Living in Germany has it’s struggles but one of my favourite things is the close proximity we have to a wide variety of European destinations. A look back at some of our weekends away in 2024.

Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, The Netherlands

About 8 years ago I heard about the @visitkeukenhof tulips but we never could make the timing work. So last year I was determined to make it happen! It was gorgeous and the weather was perfect. The teens felt like it wasn’t worth the 3+ hour drive each way, but look at these wonderful photos! You win some, you lose some, but you never give up trying new experiences.

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Højer, Denmark

The girls, Henry and I spent a long weekend in May exploring the area around Højer, Denmark which is just over the border near the Northern part of the Vadehavet National Park, a marshland. It was Henry’s fifth country!

We spent the weekend walking, shopping, playing games and enjoying the beautiful nature. The first day we walked to the Vidåslusen from our apartment where we had some dinner at the little cafe, Slusen Højer. On the way back we walked around the itty bitty village and spotted some adorable houses!

The next morning Henry and I were up nice and early where we were rewarded with some beautiful views. We got home for some breakfast and games while we waited for the whole group to get ready. Then we headed out to Schackenborg Castle, a second home of HRH Prince Joachim and HRH Princess Marie, before doing some shopping in Tønder and having dinner back at the apartment.

The following day, Henry and I went for our morning walk down to the water, and then we all hopped in the car and drove to the island of Rømø where we had fun playing on the beach.

The next day it was time to head home, so we did our morning walk, packed up our stuff and headed south. We stopped at the beautiful Schloss Glücksburg for a break which turned out to be a good idea because traffic was terrible and it took us forever to get home! But we made it safe and sound and had a great girls’ (plus Henry) weekend.

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Amsterdam, The Netherlands

One of our favorite European cities is Amsterdam, and we take any opportunity to visit! Last year we took a day trip there with the whole family where we did a scavenger hunt through the city which was a great way to keep the kids engaged.

Then a few months later, Steffen, Hannah and I went back for the weekend to celebrate her 16th birthday! We had so much fun! We ate several delicious meals, including at the Foodhallen, breakfast at GAYO restaurant en bar and a pizza place I read about in the New York Times, nNea Pizza. We walked, we played games, we went on a canal tour, we shopped, we visited the Rembrandt House and finished our weekend with a swing at the A’DAM Lookout.

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Munich, Germany

When we found out that Adele would be doing a series of concerts in Munich, we knew we had to make it work! So we flew down to Munich for a 36-hour getaway. We landed at the airport and took the train right to the main area, Marienplatz. From there we walked to the famous Hofbräuhaus München for lunch and the requisite beer. We then wandered, taking in the sights and rambling along until we ended at the Eisbachwelle, where people surf on a continuous wave on the Englischer Garten’s Eisbach River. Very cool!

Then it was time for the main event!

The next day we had some time before our flight, so we headed back into town where we climbed the south tower of the Frauenkirche (Cathedral Church of Our Lady) for some spectacular views and then we ambled around until we ended up on the shore of the Isar before catching our train to the airport.

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Vienna, Austria

In early October 2024 we did something new (that I’m not sure we will repeat)–took the sleeper train! Unfortunately we didn’t book early enough, so on the way there we didn’t have a true sleeper car but rather a “Roomette” which was a private compartment that had six seats that convert into beds (though just three beds because it requires two seats to slide together) for overnight travel. So it was a tight fit! We also didn’t get blankets or pillows so it was quite uncomfortable. But we made it. On the way back, we had the six bunk bed configuration which was a bit more comfortable but still not great.

But, in between the two train trips, we had a lovely few days in Vienna with my aunt (visiting from Ireland). We found our apartment and dropped our bags and then met up with my aunt for lunch. We then did the Big Bus Tour (hop on hop off bus) to get a good lay of the city and because Hannah was on crutches. Also, the weather wasn’t great so it was very nice to be dry and inside while still seeing the city! The next morning we headed over to the Spanish Riding School where we saw the world-famous Lipizzaners horses perform. From there we took the bus to the Schönbrunn Palace where we caught a puppet show of “The Magic Flute” at the Marionette Theatre. Our last day we spent the morning at the Prater Amusement Park before talking a walk through the park and then heading to the train station for our night train home. It was a quick weekend!

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Winterberg, Germany

Our final weekend getaway in 2024 was a late fall trip to Winterberg, Germany. We stayed at Bergresort Hochsauerland, a place where we have stayed numerous times before because of Steffen’s family’s close ties to the hotel. We enjoyed a three bedroom apartment with close proximity to the delicious restaurant and indoor pool. We were only there for two nights but we did manage to get two beautiful hikes in. On Saturday afternoon we went to the Skywalk in Willingen and were treated to some gorgeous views! The way the fog rolled in was stunning.

The next morning after a delicious breakfast and checking out, we headed out on another hike that I unfortunately have no idea where it was. 🙂 But it was a nice, easy hike with a cafe at the end, which always makes the girls more willing to participate.

Looking back at this and realizing that this post doesn’t include any of our “main” trips in 2024 (Turkey, Paris for the Olympics, Sweden with my sisters and our fall trip to California, Oregon and Colorado), we sure do travel a lot! 🙂 But honestly, it doesn’t feel like we are always on the go. These places were, for the most part, easy to get to weekend adventures. We sure are lucky!