Lily’s and my day sadly starts at 3:30 am, when our bodies tell us we’ve just finished a long afternoon nap. It gives me time to do some planning for Kyoto, coming up in less than a week, but I…

Japan Day Three: Shopping old and new Japan

Japan Day Two: Samurai to Mario Kart 2
Morning comes quickly. I check my phone nervously. Phew, it’s not 1am or 2am. It’s five o’clock, a perfectly reasonable hour to get up. Our tiny little apartment has a tea kettle and wifi, which is all I need. (I…

Japan Day One – Arrival in Tokyo and Family Trip Itinerary
As the plane touches down in Tokyo, Emma, weary after a 13 hour flight absent-mindedly sings “Oh no, there goes Tokyo, go go Godzilla”. It makes Lily laugh and she sings it louder for everyone to hear. The Creekmore’s…

Spain Day 4: Parkour and Segway and Jaime Bondo
We thought we’d get a head start on the day by getting up before noon, but the jokes on us. Nothing is really open except the occasional coffee shop. Amanda’s smiles and polite, accurate Spanish gets us some bread and…

Spain Day 3: Wandering the Albayzin and Flamenco!
Brrrrr…. the AirBnB flat is freaking cold, no more than 60 F with the little electric heaters. I timidly reach from under the blanket to my phone to see the time. It’s noon! Ha, I chuckle. We got hit by…