks that I have seen in their original locations. We did not join the tour so we just wandered aimlessly across the museum.

Also included on my list to try was to have an Afternoon tea in London. You see, the British like to take leisure Afternoon Tea breaks. But most of the recommended places cost an arm and leg. We searched for an affordable Afternoon Tea place near Kensington Palace and found The Muffin Man nearby. 

I also showed my sister around Portabello Market and walked our way to Paddington and Little Venice. It was a long walking route, but the Portabello Market was super interesting. It was a tiring whole day of walking around. We had a glimpse and learned a thing or two about British culture.

As the night starts, we decided to check out Harrods. It was currently in renovation at that time, but we didn't miss checking out the luxury brands and interesting British souvenirs and hampers they have. Before heading back, we had dinner at Pasta Evangelists. 

Walking Food Tour is also a thing in London where you get to explore their food markets and what they uniquely have to offer. We also booked a Borough Market Food Tour and Maltby Street Food Market from Free Tours on Foot. The Borough Market is something that as a foodie, you have to explore in London. It is the oldest food market and serves almost all the good things London has to offer.  We were able to try some fresh local oysters, sausage rolls, and pies. Though the tour was limited to a few stalls in the market, it was sufficient as it was two food markets in one tour. 

The Maltby Food Market was less overwhelming than Borough Market. The Maltby Market is in a small alley with notable food options. We tried some duck fries and local gin in the area. 

After being full, we attempted to get in the SkyGarden, but the lines were too long and we didn't have reservations. We just walked around the London Monument and made our way to Leadenhall Market, which was unfortunately already closed. We explored the area and took lots of pictures as it reminded us of the Diagon Alley scene in Harry Potter.

We traveled to Kings Cross Station to check the Harry Potter Platform and store. I decided to get something from the store and regretted not booking the Walter Bros Studio tour to fulfill my Potterhead dreams. We went back to Westminster because my sister was meeting some childhood friends. So I was left to explore Picadilly Square and Carnaby/SOHO by myself while trying to get reservations at two Dishoom locations. Alas, all attempts failed as the lines at Dishoom are incredibly long and reservations are already full for the week. 

And with a sick coincidence of events, I was able to experience a monumental event, the Queen's State funeral. A week before our trip, the Queen died. The death of Queen Elizabeth II, who has been the longest-reigning monarch in British history, was a significant event in the United Kingdom. Her state funeral was a grand and solemn occasion, attended by dignitaries from many countries, as well as members of the British royal family and the public. The funeral was a time for the British people to reflect on her long and accomplished life and the contributions she made to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. A lot of people all over the United Kingdom came together to mourn her loss and pay their respects. And the whole week I was there, I saw how the British people mourned for her. I was fascinated by how the people loved the Queen.  

This Summer 2022, we have planned to go explore Europe. In the summer of 2021, we made preparations by camping across the Netherlands, namely in Kemphaan, Hemels, and Geithoorn.  After long hours of research, I prepared a two-week itinerary for our camping trip that covers Germany, Switzerland, and France. The trip is 15 days long and will cover more than 2000 kilometers. We chose to use our car as a mode of transportation so it'll be convenient to move around. Below is the infographic I prepared for our trip.

We brought our essential camping gear, a week worth of clothes, and a few snacks for the road. We didn't bring much food for we decided to shop in the supermarkets and surprise ourselves with what meals we can come up with within each place. We refuel three times, all in Germany because they have cheaper fuel rates. 

We allowed ourselves to enjoy each place by having ample time per location. As from previous camping experiences, it takes an hour to set up our tent, and another hour to pack it up. We opted to stay at least four days and three nights at each campground so as not to tire ourselves too much. 

Cochem

Our first stop is Cochem, the famous town along the Mosel river. From Zandvoort to Cochem, it was a 6-hour drive of almost 400km. We had two stops along Germany, to refuel and to get some snacks. We stayed at Mosel Camping Cochem for three days and two nights. The Mosel region was fascinating as it is nestled between the mountains and the Mosel river. Our journey through the mountains was interesting for we never see the same view as in the Netherlands (the Netherlands is pure flat land). 

We wandered across the Mosel Promenade on our way to Cochem Altstad, where you can see Cochem castle. Just like any small European town, the town of Cochem is very charming, straight out of those fairytale books I read when I was young. We wanted to ride the Cochem sasselbahn, a pulley that starts at the bottom of the town that heads towards an awesome viewpoint where you can see a nice view of the castle and the town. Unfortunately, we weren't able to ride it because it was closing soon when we got there. We opted to ride the train tour that travels all across town and tells us a small history of the town of Cochem.

