If you want to give your kids an introduction to visiting foreign countries but don’t want to give up too many creature comforts, Europe is a good choice for a family vacation. We spent 11 weeks in Europe and barely scratched the surface of places to visit and things to do there. The beauty of Europe as a travel destination is that you can experience so many different cultures and countries without actually travelling that far. Due to the creation of the European Union, you don’t have to deal with immigration or changing currencies when you travel from one country to the next. All of that being said, there are some logistical challenges of travelling with kids that made my second trip to Europe very different from the trip I took carrying a backpack

Parc Guell is a privatized park that was commissioned by Eusebi Guell in the early 1900’s which contains several elaborate architectural elements designed by Antoni Guadi.  Since I’m not an artist or architect, I’m not going to get into trying to explain the works of Antoni Guadi, but will just say that, if you are in Barcelona, you need to see them for yourself.  They are so unique and somehow slightly unsettling but satisfying at the same time.  La Sagrada familia is the coolest church I have ever seen and an absolute must-see in Barcelona.  Parc Guell is the second most essential place to visit

Why visit Cadaques?

Having visited 35 different cities in the last 5 months, people keep asking me which is my favorite.  It is a nearly impossible question to answer and I have started trying to come up with more focused questions to answer instead.  One of these is, “which city would I pick for a week-long vacation abroad?”  The answer to this one is Cadaques, Spain.  Cadaques is located along the Mediterranean coast of Spain, on the Costa Brava, just south of the French border and it is absolutely perfect.  There isn’t anything…

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games,” Ernest Hemingway. Many may find bullfighting gruesome or inhumane. There are arguments for either side, but that is not what you are here to hear about. What I am here to tell you about is the intricate art that exists within bullfighting.

“Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter’s honor,” Ernest Hemingway. The fight between a man and a bull is a testament to humanity's ability to overcome nature with skill, not with technology, but pure skill. The bull fight exists….

What is the Caminito del Rey?

Once known as one of the deadliest routes in the world, the Caminito del Rey is a walkway that was built along the sheer stone walls of the narrow gorge of the Rio Guadalhorce in 1901 for workers of the two adjacent power plants to travel between them and transport materials. It was completed in 1905 and King Alfonso XIII walked the path in 1921 to inaugurate the adjacent dam. It later became known as El Caminito del Rey (the King’s little path). Over time, the path, constructed of steel beams anchored to the side of the cliff and concrete, fell into disrepair. In the 1990’s, it became a famous route for daredevils who would walk the dilapidated route

This iconic caldera lined with white washed Cycladic style houses clinging to the edge of the cliff is one of the most picturesque places on earth.  I was torn about adding it to our around-the-world itinerary and tempted to visit a smaller island instead; however, I wanted to see the iconic place for myself and decided in favor of Santorini in the end.  We visited in April, before the tourist season was in full swing and it was absolutely everything it looks like in the pictures.  As far as logistics go, it was one of the more complicated parts of the trip to plan and you should definitely start planning this family vacation far in advance.

“Megalithic” is a generic term referring to structures made out of large stones. Stonehenge is perhaps the most well-known of these but there are thousands scattered across Europe. They generally date back to the Neolithic period, between 5000-2000 BC. These structures are particularly fascinating and leave the observer wondering how humans could have moved and lifted these massive stones without machinery. Many theories exist but there is no way to prove exactly how they did it

Cadaques may be the most perfect town I have ever visited.  One of my favorite things we did in Cadaques was spend a day hiking to Far de Cala Nans and relaxing at the secluded pebble beach, Platja de sa Sabolla.  This trail starts on the southwestern edge of town, winds along the rugged coast, passing by a few beaches along the way, and ends at a lighthouse on a point jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea.  It provides amazing views looking back at Cadaques and out at the Mediterranean Sea while hiking through the beautiful wind-battered desert shrub along the coast.

The Massif des Calanques is a national park in southern France that stretches 20 km from Marseille to Cassis and extends 4 km inland from the rugged coast line. A Calanque is a “narrow, steep-walled inlet composed of limestone, dolomite, or other carbonate strata found along the Mediterranean coast.” The national park is crossed by multiple trails of varying difficulty. It only took a few images of the Calanques d’En Vaut to motivate me to check out one of the easier trails that begins in Port Miou, passes by Port Pin, along the cliffs of d’EN Vaut, and ends at the gorgeous…

After 3 hours on a winding mountain road from Delphi to Kalambaka, I rounded up the troops for a sunset hike on the Vlachatta Loop trail. For some reason, they had forgotten who they were travelling with and thought we would spend the evening resting, but, in the end, everyone was happy that we hiked this trail instead.

