We took the plane from Seattle to San Diego. Very smooth flight, no clouds and as we were in the air during the evening we had a beautiful view of LA by night for example…

We arrived after 10pm and had booked a hotel close to the airport. Luggage, taxi, shower & bed!

The next morning we went for breakfast at the Naked Cafe – clean, yummy foods to start the day. Was perfect!

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We then checked out, dropped the luggage at reception and got an Uber to Balboa Park. And spent our day there… excellent park and quite impressive with all the museums, sights and things to do…

In the late afternoon we left the park for some ice cream, walked to a close by Whole Foods to get some goodies for next days’ breakfast and got another Uber to drop us at a IN – N – OUT Burger close to the hotel. We were told it is a must. We need to stop and get one of their burgers whilst in California. Crazy busy, cute small menu, simple and good burgers… yeah…

Got our luggage, found an Uber and off we went to Encinitas – ca. 25 min by car North of San Diego.

The next day we had our breakfast and went out for a big fat grocery shopping. There was a BBQ in the garden!

We stayed here for a week and our days looked like this: Breakfast, hanging around, little lunch and hop to the beach. Closest beach was Beacons and it took around 15 min to walk from the house we had rented. Little ice cream stop on the way ( Yocadia Creamery ), climbing down some serious stairs and off in the water.

Perfect. Perfect water temperature, clean water and sand… lovely! And waves. Yay! We became the surfer family… haha… so much fun. Encinitas is super lovely – lots of surfers and not much tourism. More local shops & cafes than the big retailers.

The other option was called Moonlight beach. Around 30-45min to walk. Ice cream stop here was Handel’s. Bigger = more people but with a big playground and showers. We rotated between those two…

After all the cities and sightseeing we enjoyed this very relaxed holiday mode.

Beacons Beach:

Moonlight Beach:

Next stop: Santa Barbara… we took the train again!

During our last day we also paid a visit to two Encinitas institutions: We had lunch at Juanitos Taco Shop and for diner we got a pizza at Manhattan Giant Pizza. Super fresh and yummy. Their biggest pizza is 28 inches big (!!!), we shared a simple 14inch cheese pizza… and were full :)

PS: Follow the trip via Instagram too.

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Oh we loved Seattle! Such a great city and so much to do and see. In and around. Great people, cool atmosphere, relaxed and a bit arty. Very nice!

We took the train from Vancouver and that already was quite an experience. In a country where everything is so modern taking the train puts you right back in the 60’s. The uniforms must not have changed for decades, the train is slow yet brings you through some beautiful places and for a lot of time you sit right next to the water. Amazing! And it is cheap… the ride from Vancouver to Seattle takes 4 1/2h. (By car it would be around 2 1/2h ….)

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We arrived and went straight to China Town for some Dim Sum. Close to the train station and we found a highly recommended spot. After that we were looking for a cafe to watch some football and stop for a coffee & tea. We landed close to Pioneer Square and watched the end of the game with another French Family. Our AirBnB was available as of 3pm and we still had a little time and walked around a little and found a cool kids spot right on Occidental Square. A toddler play area, foosball tables and some other outdoor family games. In the end we forgot time, chatted with some people and had a lot of fun. I often think that when you start a city in good spirits it can only be a great city :)

The next day (2nd day) we went to -Pike Street Market. So soooo busy. With four kids and most still very small & a baby it was a little overwhelming, We checked a few things, had some freshly made mini donuts and then took off… especially Leonor is not a fan of masses. Even on playgrounds she would not play when there are too many kids. We had lunch and then headed to the Seattle Great Wheel. Nice views of the city… Before we took the bus back to our apartment we stopped at Occidental Square again… little foosball session…

Day 3: We started with Seattle Center. Saw the Space Needle from close, Checked out the EMP museum – there is a cool playground too. Busy but fun! Then we walked up to Capitol Hill. Lunch stop at Portage Bay which is famous for their brunch. I had some super yummy vegan banana pancakes and could load my plate with all kinds of yummy berries from their fruit buffet! Must! Walked around Capital Hill. On broadway you can find dance steps along the sidewalk. Tango, rumba, foxtrott… very funny! We found a great play ground and had a very yummy ice cream at Molly Moon… normally not my favourite but their salted caramel is delicious!!!

Day 4: We took the bus to Ballard, a district of Seattle. Farmers Market and Food Festival was on. And the Football final. We did all and had a blast. Very cool and young area. Excellent farmers market. (I wanted to move immediately… those veggies and fresh flowers… aaaaahhhh). The coolest bit was probably a place called FULL TILT. You get excellent ice cream (yes exactly we love ice cream but we are picky… so we are searching for the best places to make it worth it) aaaaand the place is full of pinball machines. Man… that was a long time ago I played pinball. For the kids the first time and veryyyy funny!

