Continents Archives - Weary Wanderer

2025: A Year in Review

Published on December 31, 2025December 31, 2025 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

A very, merry happy New Year to all you lovelies 😉

It’s that time again. An introduction. A blank slate. A chance to start over, continue being amazing, set new goals, or aim to keep the old ones. AND …. it’s reflect-on-the-past-year time, too. 2025 was a good travel year, for us, with lots of love, laughs, cuddles, and adventure. Here’s what we got up to.

January

In January, Chris and I booked it to Florida for a quick 48-hours so he could run his 10th marathon. We hadn’t been away from the girls overnight in about two years, so it was really quite fun to take that time <3

Chris ran his marathon in three hours and eight seconds. LEGEND.

February

In mid-February, Steph, Rosalie and Robert flew out for President’s Weekend to celebrate Valentine’s Day and Rosalie’s 6th birthday. We had such a blast!

We checked out the Bubble Planet Immersive Experience in Denver!

Lotte, Steph & Ro got their ears pierced!

Lotte sang the National Anthem at a CU basketball game with her school choir!

March

In March we headed off to Taos, New Mexico, for spring break! It was a new state for the girls, and we had such a blast.

Pottery at the Imagine Children’s Museum was an unexpected delight.

April

I posted an ode to winter at the end of April, with highlights including lots of Lotte choir singing at fun events, art exhibits, author events (both mine and other authors!), plays, fancy tea services, tons of skiing .. and lots more!

The Maurice Sendak exhibit at the Denver Art Museum!

Easter tea at The Brown Palace in Denver was delicious!

Lotte performed with her choir for a festival and we got to hang at Elitch Gardens!

June & July

You guys. June and July were epic. We met up with all three grandparents for a month in Europe that did. not. disappoint. There was the press trip at an insane resort in Portugal. All the culture and food in Barcelona. Italy. (More specifically the Dolomites and Venice. Enough said.) Driving from the Dolomites to Paris, with a stop at the city where I was born. Paris and the French countryside. The shocking adorableness of Brugges. The out-of-this-world salty attitude of Amsterdam. And the gorgeous, glorious greenery of Ireland. It was the trip of a lifetime, to say the least.

As if that weren’t enough, when Lotte and Grace had their horse camp canceled last-minute, I booked a quick trip back East for the week before Lotte’s birthday! Grace was meant to come, too, but after a month in Europe, girl needed some R&R at home, which was totally fine. She’ll catch NY next time round!

We had a lot of good food and drinks AND a lot of time to chat, which was so much fun and so different from how it usually is. My brother-in-law was a doll and watched the twins a bunch, and Lotte & Ro entertain themselves, which left my sis and myself to our own devices on several occasions. I do not take those times for granted.

August

I wrote a farewell to the Summer of 2025 covering the final few weeks of our break before we were back-to-school. It included a birthday, camp, a visit from our NY loves and one final out-of-town trip.

Phew. What a summer it was!

Just a couple’a cuties at the Denver Zoo.

Rainbows in the mountains? Can’t beat that.

You also can’t beat a National Park. This one — Rocky Mountain National Park — is near and dear to our hearts.

September

September started with a bang when we celebrated Labor Day in our own Colorado backyard. Sunshine. Hikes. Moose. Bear. Glaciers. Lakes.

Oh, Colorado. You beautiful beast, you.

November

In November we hopped on the earliest flight possible to high-tail it to New York for the Thanksgiving holiday! We saw Wicked, had tea at the American Girl Doll store, drank hot cocoa in an igloo in Bryant Park, hung out with Bluey, deep fried a turkey … and so much more <3

Hot cocoa and cocktails in a cozy igloo by the Bryant Park ice skating rink? YES PLEASE.

December

Less than one week after getting home from our New York Thanksgiving, we were back on a plane! This time, it was to Knoxville, for the AAU Youth Track & Field Championships, which Lotte ran with her team, the Colorado Coyotes. We were so stinkin’ proud of her, I could cry. Oh and also … how cute is Knoxville?!

Then we spent Christmas in Hawaii with Chris’ parents, and it was SO FRIGGIN’ WONDERFUL!

And that was our near in a nutshell, friends! We had pretty amazing travel experiences and I never stop being grateful for all of it for even just one second.

I hope you all had a wonderful year … and cheers to an even better new one!

European Summer Part IX: Ireland

Published on July 11, 2025July 11, 2025 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hello, friends! Welcome to my final Europe installment … Ireland!

It is so hard to believe that this trip has come to an end. All that planning and booking and prepping is over. And holy cow was it fun 😉 We stayed in this Airbnb about 30 minutes outside of Dublin, and the view was spectacular!

On Thursday we spent the day in Dublin. We booked a tour at the Little Museum of Dublin — which was fantastic — got tickets for Saint Patrick’s Cathedral — incredibly beautiful — checked out Grafton Street and the Temple Bar District, walked through St. Stephen’s Green Park, walked across the Ha’penny Bridge, and just generally took in the culture of the place. It was vibrant and alive and fun and festive.

We stopped in at Rolling Donut before our Little Museum tour, and it was so good! They even had vegan options for Emilia!

This tour was so good! They really catered to the kids — although it was amazingly fun for adults, as well — and was less than an hour, which was a really good amount of time for us.

St Stephen’s Green Park was so pretty. Tons of greenery. Lots of fountains and lakes and ducks. It was quite lovely.

We have thoroughly worn these girls OUT.

The self-guided tour at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral was really interesting, and the church was beautiful.

We walked past the Dublin Castle on our way to dinner, which has a beautiful garden, too.

Boeuf and Frites was a delightful steak house in the Temple Bar neighborhood, although there were ZERO options for pescatarians. Hah! I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for non-steak lovers.

The Ha’penny Bridge was fun to walk across.

And back home to a nightcap. It was a great day.

On Friday we checked out the sweet little town of Enniskerry for breakfast before we headed off to Powerscourt Waterfall (Ireland’s tallest waterfall), the Sally Gap drive (including the P.S. I Love You Bridge) and Brittas Bay Beach. We ended the night with dinner at the very cool Johnnie Fox’s Pub, which is the highest pub in Ireland. It was such a sweet little day.

The girls had a lot of fun exploring in this area for a bit.

The Sally Gap Drive was incredible, and you go past this P.S. I Love You Bridge, which is in a very picturesque area and was used in the filming of the movie.

The water was freezing, but fun to dip our toes in 😉

Then it was off to the beach! We had such beautiful weather while we were here, so of course the beach was packed. So much fun, though!

Soft-serve with sprinkles on the beach. Summer made.

Johnnie Fox’s had the most fun atmosphere. There was live music, tons of people, the funkiest decor and really good food.

Did not regret this pasta with salmon and shrimp at all <3

And that, my friends, is that. Our trip. Done and dusted. Four weeks. Ten countries. ALL THE FOOD AND DRINK. So many memories. It was honestly the best time. And the fact that we had the grandparents with us just pushed it over the edge to amazing.

And now, excuse me while I sleep for the rest of the summer.

Until next time … bis bald, friends!

European Summer Part VIII: Amsterdam

Published on July 8, 2025July 8, 2025 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hello friends — welcome to Amsterdam!

We arrived in our 9th country (the Netherlands, of which Amsterdam capital) of this trip in the late afternoon on Sunday and spent our two full days here exploring this insanely fun town. Amsterdam has a wild side, for sure, and I think because of that I enjoyed it even more.

Things we did here that I would highly recommend include:

Where we stayed: We had two triple rooms and one double room at the Conscious Hotel Museum Square, which is located a little bit away from the mayhem but still surrounded by plenty of things to do. The hotel puts a big emphasis on environmental sustainability, which is why I was drawn to booking it in the first pace. PLUS they gave me a bottle of champagne, some delicious fudge, and the sweetest note to congratulation me on Grace Retraces Her Day. How sweet is that??

And their cute little outdoor area in the back was the perfect place to toast!

Where we ate: We had breakfast at our hotel on Monday (which was great), lunch at ‘T Nieuwe Kafe and dinner at Esh Pitabar. Esh is a bit outside of the city center, but I would still highly recommend it if you love Mediterranean food, and ‘T Nieuwe Kafe was perfect for an outdoor spot right in the center of things.

Nothing but pride over here for this INSANE table of food!

What we did: A few of our favorite activities include the NEMO Science Museum (this was fantastic for kids and adults alike, we could have spent all day there!), Tony’s Chocolonely (this place is so cool! It focuses on sustainability for cocoa farmers and you can make your own chocolate bars, but it was PACKED! I would suggest going early …), the flagship LEGO store (which had everything, including trivia games and demonstrations and building stations … no wonder it had a line to get in the door!), the Sam & Julia Mouse Mansion (which is a sweet little store with model houses for a famous Sam & Julia Mouse story from Amsterdam) … and of course just wandering the streets!

The human body floor at the NEMO Museum was my favorite!

Pigeons have become a real obsession on this trip.

Such a cute little shop to add onto your Amsterdam tour!

