Avalon Hotel Riga

During our visit to Riga, Latvia we wanted to stay in the center of the city and Avalon Hotel is right by the Old Town and was the perfect choice.

We visited in February and had a wonderful stay!

There were 2 adults and 2 kids and the junior suite with 1 large bed and 2 single beds was a perfect option for us!

The breakfast buffet was better than we expected with both cold items like deli meat and cheese and hot items like kids favorite American style pancakes, warm veggies, sausages and eggs.

They even had kids plates and utensils available if needed so we didn't need to worry about using our own.

Each day at the Avalon Hotel, we always had nice, friendly service. The staff were helpful with suggestions and room requests. You can choose room cleaning everyday if you need. 

There is a little bar in the lobby and a computer to use if needed. The lobby was a  pleasant place to sit and relax while waiting for other family members to be ready.

The Avalon Hotel is a modern hotel with elevators and a small gym for those interested.

If you're visiting Riga, Latvia and are looking for a good hotel option in a convenient location, check out the Avalon Hotel.

Don't forget your snacks!

Avalon Hotel

13. janvāra iela 19, Centra rajons, Rīga, LV-1050, Latvia

Check out their website for more info

Eiffel Tower with Kids

Going up the Eiffel Tower was on our bucket list. On our first visit to Paris we stayed just for a weekend. Our most recent trip, since we were staying longer and traveling slower (with kids of course), we decided to add going up the Eiffel Tower to our list. 

The Eiffel Tower, first built in 1889 for the World’s Fair, was at the time a very impressive feat of architecture. Since then, the Tower has become one of the world’s most famous landmarks. It not only represents French innovation and design but it's one of the symbols of Paris. 

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular sights to visit so it can get crowded. 

Good to know 

* Bringing a stroller is OK but it needs to be able to fold up for the elevators. You don't need to fold it up when you take through security.

* For security, you need to take everything out of jacket pockets and everything out from the bottom of the stroller.

* There are places to buy snacks on the lower area of the Second floor.

* Bathrooms are available on all floors including the top! 

* There is a Champagne bar at the top to buy some macarons and champagne for a toast at over 300m up high!

* There was a small Christmas market on the first floor with a few snacks but we decided to sit inside and get some coffee and snacks from the cafe.

* Walking down the steps was cold and windy! Kids and I took the elevator down instead. 

* There are a few telescopes to look into (for 2euros) to check out the view.

* Lots to see in the gift shop like magnets, puzzles, and books. Also, nice to warm up inside after walking around the market.

It's nice to go on a sunny day but a cloudy day was still pretty nice. On a rainy day you might have less of a view of the city. 

Tickets

We didn't book tickets in advance, we decided we would just go, and brave the line-up and it turned out not being too long of a wait!

First you go in, through security to get to the courtyard of the Eiffel tower. You then line-up to buy either elevator or stairs tickets. There was one ticket lineup for just purchasing elevator tickets so we chose that line which was shorter than the others.

You can buy elevator tickets to second floor and to the top. On the way up the elevator won't stop to let people off on the first floor. On the way down, you can get off on the first floor.

Prices for kids are very reasonable. If you're not sure the kids feel up for going all the way to the top, you should still buy Top tickets. You can't buy tickets when you are actually on the eiffel tower, you should just get top tickets for the kiddos. 

Note: Top could be closed due to weather. It was closed when we were lining up for tickets but owned just as it was our turn to buy!

The cafes and restaurants around the Eiffel Tower have terrible reviews but we had to stop for kids bathroom and snack break. I had the worst coffee for 12 Euros... but the view was incredible... so you just basically pay for the views.

We were glad the cafe actually on the Eiffel tower was pretty nice and prices were reasonable as well.

We had an amazing visit to the Eiffel Tower with the kids. It's great that we didn't need to wait too long and kids moods were OK overall especially after some delicious crepe at the cafe on the first floor. 

Don't forget your snacks! (snacks helped a lot while waiting in lineup to buy tickets)

Eiffel Tower

Champ de Mars, 5 Av. Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France

For more info check out their website

Costco Stockholm

Located an hour outside of Stockholm,  American warehouse store, Costco is a great place for a warehouse grocery shopping.

You need a membership to shop, but this membership can be used at Costco all over the world.

For those unfamiliar with Costco, What can you find at Costco? 

It's a huge store and you can find everything from food and snacks to clothes, household items and even tires.

This location of Costco was the first Costco in Sweden! 

