Update: March 28, 2020
Are you looking for some inspiration and ideas for your trip to Europe?
How about taking a road trip through Europe?
When you spend several months on an island, you can get a little itchy to walk on a larger piece of land (or a place where there are more people). Thankfully, some Korean-American friends were also spending a few months in Germany, living the expat life with young children. After some discussion, we decided to visit them and take a road trip through France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland. Yes, that’s right, folks. Four adults and four kids under the age of 5. Continue reading for a day-by-day timeline.
If you’re based in the southwestern part of Germany, you’ll want to try this route:
Mannheim –> Basel –> Strasbourg –> Trier –> Mannheim –> Luxembourg –> Mannheim –> Heidelberg –> Mannheim
Day 1 – Travel Day to Mannheim, Germany
Our friends, B and E, lived in Mannheim, Germany, which was a mid-sized town of about 300,000 inhabitants. It felt much larger than our neighborhood in Cyprus, and yet the town was pretty quiet during the holidays. After settling in, our friends treated us to Korean food in Mannheim.
Day 2 – Basel, Switzerland
City Center
The kids were pretty tuckered out and took naps on the drive to the hotel. Eating out for dinner and seeing the different shops and nightlife in Basel, you could see how much busier the streets were. But once we got settled into the hotel at Ramada Inn, we knew there were not enough daylight hours to see all that we wanted to see at the zoo. Instead, we took a tour of the city center and loved the friendly-pedestrian areas with brightly lit Christmas lights still on display.
The streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of after Christmas shoppers trying to get a good deal. We picked up some famous, well-known gummies. Piano Man picked strawberry gummies, and it was hit! We walked down the main path of the city center and could not find a place that looked remotely interesting for dinner. We walked back down the main path and ended up eating “Chinese” food, which was fast and quick. We continued on and took pictures of the fast-moving waters of the Rhine River and a beautiful cathedral. According to our free Basel guide book, the cathedral is the landmark in Basel. Built between the 12th and 15th century in romanesque and gothic style, the former Episcopal Church’s square around the church is a meeting place for events.
I had no idea how beautiful Basel was until I read more about the sights and attractions in the free guide book. Several famous modern architectural buildings also reside there, as well as the architectural duo Herzog & de Meuron.
Our first full day with two kids each required a bit of morning planning, but we made it in good time to Basel. First stop – Basel Zoo.
Basel Zoo
The little ones had a blast seeing everything. Piano Man enjoyed following the map and pretending to lead the group. From lions, gorillas, monkeys, and elephants (and a whole host of other animals), we watched and learned about the origins of these species.
And what kind of parents would we be, if we didn’t let our kids be kids at a zoo? But first, we had to eat breakfast. At the Ramada Inn, the kids enjoyed their strawberry juice with fresh fruit, sausages, eggs, and warm croissants. We drove to the zoo in the brisk morning hours to see some amazing creatures.
(Side Note: We were in the primate exhibit, and I saw this sign on the way out of the building. I said out loud, “What? You can’t use sign language in here?” Prof busted out in the heartiest laugh since, and said, “Oh hon, you’re funny.” Then he just kept walking and laughing away. And Aunty E looked like me like, “Are you for real?” Oh, those are the moments when I should have used my inner voice.)
L1 was a zoo connoisseur. Aunty E, L1 and L2’s mom, mentioned that L1 and his dad are avid animal lovers and know them all very well. Piano Man was just glad to be out and free to roam about the zoo ground. Linus couldn’t help but stay awake to see some of these majestic creatures for himself. And Linus’ new girlfriend, L2, also enjoyed watching the animals at the zoo. We were lucky to leave the zoo at the mid-morning hour when there was a line of people waiting to buy tickets.
TRAVEL TIP: Visit the Basel Zoo first thing in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Day 3 – Strasbourg, France
The next day we drove to Strasbourg, France. The kids walked around and saw much of the streets of Strasbourg as a play area. The Christmas markets were a hit with the carousel ride for little ones. My goodness, it was such a treat to see their faces light up with joy. We continued walking the streets and looking at the gorgeous architecture and church structures.