On Tuesday we had another full day. We took a tram from our hotel to the De Plantage neighborhood of Amsterdam and had lunch at the de Plantage cafe. Then we checked out ARTIS, the Amsterdam Zoo, which was right next door. After that we hoofed it over to the Van Gogh & Rembrandt immersive experience in an old church, and had dinner at Trattoria Koevoet just a couple of streets over.

This restaurant was so beautiful, and the food was as beautiful as the atmosphere.

And the zoo is right next door! It was such a beautiful zoo, too. I would highly recommend for littles who are sick of culture and art and city life 😉

The Van Gogh & Rembrandt immersive experience was also great for kids who might not be interested/able to make it through the actual Van Gogh museum. If you really want to see some Van Gogh art, though, I would recommend the actual museum, which my in-laws did and loved.

Trattoria Koevoet is a tiny, old-school Italian restaurant with a lot of character. The food is so good. I’d recommend it after the Van Gogh immersive experience, since it’s about a four minute walk, but be sure to make reservations!

And that was it. Amsterdam in a nutshell. Tomorrow we’re off to Country No. 10, our final stop. Ireland. We are both excited and exhausted. Glad to heading home, sad for the trip to be ending. All the feelings. But for now, I look forward to exploring one final new place. Until then … bis bald, friends!

European Summer Part VII: Bruge

Published on July 5, 2025July 5, 2025 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

This is one of my favorite photos of the trip <3

Welcome to Bruge, friends!

After missing our first train out of Paris, we caught one an hour later (they said it was standing room only, but we luckily got seats), had a short pitstop in Brussels, and were on our way to Bruge!

We stayed at a very fun Airbnb just outside of the city center, which was great for our family.

We were pretty exhausted the first night, so after dinner at The Grilloir Bistro (which was so tasty, and had the prettiest courtyard!), we called it a night.

We hit the ground running on Friday, as we always do on our first day in a city. We walked six miles, had a brewery tour and lunch at De Halve Maan (amazing tour and fantastic lunch, terrible service), went to the Choco Story museum (it was so much fun learning about the history of chocolate, and a presentation at the end showed us how they make their famous pralines), had a horse and buggy ride with a great guide who told us a bunch of history (Lotte and I noticed the day before that everyone seems to have fabulous doorknobs here, and it turns out that’s because the doorknob is the only part of the house people are allowed to personalize … how fascinating is that?!) and ate waffles for dinner from Chez Albert.

What a beautiful day.

I took so many door photos. I was obsessed.

Chris and I went for a morning walk — a favorite part of this whole Europe trip — and found a coffee shop for breakfast.

Walking into the city center along the canal was so much fun!

So many core memories made on this trip.

There were so many natural drinking fountains around the city, too, just like everywhere else we’ve been.

Look at this insane town square. Mind blown.

I cannot with the flowers all around the doorframes.

Such good beer at De Halve Maan Brewery!

Yes, our waiter forgot us, and yes, we waited 45 minutes just to put our order in. STILL WORTH IT.

They had a photo booth at the end that you could take photos at that they emailed to you 😉

The pralines that they made at the end were to-die-for.

Our horse tour around town was also super fun! 70 euros well spent.

This seems to epitomize the attitude here, and I love it.

On Saturday, we rented bikes! Chris and I have always liked to rent bikes in new cities where we visit, and this was the first time we’ve been able to have Lotte and Grace ride with us. It was so special.

We grabbed ours from Ben’s Bikes in the center of town and rode about 30 minutes to the adorable town of Damme, then rode the Lamme Goedzak canal boat back. Emilia rode on the back of Chris’ bike for the first time in her life (she loved it, I was stressin’), my in-laws rode e-bikes, and the big girls rode their own bikes the whole way! We were so proud of them!

I could not be prouder of this girl and her middle sister — they did such an amazing job riding!

This girl had one big fall, and she picked herself up and kept right on going. Rockstar.

The views along the way were stunning. So serene and peaceful.

We ate at De Knotwilg, the sweetest little restaurant in town with tons of old-school games that kept the girls busy the entire time.

Andddddd ice cream on the way out. Obviously.

Look at this cute ferry that took us home!

They even had drinks you could order while you enjoyed the prettiest ride.

And that’s a wrap on Bruge! What an adorable, quirky, fun, romantic, serene, wild town. I want so badly to come back here. But for now, we’re on to country No. 9 … Amsterdam! Until then, friends, bis bald!

European Summer Part VI: France

Published on July 2, 2025July 2, 2025 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hello from France!

Friends, it has been … hot.

I mean, amazing, but also … hot! There were heat advisories on both Monday and Tuesday which, of course, were the two days that we had our biggest outdoor plans. But you know what? Heat. Be. Damned! We did ’em anyway! And yes our faces were flushed and we drank our body weight in water (and champagne and Aperol Spriztes) and sweated it all out as soon as we drank it … but it was a damn good time 😉

Chris’ mom came to visit us when Lotte was three months old and when she would change Lotte’s diapers she would read from the world ABCs poster above Lotte’s changing table. The “P” was for Paris, and Nan used to say that some day she would bring Lotte to Paris to visit.

Dream trip complete.

We stayed in an old hotel-turned-Airbnb about 30 minutes outside of Paris, which was so much fun for our crew!

Look at these cuties, all ready for adventures and Bucket Lists and all the things!

I’m honestly so proud of how these girls handled the day, considering that it was sweltering.

We paid to head all the way to the top, and it was a delight. Seriously, the crowds were way less, and it was breezy and shady and beautiful. Totally worth it. If you want to head to the top, check the website and note the day that tickets open up, because they sell out FAST. Like, Taylor-Swift-concert fast 😉

Plus … champagne! For the price of your first-born’s college tuition, you can get a glass 😉

Chris, Emilia, Grandpa & I walked down from the 2nd floor observation area, which was actually a lot of fun!

A well-deserved lunch afterwards. The place we stopped didn’t get great reviews so I won’t link it, but for us, the proximity to the Tower was worth the price tag. (And it was a HEFTY price tag!)

This ended up NOT being vegan and DID give Emilia a small reaction. But at least in the moment she enjoyed it.

It was about 100 degrees on the day that we visited Disney Paris, and while yes, that’s insane, I also thoroughly believe that spending a sweltering day at Disney was far better than it would have been to be in the city of Paris. Disney just does everything well. The rides were air conditioned. The restaurants were air conditioned. They had water stations and misters and there was plenty of shade. It just really wasn’t as bad as you would imagine a 100-degree day spent outside would be.

Pinocchio with Nan and Poppa! We ticked off SO MANY rides and I was so proud of our entire crew!

Macaroons and the It’s a Small World ride. Perfection.

Walking through Alice’s Maze was the best!

Colonel Hathi’s Outpost was the perfect mid-day pitstop. Cold. Dark. Humongous enough for the kids to run around in.

We hung out around our cute town on Wednesday (the Disney Drag is REAL!). The Wednesday market near the church — which is open until 1 — is a do-not-miss!

We went to the market in the morning by ourselves, then came back later in the day with the girls to have them splash around in the sprinklers for a while.

Ice creams and Aperol Spritzes to finish the day, obviously.

France, what can I say? You were above and beyond. Despite the heat, we had the best time. And now we’re on to Country No. 8 … Belgium! I’m so excited to stay in Brugge. I’ve heard the best things? Has anyone stayed there before? I’d love to hear!

Until next time, friends … bis bald!

European Summer Part V: Driving from the Dolomites to Paris

Published on June 29, 2025June 29, 2025 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

My babies in the Germany town where I was born. The absolute best.

Hi friends! Welcome to the insane drive portion of our summer in Europe. We left the Dolomites around 6 a.m. on Friday to begin our journey to Paris, which would take us two days and include several stops along the way.

Most of the time the drive was stunning.

Our first stop was Innsbruck, Austria, for a park runaround and some sugar to wake us up.

Rapoldi Park was so much fun! It was huge, had beautiful gardens, a cafe, duck pond, and two playgrounds.

Our second stop was the Chinese Beer Garden — located in the English Garden — in Munich. Chris and I had been here with his parents the last time we were in Munich, and Chris had such amazing memories of the food that we had to go back!

This girl truly came into her love of meat on this trip!

Then we were off to our final stop of the night: Nuremburg, where I was born! Hotel Victoria was so perfect. Right at the beginning of the town center, and with a beautiful breakfast included in the price.

I couldn’t believe I finally made it to my birthplace with my girls!

It meant so much to me to be in Nuremburg with my babies! I hadn’t been back since I lived there as a kid, either, so it was truly a special night.

We walked up to the Imperial Castle, which had amazing views of the city.

Emilia basically ate pretzels the whole time. Le sigh.

After a 6-hour road trip back in the car on Saturday, we arrived in Reims, France! Our Airbnb was super close to the town center, so we went exploring right away.

Grace is a bit over photos. No one tell her we have two weeks left …

Dinner at Brasserie Le Gaulois was SO GOOD.

