<img src="https://www.nicerightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/LOGO-200X198.jpg" alt=""/> NiceRightNow

-

October 10, 2017

In this VLOG we board the KD Rhine cruise and immerse ourselves in the magnificent Upper Middle Rhine River. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a dramatic 65km section of river between Bingen and Boppard. It is renowned for the 60 beautiful towns, the terraced vineyards, and the ruins of many medieval castles.

Upper Middle Rhine River Cruise Cost

We caught the local train from Koblenz to Boppard to meet the cruise there. This was mainly because we were running late, instead of leaving Koblenz at 9am we were able to meet the ship at 11am in Boppard. Our train tickets cost around 12 Euros for the family.

The cost of the cruise was 64 Euros return, which covers any stops you want to make between Koblenz and Rudesheim. I believe this is 32 Euros per adult, kids under 14 are free. Meals were about 35 Euros aboard the Gothe ship for 3 people.

VLOG Part 1 – Boppard to Kaub

From our hotel in Koblenz we boarded a local DB train to Boppard, a short half an hour trip. From there we purchased tickets on the DB Rhein cruise, which is a hop-on hop-off style cruise. Our plan was to cruise as far as Bingen, where we could get off the boat for 1.5 hours to explore the township.

Then back onto the cruise for 4 hours back to Koblenz. The return trip is quicker because it is travelling downstream with the strong current. In this part of the tour we travel by boat from Boppard to Kaub.

Here are the main attractions you will see on this VLOG:

Leaving Koblenz hbf train station
Arriving in Boppard and boarding the KD Rhein Cruise
Kamp-Bornhofen town
Buchenau town
Sterrenberg Fortress
Liemenstein Fortress
Burg Maus – famous cat and mouse castle
Burg Katz – famous cat and mouse castle
Burg Rheinfels, in the town of Sankt Goat
Loreley Rock
Oberswesel, the most beautiful town on earth.
Burg Shonburg
Burg Gutenfels
Kaub town
Burg Pfalzgrafenstein, the castle in the middle of the river

VLOG Part 2 – Kaub to Rudesheim

In part 2 we continue past Kaub to the final stop Rudesheim. We elected not to stop at Boppard, but instead continue to the final stop Rudesheim. It is here that the ship sits and waits for 1 hour, before turning around to return to Koblenz.

We chose to stop at Rudesheim because of advice given to us by the ship’s waiter. He said the main part of the town is very close to the ship’s dock in Rudesheim. If we stopped at Boppard we would have a long distance to walk.

We’re glad we stopped in Rudesheim, it seems to me it’s the prettiest town in all of Germany!

Here are the main attractions you will see on this VLOG:

Burg Stahkek near the town of Bacharach
Assmannhausen – a beautiful little township
Ruine Erenfels – between Assmanhausen and Bingen
Bingen township
Rudesheim – exploring the town streets

VLOG Part 3 – The Best Upper Middle Rhine River Cruise: Rudesheim to Koblenz

On this leg of the journey we take the return cruise all the way from Rudesheim downstream to Koblenz. This journey takes approximately 4 hours and we get to see a large number of castles, and the entire Upper Middle Rhine River. On the VLOG you will clearly see the following:

Burg Erenfehls
Bingen
Mausesterm (Mouse Castle)
Burg Klopp
Burg Rheinstein
Burg Reichenstein
Burg Sooneck
Burg Hohneck
Burg Furstenburg
Burg Stahleck
Burg Grunfels
Burg Pfalsgrafenstein
Burg Gutenfels
Burg Schonburgh
A tour of the KD Rhine Goethe
Burg Katz
Burg Maus
Burg Liebenstein
Marksburg
Koblenz
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.

Train to Koblenz

By

-

October 5, 2017

We travelled by train from Heidelberg to the beautiful Upper Middle Rhine Valley. This stretch of the Rhine Valley has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. It is packed with magnificent medieval castles which can be clearly seen from the train.

This 65km stretch of the Rhine River between Bingen and Koblenz is filled with 60 small towns, and many terraced vineyards and castle ruins. We were lucky to get a great view of these right from the comfort of our train.

Catching the Train to Koblenz

Our train was supposed to be a direct train from Heidelberg to Koblenz, taking about 2 hours. As it turned out, we got on the wrong train at Heidelberg, and took about 4 hours! The train we got on left a few minutes before our Koblenz train and was headed to Hamburg.

