Antoni Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Basilica has been on my wish list since I planned my first trip to Europe in 2000. Unfortunately I was lured to Eastern Europe and never made it to Spain. After all of these years, my dreams of visiting Sagrada Familia was finally realized on a family trip from Madrid to Barcelona. I couldn’t wait to finally see this magnificent uncompleted building in all of its glory!
Can you even imagine any building being under construction for over 130 years? It’s insane to think about, especially coming from the US where not much is even that old. But that is how many years work has been going on at the Sagrada Familia (with breaks due to Spain’s civil war).
The architecture, the detail work and the history that has gone into the Sagrada Familia Basilica is phenomenal. You can spend hours walking around and still find new details to gasp over. Read on for our Sagrada Familia tips to help make your visit amazing!
Truth time. Finding accommodation is often quite daunting for me. Because of this, it tends to be my least favorite part of travel planning. There are so many options these days between chain hotels, adorable boutique hotels, private home rentals from sites like AirBnB, Homeaway, GlampingHub, etc. And then you have to decide which neighborhood and what amenities you want. Ack! It becomes information overload.
On our recent trip to Austin we had planned to stay with friends but they had a family emergency come up and I was left scrambling for a place to stay. As usual, I quickly became overwhelmed, but thankfully the best hotel in Austin for families that kept coming up in my search was also one of my favorites – 
One of the biggest attractions for visitors to Alaska is to see wildlife in their natural habitat. This can be achieved almost everywhere in Alaska from seeing a bald eagle fly overhead in Anchorage to hiking with moose at Flattop Mountain. However, it is the bear that is perhaps the ultimate symbol of Alaskan wildlife. Seeing one of these strong, unbridled creatures on their home turf, for even a fleeting moment, is a magical experience.
If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with my son learning other languages. My dreams of him attending a language immersion school were dashed a few years ago, so I’m constantly on the lookout for other opportunities to get language exposure. Taking after school classes and practicing Duolingo together isn’t quite enough so now I’m on the hunt for immersive learning family vacations!
We set out on a foggy overcast day for the mountain town of Skyforest, just outside of Lake Arrowhead and about 30 miles from Big Bear Lake, in search of winter fun at Santa’s Village. As we weaved through light traffic on the 210 freeway, the entire mountain range of the San Bernardino National Forest was shrouded in clouds. We weren’t sure what would be waiting for us up the mountain – rain, snow or sun! Anticipation began to grow as we climbed our way up the mountainside making our way through the clouds, soon revealing a crisp sunny day ahead. Woo hoo!
Most southern Californian residents know Long Beach either for it’s spectacular aquarium or as the home of the famous Queen Mary. Situated on the coast, only 30 minutes from LAX or Downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach is an easy day trip destination for most SoCal families. However, as we recently found out, this cute harbor town also makes a great base for a staycation weekend of exploration. It is a hub for all kinds of outdoor activities making it perfect for outdoor families like ours.