Breakfast was obviously of the bread and pastry persuasion.

We toured a little bit around the Champagne region on our way out to Paris.

And then it was a little under two hours to our next stop … our Airbnb in France! But, that’s a story for another time 😉 Until then, bis bald, friends!

European Summer Part IV: Dolomites

Published on June 26, 2025June 26, 2025 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

Hello friends … welcome to the gorgeous Dolomites, part of the Italian Alps in northeastern Italy.

It is stunning here.

The drive from Venice takes a little over three hours, and it was a gorgeous drive, but definitely mountain driving. And that’s coming from someone who lives in Colorado. Hairpin turns are frequent, and it was pouring when we drove in, but even so, we could tell that this place was special. By the time we arrived the rain had vanished and the sun welcomed us.

View from our front door. I mentioned on my instagram account that I don’t know how many countries we’re at that I’ve visited with my in-laws, but it’s been plenty! I feel so lucky that we all travel so well together. It’s so special for the girls, too.

We found the sweetest little spot to sit for lunch while we waited for the gondola to reopen on Tuesday.

On Wednesday we drove into Ortisei — about an hour from where we are staying in Valongia — which is just about the cutest town that ever existed in this world.

Have you ever in your life seen anything cuter?

Lunch at Four was so incredibly delicious.

This girl is soaking up her grandparents’ time <3

We took this adorable family walk into Anna Valley, which is easily accessible from the town center.

They had hammocks along the trail, as well as this adorable area where you could walk through fresh stream water piped into a little walkway. It was the most fun!

There were water fountains throughout the village that piped in fresh water, too!

Look at this gelato, but also LOOK AT THIS BACKGROUND.

We passed by this insane lake on our ride back. Incredible.

We spent approximately 12,000 hours in the cutest little mini golf place that ever existed.

They also had the best activities for the girls while the adults mini-golfed!

Em’s dairy and egg allergy has, at times, been hard while traveling. Good thing she loves bread :/

It’s a great spot for drinks with a view!

We spent the afternoon at Dolaondes Canazei, an indoor/outdoor spa that was about 20 minutes away from where we were staying and was incredible. They made everyone wear these caps. We thought it was hilarious.

And that, my friends, was our Dolomites trip in a nutshell! Chris & I don’t often say that we’d like to revisit places, only because our to-travel Bucket List is so long. But the Dolomites? I could come here over and over and over again.

Tomorrow morning we start our long journey from the Dolomites to Paris! We’re doing it in two days, stopping in Nuremburg (where I was born!) and the Moet valley region of France along the way. Our little (well, huge, really) van is chuggin’ some miles for us.

She’s a beast, and she’s been very good to us!

Until next time … bis bald, friends!

European Summer Part III: Venice

Published on June 23, 2025June 23, 2025 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Hi friends — welcome to our 48 hours in Venice!

Look, here’s the thing about amazing Venice. Every single place is fantastic. So I literally took no notes of names. Not for restaurants. Not for shops. Not for drinks. Any and everywhere you eat or go here will be … fantastic.

Chris and I were so happy to have this time in Venice, not only because the grandparents were here to help give us some time alone, but because the last time we were here it was for one night, and our experience was very different. We had the best time this trip around. Here’s a bit of what we saw and did …

Taking a private water taxi from the airport to your Airbnb sets the bar pretty high.

Chris and I took pretty much the entire day by ourselves to explore and eat and drink while the grandparents took the girls to see …

Breakfast both mornings. YUM. We never got there early enough to try the pistachio croissant, but the honey, chocolate, and cream ones were a delight.

We had lunch and our first Aperol Spritz of the day at the fanciest restaurant with a live quartet playing. Who even are we??

Rooftop bar + second Aperol Spritz = Perfection.

There was a third Aperol Spritz in there somewhere, but I guess I didn’t deem it worthy of a photo 😉 We DID take an evening gondola ride, though, and that was so dreamy.

After an insane dinner, we capped the night off with gelato in the square. The best.

Even though it was only two nights, we truly packed it in.

Venice, thank you for putting on a show for us. We loved every second of it. (P.S. Can’t recommend our Airbnb enough. It was totally in the heart of things, but also so solitary and quiet. Perfect for both things.)

After we checked out of our Airbnb we took another water taxi to our rental car and drove three hours to .. the Dolomites! We’re here now, and it is so incredibly gorgeous. As I always say, I can’t wait to explore. Until then, friends … bis bald!

European Summer Part II: Barcelona

Published on June 20, 2025June 23, 2025 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Hi friends — welcome to Spain! We spent the second leg of our European Summer in Barcelona, and she was so much fun! Besides a few crazy moments (all of which had to do with where we stayed … blurgh), we had the best time! Although not the best for several reasons, where we stayed was in a good location, so that was super fun.

Let me tell you, this city is ALIVE! And that’s coming from someone who spent 10 years in New York City.

Here’s a bit of what we saw and did …

We didn’t get to our hotel until 9ish, and then Chris had to run a mile to another location to get the keys. Oy. But still, we could tell how cool our neighborhood would be during the day.

Our balcony was definitely a favorite spot <3

Then we saw some Picasso’s at the Picasso museum … NO BIG DEAL!

They had an adult and a children’s listening tour, which was so cute!

Hot chocolate and churros at the museum cafe were a delightful after-treat.

Passing through the park in the Arc de Triomf area there were men with seeds to feed the parrots. This was obviously a highlight for our bird-loving girls.

Stopped into a lovely little bookstore on our walk to our next stop …

And we ended here — Sagrada Familia — for our tour!

This place was incredible. It was started in 1882 by Antoni Gaudi, and is still unfinished. It’s one of Barcelona’s most famed landmarks, though, even though it’s still under construction, and you can see it from pretty much around the city.

Finished Day One with sangria in the park. It was perfection.

Chris went to the grocery store and stocked up. This humongous tomato brought us a lot of joy.

Then we made it to the Mediterranean Sea 😉

This paella dinner from Arrosseria Xativa was nuts.

Park Guell on our final day was so gorgeous .. and so hottttttttt!

And now we’re off to Italy! The Italian leg of our journey includes Venice and the Dolomites and … the grandparents! All three of ’em! It should be a very fun time.

Until then … bis bald, friends!

European Summer Part I: Portugal

Published on June 17, 2025June 17, 2025 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Insanely gorgeous views from Madeira Island in Portugal

Hello, friends! Welcome to installment one of our European Summer Adventure! We started our travels off with four days on Madeira Island in Portugal. This was a press trip, so I can’t share all of the details, but what I can say is that it was the trip of a lifetime. So gorgeous. So special.

But first, we flew from Denver to Montreal and had a six-hour layover, which gave us a bit of time to explore. Here’s what we did …

Saw the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal!

It was super quick, but I’m glad we got a chance to check out Montreal a bit and stretch our legs before our seven-hour flight to Lisbon. The girls were so great. Emilia slept the entire flight (so jealous), and the two bigger girls know how to keep themselves entertained on long-haul flights by now. (TV and more TV, basically ;))

We had another 2-hour flight from Lisbon to the island of Madeira, and then we were here! In paradise! It was so breathtaking. We really did feel so luck to have been able to experience it.

Here’s a bit of what we saw and did.

The view from our balcony was spectacular.

There were so many pools! We made the most of … all of them!

Such gorgeous views, everywhere you look.

The ocean pool was a BIG HIT, particularly since it had fish and snails in it!

Chris and I even put the kids in the kids’ club and had a private wine & cheese tasting on Father’s Day. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon 😉

The hibachi restaurant was a massive hit!

We went for a hike in Laurisilva, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was perfection.

Our guide, Nelson, showed us so many beautiful things.

Then he took us to a local cafe, which was so yummy!

This view is incredible. That road … yikes 😉

Back in the pool … aka their natural habitat.

Crab-hunting in the natural pool was so cool!

Then we made Chris’ dreams come true … we went on a dolphin tour and saw. so. many. dolphins!

So many! This photo does not do it justice. They seemed so happy, too! The dolphins swam along with our boat for the longest time.

They were jumping in the air, swimming right up next to the boat … making new baby dolphins 😉 It was a very surreal experience.

Then we stopped here, which was incredible, and went SWIMMING!

I’m so proud of this girl, who ALWAYS gets in the water and ALWAYS loves to explore <3

We had our final dinner of the trip in a working lighthouse.

And that was it, friends. Three full days went by way too quickly, but we were so happy to have experienced it. And now, we’re off to Spain! We can’t wait to see what adventures that city holds for us. Until then … bis bald, friends!

Summer Adventures in Australia Part VII: Back In Sydney Before Heading Home

Published on June 28, 2024June 28, 2024 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Happy Saturday, friends!

Welp, we head home tomorrow. After months of planning and 30 days of traveling … it’s all coming to an end. Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island, Brisbane and back to Sydney ….

Was it all a dream?!

I mean, I know it wasn’t. I have the memories, photos, and credit card bills to prove it 😉

We headed back to Sydney on Wednesday, but not before leaving Brisbane with a spectacular send-off.

