We Go With Kids!

Category: kids’ blog

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts

Thank you to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for hosting my family’s visit. All opinions are my own.

Guest Author: Our kid blogger, Messi Jr. is an eleven year old sixth grader who loves travel, soccer and basketball.

My family and I recently took a fun and exciting road trip from Cleveland, Ohio to Amherst, Massachusetts. Although the focus of the trip was to see our uncle and aunt, we went to many cool places and learned many amazing things as well. My favorite attraction was the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. I faithfully watched the Cavs during their four post-season national championships and played basketball in my church league for at least five years and was ecstatic when my mom told me she would take us to the Hoop Hall. At the Basketball Hall of Fame, we learned about the greatest basketball players and the history of the game and got to shoot around on Center Court trying out old and new hoops. We also competed in a free throw contest.

First, when we entered the Basketball Hall of Fame building, we saw exhibits for 15 of the all-time best basketball players in glass cases. Inside each case, there was the player’s jersey, shoes and a little screen detailing some of their personal highlights and achievements. We also got to compare our shoe sizes to the pros. Shaquille O’Neal wore a size 22!

My sister’s shoe compared to Shaquille O’Neal’s

Once we were done checking in, we watched a 12 minute video about the evolution of basketball and learned that basketball was invented by James Naismith in Springfield in 1891. The video was the perfect introduction to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

With some background knowledge, we headed to the third floor Honors Ring. As we circled around level three, we read a paragraph about each Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.

We next went down to the Players’ Gallery on the second floor where we looked at lockers filled with players’ memorabilia and played some interactive games that compared us to average NBA basketball players. The interactive exhibits measured how high we could jump to catch a rebound or dunk and also included a virtual reality basketball game and pop-a-shot.

After the Player’s Gallery, we went down to Center Court on the first floor where there was a regulation basketball court with two pro-sized hoops and also different hoops lining the walls from a peach barrel to the newest hoop. There was also a dunk zone where almost everyone can find the perfect sized hoop to dunk on.

Finding the perfect hoop to practice my dunks

In the Basketball Hall of Fame complex, there are several restaurants. We had lunch at Max’s Tavern where I ate a huge burger. After we were done, we raced back to Center Court for the free throw competition. All the participants lined up and took a regulation free throw. Those who made the shot stayed on the court while those who missed watched from the sidelines. The sudden death rounds continue until there are two finalists. In the final round, the two finalists then take three free throws each, and the whoever makes more becomes the winner. Out of about 40 participants of all ages, I won! My mom thinks I was lucky, but really, it came down to pure skill. This video shows my winning shot at the Basketball Hall of Fame Free Throw competition.

For winning the Free Throw competition, I received the competition ball, a drawstring backpack, a Basketball Hall of Fame hat and t-shirt, basketball cards, a miniature basketball and a net.

The Basketball Hall of Fame was a very fun place to visit, and I learned about basketball history and have a new appreciation for the sport. I recommend the Basketball Hall of Fame to anyone visiting Springfield, Massachusetts, especially basketball fans.

July 15, 2019
Kids’ Blog: Shelling in Sanibel

Thank you to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum for providing complimentary tickets for my family. All opinions are my own.

Guest Author: Our kid blogger, Messi Jr., is an eleven year old fifth grader who loves travel and soccer.

My family recently took a really fun trip to Sanibel, Florida. Sanibel is known as one of best shelling beaches in the world. Over my trip, I went shelling many times and learned a lot about shells. Today, I will share to you all the best ways of finding and learning about shells in Sanibel, Florida.

Shelling at sunrise

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum

At the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum in Sanibel, my family and I learned about all the shells we were finding on the beach. We went to the Tank Talk where a professional naturalist and sheller talked about the shells and what could be inside. An important thing to know is that if you find something living in a shell, it should be carefully placed in the water and not thrown into the water as this could harm the creature living inside. After going to the National Shell Museum, I now have a clearer understanding of shells and could name almost all of the shells we collected. With all that we learned there, I only wish we had gone to the National Shell Museum at the beginning of our weekend in Sanibel.

World Record Shells

Shelling at the Beach

On our trip, I tried different ways of shelling. On our first morning, we went to the beach at sunrise and looked in the water and on the shoreline. We had our best result by far when went in the water early in the morning. A good tip is to wade into the water and dig through the sand with your feet until you feel a shell. Then, scoop it up with your hands. When shelling in the water or on the beach, it is always a good idea to bring a mesh bag to keep all the shells you want to keep.