I saw some vineyards slopes in the mountain, and I was interested to try the Mosel wine. I was able to try their local Reisling, which was a bit sweet and dry. I liked it so I bought a wine to add to my sweet wine collection. As we say goodbye to Cochem and head out to another town, we dropped by the Burg Eltz castle, which is nearby Cochem. We spent a good 4 hours on our trek up to the castle and going back to the car. It was a very draining trek because we were also in the middle of the heat wave that time. But the view of the Burg Eltz was amazing. I didn't mind the trek, only if the weather was a bit cooler and not scorching us to death.

Legoland Germany

This is one of the activities we have planned for our kid. Legoland Village has a campground for pitchers and caravans. We camped for four days which includes two days of entry to the park. Our family is more of a theme park enthusiast/thrill-seeker when it comes to traveling.  

The campground is located beside the Legoland village, where the vacation houses were. The Legoland Village has separate attractions for kids apart from the ones you can see inside the theme park. Legoland Village is interesting because it has several sections with different themes, like the Ninjago Apartments, Pirate Hotel, Pipowagen (that is similar to glamping in concept), and other villas with themes from different Lego pieces.

The theme park itself is smaller in comparison to Disneyland. But they have this big area where they built mini cities around Europe out of Lego. It was a fascinating site. Our kid had loads of fun in the park. He is at the age where he is daring to try the scary-looking rides. 

Switzerland

We visited Zermatt during the winter before the pandemic so we can experience snow. Now, we wanted to explore the Swiss Alps during the summer when it is all lush and green, perfect weather for camping in the rolling hills. We decided to explore Interlaken. We camped at Camping Lazy Rancho, on the outskirts of Interlaken town for six days. The good thing about camping in the region is that they provide a travel card for the duration of your stay, meaning you get to travel for free in the whole Interlaken area. Kids travel free until 12 years of age. 

Our first day was unfortunately rainy so we decided to explore the town of Interlaken. It was still pretty despite the weather. The river that connects Lake Thun and Lake Brienz flows across the town center of Interlaken. The blue water was a marvelous sight despite the rain. Our campsite was stunning for we were always greeted by the pretty Swiss Alps and people paragliding and jumping off the mountains. 

Jungfrau region is a place we also explored. Since it is not included in our travel card, we purchased a 3 days pass which was a good deal for all the places we wanted to see. On the first day of using our pass, we headed straight to Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe since the weather was sunny. After being exhausted at the top, we dropped by Kleine Scheidegg to admire the Swiss Alps and continued our journey to explore Murren.

On the second day of using our pass, we explored Schynige Platte, which was the area we decided to give hiking a try. They say that the amateur trail can be found in this place as there is a kid's trail. We tried the kid's trail first to warm up my son for hiking, then made a detour to check the mountain peaks. It was exhausting, good thing that the weather was perfect, sunny but still cool. As the sun begins to set, we headed to Harder Klum to admire the town as the sun sets. 

On the third day of using our pass, we stopped by the town of Wengen. The town was small and very cozy. We headed our way to Mannlichen using the cable car from Wengen. Mannlichen is a good stop for families for there is a big playground and restaurant on the plateau. You can hike down towards the town of Grindelwald or you can take the cable car.  In the afternoon, we headed towards Grindelwald First to see the attractions and exciting activities.  We were too late for the attractions at that time because everything closed at 5PM. We were so busy exploring the place that when we decided to do some activities, the lines were already too long until the cutoff for the day.

Switzerland is an expensive place to travel, we accepted that fact even before we arrived. But there are a lot of ways where you can save money. We used the water fountains for our water the whole trip. Switzerland's tap water is refreshingly good as it came from the Alps. You can bring sandwiches and snacks to fuel your adventure as the restaurants in the mountain peaks tend to run at an average of 20 euros, and even their instant ramen costs more than 10 euros.

Colmar

I wanted to explore Alsace, and it is conveniently located near Switzerland, so I have included it in our list. We decided to explore the town of Colmar so we can see the La Petite Venise canal bridges. We stayed at Camping de L'Il for three days. 

Our itinerary at Colmar is very simple. We will walk around Colmar's Old Town,  have lunch at Marche Couvert and make our way to La Petite Venice. The whole town is charming, it's like stepping out as Belle in the fairytale story, Beauty and the Beast. Unfortunately, there was a heat wave so we were literally melting and sweating profusely while walking around town. A lot of ice creams and iced coffee were consumed that day.

