We were fortunate to be in London throughout the product sales and thus we succeeded to buy a lot of items at a good price. We spend most of our time on Oxford Street, where we accessed the huge store Selfridges, the Zara and Marks & Spencer retailer stores. From Nike store we bought a couple of trousers and sport shoes for Mike and a good sports gown for Emily.

We went back to the London holiday apartment to get rid of the bags and sleep a bit. Satisfied but worn out our kids felt asleep instantly. As soon as they woke up we went to a wonderful eating place in the Kensington area in which we were staying. The place was really nicely organized and the food was quite delicious. I had a good, traditional 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 really like to dance but with the children night clubbing is not achievable, although we knew London had a great dance scene. Therefore, we assured ourselves that we will return, just the 2 of us to see that other part of the UK capital, which we missed on this trip with the children.

That day Maria made a decision that we should bring the children to see some events, which may be enjoyed only in London and that, as we were sure, would win over our kids for a very long time. We left our London vacation apartment and took the underground to get to the Buckingham Palace, where we saw the switching of the guards’ ceremony. Mike and Emily were completely astonished by the foot guards with their red and black uniforms and the specific high black helmets. The service wasn’t short, but the children were intriqued and watched it until the end and there after didn’t want to leave the Memorial of Queen Victoria, wherefrom we got the whole programme.

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 modest family picnic and the kids liked sitting on the grass and socializing with other kids that contacted them.

As the day was very warm, I advised we should move to the Hide Park and the Kensington Gardens, where is the Princess Diana Memorial and the recreation space close to it. This kids area is great for children 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 1st thing my spouse made was to browse the web and to find a quality London apartment with great location and a sensible price tag. The second thing was to discover low cost plane tickets from one of the low cost airlines. Once the day came, we got the kids and our baggage and went towards the air port. Once in London, we came to the London holiday flat where the kids were amazed by the area they will had to share and my wife was happy for the fully fitted kitchen where she was able to make lunch for the whole family.

Two hours after our arrival, Maria, the kids and I were all set to go sightseeing. I might say that there is always something arranged for the families with kids. The first places me and Maria considered however, were the famous London Zoo and the London Aquarium. The kids were very thrilled with the animals they saw and continued talking about them as we had sandwiches for noon-time meal. In the late afternoon we reached our London apartment tired, but in very good atmosphere and full of satisfying thoughts.

In the evening we stopped at a compact restaurant, since we assured it is open for kids too and that it has a good menu for children. The restaurant was very close to our London holiday apartment, that was very practical 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 lounge zone, watching the news.

Maria explained we have a great deal to see in that part of the Scottish capital and I agreed. The first monument to view was the Scott Monument, which was constructed and organized for the memory of Sir Walter Scot. From there we appreciated pleasant sights over the city and made some excellent photographs. The following spot to go to was the National Gallery of Scotland where we were able to see the finest fine art collections in the country. There was no admission charge at all, which was good and the same was in force for the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which however we could not visit because it was shut for repairs right up until November 2011.

Maria was hungry, therefore we bought fish and chips and had some relaxation at the Princes Street Gardens, which is a tiny but marvelously arranged park established in between the Princes Street and the Castle Hills.

In the afternoon we went up the Calton Hill and then we went searching along the Princes Street, the George Street and the Broughton Street.

As this day was completely dedicated on the New Town, in the evening hours we went out of our Edinburgh equipped flat and we headed towards a bar we have noticed during the day – The Living Room, where the menu was fantastic and the visitors could enjoy not just the ale and the cocktails but also the show of the bartenders. Then we headed towards the Standing Order Pub and finished the night there.

We’d a meal and a fruit juice 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. Then we certainly needed refreshment and Maria suggested we really should have a bite and some ale on one of the bars alongside the Royal Mile. After the snack we had, we went for some souvenir shopping. Then we two decided, it might be better to go back to our Edinburgh accommodation and have some sleep. I watched TV, whereas Maria checked out her e-mail and done a study concerning the cafes and dining places in the Scottish main city that were in close proximity to our trip flat.