Off to yet another airport! Flight No. 6 of this trip!

Look carefully and you’ll see the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House off to the right.

Thursday was so special. We took a short drive out to Cronulla Beach, which was beautiful. But we also went to meet up with …

MY BESTIE SINCE SECOND GRADE! If you’ll recall, the last time Mina and I caught up was last August, when she and I and two other old friends met up in Savannah to celebrate our 40th birthdays.

Mina’s Mom — who was basically a second Mom to me growing up — was there, too, which was EVEN MORE SPECIAL.

We were able to meet up with another couple of old friends — and their kiddos! — on Friday night, and it was such a fun catch-up.

I cannot believe it’s come to an end, but I’m so grateful that it all has happened.

Until next time, Australia … bis bald, friends!

Summer Adventures in Australia Part V1: Brisbane

Published on June 25, 2024June 25, 2024 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Finally met up with some good friends in Brisbane!

Happy Wednesday, friends! We’ve reached the Brisbane edition of our Summer Aussie Adventures.

(Here’s Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island.)

We hit the air again on Sunday to head from Hamilton Island over to Brisbane to meet up with some friends and check out Bluey’s hometown. (Had to do it, obviously!) Our last morning on Hamilton was pretty special, though.

We hit up the Hamilton Island Wildlife Cafe for some coffee and koala watching!

Chris and I had come here when we at Hamilton Island for our honeymoon, so it was very special to head back with our girls.

Far and away my fave Aussie animal. Come on nowwwwww!

We headed back to the beach for a bit, but they weren’t allowing snorkeling because of the waves.

Thanks for being amazing, Hamilton Island. We will be back!

We arrived late to our Airbnb on Sunday and were pretty exhausted, but not too exhausted to meet up with our crew for dinner!

Chris and Anton have been friends since college, and now our girls are becoming friends. Nothing makes me happier than when our kids become friends with our friends’ kids <3

On Monday we hit the town!

Le Bon Choix Bakery goodies are no joke. OMG how much was this gluten-full goodie worth it!

The Wheel of Brisbane was so much fun! If you’ll recall from our Seattle trip, Grace in particular is a huge fan 😉

Loved out little adventure with this group <3

We even saw a water dragon when we came off the ferris wheel!

The South Bank swimming area was so great for kids! It was too cold for us to get in when we were there, but I loved how they had life guards and the swimming depths were clearly marked. Plus, it was such a beautiful setting!

A beautiful setting with birds that want to kill you, obviously. This IS Australia, after all 😉

The kids got ice cream, so naturally we couldn’t help but reenact one of our fave Bluey episodes!

The adults skipped ice cream in favor of beers.

Endless entertainment provided by the pretty Brisbane sign down by the water.

Dinner was a delicious cheese board, seafood and sausages on our Airbnb rooftop.

The Queensland Museum was so cool! And most of it was free, which was a super-nice change of pace at this point in our trip 😉

Then we caught the (also free) water ferry over to the other side of the river to head to Felons Brewing, which was a very cool spot on the water.

They had the coolest playground area for the kiddos to hang out in while the adults did their adulting.

The food and drinks were super tasty, too!

There are so very many tired faces in this photo, but it was so lovely catching up with some other friends of ours who moved from Denver to Australia. We met up at Julius for dinner, and it was phenomenal food and a fun atmosphere. Just a really fun time all around.

Tomorrow we’re back to Sydney before flying home on Sunday. As our trip starts to come to a close, I’m so forever grateful that we were able to take the time and have this experience. I am also very much looking forward to getting back to my house, my neighborhood, our regular routine.

And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss my bed.

But for now … Sydney’s up next. Until then, bis bald, friends!

Summer Adventures in Australia Part V: Hamilton Island

Published on June 22, 2024July 8, 2024 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

If only Lotte wasn’t totally over photos, this one coulda been a keeper 😉

Hi, friends — happy Saturday! Welcome to our Aussie Summer Adventures, Installment No. 5 … Hamilton Island!

(Click here for Sydney, here for Canberra, here for Melbourne and here for Airlie Beach.)

We hopped the ferry from Airlie Beach around noon on Friday and headed over to Hamilton Island. The last time Chris and I had been was for our honeymoon back in 2013, so we were super excited for this leg of our trip!

We stayed at Chris’ aunt’s and uncle’s place for two nights, which was beyond what we could have imagined. The place was gorgeous. The beach was so much fun. The sunsets were unbelievable. There were wallabies everywhere.

In other words, it was pretty much paradise.

Cranky faces here, but the ferry was a super fun experience!

Everyone rides buggies around the island, which is quite the adventure. You can only have four people in a buggie at a time, though, so we did something we’ve never done before on this trip … leave Lotte alone for a couple minutes! She did amazing under the instruction of no food or showers while we were gone. She’s basically ready for college now.

Look at this insane view! Lotte said it was one of her best days <3

These girls had the BEST time on the beach!

WE EVEN SWAM NEXT TO STING RAYS AND SHARKS! How that was okay, I’ll never know.

Burying each other in sand was also a ton of fun, naturally.

Watching the sunset at One Tree H ill is a must when in Hamilton Island.

We only had one full day in Hamilton, sadly, so we made the most of the beach on Saturday. Chris took the girls out on a paddle board, we went back to snorkel around the area again, we made sand castles, had a beach picnic and just generally relaxed the day away.

For kids who never see the beach, these girlies sure knew how to make the most of the experience.

Gathering seashells and burying ourselves in sand were high on the list of fave activities.

Fun and exhausting, was Chris’ assessment.

Thanks for an awesome time, Hammo! We sure hope to be back.

Tomorrow we leave for Brisbane, where we’ll be until Wednesday. Then we head back to Sydney for a couple of days before flying home in exactly one week. This has absolutely been the trip of a lifetime. We’re the luckiest to have been able to go on it.

Until next post … bis bald, friends!

Summer Adventures in Australia Part IV: Airlie Beach

Published on June 19, 2024June 19, 2024 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

We finally reached warmth in Airlie Beach!

Hi friends! Welcome to installment four of our Aussie Summer Adventures! (Sydney, Canberra & Melbourne were the first three.)

We woke up 4 a.m. on Tuesday to head to the airport for our 7 a.m. flight to Proserpine, which was about a 20-minute drive to our Airbnb in Airlie Beach.

We couldn’t check into our Airbnb for a couple of hours since we arrived early, so we stopped at Whitsunday Gold Coffee (a haven of delicious food and coffee, fun animals and a huge play area for the kiddos, even if you do have to pay $10/kid to play) and then found an amazing (free) playground by the beach that was literally one minute from where we stayed.

Delicious ice cream with a delightful Macaw as a chatting mate.

We took it slow Wednesday morning, then headed out to explore in the afternoon.

The Airlie Beach Lagoon was such a hit! The depths of the water were so clearly marked and sectioned off that I felt totally safe letting the girls run around … PLUS there were lifeguards!

Of course nothing beats the actual beach <3

We spent a good few hours here, just exploring, collecting seashells and chatting with other beach-lovers.

Chris was dying to see some crocodiles, but the actual tour would have cost us more than $500 for the five of us, plus it would have taken all day. Instead, we headed over to The (Real) Crocodile Lookout (thank goodness for Google) and did get to spot one!

Thursday was some kind of special. We booked the Northern Exposure Tour with the Ocean Rafting company, and it was AMAZING. The tour met up at 8 a.m., rafted out for about an hour and a half, and included two snorkeling adventures, a small “bush walk” to a gorgeous view, lunch on the beach at Whitehaven and then the ride back.

The crew was spectacular. They made me feel comfortable enough leaving Lotte and Emilia back on the boat for a bit when they got cold (Grace, however, rocked it, and absolutely adored snorkeling!), and they catered wonderfully to all of our dietary needs with lunches that were so super tasty.

This was a day that I know I’ll never forget. Hopefully our girls won’t, either.

This girl has found her calling. Snorkeled for probably over an hour and saw a sea turtle, a bunch of Nemo fish, tons of other fish and amazing coral. It was a spectacular experience to witness.

I cannot say it enough … these girls are up for anything, and I am so in love with their sense of adventure and fun.

We spent about 40 minutes on the beach, which was meant to include lunch. Of course the girls had no interest in eating when the ocean was calling!

Thanks for just an amazing experience, Ocean Rafting crew!

And that was it, friends. On Friday we packed up to ferry it over to Hamilton Island, our FIFTH DESTINATION!

Until then … bis bald, friends!

Summer Adventures in Australia Part III: Melbourne

Published on June 17, 2024June 17, 2024 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

Hello, friends! Welcome to installment three of our Aussie Summer Adventures: Melbourne!

You can find Sydney here and Canberra here.

After one final morning with Kate & Tom in Canberra, our little fam loaded up for the hour-long flight from Canberra to Melbourne.

As a side note, the Canberra airport was a dream!