Some of the many shells we found

Shelling After a Storm

Although there weren’t any storms during our trip, we learned at the Tank Talk that the best time to shell is early in the morning after a storm. During a storm, all the big shells from farther into the ocean will wash up onto shore. Some of these may include the rarest shell in Sanibel called junonia, which is a shell found extremely far and low in the ocean. This shell is so rare that when someone finds one, it is often reported in the local news.

Our path to the beach

Conclusion

I had a really fun trip to Sanibel, Florida. I liked shelling and learning about all the shells at the National Shell Museum. The best time to find shells is early in the morning after a storm or by wading a few feet into the ocean. My family and I found such great shells. I hope we go back to Sanibel soon.

April 13, 2019
Kids’ Blog: Favorite Memories of Iceland

Guest Author: Our kid blogger, “The Cool One”, is an eight year old third grader who loves travel, soccer and piano.

One of my favorite family vacations was going to Iceland in the summer of 2017. I shared some of my favorite memories about Iceland in my post, Iceland Highlights. I interviewed my sister about her memories of our Iceland Trip. She was only two at the time of the trip but still remembers it fondly. Here are her 10 favorite memories of Iceland:

#1: Flowers

My sister liked the flowers in Iceland because they were different than in the USA. Her favorite flower was the Alaskan lupine, which were tall purple flowers that we saw all around Iceland.

Alaskan lupine

#2: Lava Tunnel

The Lava Tunnel was an underground cave created by lava. We hiked through it with a guide. My sister enjoyed the view from her carrier and even took a nap. In the top of the tunnel, there were big holes. We had to wear our helmets the whole time.

The Lava Tunnel

#3: Farm Animals

We saw a lot of farm animals in Iceland. My sister enjoyed watching them because they looked nice.

Farm Animals

#4: Waterfalls

We saw five large waterfalls, including Seljalandfoss, Skógafoss, Dettifoss, Godifoss and Gulfoss and hundreds of small ones in Iceland. My sister liked watching the water falling down.

Gulfoss Waterfall

#5: The Glacier Lake

At the Glacier Lake, the ice pieces looked like animals. We also saw seals. My sister liked the snow in the lake and the ice washed up on the beach.

#6: Rocks

My sister really liked playing with rocks in Iceland. My brother and I liked to skip rocks into the water, but my sister liked to just hold them or stack them. We visited a spar crystal mine in East Iceland but had to leave all the crystal in the mine.

Collecting Rocks

#7: Bunk Bed

My sister really liked our Airbnb in Akureyri because it had a bunk bed. She pretended that the bunk bed was a ship. She also liked climbing on the ladder to the top bunk. I slept on the top bunk, and she slept on a mattress on the floor.

The Bunk Bed

#8: Whale Watching

Before we got on the bus to go the whale watching boat, we had to put on a snow suit. My sister had a meltdown because red is not her favorite color, but I did not care at all. After she got used to her snow suit, she really liked the trip, especially looking at whales. She was too little to fish with my brother and me.

Whale Watching

#9: Strokkur Geyser

The Strokkur Geyser is an active geyser that erupts about every five minutes. We saw it erupt about six or seven times. She liked to see it shooting up really high.

Strokkur Geyser

#10: The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon is a large, natural pool that is warm because of geothermal heat. My sister and I wore floaties and swam around the pool. The water was a milky blue color. My sister liked sliding down the slide to get into the water.

The Blue Lagoon

This is why my sister liked our Iceland trip. She hopes to go back someday, and I would like to go with her.

Interested in finding out more about Iceland with kids? Check out our listing of all our Iceland posts or join our Facebook group We Go To Iceland With Kids, which is a forum to ask questions and share ideas about family travel to Iceland.

January 4, 2019
Kids’ Blog: My Favorite Things I did in Alaska

Guest Blogger: Our kid blogger, Steve, is an eight year old boy who loves Legos, Harry Potter, and Minecraft. Steve also loves to travel because it is fun to see new things every single day.

Last summer, my dad, grandfather, grandmother, mom, brother, and I went to Alaska. It was a very cool trip, especially since we got to see new things every day. I am going tell you about my favorites things we did.