We had to quickly change our plan and get off the train in Frankfurt, then board a local train to take us to our next stop Koblenz. This train was stopping all station and took us along the beautiful Upper meddle Rhine Valley.

Castles Galore along the Rhine River

It wasn’t long before we realised that there were abundant castles along this stretch of the river. Lucky for us we sat next to a retired Rhine River boat captain, who explained to us in broken English all the castles along the way. It was like having our own tour guide.

The best stretch for castles is between the towns of Bingen and Boppard. This is a great, inexpensive way to see a great number of castles, all from the comfort of a DB train. It is along this stretch that this VLOG focuses.

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.

Heidelberg Old Town Tour

By

-

October 2, 2017

Heidelberg is one of the most beautiful and best preserved cities in all of Germany. The most popular attraction in Heidelberg is the magnificent Heidelberg Castle, which can be seen from all over the main city centre. Just below Heidelberg Castle sits the Heidelberg Old Town, a wonderful area which extends for 1 mile along the river below.

Heidelberg Old Town

The Old Town is full of magnificent old buildings, narrow streets, market squares, eating and drinking. We explore this wonderful Old Town area by foot to discover some of it’s many secrets.

Using the Heidelberg Card

For today’s activities we purchased a 2 day family Heidelberg Card. This entitles us to 2 days unlimited use of public transport, admission to Heidelberg Castle and the Funicular. It also comes with a wonderful tourist map with walking tours of the Old Town marked up. This is the map we’ll be following on today’s walking tour of Heidelberg Old Town.

Heidelberg Old Town Attractions

It would be easy to spend a full day exploring Heidelberg Old Town, or even longer! There is so much history to absorb in this beautiful area. Whilst we only saw a small portion of the Old Town, here is a list of the main sights which can be seen on our VLOG.

St. Anna Kirche: A Catholic Church built in 1714.
Kongresshaus Stadthalle: Built in 1901 this is a neo-classical style building used as a conference centre and events hall.
Providenzkirche: This Lutheran Church was built in 1659 under Prince Elector Carl Ludwig.
Haus Raquet: One of the largest baroque in the city.
Marstall: Old Armroy built under Prince Elector Ludwig V in 1510. This spans 135m along the Neckar River bank, and is used today as a university canteen.
Heuscheuer: The barn of the city from the middle of the 18th century. Now used as a university lecture hall.
Alte Brücke, Brückentor: The statues on the Old Bridge are of the man who built it, and after whom it was named. Prince Elector Karl Theodore, and the Goddess of Wisdom Pallas Athene.
Heiliggeistkirche: This church was built in 1398 and is the burial place of the Prince Electors.
Markplatz with Herkulesbrunenen and Rathaus: the town hall which took it’s present form in 1701.
Kornmarkt: A former specialty market, with a baroque style stature of the Madonna created in 1718.

Goodbye Heidelberg

That’s all for our trip to Heidelberg, we had a wonderful time touring around Heidelberg Castle and the Old Town Centre. This is a wonderfully interesting city, and well worth the visit. Also it does not carry the high prices you would expect in major tourist attractions. We definitely recommend Heidelberg as a holiday destination for families, couples, or party goers. Heidelberg is great.

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.

Heidelberg Castle Day Trip

By

-

October 1, 2017

18

Heidelberg is such a beautiful, old town on the banks of the River Neckar in Germany. We travelled to Heidelberg specifically to see the famous Heidelberg Castle. It is a magnificent Gothic-Renaissance castle which is very easy to get to.

It has even been nominated as a future World Heritage site! Since we were relying on public transport, this is exactly the type of castle we were looking for on this holiday.

Tour to Heidelberg Castle

I have to admit, after our encounter with Czech castles, I’m a bit of a castle fanatic! Also the Old Town of Heidelberg offers a wonderful historical insight into the Germany in days gone past. Anyway, Heidelberg is promoted as one of the beautiful cities in Germany! So we can’t go wrong touring Heidelberg. Or can we?

You can view our VLOG of Heidelberg castle by clicking the below image.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy for more information.

Getting to Heidelberg Castle

We headed off to Heidelberg Castle in the beautiful university town of Heidelberg. Along the way we discovered that it’s almost October, and the locals are already in the Oktoberfest sprit.

Everywhere we go in the old town centre there was live music, eating and drinking. It truly was a wonderful atmosphere and a festival town at this pre-Oktoberfest time of year.