The Trail: This is a nice varied trail with some sections in a lovely shaded oak forest, beautiful views of the limestone formations and the valley below, and an abandoned monastery. The trail is technically a lollipop trail rather than

The Dead Sea and Petra inspired us to add Jordan to our around the world itinerary and Amman, the capital city, was the natural starting point for a week in Jordan. I had no idea what Amman would be like and I’m not sure I had even seen a picture of the city before planning the trip. When booking a place to stay in Amman, my primary motivation was finding a place within walking distance of the major attractions. Beyond that, I knew nothing about the various neighborhoods. Despite this lack of foresight, we somehow ended up in an amazing and absolutely perfect neighborhood…

loating in the Dead Sea is a truly out of this world experience. I wore my Chaco water shoes while swimming and they are slightly buoyant in fresh water. In the Dead Sea, it felt like I had balloons strapped to my feet and I could barely keep my feet under me. While casually floating, half of my chest was out of the water and the resultant feeling of weightlessness was truly invigorating. If you know me, you know I was giggling with excitement the whole time.

Petra is a deserving member of the “seven wonders of the modern world” and may be the most spectacular place on earth. If a more spectacular place exists, I can’t think of it now. It is truly remarkable. The swirling patterns of yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and blues of the sandstone walls and the magical narrow crevasse of the Siq are spectacular enough on their own to land Petra in the top 20 coolest places on earth…..With all that amazingness in mind, it is hard to believe how visiting Petra could be as unpleasant as it was. You can imagine that it would take a lot to ruin such an amazing place, but, somehow, the people offering animal rides in Petra have managed to do it.

In November of 2019, we took our first family backpacking trip in the Red River Gorge to Hanson’s point. This was a great trail for our first overnight stay because it is easy, there are ample places to camp along the trail, and the view at the end is spectacular. Star gazing at Hanson’s point on a clear fall night was magic, but it wasn’t for the faint of heart. The drops along the point are huge and scary, so keep your kids close and please do not...

If you are hiking with small children, the Rock bridge/creation falls loop trail is the ideal introductory hike in the Gorge. It has a unique arch (the only arch in the gorge that spans a body of water) and is long enough to feel like you are really in nature, but is still nice and easy. It follows Swift Camp Creek for most of the trail, providing ample opportunities for young ones to play in the water, look for crawdads, and skip some rocks. It is a great trail for all four seasons and is one of the only enjoyable hikes in the gorge when it is hot outside. We like to hike this one in our bathing suits and take a dip in the pool below Creation falls on hot summer days.

Every time I read an article about Tyler Childers, and I have read several since he has been neck and neck with Taylor Swift as my favorite artist over the last seven years, I think “I could do better.” Shockingly, since I have absolutely no authority as a music critic, no one has asked me to write one. After listening to his new single “In your love” on repeat for two hours yesterday, I have decided it is time to put these feelings into words. So here is my attempt at explaining why I love his music so much, why he sold out two nights at Rupp Arena in a matter of minutes, and why going to his concert where every single person around you knows all the words too feels like going to church

If you aren't from Eastern Kentucky, you might think that mushroom hunting involves some sort of weapon, such as a bow and arrow, but you would be wrong. Mushroom hunting is what we call foraging for morels. Morels are a wrinkly, rare and delicious fungi that only pop up for a few weeks in the spring, when conditions are just right. Technically, the morel is the fruiting body of a much larger mycelium that lives underground in a symbiotic relationship with tree roots. One of my most clear and fond memories of my childhood is searching the hillside with my Mamaw Mary in the spring looking for morels.

What are The Pinnacles?

The Pinnacles are rock outcroppings located on the Eastern and Western portions of Indian Fort Mountain just outside of Berea, KY. They are a part of the Knobs region of Kentucky that forms a horseshoe around the more low lying Bluegrass Region. The Knobs are composed predominantly of sandstone which is more resistant to erosion than the nearby limestone of the Bluegrass Region. Beyond the Knobs region to the south and east lies the Cumberland Plateau. The hiking trails to the Pinnacles are located within The Berea College Forest, owned and managed by the college forestry department.

Why this is one of my favorite hikes in the RRG:

With a span of 79 feet, Gray’s Arch is the largest arch in the RRG Geologic Area. It is actually 1 foot longer than the Natural Bridge arch but doesn’t get as much credit. I love this hike for several reasons. First of all, I love how Gray’s arch is tucked into the forest and hidden until you are right beside it. Secondly, the rock amphitheater that you pass as you approach the arch is just as cool as the arch itself. Finally, the trail is long enough to feel like you got some exercise, but not as hard as the trails to the Natural Bridge. If you want to do the shortest possible hike, you can hike to Gray’s Arch as an out and back trail. I prefer to...

The first thing to know is that the Red River Gorge is a geological feature and the area lovingly referred to as “The Gorge” or the “Red River Gorge” includes the actual gorge formed by the Red River as well as a surrounding amalgamation of public and private lands available for recreational use. It is quite complicated really. While it isn’t important to understand the history and complexity of the many areas that make up the RRG, it is important to know where you will be hiking, climbing, or camping because each entity has its own unique set of rules and regulations. Below are some quick and dirty guides and links for more information on each.

Why visit the Red River Gorge?

With towering sandstone cliffs, over 150 named sandstone arches, unique and lush flora, hiking trails for all ability levels, over 3,000 bolted sport climbing routes, and rushing mountain streams all around, the Red River Gorge (RRG) is a nature lover's paradise.   If you have ever visited Gatlinburg, TN and wished you could have seen it before it became so crowded and over-developed, the Red River Gorge is the place for you.