After the trip to the zoo, we stopped for a quick visit to Strasbourg, France. The architecture in France was, of course, beautiful. The exterior of each building was more ornate than the previous one. And the air in France smelled more romantic in the cold weather (if you can smell romance =)).
In the city center, the Christmas markets were still open, and we were on high alert for pickpocketers who prey on tourists. We kept a vigilant eye on our bags and children. The kids immediately took notice of a busy carousel next to the cathedral. Linus chose a car. Piano Man picked a motorcycle, and L1 and L2 chose the coveted airplane. (The airplane was a sweet ride because it made noises and went up and down as if the kids were flying a plane.) But I think Linus had the most fun because he was screaming at the top of his lungs as if he was driving a real car.
We tried to find a restaurant, but because Europeans eat dinner at a much later hour, we were scrounging around to find an open restaurant at 5 pm. But as we walked along different streets, the kids stumbled upon a bike play area. Linus was passed out, so he missed out on all the fun. One place had the lights on in the back, but it didn’t look like it was open for business. We knocked on the door, and Chef Marie was kind enough to take us in for early dinner service.
La Maison des Mezzes is a very tiny restaurant that could seat up to about 12 people inside. Chef Marie and her husband immigrated to France about 20 years ago, and she makes all her meals from scratch. We basically were served whatever she made, and it felt like a mom making food from her heart.
This place was a treasure to find in the city of Strasbourg. If you are ever in Strasbourg, this is a must eat at a restaurant.
Day 4 – Trier and Mannheim, Germany
By day four, we made it back to Mannheim so that the little ones could find some rest and relaxation. The men (Prof and B) took off one a day trip to Trier, Germany. They walked around at an archeological site, which I will spare you from photos. But they spotted a beautiful rainbow after their walk and enjoyed a delicious meal at Kartoffel Kiste. I think it would come to be one of Prof’s favorite meals in Europe.
TRAVEL TIP: December 30th was the only day of our trip that Prof could go visit the amphitheater and museum since they closed on December 31st and January 1st for the holiday. If you plan to see a museum or specific site, check their websites to make sure they are open on the day of your arrival.
Aunty E and I stayed back to let the kids recuperate. We chatted away while the kids played indoors. And even though they enjoyed the warmth of the heated tile floors, the kids needed some time to run and play in the chilly outdoor air.
We ventured off to Luisenpark in Mannheim. Piano Man loves riding on trams, trains, and subways, so it was a no brainer. We took the train ride, and we received the typical stares from the locals, something I was used to in Cyprus. Once we got into the park, the place was another massive park with multiple playgrounds, a large water pond, a life-sized chess game area, and lots of green space.
Piano Man climbed a rope up a 45-degree angle ramp that would be more suited for a Marin Corps obstacle course. The little ones rode down a metal slide over and over again until their fingers were numb from the cold. And after a fruit snack break, they jumped on an open trampoline til they ran out of breath.
The kids enjoyed pushing chess pieces on the ground, at which point a German gentleman said some loud words in German to Aunty E and me. I knew five words in German, and so it was tough to decipher what he was saying. He finally said, “Achtung! Achtung your children!” (In other words, pay attention to your children’s rambunctious behavior.)
I thought, “Uh okay, we are watching our children. And we chose to let them enjoy being kids.” Although, Piano Man was a bit sad since he wanted to play checkers with the chess pieces. Aunty E was kind enough to take L1, L2, and Linus to the other playground area while Piano Man and I finished the game of checkers.
Even though the middle-aged man was pretty upset, two other German families right next to us were quite content with our presence and didn’t mind us at all. In fact, they shared chess pieces with us. Sometimes you gotta laugh those moments off. I don’t think he realized his anger and sharp piercing stares caused him more emotional stress than it did us.
Mannheim, Germany
Aunty E and I ended up enjoying a day at the park. We took a train ride to the park with low-standing trampolines, which I thought would be dangerous for little ones. However, Germans showed me that I didn’t need to worry about the safety of trampolines. So I lived a little and let them enjoy the moment of play.