Our voyage started with a tram trip. But at the last minute we decided to get on a bus. After a few minutes, and with the help of Google Maps, we discovered we were going in the opposite direction than we intended! A quick change in plan and we got off the bus to catch a different tram. Google Maps was a life-saver.

The Beautiful Old Bridge in Heidelberg

First stop was to be the old bridge that can be seen in all the Heidelberg photos. Lucky our tram stop was right near a bridge. However when we stepped onto the bridge, it was the wrong bridge! We could see the old bridge about half an hour walk upstream so we headed off to that.

Finally we were on the Old Bridge of Heidelberg. The Karl Theodore bridge is actually about 250 years old. We had a great time snapping away madly at the Castle, and the historic Old Town of Heidelberg in the foreground. Then we set off through the Old Town on the way to the Castle.

The Old Town of Heidelberg

The Old Town was amazing for 2 reasons. Firstly, it is historic in a romantic kind of way. The buildings are stunning and beautiful. One could spend hours wandering these streets admiring the architecture alone, and falling in love with Heidelberg.

Secondly, it was going off with live music, partying and drinking festivities. It’s the last day of September, so we were wondering if it’s the beginning of Oktoberfest. Anyway it was one of the last days of summer so we were there to enjoy.

To the Castle!

Then after the festivities and eating a 50cm Bratwurst for lunch, we set off to Heidelberg Castle. We paid our 7 and 4 Euros entry fee and set about exploring the Castle, the Courtyard, and the Palace Gardens.

What a magnificent Castle! We did not see any opportunity for interior tours, so we just spent a couple of hours wandering around the outside. This was the highlight of our trip to Heidelberg, and we were blessed with a gorgeous sunny then overcast day to enjoy it.

Heidelberg Castle – 10 out 10. Definitely bucket list worthy – hopefully you can check out our videos.

We’d love you to let us know what you think of Heidelberg Castle!

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.

What To Do in Heidelberg Germany

By all means if you’d like to check out some different tour options to Heidelberg Castle, have a look at all the different tours available on GetYourGuide.com. We love using this tour platform, and especially their free iPhone app.

Basel to Heidelberg Bus Trip

By

-

September 30, 2017

13

We’re off on another European Family Travel Adventure. This time we’re travelling from our base in Basel Switzerland to the northern reaches of Europe. First stop is the beautiful old University town of Heidelberg Germany. This a town of some 150,000 people, of which 1/4 are students! And it is home to the Germany’s oldest university, which was founded in 1386.

Catching the Flix Bus to Heidelberg

In this VLOG we travel from Basel in Switzerland to Heidelberg in Germany aboard a Flix Bus. This is the first leg of our new European Vacation, where we plan to spend 3 days in Heidelberg checking out the sights, including Heidelberg Castle.

Basel to France

The day started off well with a Uber to the Basel SBB train station. It was easy enough to find the bus stop, and sit back for a 5 hour bus trip. The bus had a toilet on board, an lasted for 5 hours. Whilst we thought the bus would go from Switzerland into Germany, we were surprised to learn that half the trip was in France.

We went to the east of the Rhine River up to Strasbourg and saw literally dozens of spectacular castles along the way. We followed a mountain range, and perched on many hilltops were grand medieval French castles, this was a real treat for us. It quickly became the theme of our trip, to find castles near the road on Google maps, then to spot them in the hills.

Arriving in Heidelberg Germany

When we arrived in Heidelberg we discovered that Uber hasn’t reached Heidelberg yet. So we caught a taxi from Heidelberg Central station to our hotel. The cost was 13 Euros for about a 10 minute drive, not bad. Once at the hotel it was time to relax. Finally in Germany!

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.

3 Day San Ultimate Francisco Itinerary

By

-

September 16, 2017

15

San Fransisco is an amazing place to visit. The city is home to a little bit of everything. Set along the Pacific Ocean, with the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, this is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. It also has many wonderful family activities such as Alcatraz Island and Fisherman’s wharf. So it’s no wonder San Francisco is often dubbed the jewel of Northern California.

3 Day Ultimate Itinerary in San Francisco

We travelled to San Francisco as part of our Classic California Road Trip. We hired an SUV in Los Angeles and drove it North along Highway 1 to finish up in San Fransisco. There we booked a delightful Airbnb apartment for 5 nights and really soaked up as much of the atmosphere as we could from this laid back city. Here are a few of our main highlights.