We landed around 3 p.m. on Wednesday and checked into our Airbnb (which had THE MOST spectacular view!), checked out the neighborhood a bit (this is such a great spot!) and grabbed sushi dinner from Sushi Jiro (which was phenomenal). Not a bad way to start the third leg of the trip.

How amazing is this view?? One of the tall buildings in the corner even put on a light show every half hour in the evening. Spectacular!

There’s street art down every Melbourne alley, and it’s so much fun to spot!

I won’t post every photo I took because, as you can imagine, it was quite a few. BUT HOW FUN?!

Some of my Mom’s fam met up with us at the Queen Victoria Market, which was a lot of fun.

It just goes to show that distance can’t keep family apart.

We had the sweetest first full day in Melbourne!

I sure do love my sweet travel buddies <3<3<3

Riding the City Circle Loop (the free tourist tram) was a real hoot.

Federation Square was a very cool spot for artwork, food, drinks and to check out the Yarra River.

On Saturday we packed up our big rental car and hit the Great Ocean Road! We made stops in Torquay, Lorne, Apollo Bay, and The 12 Apostles on Saturday. We stayed at adorable cabins in Port Campbell, then headed onto The Bay of Martyrs, The Grotto, London Bridge and back to the beach at the 12 Apostles on Sunday.

Torquay was about an hour from downtown Melbourne, and such a fantastic first stop on our trip!

We saw the most insane competition at Lorne between elite search & rescue teams. It was seriously impressive.

And got our toes wet on the beach, of course <3

Apollo Bay was cold but so, so beautiful.

After about four hours of driving, we made it to the 12 Apostles!

This was the idyllic view from the deck of our cabin in Port Campbell.

The Bay of Martyrs was our first stop on Sunday morning.

The London Bridge was also so. cool. Part of it fell several years ago — the part that connected the two rock formations — so it was pretty special to see what’s still up.

The Grotto was my favorite, I think. What an insanely cool spot!

Then it was back to the 12 Apostles beach area for a bit more sandy toed fun.

After spending a few more hours on the Great Ocean Road, we headed back to Melbourne, and had dinner with my Mom’s amazing family. I hadn’t seen them in over 10 years, but it was as if I see them every day.

But how cute are all these kiddos, though?!

My grandfather passed away years ago, but what an absolute treasure to spend time with his 94-year-old sister, Rosina.

On our last full day the girls wore ALL THE SWAG they got from my wonderful family the day before <3

We stopped at the Caldermeade Farm and Cafe on our way to see the fairy penguins at Phillip Island, and it was so much fun! Cute farm animals. A fun playground. Watching an assembly line of cows getting milked. What’s not to love?!

Grace and Lotte’s abilities to sit through photos really started to wane about now. Fair enough. These kids have been AMAZING!

We made it to the Phillip Island Fairy Penguin Parade! Phillip Island is about two hours from our Airbnb, and totally worth the drive! The penguins make the trek every evening around sunset from the ocean to their resting nests, and it is *absolutely one of the best things I’ve seen in my life!*

You’re not supposed to take photos of the penguins or the march after sunset, but just trust me when I say that it’s incredible and well worth a visit.

Grace’ face in that last photo says it all. Melbourne — we’ve done so much! It has been amazing in every possible way. And now we’re onto the tropical part of our trip. Airlie Beach, here we come! Until then … bis bald, my friends!

Summer Adventures in Australia Part II: Canberra

Published on June 11, 2024June 11, 2024 by Cheryl Lock6 Comments

Happy Wednesday, loves!

Welcome back to a recap of our Aussie Adventures! (The first round of fun in Sydney can be found her e.) We fly out of Canberra today to head to Melbourne, but Canberra has been an absolute blast! After finally recovering from a round of stomach bug that knocked us all for a loop, we were able to fully and properly celebrate Aunt Kate & Uncle Tom in their home town, and to show the kids a bit of what Canberra has to offer. This is one of the spots they had never been before, so seeing it for the first time through their eyes was so magical.

Here’s a bit of what we got up to!

Our first couple days were stomach-bug rough, so it certainly was nice having THREE grandparents around to help out with the kiddos!

Cockington Green Gardens was a nice way to spend a beautiful day outside, and the kids loved running around the tiny building set-ups.

Saturday was WEDDING PARTY DAY! The girls were super pumped to get their hair done.

Thanks for throwing a stellar party, Aunt Kate & Uncle Tom!

Can’t remember the last time Chris & I dressed up for a night out on the town. Love ya, hubs!

Never not smiling when we’re with Nan & Poppa 😉

A trip to the Australian War Memorial was both beautiful and sobering.

Remembering those who gave their lives …

The Questacon science center was so cool! Everything was so hands-on and the girls had the best time!

We spent the better half of four hours here on a rainy Tuesday. So good.

We’re wiped, Canberra, but thanks for being a pure blast!

And now we’re off to Melbourne to visit my own Aussie family. I am so excited for the girls to finally meet my Mom’s family and to see that side of Australia. Until then … BIS BALD, FRIENDS!

Summer Adventures in Australia Part I: Our Sydney Arrival!

Published on June 5, 2024June 5, 2024 by Cheryl Lock7 Comments

Happy June, friends, and welcome to the first installment of our Aussie June!

We arrived in Sydney early on Sunday morning and have spent the past couple days showing my stepdad around. We drove to Canberra yesterday for my sister-in-law’s wedding party, and although a gnarly stomach bug has taken pretty much every single one of our gang down over the past few days, we’re hoping to be on the other side of it finally.

Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to in Sydney so far!

No one does an Aussie airport arrival quite like the Connors <3

Fam-bam party [with a super-special “for Chris” hand gesture … it’s an inside joke, don’t ask ;)]

It was chilly and windy at Bald Hill Lookout, but so, so beautiful!

These cuties are having the best time … minus the vomiting :/

The Simbio Wildlife Park was the perfect way for us to say hey to some Aussie animals.

Feeding the kangaroos is always an absolute highlight of any Aussie trip <3

On Tuesday, Lotte, Cath, Robert and I headed to the Vivid Sydney light show at the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and downtown area. It was so gorgeous!

And now we’re in Canberra ready to celebrate Auntie Kate & Uncle Tom. Until the next entry … bis bald, friends!

2023: A Year in Review

Published on January 5, 2024January 5, 2024 by Cheryl LockLeave a comment

Not a bad way to spend the beginning of October <3

Another one bites the dust, my friends! So here we are, with 2023 in the rear view mirror, and what a year it was. Travelwise, it was simply stellar. Things in the world, of course, continue to throw me (and everyone paying attention) off kilter. With that always in my mind, I continue to be forever grateful for the opportunities I have with my family to explore and enjoy what’s beautiful about this great big earth we all live on.

So, without further adieu, here’s what we got up to in 2023!

January

Celebrating 10 years married (!) in New Zealand!

At the beginning of the year our family was still on the other side of the world. Chris and I rang in the New Year (ahead of everyone we know!) on our anniversary trip in New Zealand, then finished up our Australia visit with a trip to Chris’ families’ favorite beach, Forster. The girls got to check out the Sydney Harbor area for the first time, too!

The girls and dad at the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

Forster with the fam. We love you Auntie Sare-Bear!

Once we were back in the states, Emilia and I packed our bags (again) and turned around fairly quickly for a trip back east to meet my new twin baby niece and nephew!

February

In February we had a visit from some of our New York besties, so we did our best to show them the Colorado sites!

We also checked out Meow Wolf, which was so trippy!

March

In March we celebrated “spring break” with SO MUCH SNOW at Grand Lake! We stayed in a tiny cabin, walked on a lake, rode sleds off our roof and traipsed through Rocky Mountain National Park up to our knees in fluffy powder. It was a delightful (if somewhat cold) time!

April

April was a big month, what with ME TURNING 40 AND ALL! We celebrated with a tick off my bucket list: A trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. She was all that I could have hoped for and more. So stinkin’ beautiful!

You can’t go wrong with a hot tub in nature!

Polebridge Mercantile was an extra-special treat, especially with the puppies we played with outside!

Thanks for making my bday extra special, Montana. She was one I’ll never forget <3

June

The Museum of Natural History was such a highlight on our kick-off-the-summer trip to NYC!

Right when the girls got out of school we hit the road! We headed back to one of our favorite spots — New York! — but this time with a twist. We stayed in one of my bestie’s Brooklyn brownstone basement apartments and let our family come to us! We traipsed around the city and took in so many sites (blogged about here, here and here). It was the trip of a lifetime, and so much stinkin’ fun!

Meeting up with the fam in Cold Spring was a big perk <3

We love the Museum of Natural History whale!

But really … it was about being with our loves <3

July & August

I blogged about making the most of summer here (because we really, really did!), and our three amazing press trips (to Grand Colorado on Peak 8, the Park Hyatt in Beaver Creek and C Lazy U Ranch outside of Granby) all definitely helped!

Second baseball game for the girls! Seeing the Rockies play in Denver, this time.

Rode the gondola up to the mountain resort above our hotel.

August

Meeting up with my oldest friends from elementary school in Savannah Georgia!