There is an indoor food seating area for those sitting for a bite to eat. The Costco food menu offers hot dogs, pizza, salads and some dessert items as well. 

It's a great option to sit and eat before the shopping or afterwards. 

Costco sells most items in bulk. It really is the place to stock up on things, or pickup food items when you plan for a bbq!

The kids clothing/toy section wasn't as big as we thought but there were a few toys, outdoor and indoor, for kids. 

Costco was actually more popular than we expected and was pretty busy when we visited. 

Don't forget your snacks!

Costco Sweden

Saluvägen 5, 187 66 Täby

Check our their website for more info

Väddo Alpackagård

We visited the Alpaca farm in Väddo during our recent road trip!

In addition to Alpaca, the farm has several animals to see including rabbits and sheep.

At the cafe, you buy some cookies, cakes or sandwiches which you can enjoy on the patio on a sunny day.

There's a nice gift shop in the cafe that sells, socks, wool, toys and different trinkets made in different places. Of course, the kiddos had to get their souvenirs!

There are a few toys around that the kids loved including some toy horses and a car track.

 

You can also go into the enclosure to pet the Alpaca if you want. Kids were fine just to see the animals from outside the fence! 

We had a lovely time seeing the animals and enjoying some fika in the sun. It's a great family activity while in Väddo that both kids and parents enjoyed. Check out Väddo Alpackagård for a nice visit to an Alpaca Farm!

Don't forget your snacks!

Väddo Alpackagård 

Stockrudavägen 2, 764 93 Väddö

Check out their website for opening hours

Celebrate Cardamom Bun Day

Sweden loves food holidays! It's an excuse to take a coffee break or Swedish fika!

On May 15th, Swedes celebrate Cardamom bun day or "Kardemummabullens dag"!

Cafes around the city and even grocery stores have kardemummabullar available to buy and share!

Cardamom is a spice that not everyone enjoys, however. Both cardamom buns and cinnamon buns are popular Swedish fika bun choices. Cardamom is also found in many breads as well. So if you don't like cardamom, you should check the ingredients on the package.

Cardamom buns can be delish for those who do like Cardamom. Get the buns fresh from a bakery in the morning and enjoy with a coffee or your drink of choice. They make a nice addition to your coffee break.

Don't forget your snacks!

Koffeine Ghent

With friendly service and a nice ambience, Koffeine in Ghent is a nice spot to sit for a coffee break, or even do some remote work.

There are two levels of seating in this cafe and when we visited there was also an outdoor table.

You order first and pay when you're done. The staff bring your order to your table so you don't need to worry about picking up your order when they call it out.

Koffeine offers a few different desserts to pair with your drink. We tried the banana bread and it was delicious.

If you're in Ghent and looking for a nice cafe to sit for a warm drink, maybe a place to wait out the rain, visit Koffeine!

Don't forget your snacks!

Koffeine

Lange Kruisstraat 6, 9000 Gent, Belgium

Check out their instagram for more info.

Bubble Tea in Stockholm

We enjoy bubble tea and it's nice to be able to find it in Stockholm, Sweden! Being the capital city and much more international, you can find quite a few Bubble Tea places around. It seems like it's actually pretty popular here. When you're craving some Bubble tea in Stockholm, you have more than a few places to choose from!

We have tried Bubble Tea when we stumble upon shops in the city!

Oolong Tea House 

There are several locations in the city and they also offer snacks like cheesecake, mochi and onigirl.

Check out their website 

MoMoCha

2 locations in the city and also offers ice cream and the cutest bubble tea merchandise.

Check out my previous post on Momocha

NineCha

They didn't offer any coffee drink with bubbles but the milk tea we tried was delish!

Check out their instagram

Roji Monster

Located in the mall of Scandinavia, you order on self-serve machines. Delicious, fresh bubbles.

Check out their Instagram 

Oishii sushi

A small mom and pop sushi restaurant in Nacka, a city just outside Stockholm, that also offers some delish bubble tea and tapioca balls! You can customize the amount of sugar.

Naicha food truck

We saw this popup truck at the Nobelberget Marknad recently! They had a few Vegan milk tea options as well as lactose-free and Oatmilk bubble tea too.

Check out their website

Cafe Koya

We enjoyed the bubble tea and desserts at this cafe!

Check out my post on Cafe Koya!

It's so great to find some bubble tea options in Stockholm! Will add to this list as we find new places :)

Don't forget your snacks!