Late in the mid-day we went out once again and had a great lengthy walk along the Princes Street, which symbolizes the heart and in a way divides the Scottish main city into an Old and a New Town. On the Princes Street we found some great department stores, and noticed where the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery are and decided to visit them on the next days.

We’d a peaceful meal at Rick’s bar, which is a stylish bar in the center, offering food and drinks. We’d deep fried pizza, which we found out is a typical local meal and then we went to bed early as we were really exhausted from the attractions and shopping throughout the day.

Just before my trip I tried to make a research about which might be the nicest pubs in Edinburgh, but was really confused. There were numerous comments and so many testimonials by travellers, that I decided we’ll visit the pubs close to our vacation apartment in Edinburgh and attempt to follow our intuition. We paid an appointment to the Last Drop Pub, since we were intrigued by its extended history, then we had some beers at the Sandy Bell’s Pub where we listened to some folk music.

After that we headed towards the Portobello area that was not near our holiday flat in Edinburgh but was a fascinating area as we had been told. We stood for an hour ay the Malt and Hops Pub where the beer range 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 find out about our countries and home towns and we exchanged our emails to keep in contact one back at home. The time was flying and therefore Maria and me and we decided to go back to our Edinburgh lodging and get a good sleep, as we had really a lengthy plan for the next few days.

These sites included the Nemo destination, that is the biggest science center in the state and which occurred to be in a place that was very easily accessible from the Amsterdam getaway residence we were staying at. Then we entered the Maritime Museum too, since it is set simply alongside Nemo.

The subsequent stop was the Magere Brug, which is situated in the heart of Amsterdam and goes back from the 1930’s and is decorated in white. There after we went to have a treat at a bistro nearby, which had a special menu for the children.

Ellie was tired and for that reason Anna and I took her to the Artis place, which is a big zoo in the town center zone of Amsterdam. Besides zoo, here are also positioned a planetarium and a zoological museum, and also a geological museum. I might state, me and my wife were fascinated in the place as well and had some pleasurable time there.

That last evening in the capital of Netherlands was spend outside of the Amsterdam holiday dwelling. The three of us went to the Rembrandt Square and next to the Leidseplein Square. These two areas are the primary amusement locations in the town, where are concentrated numerous night clubs, cinemas and theatres, in addition a casino and the great thing is that all of these are easily obtainable by walking, therefore we all had great time.

The very first museum to stop by and the one nearest to our Amsterdam holiday apartment, was the Van Gogh Museum. I am an utter admirer of this famous artist and was really pleased to observe the largest choice of prints from Van Gogh. The following place we saw was the House of Anne Frank, that features various historic artefacts telling the history of a little lady that made a large effect on the earth. Our third stop this day was at the nation’s museum of the country Rijksmuseum. We managed to have lunch at the gardens around that museum, which are very pleasurable and sunny.

On our way back to the Amsterdam holiday residence we have booked, we entered a few souvenir shops and a number of big department stores. Anna particularly loved one of the open-air marketplaces we passed by and bought some presents.

After a short nap in our Amsterdam holiday apartment, we were ready to go out again and Anna suggested we spend a peaceful night, sitting at the large terrace of one of the local bars. There was a children playground spot, so Ellie was busy too, as we were dining and taking pleasure in a cold glass of beer and some house wine.

I sorted out the airline tickets and reserved a holiday Amsterdam apartment from a web site that I found simple to navigate and easy to reserve. The vacation Amsterdam getaway apartment which I picked was very carefully chosen, because I wanted Anna and our daughter Ellie to be close to the main sites and still to be able to return to the apartment easily if they require to.

As soon as we arrived in the main city of Netherlands, we were all happy, since that was our first true family trip, since until now Ellie was too little to take a trip with us. Thus, we settled in our Amsterdam flat, left our bags and were keen to go out again.

The very first thing we did that day was to go on a canal cruise, as the canals in Amsterdam are image of the city that create its passionate charm, unveiling magnificent panoramic scenery. There are lots of canal cruises available in Amsterdam, but we decided to take a larger charter boat, where we also had the chance to dine.

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