Having twins was and still is the best thing that has ever happened to me! What an adventure it has been! As with all things in life with the right attitude you can accomplish anything!

Late December Graham, my mum and dad and I began our journey with the twins to Europe primarily for my grandmas 90th birthday reunion with all our extended family in Switzerland. When I said ‘began’ I meant careful planning and packing started a week prior to our flight. The baby room made Graham dizzy when he walked in due to the copious amount of stuff that needed to go with us for two infants. Never the less we took the least amount necessary and managed to take one suitcase for both girls.

Mum and dad came to visit us in Galveston two weeks before Christmas to see their grandchildren, who had grown so much since their last visit when they were 10 weeks old. Raven the smaller of the two is now so fast, crawling and getting into everything everywhere! Whatever is not glued down ends up in her hands or in her mouth. After celebrating Phoenix and Raven’s first Christmas, making some more freezer meals and a trip to the zoo we started our first big vacation with the girls. 

One hour into our trip, almost at Bush Intercontinental airport we asked the silly question if the boys packed the stroller?! You can imagine my reaction after we had gotten everything organized for a 6 week trip for us to leave the stroller behind. How do you miss the massive blue double stroller?!  Luckily with clammy fingers we turned around and had just enough time to get it. We had left a little early anyway to enjoy the AMEX lounge before our journey. In hindsight, if we had spent any more time in the lounge we would have been too tipsy!

• 

• 

Switzerland

The flight to Switzerland went so smoothly. Every time we flew it was surprisingly easy considering how much ‘liquid’ and ice I had to take on the plane. Because they were drinking breast milk, I had 10 full bottles of milk plus food. Not that it mattered I guess since I found a full can of aerosol insect repellant under the stroller that was accidently taken in as hand luggage…woops. I had booked the front row extra leg room seats with the baby bassinet on Turkish airlines. Turkey is a slight detour to Switzerland but was 700 dollars cheaper per person than any other flight. Luckily for us we ended up with an empty seat next to us without paying for it because there weren’t enough oxygen masks for the babies in that row. Rambunctious Raven got the crib and Phoenix got the middle seat between mum and I. I had also bought a blow-up block to put in front of the seat so Phoenix could completely stretch out. Since we flew through the night they slept for most of it. The airline even provided puréed baby food and an overnight baby bag with diaper cream, wipes, disposable changing liner and diapers!

Arriving at grandmas felt like our second home! It was as warm and inviting as I remember it to be five years ago. Phoenix and Raven were also able to meet their great grandma. She is such an amazing cook and amazes me at her ability to host so many people at the age of 90. Her house is spotless, meals planned for the week and she participated in all the entertainment throughout the day. 

It was a great place to get re grounded, stock up on baby supplies, get over jet lag and enjoy a monstrosity of cheese, cured meats and finally some real bread. We were also able to spend New Years Eve with the extended family, where we enjoyed fondue chinoise, and of course due to some well timed jet lag, both Raven and Phoenix woke up exactly for the countdown. During our short stay we explored Zurich, climbed the Uetliberg a few times, visited mum’s best friend who owns one of the biggest milk farms in Switzerland, ate plenty of Fondue and Raclette, visited and fine dined at my families winery, and of course lounged with much missed family who were all eager to meet our little ones.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Barcelona

The week flew by so fast and we were already leaving for our holiday to Spain. We hit the ground running! My mum seriously should have made a career out of becoming a travel agent because she can organize a holiday like no one else, nothing is left unseen. This time however we were all slightly curious how the babies would manage so we started with loose expectations. After we landed, found our apartment in downtown Barcelona and right after we shook out our clothes from an exploded can of emergency formula-so sticky, we headed out to explore! With the girls in their slings we walked to Casa Batllo. A house with a fantastical experience of all your senses with an underwater theme and dragons capturing your attention out of colorful mosaic tile work. The girls had no problem hanging out against our warm bodies as we climbed the flights of stairs through this unimaginable house. I couldn’t describe it and do it justice even if I wanted to. I still don’t know how Antoni Gaudi comes up with all his quirky ideas! Every nook was weird and had meaning behind it. Even the door knobs were molded so when you went to open it, it molded right into the shape of your hand…this was a souvenir we took home to be put in our future remodeled kitchen. 