To celebrate the big 4-0 for all of us, three of my besties from elementary school and I met up in Savannah, Georgia, for a weekend filled with fun and walks down memory lane! We had the best time catching up, checking out a new town, and just generally cheers-ing to life!

We took a historic tour and a nighttime haunted stories tour, both of which I would highly recommend!

September

For Labor Day weekend we headed back to New York (as I was fond of saying, New York was needy this year!). My little twinsies were baptized — and Chris & I were the godparents! — and we got to see all our fam again, which is always the best. I even went back to New York at the end of September — all my myself — for my cousin’s adorable and delightful wedding.

Always reminded of how very, incredibly blessed I am <3

Such a fun time watching my baby cousin get married in such a beautiful place!

October

Oh, October, how delightful were thee! I consider October to have been split into two EPIC events — the first was our trip to Disneyland with Grandpa! and the second was Chris’ 40th birthday adventures with ALL HIS IMMEDIATE FAMILY IN TOWN FROM AUSTRALIA!

Look. The joy I felt in Disney — watching the absolute love on my kids’ faces — was very, very real.

Thanks, Grandpa, for joining in on the fun/mayhem!

We were home from Disney for two days before Chris left for a work trip to Disney World, and then his parents arrived two days after that! Little did Chris know, though, that the rest of his siblings — all four of ’em — were also Colorado bound. It was so. much. fun!

Happy birthday babe — thanks for giving us another reason to all be together <3

December

We started our holiday season with a quick trip back to New York (yup, again!) for Grandpa’s surprise 60th and a delightful visit with our besties in the city for some holiday shenanigans!

The girls saw their first Rockette show!

Bryant Park is a delight during the holidays, even in the rain 😉

To close out our holiday season — and the year! — we took an EPIC European holiday trip to Germany and France, Switzerland, and Iceland with Chris’ parents. We visited Christmas markets, ate delicious food, soaked in a geothermal hot tub and just generally had the time of our lives.

Phew … what a year! And now, blink, it’s 2024. We can’t wait to see what unfolds.

Bis bald, friends. Thanks for being here 😉

A Very Merry Connor-Lock European Christmas: The Iceland Edition

Published on January 4, 2024January 4, 2024 by Cheryl Lock2 Comments

Beautiful but freezing … that is Iceland’s MO 😉

Happy Thursday, loves! My third and final installation in our European Holiday Adventure is brought to you by the frigid, fantastic land called Iceland. (For the record, Chris and I had already been a number of years ago, and our obsession was already grand.)

This time we decided to do things a bit differently, though. We stayed at this Airbnb — rather than right in the city of Reykjavik — which was off-the-beaten path and totally in the Icelandic wilderness.

Same view during the daylight. Look at all that awesome isolation!

The back of the house led out to a lake, which I’m sure is amazing in the summer.

This log cabin was so glorious, and its geothermal hot tub was even more glorious. We frequented it quite a few times during our two-day, three-night stay.

This was around 10 a.m. on our last full day. It just doesn’t look like it, because the sun doesn’t come up until after 11 a.m.!

Chris and I also hit the hot tub on New Years Eve night — which also happened to be our 11-year wedding, 16-year meeting anniversary — after putting the kids to bed <3

We even saw the Northern Lights from it!

Okay, enough about the hot tub. (Even though it was awesome.) Here’s what else we got up to.

Rock ‘n’ Troll!

This place has a lot to offer — a hotel, cafe, library, etc. — but the short walk up to the troll statues was why we made the visit.

Emilia ended up with some seriously cold feet, but she enjoyed the visit up until that point!

Lotte found another good use for her Christmas Market scarf!

Hot Springs!

We stopped at the Deildartunguhver Hot Springs — which also had a lot to offer, including a restaurant, hotel, geothermal baths to bathe in, greenhouses during the summer, etc. — but showing the girls some hot springs in Iceland was our main draw.

It doesn’t really matter which ones you see, but when in Iceland, you must hot spring it up!

Waterfalls!

When in Iceland, you are often only one step away from imminent — but beautiful — death.

I joke, but seriously, this place is not for the faint of heart. The Glanni Waterfall was glorious and I’m glad that we visited, but I was also super happy to snap a few pics and get my children the hell away from the tiny gate that separated them from a rocky free fall as soon as possible.

So pretty though!

What even are we tiny humans on this vast planet?

There is a short walk from the parking lot to the waterfall, which is also beautiful.

A Day & Night in Reykjavik!

Downtown Reykjavik in all its adorable glory.

Nan & Poppa had a super early flight back to Germany on our final day, so they spent the night in a hotel in Reykjavik the night before. That meant that we got to spend the day and some of the evening in the city on New Years Eve. We hit up Fly Over Iceland (an interactive, AI experience that takes you “flying” over all the main attractions of Iceland), Chris and I had an anniversary dinner at the coolest restaurant — Fjallkonan — and the girls got to have dinner delivered to them in bed while they watched a (funnily enough, French) movie at Nan & Poppa’s hotel, Berjaya Reykjavik Marina Hotel.

Nan & Poppa’s hotel was right on the waterfront. So cool!

Emilia was too short to ride the Fly Over Iceland attraction, so I hung back with her in the cafe and gift store. This delightful holiday coffee — and the fact that they were still playing holiday music, but in Icelandic — made me more than happy to do so 😉

Grace took this photo in the hotel. I just thought it was adorable <3

Fish & chips dinner at Nan & Poppa’s place.

And that was Iceland in a nutshell, friends! I do need to take a moment to thank the Icelandic horse — whom I have affectionately named Buddy — who came right up to me when I was taking photos of his group on the side of the road. He seriously made my trip.

Look at this handsome, rockstar of a horse. Love you, Buddy <3

We’ll definitely be back to Iceland again as well, perhaps in the summer to catch more of what this awesome place has to offer in different weather.

Thanks for always being awesome, Icealand!

And thank YOU for following along. Until our next trip — a road trip to the Grand Canyon over the girls’ Spring Break! — bis bald, loves!

A Very Merry Connor-Lock European Christmas: The Switzerland Edition

Published on January 3, 2024January 3, 2024 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

Basel, Switzerland, you sure are beautiful!

Welcome back to my Very Merry Christmas in Europe round-up! First up was Germany and France. Today, we move on to Switzerland!

Basel, Switzerland was about an hour and a half drive from our Airbnb in Germany, and although we only planned for two nights and one full day there, we had the best time! Switzerland was a new country to me, and color me obsessed. The neighborhood of our Airbnb was quiet and residential, but super close to a bunch of fun restaurants, bars and stores, and the train made it very easy to get into the city center. Our Airbnb host even hooked us up with a BaselCard, which got us free transportation and discounts at certain places throughout the city.

On our day in the city we got coffee at a local shop, rode the train into the city center, visited the Toy Museum (which was SO MUCH FUN!), walked passed the super cool Tinguely Fountain, saw the gorgeous City Hall all decorated for the holiday, went on a wild goose chase for fondu and ended up with (still delicious!) Italian for lunch, walked over the Rhine River, bought a fancy bauble at a local jewelry store and, after the kids were home, fed and bathed, Chris and I had wine at a neighborhood wine bar.

We sure can pack it into a day.

Here’s what it looked like!

We arrived after the sun went down and our neighborhood was lit up and pretty.

We went for a walk when we first arrived to pick up some essentials. We bought cheese, pastries, milk, pouches and local wool socks, and I knew this was a special place 😉

Poppa having brekkie with the kiddos in our cute little kitchen.

The coffee from that local shop was out of this world!

Notorious for their neutrality, the Swiss people had lots of “No War” signs hanging from windows.

Riding the local transport, when it was available, was such a highlight for the girls!

On our way to the Toy Museum we walked through the Christmas Markets being taken down, and we could tell how magical they would have been.

The Toy Museum! And I mean … COME ON. Europe is SERIOUS about its holiday decor!

This place was great! Our host had told us it wasn’t worth going, but based on some of the details he shared, I have to think they’ve remodeled recently. There are four floors with thousands of toys in intricate scenes behind glass (so no worries about touching!), and they give you an iPad to put around your neck. There are scanning codes throughout the museum and when you point the iPad at them, virtual tour guides pop up and tell stories about what you’re viewing. So much fun!

We accidentally hopped off the train one stop early, but that was awesome because we just walked right over the glorious Rhine!

Chris did some googling and found an awesome-looking fondu spot that was too awesome for its own good … aka PACKED TO THE GILLS. We eventually found an Italian restaurant that was right on the river and gave us everything we needed.

My girl — in the scarf she bought from the Christmas Market in Baden-Baden — exploring the Rhine River. I hope these girls never stop exploring and never lose their curiosity about culture and the world.

They had a guest book you could sign, so you know the girls took advantage of that <3

Walking back home we came across some street performers playing music. Emilia’ delight was palpable 😉

And that was it for Switzerland, loves! We had to leave super early the next day to get back to the airport to fly to our fourth and final destination … ICELAND! Switzerland, you were an absolute delight, and something tells me we will definitely be back.

