3 months with 2 kids
Gerrit Barrere
two boys, ages 9 and 13, from August to October this year. I'd
like to expose them to some of the cultural diversity of Europe
and also have some fun. Has anyone had a similar experience, and
can offer me some tips?
My general plan is to start north and work south as the season
turns to autumn. There is so much to see and do, I need to pare
down the options. Can anyone recommend any particular events or
places that shouldn't be missed?
Thanks,
Gerrit Barrere
Barbara Vaughan
In 1986, I worked for six months in the Netherlands. My daughters were 9
and 12 at that time and I took every opportunity to travel around Europe
with them. Now they are 19 and 23, and they agree that this experience
was one of the most significant influences of their childhood.
Many people think that children will get bored in museums and
cathedrals, but in my experience, they are often even more fascinated
(especially by little details) than adults are. I told my children the
life story of several artists and then as we went to art museums in
various countries, they looked for the works of those artists they had
found most interesting. My younger daughter has since taken several
courses in art history because of this interest. She was fascinated, for
instance, by Bosch, and always looked for new works by Bosch when we
went to a museum. When we were in Spain, she was very interested that
this Dutch artist was claimed by Spain as well, were he was called El
Bosco.
Similarly, an early tour of a cathedral in Spain introduced my children
to some of the symbolism found in the sculptures and in the stained
glass. (For instance the identification of St. Mark with the lion, St.
John with the eagle, and two other symbols which have slipped my mind
with St. Luke and St. Matthew.) These symbolic identifications
fascinated my kids and they looked for them in every church or cathedral
we entered.
Finally, my kids got an intimate view of the history they studied later
in high school and college. Living in the Netherlands, they learned of
the long Dutch struggle for independence from Spain. Visiting Spain,
they got an entirely different view of Philip II than the one they had
got in the Netherlands. Could Felipe II, the devout, honest patron of
the arts really be the cruel tyrant, Philip II?
The key to travelling with kids is to be willing to stop and let them
explore things at their own pace. Intersperse the museums and cathedrals
with boat rides and visitis to parks. Check out the municipal museums in
various cities, as they often have hands-on exhibits designed to appeal
to kids. (The municipal museum in Amsterdam and the Dubbelde Palmboom in
Rotterdam are both excellent.)
Highlights for my kids were:
The tower of London
Westminster Abbey
A recreation of a prehistoric village near Copenhagen, where people
actually live and do research into the farming and other survival
techniques of early residents (I can't remember the name of this place.)
The Gutenberg museum in Mainz
Notre Dame
Vineyards on the Mosel
Segovia (the aqueduct, the castle, the cathedral, the city walls, the
ancient Romanesque churches.
The Irish music in Doolin and the Aran islands
I hope you kids enjoy the trip as much as mine did.
Barbara Vaughan
Katrine Kirk
Barbara Vaughan (bvau...@opr.princeton.edu) wrote:
: Gerrit Barrere wrote:
: >
: > I will be travelling in Europe on a 3 month sabbatical with my
: > two boys, ages 9 and 13, from August to October this year. I'd
: > like to expose them to some of the cultural diversity of Europe
: > and also have some fun. Has anyone had a similar experience, and
: > can offer me some tips?
: >
: > My general plan is to start north and work south as the season
: > turns to autumn. There is so much to see and do, I need to pare
: > down the options. Can anyone recommend any particular events or
: > places that shouldn't be missed?
Hi Gerrit!
What an absolutely wonderful idea! It think it sounds just great. I
have one input to offer, which you might find useful. There is an
organisation called Servas (meaning "we serve") which is well repre-
sented in the US and in Europe. You can probably find it on WWW.
The main purpose of Servas is to promote intercultural understanding
by providing contact between travellers and locals in countries all
over the world.
Servas is an organisation of "host families" and travellers. If you
want to join it as a traveller, you need to fulfill certain require-
ments, such as expressing willingness to learn about the cultures of
the countries you will visit, etc. You are then required to make an
introductory letter, explaining a little about yourself.
For a small fee, a list of Servas hosts in each country you want to
visit is made available to you. This list explains ages, interests,
jobs, and locations of the host families. Using your introductory
letter, you can then contact families you would like to visit, and
set up arrangements. Hosts can say no, of course, but I have heard
that it is easy to find accommodations especially outside the city
centres.
