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Travel Notes

Stories from our family's travel.

Stories first, useful details second, and enough context to understand what we would do again.

July 5, 2026

Riga

On Monday June 29th, our bus ride to Riga was uneventful. It was four hours and 15 minutes. We traveled on small roads surrounded by fields going through small towns. The roads seemed very small for the bus size that we were on, but it worked. We got into Riga and instantly fell.

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June 30, 2026

Vilnius

Traveling from Krakow to Vilnius brought typical airport rushes and delays, but also a surprising gluten-free pizza find and a sobering visit to the KGB museum amid a heat wave.

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June 25, 2026

Krakow

Tuesday morning June 23rd, we left early from Zakopane taking the train to Krakow. The train journey was quite pleasant and empty. We had a slight delay which I thought was longer than it actually was so I told the boys to go down to the dining car and order some food for lunch,.

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June 22, 2026

Zakopane, Poland

Days 1-3: We had a very smooth easy flight from Charlotte to Munich, Where only a little sleep was had by Paul and I apparently the boys didn’t sleep at all. Then got through border control very smoothly in Munich it only took minutes so that left us a couple hours to wander...

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June 17, 2026

On our way through Poland and the Baltics

Our 19-day family trip through Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland has begun. Follow along as we explore cities, nature, and history.

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April 14, 2025

Days 13-17: Tokyo

Monday April 14th continued We stayed in an area called Asakusa. That evening we decided to keep things easy and go get burgers, then walked around a huge temple, Senso-Ji, which was very pretty at night but still very crowded.

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April 13, 2025

Days 12-13: Hakone

Rain and fog changed our plans in Hakone, Japan, but we found comfort in an onsen resort, a windy ropeway ride, a pirate ship cruise, and unexpected views of Mt. Fuji from a lakeside shop.

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April 9, 2025

Days 8-11: Kyoto

Wednesday April 9th We decided to not waste the last morning in Hiroshima, since we loved this city so much, and walked up to the castle. We walked the grounds and inside the rebuilt castle (it was destroyed during the bomb of course) fairly quickly since we had to be back in tim

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April 7, 2025

Days 6-7: Hiroshima

Monday April 7th It was time to take our first bullet train. We took a taxi to the train station and bought our Shinkansen tickets. They are not cheap, but the train was 2 ½ hours to get to Hiroshima instead of a 6 hour drive. The boys got bento boxes to eat on the train.

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April 2, 2025

Days 1-5: Nagoya

Wednesday April 2nd 3:00 AM I lie awake and hear the first signs of life in the house, Kyle getting up and jumping into the shower. Slowly the rest of us get up and start getting ready. We leave the house just before 4:00.

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March 9, 2025

We are heading to Japan!

Heading to Japan!

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July 5, 2024

Canada Calling

A Summer Adventure Through Majestic Landscapes and Historic Cities: What an unforgettable summer adventure we had in Canada during July 2024! From the bustling streets of Montreal to the breathtaking heights of Quebec City and the serene beauty of the region's natural wonders,...

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