#1: Glacier Walk

My first favorite was that when we got to Alaska, we walked on a glacier. After we got past most of the glacier, we saw a big frozen over pond that we could walk on with crampons. It was a very long hike and while we were walking there, we saw my dad climbing on the side of a glacier. We also saw a little tiny stream with little pieces of ice floating in it. The stream led over to a different frozen over pond where the water would freeze over.

#2: Flying in the Mini Plane

I liked when we flew in a mini plane to a little town where we did the glacier hike. I liked what the plane looked like and we got little sets of headphones with microphones so we did not have to hear the big engine and so when we talked, other people could hear us.

#3: Scavenger Hunting

We went on a kayaking trip and stopped at a little island, where there were lots of trees that had been ripped up. We did a little scavenger hunt. We all needed to find mussels, a crab, and barnacles. After my mom found all of those, I started to look and I found lots of mussels and barnacles. The crab my mom found was just a big huge crab head, but the ones I found little tiny mini crabs. When I picked one up, the head was like a little hatch, with nothing inside. I think a bird pecked open the head and ate the brains.

#4: Glacier Landing

Close to the end of the trip, we took another plane ride. When we landed, snow covered the ground. My grandpa, dad, and I had a massive snowball fight. It was awesome.

#5: Puffin Encounter

We went to the aquarium and were able to do a puffin encounter. We were able to feed the puffins fish and we got to see them and go up really close to them. At the end, they had these little tiny things of krill that they would toss all around the water. Only one family at the time can do the puffin encounter and everyone can watch you do it from the other side of the glass. A fun fact about puffins is that puffin eggs are basically about half as big as the puffin stomach.

#6: The Boat Ride

We took a big boat ride for several hours. We got to see a big whale and lots of puffins and other birds.

#7: Dog Sled Ride

We went to this place where we got to ride on these little tiny cart buggy things. Since it wasn’t snowing, we did not have sleds. In front, there were huskies pulling us. My brother fell asleep halfway through the ride. What was really fun about it was that you actually get to pet and hold a baby husky and see the dogs up close in real life, instead of in a movie, like Balto.

#8: Panning for Gold

There was a big water device, here water would flow through over bumps, and every few seconds you could take a big scoop of dirt, dump it on to the top of the device. The water would push the dirt, but the gold would get stuck in the bumps. You could use tweezers to get the gold out. Anything that was not gold would fly around in the water, but the gold would get stuck because it is much more dense than dirt. The guy who was running the panning for gold place would give you a little tiny bottle to drop all your pieces of gold in. Earlier that day, someone found a very small ruby and he gave it to me to put in my bottle.

Alaska was an awesome trip and I had so much fun. My favorite thing about the trip was that we were all together all the time.

November 23, 2017
Kids’ Blog: Driving Across Country to Alaska

Guest Blogger: Our kid blogger, Steve, is an eight year old boy who loves Legos, Harry Potter, and Minecraft. Steve also loves to travel because it is fun to see new things every single day.

Last summer, my dad, grandfather, grandmother, and I drove to Alaska in an RV. It was a very long and fun drive that took 11 days, starting in Indianapolis, Indiana and through Canada. Along the way, we saw lots of animals, went fishing and biking, and I even got to visit my cousins in Wisconsin. I am going to tell you about my four favorite things and my four funniest memories.

My Four Favorite Things

#1: Campfires

I liked traveling in the RV and having campfires outside. My dad would set up the campfires and we would roast hot dogs and marshmallows. I liked seeing how the campfires start off as regular wood and turn into fire and I liked being outside of the RV.

#2: Mount Rushmore

On July 4, we visited Mount Rushmore which was very very fun and cool. I took lots of pictures. I asked to go to Mount Rushmore because a friend had gone the year before and he said it was fun.

#3: Biking through Tok, Alaska

When we got to Alaska, the town we stayed in, Tok, we rode our bikes down to a restaurant that we ate at for dinner. It was a very fun bike ride because we got to ride through the whole town.

Biking to dinner in Tok, AK

#4: Playing Baseball

At night, we would play baseball. My dad was usually the pitcher and me and my grandma were the batters.

My Four Funniest Memories

#1: The Monkey in Mount Rushmore

At Mount Rushmore, I looked at the side of the mountain and it looks like the rocks made a monkey face.

Can you spot the monkey face?