Golden Gate Bridge

No visit to San Francisco is complete without a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. As an avid Instagrammer, I have seen so many different photos of this bridge. I’ve always wondered how the same bridge can look so remarkably different in all those Instagram photos. Then, when I started to research the best place to see the bridge I started to figure it out.

There are so many different ways to view this bridge. In fact entire websites have been dedicated to directing sight-see’ers to the best vantage points. There are viewing points on virtually any level across a long stretch of coastline, on both sides of the bridge.

What we found to be the most fun was to actually walk across the bridge. There is no better way to appreciate the sheer magnitude of this massive structure than standing right below the giant towers. Hiring a cycle to ride to the other side is also a popular way to see the bridge, and quite safe due to the wide footpaths and barricades along the road.

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge walking tour — Cyclists on the Golden Gate Bridge

Best Spots To See The Bridge

We sampled quite a few different vantage points, and our favourite by far was down on the water’s edge on the San Francisco side. Here you will find a large car park, and if conditions suit your will see many surfers in the water.

There’s a surf break almost right under the bridge where you can sit and watch the surfers with this scenic bridge as a backdrop. Another good thing here is that parking is free. Most of the other parking lots we tried had parking meters, which were fairly expensive.

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge Walk — There’s no better place to see the bridge!

The Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Centre is another great stop near the bridge. Parking here was limited to 2 hours, which gave us just enough time to walk out to the middle of the bridge, a quick wander around the ample parkland, and then enjoy a nice cuppa afterwards.

We stopped at the outstanding cafe right near the San Francisco end of the bridge, and really enjoyed the uninterrupted views of the bridge. It is a great spot but the food is quite expensive.

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge cafe — Enjoying a cuppa at the bridge

Fisherman’s Wharf

Fisherman’s Wharf is another icon of San Francisco that should not be missed. This is aimed fair and square at tourists, and contains a large collection of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops and all manner of tourist ‘traps’. Here we also found some wonderful street performers strutting their stuff on the centre stage.

Prices here were quite expensive in my opinion, but then again the whole of San Francisco is expensive. We paid a small fortune for a simple lunch in a very crowded restaurant.. Being a pier, most lunches are seafood. Clam Chowder and fish’n’chips are the most popular.

San Francisco dining at pier 39 — Enjoying fish’n’chips at Pier 39

We did however find a couple of cheap things here at the Pier.. Firstly a very cheap souvenir shop is right in the middle of all the expensive shopping. We purchased quite a few tee shirts and other souvenirs here.

Secondly it’s also a great place to get a cheap boat ride into the bay, there is a marina alongside Fisherman’s Wharf.

San Francisco Street Performers at Pier 39 — Enjoying a fine performance at Pier 39

Sea Lions at Fisherman’s Wharf

At the pier behind the shops there is also quite a large colony of sea lions inside one of the marinas. They are only a few metres from the pier, and you will find quite a crowd of people watching the sea lions. And entertaining they are. Cuddling, fighting, playing, resting, barking, swimming,sleeping… They are doing all sorts of crazy stuff right in front of your eyes. This is another of the must see whilst you’re in San Francisco, great for kids and adults alike.

San Francisco Seals at Fisherman's Wharf — Clarc checks out the Sea Lions at Pier 39

Twin Peaks

Another great free activity not to be missed is a trip to Twin Peaks. You will need transport to access this great spot, but once you arrive you are treated to uninterrupted views of San Francisco. Beware, it can be very cold and windy up at twin peaks.

We snapped off some great photos up there, and really enjoyed the scenic drive both up and down this small mountain.

San Francisco view from Twin Peaks — The view from Twin Peaks

Fine Arts Gallery

We went to the Fine Arts Gallery just to walk around the magnificent Roman style gardens. We only spent about an hour here but it was well worth the effort. It’s a nice, ambient place to chill out and soak up the beautiful gardens and buildings.

You feel like you’re in the private garden of Julius Cesar here! We found a lovely lake complete with white swans. It was rather crowded, but well worth the effort.

San Francisco Fine Arts Gallery — Strolling around the Art Gallery grounds

Getting around in San Francisco

San Francisco is undeniably an expensive place to visit. Our Airbnb was the most expensive for our entire California Road Trip, and we even stayed a “cheaper area” out in the working class suburbs!