Our itinerary in Spain was as jam packed. I would say we still saw more of Barcelona with twins in our short stay than most average tourists in a week. Gaudi’s masterpieces were incredible highlights. We took no shortcuts and of course went to the top of the nativity tower in the La Sagrada Familia and spent plenty of time being mesmerized by the temple both inside and out. The temple inside is like a stone forest, with pillar trees branching out onto the sparkling roof where light flickers in through stained glass windows. Again, this is something I wish I could describe, but you really have to see it for yourself and listen to the audio guide, and only then, after two hours you will understand the hard time I am having to describe it to you. I look forward to visiting it again when it is complete in 2026. This very same day we also toured some other well known landmarks such as La Catedral, La Pedrera, Basilica de Santa Maria and explored the old town through atmospheric lanes and hidden squares and medieval architecture. La ramble and Barri Goti is exactly what I envisioned Spain is like in my imagination. Phoenix and Raven just came a long for the ride, either beaming at the sights from their stroller, eating in the most prestigious places-where not others were allowed or napping from all the fresh air. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Being the foodie I am, when there is a market I plan to go hungry and ready to try everything. Mercat de la Boqueria was a vibrant culinary adventure where we tried everything off a ‘what must we eat in Barcelona’ list. Everything from razor clams, croquettes, squid, paella, Iberian ham (jamon) shaved off the leg right in front of us, fried white anchovies and so many other ‘must try’ tapas. The food in general was amazing. I wish America had bakeries like Spain does on every street corner with cute little sitting areas just outside the cafe windows. Every morning we just followed the smell of fresh bread and walked from our huge rented apartment to a different bakery indulging in croissants and Spanish sandwiches filled with Jamon Serrano and Manchego cheese. 

One of the hardest things about raising twins is being at home with them for too long. Not only are you trying to keep your household in some sort of order and trying to swim through mountains of laundry but with both of their personalities coming through it’s all hands on deck. Raven is into everything and wants to pull herself up on anything she can crawl to, while Phoenix babbles up a storm which is too addicting to turn away from. Being out and about is so much easier than staying home chasing them around and trying to entertain them, providing hopefully each with the same amount of attention. Their adventure through Spain had them both Google eyed or worn out taking long healthy naps in the stroller. On our third day in Barcelona we managed to walk another 8 miles, which is really not much if you know my family, but up hills pushing that stroller works nicely on your gluteal muscles. We explored every route in Park Guell, the last of Gaudi’s fantastical creations, raced through a four-story flea market known as Mercat Fira de Bellcaire els Encants and then discovered amazing views of Barcelona from the sky via cable car on top of Teleferic de Montjuic. While the city view of Barcelona was more than capturing, the view of the Mediterranean Sea on the backside was so peaceful and was a nice rest spot to have a picnic lunch. On the way home, dads detour took us to the Olympic stadium, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya with the most incredible fountains – we wished we could have seen them in all it’s glory at night and then finished off the night with some sangria. 

The next full day we escaped the city and spent the day in Montserrat, the most popular excursion from Barcelona. Montserrat is unique in the world for to its outstanding natural surroundings and religious nature. In the midst of the mountain and endless views sits a huge monastery which was the starting point of many hours of hiking on beautiful trails of rock formations, summits, views and of course a lot of uphill. For this one we left our stroller behind and Raven and Phoenix’s chariot was replaced with slings accompanied with personal heaters from our exerting bodies. We walked over 10 miles and they did amazing even with chilling winds at higher altitudes.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Barcelona is a city so full of life, energy and so charming even in the middle of winter. Not even twins slowed us down. On our last day we enjoyed a relaxing extended lunch by the marina (with a 200 million dollar yacht!!!-called Faith) then wandered the Barcelona coast watching the winter surfers on the Mediterranean waves. It was very peaceful even with numerous street sellers along most of the way, they were not aggressive or pushy unlike on so many of our other travel experiences. We then roamed the city one last time passing through la Ribera and Parc de la Ciutadella, and then wowed by spectacular street buskers in front of the Arc de Triumph, where I happily handed out my handfuls of euros that the metro ticket machines clattered out over the past week. I could live in Barcelona. It is so charming and easy to get around either on foot or by train. I would definitely enjoy an afternoon siesta every day, however the late dinners and nightlife would be something I have to get used to. I did love that you had the option of ordering either a 1/2 liter or full liter if sangria with your meal. The one euro bottles of wine wasn’t a bad deal either and they were definitely drinkable. 