#2: The Bear Butt

While we were on the drive, everyone saw a bear, but grandpa saw only the other end. We all laughed.

#3: Waking

One morning, I woke up and saw my dad washing the front windows of the RV. I was still in my pajamas.

#4: The Couch was my Bed

The couch in the RV can transform into a bed. It was my bed and it was very comfy.

Every night, we would turn the dining table/couch into my bed.

November 23, 2017
Kids’ Blog: Cuba Time, Fun Time

Guest Blogger: Our kid blogger, TJ, is a cool, high energy, fun loving nine year old actor and artist! TJ’s adventures and exploits can be found on Instagram and Facebook.

When my mom told me that we were going to Cuba I was excited, but I didn’t want to be too excited because I have never been. I was also nervous because I was not always listening in Spanish class, and I was afraid that I would not be able to talk to many people or make friends, but I did! Cuba definitely beat my expectations! It was different than usual – from experiencing a taxi that is shaped like a coconut to even playing in the streets, which I don’t get to do in Miami. We had some plans, but even the things we didn’t plan were super fun, and we met a lot of nice people.

Cuba is colorful and full of great art.

So, you basically have a summary of Cuba, but here are the details.

A cool view of the neighborhood.

Day One:

On day one, we got to the AirBnB, which was really cool because we had never actually stayed in an AirBnB before. The neighborhood was colorful, bold and unique. The buildings were old, but they were fresh in color and they looked like they told a story.

TJ, Samuel and David playing Simon Says.

The owner of the place was really nice because she had someone meet us to give us a full tour of the apartment. She also introduced me to my new friend, Samuel. I was so relieved because he spoke English. We got to play lots of games like red light, green light. We also played hide and seek extreme with Samuel’s friends. Samuel had to translate what I was saying to his friends who eventually became my friends. It was fun because we could play without getting in trouble for playing in the streets because it is normal in the neighborhood.

When we were roaming around Central Havana, we unexpectedly saw a bouncy house, trampoline and more. The bouncy house was fun because I got to play and get some energy out – I was really hyper about Cuba and just had some mango juice that I think had a lot of sugar in it.

The funniest thing is that my mom did not know how to use the money so the lady at the bouncy house thought she was crazy. And that’s we learned a new thing – there’s two types of money in Cuba. I recommend before you go on the trip, you learn more about the two types of money in Cuba.

El Biky was delicious.

The end of day one was delicious because we ate at a restaurant called El Biky, and we got the yummiest deserts. The line was long but worth the wait.

Day Two:

We loved El Biky so much that we went there for breakfast on day two. We went to the beach at Santa Maria, and I made a village with coconuts, water bottles, sand and all that jazz. Then, I climbed this big slanted palm tree, and it was a challenge. I was scared to go all the way up, but my mom inspired me so I could do it.

When we got back, we took a bike taxi to old Havana. Being on it was kind of like a tour of old Havana because the bike was not that fast, and I could see a lot of things on the ride. After roaming in Old Havana for a little while, we took this crazy coco taxi, which was cool because it has no sides and I like that it is the shape of a helmet.

The Coco Taxi was fun, awesome, great and breathtaking.

Day Three:

On day three, we went to the mountains. It was great because I got to jump of a water fall! Our driver said it was low because there was a drought, but it didn’t make a difference to me because I still had fun. At first, the water was really cold, but I got used to it. Did I mention that there were a lot of fish in there? When I was in the water it was kind of like school (wink wink). After playing on the waterfall for a little bit, I got to ride a beautiful horse.

Taking in the mountain view.

My horse ride.

Day Four:

Day four was the hardest day because we did not want to leave Cuba. We moped around about having to leave. But, I played with Samuel, and we found this cool stick that we used as a baseball bat and a microphone – we are thinking about going on tour! The good thing about having an imagination is that we can do fun things without electronics and not get bored of it.

This is not everything we did, but most of the best parts. You should definitely go to Cuba no matter what time of year it is.

November 23, 2017
Kids’ Blog: Norway

Guest Blogger: Our kid blogger, 🙂 , is an eight year old boy who is a big dreamer. He loves outdoors, traveling, reading and climbing and is the sweet big brother to his six year old sister. More on 🙂 ‘s travels can be found on Instragram and Facebook.