Staying in a central location was prohibitively expensive for us, but that was no big deal since we had a hire car. Everywhere we went the prices seemed just a little bit higher than we experienced elsewhere in California.

Getting around was also quite difficult. By that I mean time-consuming. San Francisco is a hilly area right by the bay, and we found the road networks quite tricky to navigate. Lanes suddenly cut out, roads suddenly stop.

On the flip side, San Franciscan drivers are some of the most polite drivers I have ever encountered, and very forgiving to all my mistakes. Many roads are narrow, and it just takes a lot longer than you would expect to drive around.

San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf — Clarc enjoying the view of Alcatraz Island from Pier 39

Getting around can also be expensive. We caught 2 Ubers from our Airbnb into the city centre, both of them were near $30, which is quite expensive in my opinion. If you are driving over the bay bridges be prepared to pay a premium, the bridge tolls are also very expensive. Overall, public transport or cycling is probably the way to go in San Francisco, but you will pay the penalty of extra time.

Overall Impressions of San Francisco

There is just so much to see in San Francisco area. So much that we were fairly disappointed with how much we missed. There are a bunch of different precincts which are all well worth a visit, and each one is worth a full day trip. Then there is Muir Forest just across the Golden Gate bridge which I would have dearly loved to have visited. It is a magnificent forest of Giant Californian Redwoods. And there are the beautiful Pacific Ocean beaches and Golden Gate Park. So much to see in such a small time!

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge — One last look at that bridge.

Overall this city has a clean and green feel about it. Even when you are looking for something to eat, we noticed many healthy eating options. Cycling is very popular, and there are plenty of cycling paths provided.

The city also has a laid back atmosphere, people are friendly and easy-going. I highly recommend a trip to San Francisco, however you probably should try to stay at least 5 days to see enough of it to really get the most this beautiful city has to offer.

Facebook Headquarters are near San Francisco — Facebook Headquarters is near San Francisco too!

Want to See More California?

If you would like to see other blogs or VLOGs from our California Road Trip, click on any of the links below.

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.

More Things to Do in San Francisco

By all means if you’d like to check out some different tour options in San Francisco, have a look at all the different tours available on GetYourGuide.com. We love using this tour platform, and especially their free iPhone app.

Sequoia National Park 1 Day Tour

By

-

September 9, 2017

Sequoia National Park large Sequoia Tree

Sequoia National Park is famous for its huge Sequoia trees, especially the General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest. Sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings, right? Actually Sequoia National Park is home to the biggest living tree in the world (by volume), the General Sherman Tree.

Also the park is also home to dramatic landscapes and many other famous attractions, including Moro Rock, Tunnel Log and the Giant Forest.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy for more information.

Sequoia National Park sequoia tree grove — Clarc finds a grove of Giant Sequoias

Sequoia National Park, Historically Speaking

General Sherman is a Giant Sequoia, and is the largest currently living tree. Up until the 1940’s, a Coast Redwood named the Crannel Creek Giant, also from California, was said to have been the largest living tree on the planet. It was a whopping 15-25% bigger than General Sherman! But that’s the whole point. You have to see these extraordinary natural resources before they disappear, because believe me they are disappearing fast!

Sequoia National Park crescent meadow hike — Family memories in Sequoia National Park

Sequoia National Park Location

The park is conveniently located just South of Yosemite National Park. Actually it’s about a 4-5 hour drive, but it’s a lovely drive. Sequoia National Park is also conveniently located right next door to Kings Canyon National Park, which is only about a 1 hour drive.

Sequoia National Park Sierra nevadas — Driving from Squaw Valley into Kings Canyon and then Sequoia National Parks

Our itinerary began with an overnight visit in Yosemite National Park, then we drove South approximately 4 hours to our accommodation in Squaw Valley. From there it was an easy 40 minute drive into Kings Canyon National Park, and 90 minutes drive into the heart of Sequoia National Park.

Sequoia National Park entrance gate — Entering Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks from the north

Our search for accommodation was elusive. All forms of accommodation within the park were booked out solid. We found some great options on Airbnb within 1 hour of the parks, and chose a lovely 30’ RV on 5 acres of semi-cleared land in the foot hills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Our accommodation was only $100 per night, and turned out to be our most enjoyable accommodation for our entire road-trip! Funny that, the cheapest was the most enjoyable.

