In this post I am going to relive some of the great trips Molly has taken with our family over past spring breaks. I will provide a narrative of where we visited as she helps me reconstruct this throwback post of travel. This week is spring break and by sharing this blog experience with her I hope to help support her during the final quarter of distance learning in seventh grade, which starts April 5.
Every year I look forward to spring break. I have planned some amazing trips to Hawaii, Paris, Bavaria, Prague, Venice, Barcelona, and Southern France. When the pandemic struck in March 2020, my trip to Germany, with Molly to visit my son Sam, was cancelled. Spring break took on a whole new meaning as we watched the world shut down. Spring break 2020 was extended as educators scrambled to figure out how to teach students distantly. Selfishly I thought of how that extra time would have been great if I had been on an exciting trip instead of stuck at home. At that time, I would have gone if I could have, but looking back I feel a lot differently now.
As the year progressed, Molly and I came to terms with the lack of travel and we found new ways to entertain ourselves. We also learned to use the travel memories to comfort us as we spent a majority of our time at home. We enjoyed photos, planned travel-themed meals, painted travel pictures, read about travel, watched travel videos, and talked about travel. Throughout the pandemic Molly seemed content that her travel-full life had come to an end and when I asked her about traveling, recently, she told me that she has gotten used to it and she is okay staying home. She said she did not want to be that person traveling during COVID. Such wise words from someone so young.
Molly’s first spring break in 2008, as a three-month old, was spent road-tripping to Washington DC in a snowstorm. We toured the sites at Williamsburg, Jamestown, and DC, while enjoying the warmer weather. Since then, Molly has been to DC a few times and she remembers the highlights. Molly’s favorite thing to do in DC is visiting the monuments and the Smithsonian museums.
In 2009, as a family, we went to Germany, Austria, and Italy. Molly was only 18 months old and she does not remember her first trip to Europe but she loves the photos.
In 2011, when Molly was three, my husband Paul faced a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan so we took the family on a European spring break trip to Prague, Garmisch, Munich, and Venice. Molly loved the gondola ride and eating pizza on the canal. Traveling can be hard work and Molly had a hard time flying and it took her a few days in Prague to regain her strength and energy. In Garmisch, a beautiful Olympic village in Bavaria, we stayed at Edelweiss Lodge and Resort where her brother Sam currently works and lives. Just outside of Garmisch, is Neuschwanstein Castle, the famous King Ludwig castle copied by Disney for Cinderella’s castle in Disney World. In Munich we visited the Chinese Tower in the Englischer Garten, strolled through museums and art galleries, and went to the Marienplatz to see the world-famous Glockenspiel.
Molly in her stroller on Charles Bridge, Prague
Upon Paul’s return home, in 2013, we took a family spring break trip to Barcelona and Southern France. In Barcelona we met up with my oldest son, Teddy, who was studying abroad at Oxford University through St. Cloud State University. Molly loved seeing Teddy but once again she suffered from jetlag and it took her a few days to return to normal. In Barcelona we visited La Sagrada Familia cathedral, Park Guell filled with Gaudi’s sculptural buildings, and Monserrat Monastery on a mountainside, which was only accessible by cable car. We drove to Southern France and stopped in Figueres, Spain, home to artist Salvador Dali and the Dali Museum. In Southern France we visited with Grandpa Chappell and we took day trips to the ancient villages complete with Roman ruins.
In 2014, our family spent spring break in San Francisco where we visited Alcatraz, China Town, the Golden Gate Bridge, and we rode the streetcar. Molly loved walking along the oceanfront and seeing the sealions. We spent Easter at Golden Gate Park, home to Hippie Hill.
Spring break 2016 brought us to Honolulu, Hawaii, where, we climbed Diamond Head volcano, strolled along Waikiki beach, visited Pearl Harbor, and swam in a waterfall at Waimea Valley Park. We stayed at Hale Koa, a resort dedicated to military members and their families. Molly loved playing at the beach and swimming in the waves with sea turtles.
We love Germany so much that we went back over spring break in 2017. This time we visited Prague, Berlin, Bacharach, and the Berchesgaden area. In Prague we visited the Old Jewish Cemetery, the Old Town Square, and the Charles Bridge. Molly took her first Uber ride in Prague and she told me years later that she had no idea what was going on because I told her get in the car without explaining anything. In Berlin we went to the Holocaust memorial, the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and what is left of the Berlin Wall along with the Wall Museum – Checkpoint Charlie. We stayed in a rundown accommodation and believe it or not that was memorable to Molly! Bacharach am Rhein is a medieval walled village along the Rhein River, and we spent time checking out the village and surroundings. The highlight for Molly was a Niederwald-Seilbahn cable car ride. For me it was Riesling gelato. In the Obersalzburg area we explored the Berghof remains, which was Hitler’s house on the mountain that was bombed in WWII and then later the Germans had the Americans destroy it. We also went into an underground bunker at the Documentation Center.
Berlin Wall
In 2018, our spring break destination was Paris where we explored all the wonderful sites and museums: Pantheon, Notre Dame, Musee du Louvre where we saw the Mona Lisa, Versailes Palace, Sainte-Chapelle de Paris with its beautiful stained glass, Musee d’Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Musee Picasso Paris, Sacre-Coeur, Moulin Rouge, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Musee de l’Armee and Hotel des Invalides, and Musee de l’ Orangerie. There was no shortage of things to do. Molly remembers how I was almost pick-pocketed on the subway. My son confronted a young girl and she denied it and ran away when the door opened. There was also an incident where an older woman tried to get money from us for a ring she found—one of the oldest cons. Molly also recalls getting lost in the Eiffel Tower, which was scary for her at the time, but now she looks back and she thinks it is funny.
Mona Lisa at Louvre
The last spring break trip we took was in 2019, and just Molly and I ventured back to Hawaii. Although we spent most of our time at the pool or beach, we ventured out to see the Honolulu Museum of Art and Iolani Palace. We also took a whale watching cruise and swam with Nani, the dolphin. Molly’s most memorable time on our last spring break was swimming in the ocean and seeing fish in the ocean.
Swimming with Nani
Scattered between spring break trips we had adventures to Philadelphia, skiing in the Poconos, Orlando & Disney World, New Orleans, Toronto, the Upper Peninsula, NYC, the Jersey Shore, Los Angeles, the Black Hills & all the SD sites, Italy, and Iceland. My aunt pointed out to me this past week that one year in Molly’s life is about 1/10 of her entire life and that’s a long time. As soon as it is safe and possible, our first trip will be to Germany to visit Sam, her brother. In her 13 years of life, Molly has had many experiences that I hope will continue to sustain her while we stay at home.