This summer, we went to Norway for one month. That’s the most northern country I have ever visited. For 10 days, we backpacked in the Lofoten Islands. They are northern Norway, above the Arctic circle. It was only mom, my little sister and me. The Lofotens were great because they were beautiful and also because we were a bit like adventurers. I am going to tell you about my four favorite things and my four funniest memories.

My Four Favorite Things

#1: Wild Camping

Wild camping was really cool. We walked for two hours with our huge backpacks to find the best spot to camp. We were alone in the mountain. It was fun to wake up in the morning and to be in nature.

#2: Munkebu Hike

It was my favorite hike of all. The weather was great and sunny, we were even wearing only tee-shirts. We hiked along a lake and then there was a really long climb where we had to use chains and ropes to climb up. At the top, it was very, very beautiful.

#3: The Midnight Sun

When we were on Ramberg’s beach, we stayed up until midnight to watch the midnight sun. It was amazing. It is like a sunset where the sun goes down but then it goes back up before it sets, and there is no night. We took a lot of cool pictures under the sun, and it was fun.

#4: Meeting other backpackers

It was really cool when we met other hikers, and they talked with us. Once, we met two French women, and they shared a Norwegian dinner with us. We ate reindeer sausage, fishcake and caramel cheese (Brunost). It was very different, but very good anyway. After we played dices and cards with them. It was really cool!

My Four Funniest Memories

#1: Making Soup

When we went wild camping, my sister and I went to the stream and fetched water. We brought it back to the tent to mom. But because the water was too muddy to make the soup, we filtered it in one of my sister’s socks. I must tell you it was a clean sock! It was really fun!

#2: Finding Gas

We looked for gas for the camping stove for 2 days. First, we went to a shop, we bought one, but it didn’t work. Then, a nice Norwegian man from the village gave one bottle to us. It was the right kind of bottle but it didn’t work. At the end, we exchanged bottles with another man on a campsite. People were really friendly with us, and after 2 days we could finally eat something warm!

#3: Hitchhiking

We hitchhiked 3 times during our trip, either to go to a camping site or a trailhead. It was funny because people driving by thought we were joking and were just waving at us! But each time, there was always somebody who picked us up. They were really kind.

#4: The Heads of the Dead Fish

In Norway, they dry fish outside, with the wind. We went to see the drying racks close up, but my sister didn’t like to see dry fish heads. When she saw that there were tons of dry heads on the floor and that we were walking on them, she sulked. It made me laugh a lot!

It was the best vacation of my life. I was sad to leave Norway. Sometimes I still think about it when I am in class.

November 18, 2017
Kids’ Blog: Iceland

Guest Author: Our kid blogger, Messi Jr., is a nine year old fourth grader who loves travel and soccer.

My Iceland trip was awesome.

Iceland Day 1

On day one, as soon as my family and I got to the Icelandic airport, everyone was wide awake because we slept the whole flight. When we got out of the airport, it was very cold and rainy. My family and I got on the bus that would take us to a place that we would get a rental car.

On the bus, I saw two strange things. The first thing that was strange was that out of the window I saw rocks. Some were the size of pebbles and others were the size of cars. The rocks were all different shapes, but many were the size of backpacks. There seemed to be millions. And, there were planes and planes of them. But, they were covered in something. I didn’t know what it was so I asked my dad what it was, and he said it was moss. I thought it was very strange, but I could believe it when I saw it. The other thing I wondered about was the rocks. When I looked closely, there were many holes. I recognized it as a lava rock. I wasn’t surprised since I knew from a book I had read about Iceland that it said that Iceland was formed by volcanos.

Once we got off the bus, we went to a place where we rented a 4×4 car, which meant it can drive through harsh conditions. With the car, we drove to the convenience store and bought some food that we ate at the shop for breakfast. At the store, the Cool One and I both found coins. The Cool One found a 1 krona coin, and I found a 2 krona coin. Next, we went to Costco. At Costco, we bought squeezies for my sister, water bottles for the car, Nutella to put on our bread for breakfast, and rotisserie chicken for our sandwiches.

Before we ate lunch, we went to the lava tunnel, but the noon tour was full. For lunch, we went to a nearby town and picked up some very yummy pizza, which we ate in the car heading toward the lava tunnel. In the lava tunnel, we had to wear headlamps so we could see around the tunnel. We learned that before headlamps and flashlights, all people saw in the tunnel was pitch black. The only way you could see was from small holes on the roof. We also learned that lava once rushed through the tunnel. My sister was the youngest person to ever go in the tunnel.