Day 5: We headed to the library. Probably not something you usually have on your list but I read that the place was all cool and a designer building etc… we had to go. It is right in the center too… and yay. So cool! And the kids area was lovely. All our kids love books and actually did not want to leave… There is a cute little shop and cafe too. Make sure to go all the way to the top – for the view – and find the red corridor. Then we did a few shops, had burgers at Great State Burger (all organic and locally sourced simple and yummy burgers) and walked to Lake Union…

Day 6: In the morning we met Jane and Amy from Flora + Henri for a coffee at the Waterfall Park and then took the ferry to Bainbridge. A great ferry ride and a lovely little island. A few little shops, cafes, MORA ice cream… a lovely day.

And then it was time to leave. We spend the morning in Wallingford (district of Seattle), had another & last salted caramel at Molly Moons (this is their original location) and then took the plane to San Diego. Our next chapter of this trip…

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After we dropped the camper van we took the plane to get to Vancouver. It was a long day because we spend a lot of time at the airport (had to return the RV before noon and the flight was only at 7.30pm) but we could watch a football match, found a little play area and you know… watched planes…

In Vancouver we rented a little house that was not that far from the airport and very well and quickly connected to get downtown.

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The jetlag is far behind us and everyone is in the holiday mood. We hardly return before 8pm, so diner and bedtime is when it is and we get up somewhere around 8.30/9am. Breakfast, six people getting dressed etc… we are out the door around 10.30/11am… no more walking around before sunrise like in San Francisco…

Day 1: We needed breakfast. And we needed to fill the fridge. Task of the morning. After that we walked up to a nice park, had a little afternoon treat and took it really easy… Plus it was Canada Day! Which we only found out in the morning… we found a cool playground in a cute park and stayed really long. Watched some people celebrating, singing etc…

Day 2: We took the Skytrain downtown. We had a few little things on the list that we needed to buy (like a new USB stick because ours must still be in a hidden corner in the camper van), then we had a very nice Mexcican lunch (I looooove carnitas) and watched the 2nd half of the Germany:Italy match. We kept on walking around the city, discovering Vancouver and found another super playground. Around the corner was a lovely deli where we found some nice things for our diner.

Day 3: We went to Granville Island. Did the kids market, walked through the Market Hall and could not handle the number of people everywhere. The noise and everything… we left the masses, found some swings and decided to walk down to Kitsilano Beach. And this is where I started to really embrace Vancouver – city, nature, huge parks, beach… all in one city that is veryyyy international. We really loved the area around Kits Beach. 4th Avenue is great. Lots of nice shops, cafes and restaurants. We had a lovely lunch and then went down to the beach (again cool playground right there). And discovered the outdoor pool. Woooooooot! (more a little later)

Day 4: Stanley Park was our mission for the day but before: DIM SUM! (one of my favorite foods and the kids love it too). We went to Dinesty on Robson and it was so good. Soup dumplings and, something very new… red bean&chocolate as a treat. Yummy! Marching to Stanley Park, enjoying the view from the seawall, discovering the totem poles, having a quick go at the waterpark playground (it was a little to cold to really enjoy), walking through the park…

Day 5: We normally wanted to return to Stanley Park and do the other side. Second Beach but it started to rain (first time since we left – everyone noticed!) so we went for a ramen (Marutama, very good!) and then decided that the beach and rain was not on. The kids decided. We asked them. Slow day. Also necessary sometimes. We are on holidays after all…

Day 6: The sun was back and temperatures up. We packed the swimsuits and went back to Kids Beach. Or better the pool. We promised the kids that we would go for a swim before we leave. The pool is 137m long. Amazing. Seawater at 26C. On the way there we stopped for a decadent and excellent ice cream at Rain or Shine. (not to be missed)

The next day we had to get up at 4am (oh my…) and took the train to Seattle. The next chapter. And taking the train was like a little transition back to the 70s… so cute!

 
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After our week in San Francisco we went to pick up a camper van (RV). There are various reasons behind it – being able to get away from the coast is one, trying something new is another and going on a little extra adventure that the kids will love was a BIG one.

Weeks before we even left they hardly talked about something else. They were drawing camper vans, asked if ours would be the same every time we spotted one on the streets and Romy was super excited that her birthday would fall into the 12 days we had the rolling house.
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The last time I went camping is a very long time ago and booking campgrounds was more or less the most time consuming part of the trip. Reading tons of reviews (which are helpful but always need to be read with a little wink), Google maps&street views etc… we are easy and well traveled but never did a trip with a big RV. Had to find out what all the pull throughs, hook ups etc meant and did not want to spend long hours driving either.

First night: Bethel Island

Was only about 1h drive from the pick up. Easy start to get the groove. We were lucky and had a very nice team that welcomed us, helped me to park (backwards) and shared some tricks with us. We made it!

After that we went to Jackson. 2 1/2h driving. Big stop for groceries and lunch. We had a very luxury campsite with a super laundry room (which we used instantly) and big pool. It was hot and comfortable but not really what camping is for me: I want to be in the woods! See the trees, hear the birds….