Day 5 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Restaurant Review: Kartoffel Kiste
Prof raved about Kartoffel Kiste so much that we decided to make another pit stop in Trier for lunch. The pit stop was worth it. We all enjoyed a warm meal of home fries, kids’ favorite, and schnitzel and a whole host of other dishes.
If you have been keeping up with our Christmas vacation adventure, we are coming to the halfway point in our journey to spending New Year’s Eve in Luxembourg. It was sort of a spontaneous decision to go to Luxembourg, knowing that most places would be closed. But on the morning of New Year’s Eve, we packed our bags and left in a rush to get there at a reasonable time.
Prof and Uncle B went to Trier, Germany, the day before to see the ancient ruins. And since Trier was on the way to Luxembourg, we ate lunch at the same restaurant, Kartoffel Kiste.
The restaurant was great in providing pencils and kid’s menus as coloring pages. We ordered a schnitzel, potato soup, salad, pork, French fries, and pasta. We devoured our meal down to the last morsel.
Once we walked outside, we walked around the city center and walked people of all ages ice skate around a small rink. The kids enjoyed watching them skate, and the kids longingly watched the ice skaters, wishing to skate themselves.
The pedestrian areas were blocked off for a race. And we made our way to the starting line and watched elementary-aged kids run their race. It was cute to see them gearing up in the cold weather and talking with the MC about their excitement about being a participant.
(Note: This is one of my favorite pics of the day. The expression on these kids’ faces is hilarious! It tells you how cold and windy it was on the day of the race.)
Trier, Germany – Running Race
My goodness, the weather was so windy that the kids looked like they would be blown away in the wind. But we managed to eat dessert, watch some ice skating at a local outdoor rink, and watch some kids in the short race.
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
We spent a bit longer in Trier than expected, so by the time we made it to Luxembourg, it was dark. And almost empty. We strolled in more wind and cold and ate dinner at one of the few restaurants open on New Year’s Eve. We tried to stay up for the fireworks, but B and E’s oldest was feeling under the weather. And with little ones they were tuckered out staying up way past their bedtimes.
We got to the Novotel Hotel in Luxembourg around 5 pm, but the kids had a late lunch and were begging to unwind in the hotel room. After settling in, we walked about 10 minutes to the city center only to find that almost all the stores and restaurants were closed early for New Years’.
A few restaurants were open, but we weren’t sure which one we should try. A random gentleman asked if we were looking for a good place to eat, but he only offered the name of a person who works there and a general location of the restaurant. No name of the place or address was given, so we were back to square one.
We tried one place on the corner, and it was filled with tourists some who spoke English, so we plopped right down and ate our New Year’s Eve dinner without any champagne or wine – just two pizza pies, some pasta, and 2 dishes of coq-au-vin, braised rooster-based dish, which was “very mediocre” according to Prof and Aunty E. We walked around after dinner, but everything was closed, the kids were freezing, and we could barely see ahead of us. We passed by a steep staircase down to a garden area, but it said to walk down carefully at your own risk. We chose to walk right on by.
The kids passed out very early around 9 pm, and we all celebrated New Year’s Eve listening to the fireworks from our hotel room.
The next morning, we enjoyed all that Luxembourg had to offer – buffet breakfast in the hotel and playing computer games until check out time. But for what it was worth, the four of us wouldn’t have spent our New Year’s any other way.
Day 7 – Heidelberg, Germany
We made it back to Mannheim on New Year’s Day. Because the travel day was so tough on the kids, we opted out of a castle visit in Heidelberg and decided to stop by Jump Inn, an indoor play area for kids. When we walked in, the place was enormous! The kids played mini-sized air hockey, flew down a slide simulating sledding, jumped on an eight-person trampoline, and ran through adult-sized tunnels for parents and kids to have fun together in their intricately designed maze. They also served enough food and beer for hours of fun.
We stayed for two hours and felt completely exhausted, while other German families can make an entire day trip out of a visit to Jump Inn. But again, the kids enjoyed every minute of their time.
Day 8 – Travel Day Back to Cyprus
It was time to say goodbye to our friends in Mannheim. Seeing our friends going through the expat experience was an encouragement because sometimes you need to rejuvenate and commiserate together with the things you experience about living abroad. Thanks to B and E, we were able to do that.
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