The next thing that we did was we drove, well we tried to drive to Kerid crater, but we drove into another crater. In that crater, there were many lava rocks. We could also see all the layers of the crater.

The next stop was Kerid crater. The cool thing about Kerid is that the deep crater has a lake at the bottom of it. My dad also said that Kerid was formed 6,500 years ago. On our way to the apartment, my brother, sister and I took a nap in the car. I thought that I had slept for the whole night! We watched some TV, but it was only in Icelandic, so we didn’t understand a thing. We tried to take a shower, but the drain was plugged, so that made it pretty challenging. The day ended with everyone having a good night sleep.

Iceland Day 2

Once everyone had woken up and dressed up, we went to Seljalandfoss, which is a famous waterfall because you can walk behind it. Seljalandfoss is a very tall waterfall. When my family and I walked behind it, we got soaked, but it was worth it because it was amazing.

As we were driving to Skogafoss, we saw Eyjafalljokul, which is a volcano that erupted a few days after my brother was born, which delayed my grandma from flying back to England.

Once we were at Skogafoss, we saw a huge waterfall, and when the water hit the river it had been forming, mist shot up and formed a huge circle.

We also saw a huge glacier that turned out to be the biggest glacier outside of the North and South Poles.

In a bird sanctuary, we saw a few puffins.

At Renisjfara beach, the sand was black! It wasn’t just normal sand, it was volcanic sand! We also saw a lot of basalt rocks. There were also strong waves. My brother, my dad, and I were standing about 2 yards away from where the waves end, then suddenly, a huge wave came and everyone started running, but I tripped over a big rock. I fell down and before the wave went back in, my dad pulled me out. I was wet, so I had to change all of my clothes.

As we drove, we passed the beautiful city of Vik, but we didn’t stop. The next place we went was Vatnajokull, which is the biggest ice cap (other than the North and South poles). It was a very beautiful sight.

The next stop was Jokulsaron. One of the reasons Dad wanted to come to Iceland was to see this site. Jokulsaron is a lake with icebergs. The icebergs and lake come from a glacier that was constantly melting. The ice on the beach was my favorite sight of Iceland. On the beach, when Dad was taking a picture of my brother and me near the iceberg, as he walked backward to get a good shot of us, he tripped over ice and fell backward. When he put his hand down to save himself, he went down so hard he broke the thick ice and hurt his hand a lot.

We went as fast as we could to Hofn hoping to get to Hofn before the guesthouse closed. hoped that we would make it in time so we wouldn’t have to sleep in the car. Luckily, we just made it in time. For dinner, we had pasta with rotisserie chicken. Even though we tried our best to keep my sister quiet, she was still very loud. We eventually got her quiet watching Netflix. We had a good night of sleep.

Iceland Day 3

We woke up in the morning to nice blue skies, which ended up to be a nice, blue, dry, and sunny day. We woke up so late that by the time my family woke up, everyone else in the apartment had left for the day. My mom lost her ring that she was very sad about, but it was a good thing she found it later in the trip. As we drove to Netto, we had an amazing view of a glacier.

For lunch, we stopped on the side of the road where we saw a bench that overlooked the ocean. We ate some of the food we bought at Netto. My sister made a rock collection, which she loved and added to during the trip. We stopped in a tourist office, and we got even more maps! Next, we stopped on the side of the road where we saw a stream, and there was a wonderful view of everything around us. My brother and I skipped a few rocks into the stream.

As we kept driving, near a farm we passed, we saw amazing hovering birds. My dad took a few photos of them hovering and trying to find food.

As we kept driving along, we went into two tunnels. One tunnel was 5 km, and the second tunnel was 6 km! We stopped at Kronan where we got fish, fish stew, and French fries. We spent the night in the fishing village of Eskijfordur. We stayed in a very nice apartment. For dinner, we had the fish and fish stew with the French fries, and we also had peas, and for dessert, we had ice cream. But, that still wasn’t the end of the day!

At 9:30, there was great weather as we were driving to the mine that was famous because it had the most spar crystals in the world. We saw many animals running across the road. Some were so close, the car could have ran over them. Once we got to the walking path, we walked up a big hill seeing thousands and thousands of spar crystals. The mine shaft was blocked off by the rocks, but there were still many spar crystals. My sister, brother, and I made a huge spar crystal collection and left it on a rock.