Sequoia National Park RV at squaw valley — Our awesome Airbnb RV in Squaw Valley

Beautiful Roads Through the Sierra Nevadas

The roads in this area are beautiful, and safe to drive on. We stayed at an elevation of 1,000 feet and drove up to an elevation of some 7,300 feet just near Sequoia National Park. The roads are wide and safe, fully paved, and have plenty of turnouts where you can pull over and let faster cars pass.

Sequoia National Park scenic roadside stop — One of the awesome roadside stops in Sequoia

June Snow in the Sierra Nevadas

At the start of June, which is almost at the end of Spring, we still found plenty of snow up above 7,000 feet. We even had the opportunity to play around throwing snowballs on the side of the road! This was a real novelty for me, as I have not seen snow for about 35 years.

Sequoia National Park Snow at little baldy saddle — Making Californian snowballs in June!

Sequoia vs Redwood Trees

The main attraction was the General Sherman Tree. This is the largest tree on the planet (by volume). I must admit I did get confused by the giant Californian Redwood trees (biggest trees by height) and the Sequoia trees (biggest trees by volume).

Sequoia National Park Giant Forest — These trees are seriously big in the Giant Forest

Although the Sequoia trees are very, very tall, it is the thickness of their trunk which makes them so spectacular. Also the Sequoia trees are very rare.

Sequoia National Park Giant Sequioa tunnel — Clarc finds an interesting path near General Sherman

They only grow in this region of the Sierra Nevada’s, and only in fairly small pockets of trees called Groves. There are only about 40 groves in existence, and they are all in this area!

Sequoia National Park Parker Group — Ramon in a genuine Sequoia grove just near Tunnel Log

General Sherman Tree

First stop for us was the General Sherman tree. The car park is elevated in relationship to the tree, and there is about a 15 minute walk down a moderately steep series of steps and pathways to get to the tree.

Going down was easy, but going back up to the car park was a bit of a struggle. Another bonus though, along the way there are many more magnificent Giant Sequoia to admire and photograph.

Sequoia National Park Sherman Tree Trail — Clarice pauses at the trail head down to General Sherman and the Giant Forest

When we made it to the General Sherman there was about a 10 minute line-up of people waiting to be photographed in front of the tree.

Sequoia National Park General Sherman Tree — The biggest living tree on the planet

There’s a footpath going right around the tree, and curiously around the back there was nobody standing in line. I guess it was the “General Sherman” sign which drew the crowds more than the actual tree.

Tunnel Log

After the General Sherman Tree we went to the Tunnel Log. This is where they cut a hole through a fallen Sequoia tree for the road to go through. If you do accidentally drive through without stopping, there is a little turn-around where you can come back for a photo. In the end we drove through it 4 times, more or less by accident. Virtually everyone who passes by stops, gets out of their car and takes a photo.

Auto Log

Another interesting tree just near the Tunnel Log is the Auto Tree. This was designed so there is a ramp driving out onto a fallen log, and cars used to be able to drive out onto it. Why? For repairs I think. It’s a great place to walk out for a photo.

Crescent Meadow

Probably the highlight of Sequoia National Park was our walk through Crescent Meadow. This meadow area is apparently populated by many bears, so all the usual warning signs are everywhere. No food scraps to be left in the car etcetera. We were really hoping to see a bear as we did not see any in Yosemite National Park

The walk around the meadow took about 1 hour to go one way for us, although signage and maps were almost non-existent and we had no idea how long until the end of the trail. Along the way there were a couple of interesting attractions – Chimney Tree and a curious hut built into a fallen log.

Sequoia National Park Tharp's log — Strange place to build a house, in a tree trunk!

Next we turned around and went back to the car park, spending about 2 hours at Crescent Meadow.

Sequoia National Park Deer in a meadow — We spotted this deer on Crescent Meadow

Bear Sightings

It was on the drive out of the park that we had our biggest surprise. Driving up the road we passed a random meadow, and I noticed a couple of shapes out of the corner of my eye. We pulled over and jumped out of the car to see 2 bears on the meadow! Real wild bears! We were so excited to watch these huge creatures finding food in the meadow.

Sequoia National Park Bears in a Meadow — Bear Alert!

Whilst watching the bears we inadvertently became a point of attraction ourselves. It wasn’t long before we attracted 2 or 3 other cars full of spectators to watch these amazing animals.