Tenerife

We landed in Tenerife with huge smiles. One because we almost missed our flight because our train was cancelled. We arrived at the airport train station with less than 30 minutes before the gate closed. We still had to run to the airport, check in, drop of our bags, clear security with twins and about 2 liters of liquid breast milk and food, go to the rest room and change poopy diapers- we still couldn’t believe we made it. But the better reason for our grins was that we were walking out into the warmer temperatures with all the other snow birds escaping the European winter. It felt like Vacation! Hold on! We were on vacation, from vacation! We decided to break up our city sight-seeing and hit the Canary Islands mid-way through to get in our usual hiking and outdoor fix.  Don’t get me wrong, no matter what the vacation we still walk copious amounts, however here we get to do it where it counts, with nature and scenery to match. 

Tenerife is a small island off the coast of Africa close to Morocco and is part of the Canary Islands. Tenerife is the largest of the 7 volcanic islands. It is home to El Teide which the third largest volcano in the world and highest summit in Spain standing at 3728m/12198ft. It is considered the Caribbean of Europe with tourists coming from all over to soak up the sun on black volcanic beaches

It was almost as if we stepped into Mexico, with Spanish street signs, dry desolate landscape of cacti, small shrubs and rock, however with perfect roads, absolutely no trash and small towns with 1st class infrastructure and pretty white condominiums against the volcanic rock backdrops. Everywhere you looked you had pretty blue see look back at you fading into the sky. Being the outdoor enthusiasts we are, this was our hiking holiday for the year. We hiked in different areas all over the island many well known for their spectacular scenery. For the girls sake, we limited our hikes to a max of 3.5 hours if we had to carry them in slings. The hikes we picked were usually not stroller friendly and leave most normal tourists behind at the look out points and public restrooms. Our first stop was of course the El Teide national park, which captured our attention for two days of hiking, including taking the gondola up for spectacular views and seeing the smoking creator. TIPP: permits are sold out months in advance to climb to the summit so book well in advance. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The nice thing about traveling with the girls is actually that we did have to slow down a little bit. Whether it to be joining the Spaniards in cute little restaurants in courtyards in the old town of Laguna or relaxing in the shade of the el Draco tree. Other days we dined in seafood restaurants by the marina with backdrops of Los Gigantic which are 800m tall cliffs overhanging crashing waves. In other cases, it just meant pulling over at a lookout on Masca road to enjoy the views or catch our breath on what some people say is one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It had stunning scenery but killing sheer drop offs, never the less the girls still needed to eat and be changed. 

Before leaving Tenerife we did make time for a beach hike and enjoyed the sun at sea level, relaxing at a beach bar before heading to Madrid.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Madrid

Madrid had a passionate start. When I say passionate I mean authentic flamenco that was sung and danced in a brick vaulted cellar over 100 years old, that with every powerful stomp, the mortar would crumple down. There were no microphones or amplifiers it was so intense and impactful. I was so drawn in by the fierceness of the dance and steps. I didn’t know the human body could even move that fast to the beat of music. To go with the authenticity the mature aged dancers concentrated to the extent of frowning, smiles were hard to spot, which is something I had to get used to while watching performers, but of course was very traditional in this circumstance.

Madrid was alive at night. It was actually Graham and my first night really out at night without the babies. I don’t think I had seen as many people out in the street as I did that Friday night after 10pm. An afternoon siesta apparently really changes the night life for the Spaniards. Restaurants, bars and shops glowed from every narrow cobbled street, bustling with locals and tourists. We tried a few bars, ate tapas in romantic small restaurants and even got scouted to go into a raving Spanish nightclub for free. 

Our first few days in Madrid we did full day self guided walking tours. We left nothing out. We saw the Puerta del Sol and the clock tower with one street performer after another, Plaza Mayor surrounded by 237 iron gated balconies, the Mercado de San Miguel which had the most amazing tapas!! The tapas were incredibly pleasing to the eye. We also found some adventurous eats. Of course Graham and I had to try barnacles! Who eats barnacles?! We strolled past the 17th century town hall building, toured the massive modern Almudena cathedral-which also took 100 years to build and visited the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is the largest in Europe with 2800 rooms- obviously the tour did not visit all these, we also saw the palaces Sabatini gardens and then strolled through Plaza de Oriente and Gran Via-known for its upscale shops. 