After 2 nights we were on the road again. Direction Lake Tahoe. Grocery and lunch stop again… which can be quite interesting because you need like 3 parking lots for the vehicle and lots of space to actually get in… aaaaaaahhhh…

This was our longest and steepest drive. And also the most scenic one. Unfortunately I had to concentrate on driving (in the mountains) but everything I saw was just awesome. And Lake Tahoe is amazing. Truly unforgettable. So beautiful! And we had a great campsite. In the woods, with birds and bears… yes bears… we had to put our food and cosmetics in bear proof cabinets outside the trailer. Adventure – just what we wanted!

It got really fresh over night here so first thing when we woke up: coffee and tea!

After 2 nights (we wanted to stay 3 but it was fully booked) we started our trip to the vineyards. We arrived in Vacaville and stayed for 3 nights. And wow, it was hot! Luckily there was a pool and ice cream close by…

From here we only had to drive 45 min til Napa where we spent more or less the day. Big and very yummy lunch. Cruising around a little. Shopping, first ever visit to Target (which I found a little bla… I expected much more since I always hear all my US friends dreaming about it), groceries etc…

And then another 45 min from Napa to Calistoga. Another scenic drive through the vineyards. So pretty!

After three nights in the vineyards with an unbearable (nearly) heat and lots of time spent in the local coffee shop we left for our last night. And how lucky we were to end out trip in Del Valle National Park. True camping style in the middle of the woods. And hubby even made a fire (from scratch!)…

And then we went back to SF, dropped the van, went to the airport and flew to Vancouver. The next chapter (which you can already follow here)!

Summary: During the trip we just could not make our mind up – do we like camping/ holidaying in a camper van or not? Can we imagine to do this again?

After 12 days we were ready. Ready to walk on a floor that is clean (try to keep a tiny space clean with 6 people running in and out from the woods, pool and and and), sleep in a proper bed (the bed in the van was too short for me) and just have a bit more space in general… (and it is funny how you appreciate little things after 12 days in a campervan).

The kids loved it. No question about it! They could not really say why… just because it is different… it is great to be surrounded by nature all the time and yes we can imagine to do this again …. huuuuuh…
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We started! We are on the road… we managed the 11h flight, we are over the jetlag and we are having so much fun… sometimes I still have to pinch myself that this is actually real.

It is!

We arrived on Monday (nearly 2 weeks ago) in the afternoon local time which was midnight for us and meant: 2 kids fell asleep just before landing and the rest could barely keep their eyes open. Taxi to the hotel…. quick refreshment and off to bed… and yay… first movements at around 1am (night!!!)…. we managed to keep things low till around 2am… and after 2h in the hotel room we just needed to get out…. walking the streets of San Francisco with four kids at 4am… well…nothing I need to do again but lets just call it a part of the whole adventure… (and lots of stops at Starbucks).

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The first day we ended up walking over 18km, found Hayes Valley by accident and loved it (lots of French restaurants and delis)… did one bit of Golden Gate Park (super playground and carousel close to the main entrance!), had our first pick nick and walked and walked and walked… a new city just keeps you going right?! (when we were back in the hotel, the kids were asleep and we had a little retrospect of the day and realised how amazing the kids are…. walked and walked and walked… )

On Wednesday we took the cable car! We went back to Hayes Valley for breakfast, walked over to the cable cars and had so much fun. The kids totally loved it. Even Joséphine was giggling all the time…

We ended in Fisherman’s Wharf – very touristic and not really our thing. Too many people, too many shops with souvenirs nobody needs, too many bad restaurants and so on… we walked along the piers, stopped at a playground, had ice cream and walked back to the hotel… another 16km on the clock (you may wonder why I know but after hubby wondered how much we walked and I told him he could check on my phone… we checked every day when we got back…)

On Thursday we went to the Exploratorium – a lot of people recommended it and the forecast was grey and a little rain (in the end it turned out very sunny and hot). An awesome experience! So much to do, try, play, think, see and and and…

After that we had a little stroll through the Ferry Building which is full of food stalls and shops (very close to the Museum), playground time and a stop at Yerba Buena Gardens – a place where we want to return before heading home. Beautiful oasis in the city! (we will spend the last two nights in SF before coming back to Sweden)

Friday we did the bridge! T H E   B R I D G E! The bridge we showed the kids before the trip, we talked about, they even did a little research on it and so on… finally we saw it with our own eyes and crossed it with our feet.

(yay…. that was another 18km day)

I loved that they kept the park around the bridge very natural with plants and trees from the region. Once over the bridge we went to Sausalito, had lunch, strolled around a bit and took the ferry back to SF.

A few things:

We are using UBER (which is banned in a lot of cities in Europe) and love it. So convenient. Especially with kids and when in need of a mini van. Everything on your phone. Perfect!

Plates of food are giant. Some days we did not even have diner or just a little snack because we were still full from breakfast and lunch.

People talk to us! All the time! And it is so much fun. The first day we were sitting on a bench and enjoyed the sun that finally showed up (remember we started our tour when it was pitch dark and the city asleep). And we saw all these people walking their dogs… and started talking and the kids started to walk dogs too or this guy that showed Antoine how to play table tennis… and the baby of course… flirting with everyone… but yes, after 3 years in Sweden you nearly forget how that is when people socialise with you…

Next post: Our trip with the RV!

(all images by Paul & Paula)

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