Bis bald friends! Until tomorrow, and the last of our European adventures …

A Very Merry Connor-Lock European Christmas: The Germany & France Edition

Published on January 2, 2024January 2, 2024 by Cheryl Lock4 Comments

Happy New Year, friends! How it’s 2024, I’ll never know.

Okay, full disclosure before I get into this post: It was really hard for me to narrow down photos 😉 Like, harder than it usually is, which is already usually very hard. This European Christmas Trip of ours was EPIC, and it was made even more epic by the fact that we were able to do it all with Chris’ parents. Any time that we and the girls get to spend with them is special. To spend that time on vacation over Christmas in Europe?? I mean. What can I say?

To start, our place. We stayed at this sweet Airbnb in the Black Forest, and it surpassed my wildest dreams. The house itself was huge, with plenty of space for four adults and three kiddos. Plus, it was filled with so many games and toys that even if we never left the house, the kids would have stayed occupied for days. There was also a hike directly accessible from the back of the house that had breathtaking views. It was the perfect spot for us, and the best place to begin our European journey and spend Christmas.

How sweet is this cute little covered outdoor picnic area, too?! Here is poppa, hosting his ladies to a (brief but very sweet!) afternoon tea.

The outdoor hut was also the perfect spot for housing some of our Christmas Day necessities 😉

Our host even decorated for Christmas, leaving us a live Christmas tree and all her ornaments to adorn it with! It was the sweetest touch on her behalf.

Here she is on Christmas Eve, fully decorated and ready for celebrating!

Here’s one happy Grace, with a little of the view from our house behind her.

Two of my little loves on Christmas Day <3

Even my mom came to hang for a bit. This was by far one of the most incredible moments of the trip, and trust me, there were many. IYKYK.

There were tons of balconies, which made for amazing sunrise/sunset viewings!

Cheers to this amazing spot in the world.

Although hanging out in the house would have been enough, I had specifically formulated the plan for this holiday with one goal in mind: CHRISTMAS MARKETS! Europe is known for them, and I wanted in. So … are you ready to market it up? Here’s where we went.

Thursday, December 21: Freiburg, Germany

Lotte looks fairly miserable in this photo, but that was after what was, trust me, a very fun night!

Our first Christmas Market was in Freiburg. Since this was our first one (well, Chris’ parents had already been to a couple by the time we arrived, but it was my first one!), I didn’t realize that the market is actually spread around the city. We kept stumbling on different sections of it as we walked around, which was a really nice surprise.

As a person who *thoroughly* enjoys holiday decor, these markets were MY JAM.

We started in early on the treats, and did not stop.

We drank ALL the Glühwein (hot wine!) we could find!

I couldn’t love this holiday hopping crew any more <3

Friday, December 22: Baden-Baden, Germany

As you can see, in Baden-Baden, we weren’t messing around!

Next up was the Baden-Baden market, and the fondu igloo lunch I had booked us weeks before. This felt like the perfect excuse to don the matching Christmas sweaters that Nan had brought for us 😉 The day was chilly and rainy, but snuggled up inside our heated igloo with our fur blankets and tasty treats (you rent the igloo for three hour blocks and are welcome to walk around the market during that time and then go back to the igloo whenever you like) was the perfect way to spend this day and see this particular market.

Despite the weather — or perhaps because of it — this particular market felt so magical and festive.

The girls loved checking out the ornate booths, and Nan loved teaching them how to shop!

We had the sweetest time! Nan & I have vowed to make a special trip back to Baden-Baden, which means “bath” and is actually known for its amazing spas!

Saturday, December 23: Gengenback, Germany

We had a tough decision to make this day: Travel 3.5 hours each way to visit the Nuremberg (where I was born) markets, or head about 25 minutes away, to Gengenbach, to see their world-renowned life-size Advent Calendar. Ultimately we decided to stay local and head to Gengenbach, which I think was the right decision. All the more reason to make another trip back to Germany in the future to hit up my birth spot. Perhaps when we have a little more time.

This was the smallest of the markets that we visited, but it was also the sweetest town with the cutest Advent Calendar Town Hall.

Each day leading up to Christmas they perform a short play with live music in front of their beautiful Town Hall building, then they lift the one (hand painted by a different artist each year!) window that corresponds to the day. We were there to see the 24th window get lifted — a fish for the Feast of Seven Fishes! — which felt extra special.

Sunday, December 24: Strasbourg, France

We classed it up on Christmas Eve and decided to head out to FRANCE. Strasbourg was about 45 minutes away, and it was easy to drive, park, and hop on a quick train to the Christmas markets. This event was sprawling, and so, so beautiful. We were even lucky enough to catch the tree lighting, accompanied with Christmas music, of course.

The markets were gorgeous, but even the buildings in the area were so ornately decorated.

More Glühwein! You could get a small refund if you returned the cups that the wine was served in, but you best believe we kept all of them!

Such a gorgeous area! They say this is the biggest Christmas tree in the world … but you know 😉

More gorgeous buildings. I honestly could have spent days here wandering the streets and been quite content.

This girl clung to her dad like glue the whole trip, which was super annoying for him but VERY nice for me! I didn’t have to carry her AND I always knew where she was 😉

Thank you Strasbourg for a very special, unforgettable Christmas Eve!

Of course there are a very many more Christmas markets in Germany (and France and everywhere else in Europe, really) to visit, but these were centrally located to our house and I had read great things about them. After having now actually been to them, I can agree: There is nothing like Christmas in Europe. It stands alone. Nowhere else compares. The end.

After spending a relaxing Christmas Day and Boxing Day eating, drinking, hanging at our house, watching movies and playing games, we spent our final day in Germany checking out a bit more of the view around our town and heading to Lake Mummelsee, a beautiful lake with a quirky story.

Glorious views (and sun!) on our final day in Germany!

Driving through the Black Forest to reach the lake also provided for some gorgeous views! Don’t forget the Dramamine!

Every day in Germany was fabulous, and the last day was no different.

I’ll be honest, friends … I had a lot of anxiety leading up to this trip. I worried someone would get sick or get hurt, and as our friends started dropping like flies to illness as our departure date got closer, I only got more and more nervous. Once we were on our flight to Germany, though, I realized … there’s nothing you can do about that. I could spend the trip worried, or I could relax and enjoy and know that we would handle whatever came our way.

Luckily, I can now say that other than a few coughs here and there, we were all GREAT. No illnesses to note. So see that? All that worrying was for naught. Wouldn’t a crystal ball be great so we could know all ends well ahead of time?

Anyway, that was about it for our Germany (and France!) expedition, friends! I’ll be back tomorrow with the second installment (third country!) of our adventure: SWITZERLAND!

Bis bald, friends!

Holidays In Australia Part 4: Forster Beach

Published on January 8, 2023July 8, 2024 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

What’s a trip to Australia without a proper visit to the beach?!

The final leg of our Australian holiday journey was a trip to Forster, the beach where Chris almost every post-Christmas holiday with his family and two groups of family friends growing up.

But before we headed to the beach, we flew from New Zealand to Sydney and hopped right quick on a train to catch up with the kids in Circular Quay and take some necessary touristy shots of the quintessential Aussie sites:

We have a similar photo of these two from our trip back in 2019. Time. Sigh.

Emilia obviously had no idea what she was seeing, but I wanted her to see it, nonetheless.

The girls did surprisingly well with all the photo taking, considering ….

I also forgot to mention that while Chris and I were livin’ that kid-free life in New Zealand, the girls did some pretty fun things with their fam back in Sydney, including a visit to the Simbio Wildlife Park where they got to SEE KOALAS AND PET KANGAROOS!

So incredibly grateful to this crew for watching our own little zoo for a couple days, allowing us a very much appreciated solo getaway!

While getting away by ourselves was the main objective of our New Zealand trip, obviously, Chris and I were both so incredibly grateful that the girls got to spend some one-on-one time with this delightful family of theirs that they don’t get to see very much.

FED KANGAROOS! An experience that at least Lotte and Grace will, I’m sure, always remember <3

We were also finally able to catch up with Chris’ grandmother — and all of his other family members on his mom’s side — after missing them on Christmas when Nannan got Covid. Thankfully she was doing much better, and getting everyone together before heading off to the beach was absolutely the best.

We decided to head straight from dinner to Forster to make the most out of our few days left. That meant a three hour drive, but the girls did incredibly well, and Chris and Vince volunteered to take ALL THREE with them so that Cath and I could drive and chat in silence.

I mean, how sweet is that?

We arrived after dark, obviously, but once the morning hit, it wasn’t hard to see why Forster has meant so much Chris and his family. Here’s what we got up to during our few short days there.

Our cute little condo is the same place Chris’ family has been staying for years!

Our girls would have slept in the water if we left them. Other than a few terrifying moments where we lost Grace (which, bright side, afforded us the opportunity to discuss what to do when you get lost!), we had THE BEST TIME at the beach!

