Maman Voyage

Venice with kids: our 10 essentials

How I longed to return to Italy! My second home! So I organized a stay in Venice as part of our holiday itinerary, after leaving Croatia. We had already been to Venice as a couple, a few years ago. I was delighted to discover Venice with my family: Ticoeur and Titpuce were really charmed and surprised by this city, so different, so atypical, with all its canals and the absence of cars. Magic ! A journey through time and history…

This summer, Venice was less crowded than usual… Effect of the current context, the new bans on large cruise ships and the non-resumption of international tourism. A chance to see this city without the crowds (except at the Rialto where everyone seems to meet). Several times in the morning, we even felt alone in St. Mark’s Square! Not to mention the Doge’s Palace which we had not managed to visit during our previous trip to Venice and in which this time we crossed vast, almost deserted rooms. We will not forget this Venetian break with the children! I would also like to point out that the city was extremely clean, with an impressive work by the garbage collectors who crisscross the streets and canals. No unpleasant smell either! In short, I hope you see Venice as we saw it this summer and of course, I will now detail our little, totally improvised program on site…

Venice for the family: our 10 essentials:

1: The Grand Canal: you might as well start with the Grand Canal as soon as you arrive because it gives an excellent first overview of the city. With our suitcases, we simply took the vaporetto from Piazzale Roma (point of arrival on the island) to get to our accommodation which was located a stone’s throw from St. Mark’s Square. This made us enjoy the whole canal! The journey is not cheap (7.50 euros) but it should be seen as an attraction in itself, like a riverboat ride :-). Free tickets for children under 6 years old. To remember these magnificent views from the water, we also took the vaporetto again at the end of our stay before leaving Venice. During our stay, we crossed the Grand Canal several times at the bridges and we never tire of the changing light… Venice is so beautiful at any time of the day!

(more…)
Our one-week Cornwall road-trip

In July we took the several hours of road towards the West: Cornwall. It is actually the most South-Western point of England. A bit equivalent to Britanny in my native France 😉 There really are a lot of points in common. Both are magnificently wild, both have coves with turquoise and emerald water, both give an impression of ‘the remote end of the world’, both with proud inhabitants, beautiful stone cottages, good seafood… But Cornwall is still different from Brittany: flora, landscape, vibe, architecture and the language – obviously! Let me take you on a one-week road-trip through Cornwall.

Kynance Cove

Cornwall is well known for its natural beauty, appreciated by locals, english and international tourists alike. Originally we had planned to go in spring to avoid the crowds. But due to Covid we had to change our plans and delay the trip to the summer. In the end it was much less crowded than we had feared because the international tourists were still missing. The locals were even surprised to hear us speak French until we explained that we live in Hampshire. Ideal conditions for our Cornwall trip! A real ‘coup de cœur’!

Cornwall by campervan

We took the campervan and mostly used it for our nights. We also spent one night in a hotel to get some comfort into the mix (coming into our week in Cornwall we had already spent a few days hiking in the Dartmoor National Park).

Before getting to all the wonderful discoveries we made in Cornwall, I think it’s important to note that we didn’t prepare a thing. Neither the itinerary, nor the list of points of interest (with 1 or 2 exceptions here), nor the nights! That’s the advantage of the campervan, we knew that we could improvise! We often stopped completely by chance… We had decided to start roughly by Newquay and then go anti-clockwise. Instead we zig-zagged quite a bit because we spent several night in the same spot.

Our itinerary for a week in Cornwall:

The spots followed by a heart (❤) are the ones we preferred. Here is our improvised itinerary in the hope that it may inspire you! But don’t hesitate to just get lost in Cornwall since it’s beautiful everywhere! Our itinerary:

(more…)
4 days in Naples as a family

Here is the story of our stay in Naples with family during the February holidays. This was our last trip to date. We didn’t yet suspect that the following ones were going to skip. However, it was precisely while we were in Naples that northern Italy made headlines because the virus began to spread dangerously in Venice and Milan. At the time, far from imagining what would happen next, we told ourselves that we were damn lucky to have chosen Naples after we had hesitated for a long time with Milan. Our desire for sun and pizza had temporarily saved us :-). When we returned from vacation, the children’s school asked us which region of Italy we were returning from because if we had stayed in the north, we would have had to quarantine ourselves. So I exhaled, relieved, without understanding that the whole world was going to end up in quarantine!

Anyway, after this long introduction, here is my article about our stay in Naples as a family. It was two months ago. I hope that this virtual visit will do you as much good as it did me and that you will keep this article handy for next year perhaps…

In the meantime, I highly recommend the four books in the saga L’Amie Prodigieuse ( L’Amica Geniale ) by Elena Ferrante. This story will immerse you in the life of the working-class neighborhoods of Naples in the 1950s. I read them in Italian which adds to the magic of the text because the alternation of Neapolitan dialect and Italian is a marvel! For me, it’s a personal journey into the Sicily of my childhood and into the stories my father tells me… That said, the people who read it in English also really liked it so I think that in all cases it’s an endearing, realistic and colorful read (only the last volume disappointed me). When visiting Naples, you inevitably pass by certain places described in the book. One more reason to plan a Neapolitan vacation!

The view of the historic center of Naples and Capri in the distance

Naples with family, the program:

(more…)
A week in Menorca

After our family trip to Mallorca last year, we chose to discover Menorca this year: we wanted to enjoy the Balearic Islands but with fewer tourists because Mallorca is a beautiful destination but it is even more overcrowded in August than any other islands we know in the Mediterranean region.

In short: goal achieved! It was much less crowded than Mallorca because the capacity in terms of accommodation is much more limited; it also means that prices are a bit higher and that you have to book ahead.

Cala Macarelleta

Our itinerary for a week in Menorca with the kids:

Day 1: Late arrival in Ciutadella: first family walk in its picturesque port and amid its medieval alleys.

(more…)
Family holiday in Crete: our road trip through the western part of the island

At the beginning of Easter break, we went to Crete with the kids. A wonderful family trip that confirmed our fondness for Greece! Do you remember? Last April, we spent our holidays in the Peloponnese; then, in July, we sailed around Corfou in a sailboat. What do we love about Greece? The landscape, the climate, the low cost, the food (fresh fish!) and above all the warm welcome of the locals! Here in Crete, we discovered amazing hospitality and generosity! In a word, a destination you shouldn’t hesitate to explore with your family! As Crete is a big island, we focused on the western part and I organized the road trip detailed below, for a duration of 9 nights. As far as the weather is concerned, we had 7 sunny days (18 °C and big blue sky) and 2 rainy days. Also, unlike the same time last year, the temperature of the water was quite cool (I’d say 16-17 °C), so we only bathed once. Let’s say that in April, it is entirely possible for the sea to be warmer, but there is no guarantee. Anyway, my program was more focused on hiking and sightseeing. The summits were still snowy. This early in April, on the most famous beaches of the island, we were lucky enough to be almost alone; during the summer it must be very crowded!

Elafonisi Beach without the summer crowd. Isn’t life beautiful?

Family holiday in Crete: our itinerary
(more…)