We were fortunate to be in London during the sales and thus we managed to purchase a lot of things at a good price. We spend most of our time on Oxford Street, where we entered the huge retail store Selfridges, the Zara and Marks & Spencer retailer stores. From Nike store we purchased a couple of trousers and sport shoes for Mike and a good sports dress for Emily.

We returned to the London vacation apartment to get rid of the bags and sleep a little bit. Happy but worn out the kids felt asleep instantly. When they got up we visited a wonderful restaurant in the Kensington area in which we were lodging. The spot was very beautifully arranged and the meals was very yummy. I had a good, conventional English meal with draught beer, while Maria had a salad and a glass of red wine. The kids were impressed by the desserts.

Maria and I like dancing but with the children night clubbing is not achievable, although we knew London had a superb dance scene. Thus, we promised ourselves that we will return, just the 2 of us to see that other place of the United kingdom capital, which we missed on this trip with the children.

That day Maria decided that we should bring the little ones to observe some ceremonies, which could be appreciated only in London and which, as we were sure, would win over our little ones for a long time. We left our London holiday flat and took the metro to get to the Buckingham Palace, where we saw the switching of the guards’ service. Mike and Emily were absolutely amazed by the foot guards with their red and black uniforms and the special tall black helmets. The service was not short, but the kids were intriqued and saw it until the ending and from then on did not want to leave the Memorial of Queen Victoria, wherefrom we got the entire program.

I went to buy snacks and fish’n’chips for us all, while Maria took Emily and Mike and went to the nearby Green Park where we had a small family picnic and the kids enjoyed laying on the lawn and socializing with other children that contacted them.

As the afternoon was really warm, I advised we need to move to the Hide Park and the Kensington Gardens, where is the Princess Diana Memorial and the playground close to it. This kids zone is great for kids up to twelve years old. Mike and Emily especially enjoyed the wooden pirate vessel and were talking about it throughout the whole evening as we returned to our London vacation apartment.

The first thing my wife made was to look through the internet and to discover a quality London flat with excellent location and a realistic price. The 2nd point was to discover low-priced airplane tickets from one of the budget flight companies. Once the day came, we got the kids and our luggage and went towards the terminal. When in London, we came to the London vacation apartment where the kids were amazed by the area they will had to share and my spouse was happy for the fully equipped kitchen area in which she was able to cook lunch for the whole family.

A couple of hours after our arrival, Maria, the children and I were prepared to go visiting sites. I could say that there is often something organised for the families with children. The very first areas me and Maria thought of nevertheless, were the famous London Zoo and the London Aquarium. The youngsters were very thrilled with the creatures they observed and kept on talking about them as we ate sandwiches for lunch. In the late mid-day we reached the London flat weary, yet in very good mood and filled with pleasant thoughts.

After dark we stopped at a small eating place, since we assured it is open for children as well and that it has a good food selection for children. The restaurant was very close to our London holiday apartment, which was very convenient as the children were tired and we needed to bring them back to our London apartment the moment possible. Then Maria and I had some time for us, drinking wine in the living area zone, watching the news.

Maria explained we have a lot to see in that part of the Scottish capital and I agreed. The very first monument to view was the Scott Monument, which was constructed and set up for the memory of Sir Walter Scot. From there we appreciated great views above the town and made some great photos. The following place to visit was the National Gallery of Scotland where we managed to view the finest art selections in the country. There was no entrance fee whatsoever, that was great and the exact was valid for the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, that on the other hand we could not go to because it was closed for repairs till November 2011.

Maria was hungry, thus we got fish and chips and had some rest at the Princes Street Gardens, which is a tiny but marvelously arranged recreation area established between the Princes Street and the Castle Hills.

In the afternoon we climbed the Calton Hill and next we went shopping along the Princes Street, the George Street and the Broughton Street.

As this day was totally devoted on the New Town, in the evening we went out of our Edinburgh furnished flat and we went to a pub we have seen in the course of the day – The Living Room, where the food was excellent and the visitors could enjoy not only the ale and the cocktails but also the show of the bartenders. Then we went to the Standing Order Pub and finished the night there.

We’d a sandwich and a drink in the Holyrood Park on the eastern area and then went to the Arthur’s Seat and then towards the Cathedral St. Giles and the Scotch Whiskey Heritage Centre. After that we certainly needed refreshment and Maria recommended we should have a bite and some ale on one of the cafes along the Royal Mile. After the snack we had, we headed for some souvenir shopping. After that the two of us agreed, it might be better to go back to our Edinburgh holiday accommodation and have some sleep. I watched TV, while Maria checked out her email and done a research about the bars and eating places in the Scottish main city that were in close proximity to our holiday apartment.