As we headed to our apartment, we saw the most amazing midnight sun we had seen on the whole vacation. At end the day, we had a good night sleep.

Iceland Day 4

We woke up in the morning and had a quick breakfast. We had a very quick breakfast because we wanted the maximum time at our first hot pot in Iceland. It was a very cold day, which is the best pool weather in Iceland because every single pool is heated by natural magma and lava. My family and I were the only people in the pool. We all had fun on the slides, and when it was time to go, my sister didn’t want to get out. The rest of the day all my sister wanted to do was go back in the pool.

We had lunch in the apartment. It was raining very heavily, and the sky was very ugly white and gray. It was still raining, but we drove to Dettifoss, which is a popular waterfall. On the way, we got gas and looked for reindeer, but we didn’t see a single reindeer. Dettifoss was one of the best sites we saw in Iceland. It is amazing how much water comes down. My sister nearly walked the whole hike by herself to the waterfall.

The first four days in Iceland were lots of fun.

November 10, 2017
Kids’ Blog: My Los Angeles Trip

Guest Author: Our kid blogger, Messi Jr., is a nine year old fourth grader who loves travel and soccer.

I had an awesome Los Angeles trip. I went because my mom had business there. The weather was really hot. The day before we came, it was 104 degrees. While we were there, it was in the 90s. Today, I will tell you about the top four things I did in Los Angeles.

My favorite thing I did was the La Brea Tar Pits. The La Brea Tar Pits are tar pits that trapped animals during the Ice Age so that the animals couldn’t get out. At the La Brea Tar Pits, they dig up the bones from the tar pits. They had saber tooth cats, mammoths, lizards, mastodons, and many more.

My second favorite thing in Los Angeles was Santa Monica. I liked Santa Monica because it was about 90 degrees and felt good to dip my feet in the Pacific Ocean. The other reason I liked Santa Monica was because of the pier. A pier is like a boardwalk over the ocean. On the pier, I saw multiple musicians, a magic performer, and an artist. I bought a painting of the pier from a painter. There was also an amusement park with a roller coaster, ferris wheel and other rides.

My third favorite thing that I did in Los Angeles was the Getty Center. The Getty Center is an art museum. I liked all of the paintings and the architecture. I got a very cool view of the city from the museum. My favorite painting was Van Gogh’s Irises.

My fourth favorite thing in Los Angles was the Disney Concert Hall. The reason I liked the Concert Hall was because of the architecture. The building looked like a lot of metal pieces that fit together. The architect was called Frank Gehry. He also designed a building in University Circle.

A few other cool things I saw were Hollywood, the City Hall, and lots of cars, including Ferraris, Rolls Royces, Lamborghinis, and Porsches. I had a really great trip to Los Angeles.

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October 30, 2017
Kids’ Blog: Iceland Highlights

Guest Author: Our kid blogger, “The Cool One”, is a seven year old second grader who loves travel, soccer and piano.

Three of my favorite things in Iceland were whale watching, Gulfoss waterfall and the Blue Lagoon.

Whale Watching in Dalvik

In Iceland, on day five, my family went whale watching in Dalvik. We went on a boat. It was a big wooden boat. It looked like this one:

There were a lot of people. We saw a lot of humpback whales. They were big and blue, and they had a hump on their back. The whales sprayed water.

I thought that the whale would hit the boat. I was scared. Then, we went fishing. I caught a cod fish. My brother caught two.

They cut up the fish on the boat.

We ate it after. It was good. I had fun.

Gulfoss

On the seventh day of the Iceland trip, we went to the Gulfoss waterfall. It was my favorite waterfall in Iceland. It looked like a cake with two layers.

We went on a long walk along a path to view Gulfoss. We saw a rainbow.

Blue Lagoon

On the eighth day on the Iceland trip, my family went to the Blue Lagoon.

On the way to the Blue Lagoon, I saw a part of the lagoon. It was very blue.

When we arrived, there was a long line to get in. When I got in the lagoon, the water was warm.

Everyone had a silica face mask. It felt really soft. We went into a cave. We made hand prints on the bottom of the bridge.

I really liked our Iceland trip. I would like to go back.

September 25, 2017