• 

• 

Our walking tour could not be completed without mixing in a delightful culinary list. By the end of the day we were so full we didn’t even need dinner. We had to try traditional churros with rich chocolate dipping sauce, calamari sandwiches  (bocadillo de calamares), traditional Spanish stew (cocido madrileno), broken eggs on fried potatoes (ghuevas rotos), Spanish omelet (pinchot de tortilla) all of which were delicious and well worth our time to enjoy and savor.  We did however know that our culinary adventures were not complete without trying pigs ear (oregano a la plancha). After all, when in Spain, eat what the Spaniards eat. I typically can eat most things, I don’t spit much stuff out, but this one caused a few lougies I must admit. While we really just wanted a sample to try, our 12 euros bought us a monstrous portion of literally cartilage and fat or cut up pigs ears fried in a small amount of olive oil, but still soggy, and finished with salt and lime juice. Definitely only for the boldest of travelers, which I thought we were after eating anything that moved in Vietnam. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Our walking tour could not be completed without mixing in a delightful culinary list. By the end of the day we were so full we didn’t even need dinner. We had to try traditional churros with rich chocolate dipping sauce, calamari sandwiches  (bocadillo de calamares), traditional Spanish stew (cocido madrileno), broken eggs on fried potatoes (ghuevas rotos), Spanish omelet (pinchot de tortilla) all of which were delicious and well worth our time to enjoy and savor.  We did however know that our culinary adventures were not complete without trying pigs ear (oregano a la plancha). After all, when in Spain, eat what the Spaniards eat. I typically can eat most things, I don’t spit much stuff out, but this one caused a few lougies I must admit. While we really just wanted a sample to try, our 12 euros bought us a monstrous portion of literally cartilage and fat or cut up pigs ears fried in a small amount of olive oil, but still soggy, and finished with salt and lime juice. Definitely only for the boldest of travelers, which I thought we were after eating anything that moved in Vietnam. 

• 

Spain was incredible and very affordable for Graham and I thanks to the US dollar. It was an incredible experience introducing Phoenix and Raven to traveling the globe. While at times it was wandering chaos, overall it was much easier than I thought it would be. Getting out in the fresh air all day was the easiest, Phoenix and Raven loved being in the stroller and looking at the sites. While the occasional diaper change was chilly in the brisk air they loved it and were rarely fussy. 

The flight from Spain to Switzerland was the longest three hour flight I could remember. Raven not being able to sit still was only a part of it. If she was not pulling the hair of the person in front of me, she would mountain climb up your chest and try’s to go over your shoulders to the seat behind. This time however, first Graham threw up…so any help from him disappeared and then Raven threw up down my sleeve…and old milk definitely makes me queasy. 

Switzerland

Arriving back at grandmas house felt like a soft feather pillow. The atmosphere was just peaceful, warming and satisfying, literally! The best thing was being able to see my brother, his partner Anastasia and my sister with her Fiance Ben and being able to introduce their new nieces. I had not seen them since our trek in Nepal. We had all coordinated to meet to spend time in the alps for ski holidays. For all of grandma’s reunions in the past we have been going to Arosa. The familiarity is welcoming and relaxing. Hotel Altein used to be a hospital and rehabilitation facility now converted into the hotel in which we have created memories year after year. It is central to anything you could wish to do on a ski holiday. We skied and snowboarded, ice skated, cross country skied, sledded, curled, went on a horse and slay ride, rode in a ski-piste tractor to the top of the mountain and relaxed in the huge swimming pools with saunas, steam rooms, infrared room, hot tub and whirlpool. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Raven and Phoenix joined in almost all activities in their snow suits. Instead of skiing they enjoyed the morning sun strolling with great grandma and grandma. Like everyone else they too hung out in the pool until all our fingers were wrinkly. A few days in I did manage to fracture my radius showing off on my snowboard. I decided to risk one more day on skis (didn’t have to do up bindings with a broken arm) and then also joined my girls for strolls. It was definitely a week enjoyed by everyone with amazing food, drinks and company. We look forward to going again.   

This trip will be one that we will never forget. Exposing Raven and Phoenix to the world was amazing and I know over the years their continued exposure to travel will make them so much more well-rounded and their life fuller because of it.  I even continued to breast feed them throughout the entire trip. My fractured arm did however put a stop to this, but if was the perfect time if you ask me now. I am eternally thankful for my incredible family, especially my mum who helped me so much with the girls over our adventures! 

•