Late in the afternoon we went out again and had a great lengthy stroll alongside the Princes Street, that signifies the heart and in a way sets apart the Scottish main city into an Old and a New Town. On the Princes Street we discovered several nice stores, and noticed exactly where the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery are and decided to see them on the next days.

We had a peaceful dinner at Rick’s bar, that is a trendy bar in the central part, serving food and drinks. We had deep fried pizza, which we found out is a common local dish and then we went to bed early as we were quite worn out from the landmarks and shopping during the day.

Prior to my vacation I attempted to make a study about which might be the best pubs in Edinburgh, but was truly lost. There were numerous comments and so many testimonials by holiday-makers, so I made a decision we will go to the cafes close to our vacation apartment in Edinburgh and try to stick to our intuition. We paid an appointment to the Last Drop Pub, since we were fascinated by its long history, then we’d an ale at the Sandy Bell’s Pub in which we listened to some folk music.

After that we headed towards the Portobello area which was far from our serviced apartment in Edinburgh but was an interesting neighborhood as we were told. We stood for half an hour ay the Malt and Hops Pub where the beer collection was awesome, then we went to the Carriers Quarters where we were offered the best beer for the night.

We were in a excellent mood and we met some new friends, who were thrilled to learn about our countries and home towns and we exchanged our emails to keep in touch one back at home. The time was flying and therefore Maria and me and we decided to return to our Edinburgh lodging and get a good sleep, as we had very a lengthy program for the next few days.

These sites involved the Nemo destination, that is the greatest science center in the country and which occurred to be in a location that was very easily available from the Amsterdam getaway flat we were staying at. Then we entered the Maritime Museum too, as it is located simply close to Nemo.

Our next stop was the Magere Brug, that is positioned in the center of Amsterdam and goes back from the 1930’s and is colored in white. From then on we went to get a snack at a bistro nearby, which had a specific menu for the young children.

Ellie was bored and for that reason Anna and I took her to the Artis place, that is a large zoo in the town center zone of Amsterdam. Aside from zoo, right here are also placed a planetarium and a zoological museum, and also a geological museum. I may say, me and my wife were fascinated in the place as well and had some enjoyable time there.

That last night in the capital of Netherlands was spend outdoors of the Amsterdam holiday apartment. The three of us visited the Rembrandt Square and next to the Leidseplein Square. These 2 areas are the primary entertainment locations in the city, where are concentrated a lot of night clubs, movie theaters and theatres, in addition a betting house and the excellent thing is that many of these are easily obtainable by foot, therefore we all had excellent moment.

The very first museum to visit and the one nearest to the Amsterdam holiday apartment, was the Van Gogh Museum. I am a complete admirer of this well-known artist and was incredibly pleased to see the largest choice of paintings from Van Gogh. The following spot we saw was the House of Anne Frank, which features various historical artefacts telling the story of a small lady that made a huge effect on the earth. The 3rd stop that day was at the nation’s museum of the country Rijkmuseum. We managed to have snack at the gardens close to this art gallery, which are really pleasant and sunny.

On the way back to the Amsterdam holiday residence we have booked, we broke into a few souvenir shops and several large department shops. Anna particularly liked one of the outdoor marketplaces we passed by and bought some gifts.

Right after a brief nap in our Amsterdam holiday apartment, we were ready to go out again and Anna recommended we enjoy a quiet evening, sitting at the large terrace of one of the local bars. There was a children playground area, so Ellie was busy too, as we were eating and taking pleasure in a cold glass of beer and some home-produced wine.

I arranged the plane seats and booked a holiday Amsterdam apartment from a website that I found an easy task to navigate and basic to book. The serviced Amsterdam holiday residence that I picked was really carefully picked, as I required Anna and our child Ellie to be close to the primary landmarks and yet to be able to return to the apartment easily if they need to.

Once we got there in the capital of Netherlands, we were all happy, since this was our first true family vacation, because until now Ellie was too small to travel with us. Thus, we settled in our Amsterdam apartment, left our baggage and were keen to go out again.

The very first thing we did that day was to take a canal cruise, as the canals in Amsterdam are symbolic representation of the city that build its romantic charm, revealing spectacular panoramic scenery. There are lots of canal cruises to select from in Amsterdam, but we decided to take a larger vessel, where we also had the chance to dine.

That afternoon we spend in the old town and the main zone of the city, which are close to our Amsterdam apartment. The centre is small and is pleasant to explore by walking. It offers great architecture which is a fest for the eye, several bridges and significant amounts of cafes, elegant restaurants and small parks.