Sequoia to San Francisco

The bear sighting was a perfect finish to our quick tour through Sequoia National Park. Because we had been through Yosemite National Park and Kings Canyon National Park without seeing a single bear. And we thought we were leaving Sequoia National Park without a bear sighting as well. But right when we least expected it, a sighting.

Sequoia National Park Sequoia Grove — Clarc and Ramon in the heart of a Sequoia grove

Next morning we made the trek from Squaw Valley to San Francisco via Fresno. Much as our other trips it was a remarkably easy drive with nice roads all the way, not at all tiring.

We will never forget our trip to see General Sherman in the Giant Forest, and all his gigantic tree buddies. As a result these trees will stay etched in your mind forever, they are truly unforgettable and worth the trip up into the mountains.

Sequoia National Park Chimney Log — Chimney Log in Crescent Meadow. There’s a room inside there!

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.

5 Countries in 2 Days – Europe to Vietnam

By

-

September 7, 2017

1

In Day 19 of our epic family travel adventure it’s time to head from Europe to Vietnam. Back to work that is. Check out my short video to see what it’s like to travel through 5 countries in 2 days! This is actually my commute to work.

The Trip From Europe to Vietnam

Leaving our host’s house, first I travelled by foot across the border from France into Switzerland. I must say, this is a bit of a novelty, especially with no customs or security.
Then 3 bus rides to Geneva International Airport.
Then a 5 hour flight to Doha, Qatar.
A 3 hour stopover until the next flight.
Then a 6 hour flight to Bangkok.
An overnight stop at a hotel near the airport.
Next day a 1.5 hour flight to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Signing out, for now

This is the last leg of this epic family travel adventure. I hope you enjoyed coming along with us! This is my first attempt at regular VLOG’ing, it started off a bit rough but I found a few improvements along the way. Hopefully by next holiday I can iron out a few of the bugs.

Technical stuff

We started off on the first few VLOGS using our GoPro Hero 5. It’s a superb camera for video quality, however the sound was terrible. If you watch our early videos you’ll hear some loud pops and cracks all through, caused by the microphone setup on the Go-Pro. I got sick of the horrible sound and decided to move to the iPhone.

After that all the videos were filmed on my iPhone 6 plus. Not only that they were produced on iMovie on the iPhone as well. Except for a couple which were produced on FilmoraGo (a great little free app). So they were 100% shot and produced iPhone videos.

The only variation was the use of a cheap lapel microphone, a Boy Lavalier BY-M1. This made a huge difference to the audio quality, I hope you enjoy it!

Catch our other European VLOG adventures

You can catch other VLOG episodes of this family adventure by clicking these links:

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.

Send Me the Ultimate Bucket List

Flying From Prague to Geneva – Going Home

By

-

September 6, 2017

Swiss Airways Plane Leaves Prague for Geneva

In Day 17 of our epic family travel adventure we flew from Prague in Czech Republic to Geneva in Switzerland. Then we crossed the border by foot into France for our final destination. The sad fact about holidays is that every good holiday must come to an end eventually. And ours indeed nearing the final stages, we are going home.

How to Get from Prague to Geneva

We left our lovely hotel in central Prague bright and early. Having heard how notorious the local cabs are for rip-offs, we hired an airport transfer through the hotel. It was a little expensive however the luxury of the new E-class Mercedes-Benz was thoroughly appreciated.

Check out the GPS navigation on the video, it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen! And the most comfortable car seat I’ve ever sat in.

Prague airport was surprisingly comfortable. Plenty of shopping and moderately priced food. Then our Swiss Airways plane arrived, the happiest plane we’ve ever been on. That is, if you judge it by the happy murals painted all over it! Check it out in the video, it’s a seriously happy colour scheme.

Arriving in Geneva Airport

After landing we met our host, then took a train, a tram and a bus to our destination. It was quite easy and not overly expensive, about 8 Swiss francs for a 24 hour ticket. After we arrived we walked across the border straight to our…. favorite French Brassiere shop. You can see it way back on our Day 6 VLOG. We’re nearly there now – we are going home!

Catch our other European VLOG adventures

You can catch other VLOG episodes of this family adventure by clicking these links:

Would you like a free copy of our Ultimate Bucket List?

Not sure where to travel to next? We have created the Ultimate Bucket List to help you plan your next trip. 1170 awesome travel destinations in 167 countries. And we want you to have it for FREE.