Chris’ best friend even drove hours from his home to stay at the beach with his own family while we were there. That was so special and sweet!

This was the first time these two had ever had their families together, so that was a lot of fun for us <3

His daughter became fast and adorable friends with Lotte and Grace <3

We had a cookout on the beach the second night we were there, which is another one of Chris’ families’ traditions.

Having family around was the. best. Chris’ mom took Lotte and Grace for a walk on our second morning, which gave me and Chris a chance to take a walk with just Grace. It was so delightful.

This little beach “pool” was so great. It was a sectioned-off area of water separate from the actual ocean, which meant there were no waves/riptides contend with. The girls did have fun splashing around in the actual ocean for a bit, but we spent most of our time here, which was a nervous parents dream come true!

So much fun with all these adorable people!

Emilia wasn’t totally convinced on this trip that she loves water … but I have faith that she’ll get there!

We ordered fish & chips for dinner and went out for ice cream on our last night, which is also a Connor Clan tradition!

Our last day before heading back to Sydney was cloudy and rainy, but that didn’t stop the girls from a beach trip!

Breakfast at a restaurant on the beach was also a highlight!

Some members from one of the other families that used to vacation with Chris while he was growing up also stopped by for lunch and a beach hang, which was yet another amazing highlight of this trip.

Lots and lots of cousin time was the other major perk. (I have no idea what this is, by the way, but I am HERE FOR IT!)

And that was Forster, friends. It was the most amazing beach time, and I’m so glad we were able to make it work.

Then we were back in the car headed to our final night in Sydney before flying out the following morning.

It’s absolutely impossible to sum up what this trip and all of its parts has meant to us. I have 12,000 photos to relive the memories, of course, but I’m hoping to hold on to the feeling for as long as I possibly can.

Until next time friends … BIS BALD!

Holidays In Australia Part 3: New Zealand

Published on January 8, 2023February 20, 2023 by Cheryl Lock2 Comments

The excitement began before we even got off the plane, friends … look at that view!

After spending Christmas and the next few days at Chris’ parents’ house in Bathurst, we loaded up the car and headed off to Sydney, where the girls would be staying with their grandparents and some aunts, uncles and cousins, while Chris and I headed off to New Zealand — BY OURSELVES — to celebrate our 15-year meet-a-versary, our 10-year anniversary of being married, New Years Eve (which just happens to be the anniversary of both of those aforementioned things) and the upcoming year of our 40th bdays.

But really, you don’t understand. We never leave our kids, and we especially don’t leave them overnight. In fact, we’ve only left Lotte & Grace overnight once, and that was the last time we were in Australia.

In other words, this was long overdue!

Despite knowing how much we’d enjoy the trip, we definitely waffled. Leaving three kids with any number of adults is bound to be a lot, and flights and accommodation during the holidays are astronomical. After going back and forth on it, we finally decided to JUST GO FOR IT, and we settled on spending our three-night getaway in Queenstown.

I’m so glad we did.

The Details

With so much to celebrate on this trip, we decided to just really go for it. All of that is to say — we splurged in a way we don’t normally … and I don’t feel badly about it one little bit 😉

The largest expenses by far were the flights ($2,515) and the lodging ($2,243).

We stayed at the QT Queenstown and would highly recommend it! Besides the fact that they treated us royally (with the sweetest welcome/happy anniversary package of champagne, chocolate, bath bombs and free drink tickets at their hotel bar), the (absolutely spectacular) breakfast was complimentary and in a gorgeous dining room, the location was perfect, and the views were out of this world.

We also went all-out with our meals (besides breakfast, which was always free and always at our amazing hotel). Because hey, you only have a 10-year-anniversary and you only turn 40 once!

Day One: Arriving

Here’s a little pro tip from me to you — when you’re an American traveling from Australia to New Zealand (ie. me), you do need a travel Visa, and it’s best to get this sorted before you head to the airport. Also, Quantas and Jetstar both have weight limits for carry-ons (not sure about other airlines, but these are the two that we traveled). Both of these are fun things we learned the hard way.

After our initial hiccups, we landed in gorgeous Queenstown, checked into our hotel, then set out to take in the town at twilight and have dinner at The Bunker, a romantic hidden gem offering a prefix menu and wine pairing situation that we were all too happy to enjoy.

Also delightful was the fact that Queenstown was still all dolled up for the holidays.

This place is a must if you’re looking for a romantic and low-key dining experience!

This view was a short walk from our hotel.

Queenstown is probably one of the cleanest, most picturesque places I have ever been, and it certainly has some of the nicest people I’ve met.

Day 2: Biking Around Queenstown

Renting bikes has become a little tradition for us while traveling (see Japan, Iceland, London, Rome, New Orleans and Manhattan, to name a few), so we knew we wanted to do that in New Zealand if we could, as well.

Of course, I’m never one to let a little biking come between me and a cute outfit. (Please also refer to Munich.)

Anyway, we woke up whenever we wanted to on our first full day in New Zealand, had the breakfast of our dreams at our gorgeous hotel restaurant, then rented our bikes and hit the dusty (and sometimes very narrow and very close to the side of a cliff) trail. We traveled 18 miles out to the Queenstown Golf Club for a drink, then back via a stop at Altitude Brewing.

I basically had to re-learn how to use the gears properly — as well as remind myself to ride on the other side of the road — but it all worked out in the end!

Quick beers at the gold club before turning around!

Altitude Brewing was a delightful highlight.

As was the jack fruit bao bun from the food truck!

After our ride we were more than ready for our dinner/adventure with Skyline Queenstown. This included a ride up the mountain in a gondola, dinner at the Stratosfare and three Luge rides (which I was incredibly nervous about but which turned out to be basically adult go-karts down a hill and incredibly fun!).

I kept saying that I felt like Frank Costanza on this trip, wearing my travel resort gear!

Day 3: Burgers, Gardens, & New Years Eve

After a fairly intense Day 2, we were happy to lay low on Day 3 and do some more relaxed activities. We tried out the famous Fergburger (my mushroom sandwich was to die for, but Chris said his actual burger was only okay), took a stroll around the Queenstown Gardens, HAD TWO NAPS and had dinner and watched the fireworks/welcomed 2023 from the restaurant in our hotel.

I did eventually dip my feet in, just to say that I had 😉

And that was our short-but-sweet New Zealand trip. It was absolutely everything we had hoped for and more. Thanks for being awesome, Queenstown. You’ll have a special place in our hearts forever.

I’ll be back tomorrow with the final part of our trip — a visit to the beach where Chris and his family grew up vacationing.

Until then … bis bald!

Holidays In Australia Part 2: Christmas In Bathurst

Published on January 7, 2023January 7, 2023 by Cheryl Lock1 Comment

Welcome back to my Holidays in Australia series, including a surprise 24-hour layover in San Francisco, Christmas in Australia, our anniversary and New Years Eve in New Zealand, and a visit to the beach that Chris visited every year growing up! We saw friends and family that we haven’t seen since before the pandemic (I blogged about our first trip out with Lotte & Grace in 2019, including here), and friends and family got to meet Emilia for the very first time. Emotions were high (in both the best and saddest of ways … traveling, and especially traveling with children, is never not fraught), but while I sit here typing this up, I honestly can’t believe it’s over. So very much planning and buying and packing (and stressing!) went into this trip, and it was definitely one for the books, friends.

I have, as you can imagine, approximately 12 million photos to add here and to look back on for years to come. I’m going to break the trip up into sections. First up — Christmas at Chris’ parents house in Bathurst. We were so excited to be spending the day with Chris’ NanNan, but she sadly came down with Covid (on Christmas Day, no less!) so our plans had to shift. Still, we spent the day with all Chris’ siblings and all of our Aussie nieces and nephews, and it was magical, nonetheless.

Swimming, sleeping, eating all the tasty treats and getting in as many cuddles as possible topped our list of priorities for this first half of the trip. We also managed to get in some kangaroo and cricket viewing.

After we spent the holiday in Bathurst we all packed up and drove to Sydney, where Chris and I would be leaving the girls before we headed off to our own separate little holiday in New Zealand to celebrate the New Year and our anniversaries (10 years married, 15 years knowing each other!). We stopped off at the Three Sisters in Katoomba along the way.

And that was the first third of our trip in a nutshell, friends! It was filled with all the love and fun that we imagined, and then some. Next up was our SOLO trip to New Zealand … until then, bis bald, friends!

Our Final Days in Australia

Published on January 11, 2019August 21, 2019 by Cheryl Lock3 Comments

And so here we are, friends … we’ve arrived at our final two days in Australia. Le sigh.

Our last two days were filled with all the classic Australian activities, including checking out Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, then heading out on the Manly Ferry to check out Manly Beach with some family and old friends. Lotte had the best time splashing around in the water with our friends’ son, who is one year older, and we’ve discovered G’s love of fish and chips, as was demonstrated by her eating all of Chris’ aunt’s fish after she woke from a delightful nap by the beach.

Continue reading “Our Final Days in Australia” →