Visits to Servas hosts are only two days long. The first night, the
host usually provides an evening meal. The next night, you're free
to do as you please. Visits can only be extended if the host invites
you to stay longer. Visitors do not pay for the accommodation.
I learned about Servas through a woman who posted to rec.travel.europe
with questions about Copenhagen around a year ago. (Hi, Kate, if you're
out there!) We emailed a few times, and she ended up staying with myself
and my husband (in central Copenhagen) for around a week. We had a very
good time. My husband and I have been "picking up" people here for over
a year, and have probably had around 8 or 9 people from rec.travel.europe
stay with us for a few days or up to two weeks. It's a great way for us
(as hosts) to learn something about different cultures through our visi-
tors, and I think such homestays have been both practical and enjoyable
for our guests. It doesn't always work out great, but the positive ex-
periences by far outweigh the negative ones.
Therefore I strongly recommend you, Gerrit, that you look into the pos-
sibilities of organizing at least part of your trip in a similar manner,
in private homes. And to other readers of rec.travel.europe: consider
the possibility of becoming hosts to travellers from other countries
yourselves! It can be extremely frustrating, but also highly rewarding.
I think a couple of regulars on this group can vouch for that claim.
Good luck, and welcome! If you have questions about Copenhagen and/or
Denmark in general, I'd be pleased to help.
Katrine Kirk
k...@cbs.dk
- snip long story about travel experiences with kids in Europe -
: Highlights for my kids were:
- snip -
: A recreation of a prehistoric village near Copenhagen, where people
: actually live and do research into the farming and other survival
: techniques of early residents (I can't remember the name of this place.)
This is called "Lejre", and lies outside the town of Roskilde. This
would make a good day-trip if you were staying in Copenhagen, but the
recreation is only continued through August, I think. Possibly some
of it is extended through September, on weekends.
- snip -
be haines
Ger...@msn.com (Gerrit Barrere) wrote:
>I will be travelling in Europe on a 3 month sabbatical with my
>two boys, ages 9 and 13, from August to October this year. I'd
>like to expose them to some of the cultural diversity of Europe
>and also have some fun. Has anyone had a similar experience, and
>can offer me some tips?
Well, yes, but I need to know more. What do they enjoy at home ?
what are their sports and pleasures ? What books do they read and tv
do they watch ? Do they write, draw, paint, make music ? What were
the best holidays in their lives so far ? If you care to answer some
or allof this I'll try to reply.
Ben Haines
>My general plan is to start north and work south as the season
>turns to autumn. There is so much to see and do, I need to pare
>down the options. Can anyone recommend any particular events or
>places that shouldn't be missed?
>Thanks,
>Gerrit Barrere
Rick Harper
>I will be travelling in Europe on a 3 month sabbatical
with my
>>two boys, ages 9 and 13, from August to October this
year. I'd
>>like to expose them to some of the cultural diversity
of Europe
>>and also have some fun. Has anyone had a similar
experience, and
>>can offer me some tips?
I think you should do the sabbatical in a campervan,
which is what I did from July to September 1995 with my
two kids (12 and 9). Campgrounds are inherently more
interesting for kids than are hotels, B&Bs etc. Often
they can swim or ride bikes (you can buy some used
bikes to put in or on the back of your camper), and if
you find a particularly nice one (i.e. friendly kids,
nice amenities) you can stay longer. My kids still
correspond regularly with a couple of friends they met
last summer camping across Europe.
- Rick
Gerrit Barrere
Thanks for your thoughts. I did consider the camper van idea, but I
think I'd rather have the public contact of the train system, at
least for the majority of the travelling. I did a lot of travel with
my parents in the car as a kid, and it's more like watching TV -- you
are less involved and more a spectator safe within your own
environment. We will be renting a car now and then for some country
trips, but primarily sticking with the train.
Gerrit
----------
From: lez...@lzn2.lass.nottingham.ac.uk (Rick Harper)
Date: Monday, April 29, 1996 4:08 AM
To: rec.travel.europe
Subject: Re: 3 months with 2 kids