We decided to visit Musee du Jouet because my son wanted to do something that he will enjoy. The toy stores are nice, but this museum is a lot better choice. Musee du Jouet is a children's museum with a lot of old-school toys. It has three floors full of historical toys for children. The whole family enjoyed playing different types of board games, arcade games, and even Sega. 

After Colmar, I initially planned to drop by Paris for our last leg of the trip. We decided to change plans last minute and headed to Valkenburg aan Geul on our way home. We stayed at Hotel La Casa for one night to refresh and rest a bit before we headed back home. We weren't able to explore the town of Valkenburg because it was raining hard that day. Also, we decided to drop by Roermond Outlet Village to do some retail shopping. 

Our Europe summer camping trip was a tiring one but we had loads of fun. This article has not been your typical travel guide with lots of details but I hope I was able to convey how remarkable the places we went to were. It was exciting to see different towns and confuse ourselves as we switched from different languages. We may not have been able to follow our itinerary to the dot, but it served as a guide for us to have an amazing summer camping experience!

Which cities in Europe should we visit next?

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! 

I will share another camping experience with you last 2021. Per my last camping blogpost, we were taking it slow and trying out camping in different sites in the Netherlands before our camping tour to Switzerland for summer. As I was researching camping places (which is different from vacation parks), I leaned towards camping sites that are within arms reach to attractions. Our yearly Efteling visit was crossed out as an option this year for we were there last summer, so Kasthuevel campsites were out of the options.

I have Billybird Park saved on my list in Google for amusement parks to see in the Netherlands. There was a new camping site opened just beside the park, Camping Hemels. I found out that you get free entrance to the park once you booked a slot in the campsite.

CAMPING HEMELS

Camping Hemels is located in a small town in the south of Netherlands. The campsite is located adjacent the park, which is convenient if you have a kid. What is even more exciting is that they have access to a lake, which was shared with the park. 

The campsite is divided into sections, for the caravans and pitchers and for the glamping tents. If you must know, glamping means camping out without the worry of bringing your camping equipement, as it has been provided at the site. It is not similar to a hotel/house but you have a cozy room inside a big tent, which has been all arranged for you. Bathrooms are still shared and communal. 

One more striking advantage of Camping Hemels is that during the summertime, the restaurant/bar in the site holds themed nights for its guests. They have campfires/BBQs by the lake, DJ party, paddle boarding by the lake and other activities which makes the stay more pleasant, if ever you got bored of all the rides/entertainment in the park.

As for me, it was perfect. My husband can work by the lake with a beer on hand, while mommy and the kid enjoys the park, and vice versa. It is a win-win situation for everyone. It is a bang for your buck because you get entrance to the park included in your stay.

The only con I think is that our pitch tent was squeezed in between caravans, I guess we were the only small family camper who pitches their own tent, as most of the guests there were seasonal caravan people. But I really didn't mind because our neighbor that time were too kind. Our neighbouring caravan did not mind conversing in English and even introduced us to the mouthwatering Bosche bollen, which is by the way the renowned dessert of the region we were staying at. They drove to get it at the famous town in the city, brought it back and shared with us. Isn't that the sweetest?

BILLYBIRD PARK HEMELRIJK

Billybird Park has a lot of locations across Netherlands, one of them is in Volkel, just beside the Lake Hemelrijk (hence the name). The location is massive, yet the attractions were pretty basic. 

The park is divided into three parts, the attractions/rides, the indoor playground and the waterpark. The waterpark is a massive inflatable area which you pay a separate entrance fee. It requires one to have a swim diploma before entering the waterpark. The indoor playground is a big two level ball pit. It conveniently has a small cafe for parents to sit on and have coffee while watching their kid play. 

The attractions/rides were basic, the typical ones you will see at a playground.  One unique thing about the park is that most of the rides were mechanical and manually driven. It was really a delight because you won't worry of electrical machinery breaking and you have control of the speed. The downside is that the driver (aka the parent) gets more tired than the kid, especially when the kid wants to go more rounds on the ride. Let me share a video below of us having fun at Hemelrijk.

Overall, we had fun during our camping trip to Camping Hemels and Billybird Park Hemelrijk. I am loving the idea of nature and camping especially after moving here in Europe. The pandemic is sure opening up creative ideas for us to explore the Netherlands while being safe with social distancing and stuff. 

What do you love about camping? 

Share it in the comments below!