Junior Traveler: A Guide Book for Young Explorers

When I think about what draws me to traveling, I can’t help but notice how much the planning process captivates me. I love collecting resources to do my research, and taking notes to come up with a tentative itinerary. I also love capturing moments of travel; whether that is through a photograph, sketch, journal entry, or other momento. As we begin to introduce Edwin to travel, I want him to be able to feel that same excitement and wanderlust that takes me over.

This summer, we are planning three possible long weekend getaways. Although Edwin is still very young, I’d like to be able to share part of the planning and record-keeping responsibility with him. This inspired me to create a guide book for young travelers. My goal is to create one of these travel journals/field guides for each trip we take in the future. I want to include sites to see with fun facts, things to do that our family might enjoy, and interactive opportunities for Edwin to make personal connections on the trip. Using Canva, I have started creating several books that we can have made and share with Edwin during our travels. To be honest, I see him getting much more use out of this when he is 5+, but I’d love to start the tradition now.

Here are some snippets of what I’ve created and how I’m hoping to use it.

Cover

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Introduction Pages

Sample Page Layouts

I hope these are projects that can help Edwin feel invested in the travel we do and make it meaningful for him. I’m so eager to have more experiences with him. There is a world out there waiting for the Majewski clan to explore!

Instilling a Love of Travel

Travel is a challenge right now. One, we have a toddler, two, he is not vaccinated, and three, travel is not the same yet. Since we have been hermits for more than the past year, Edwin has missed out on experiences we were hoping to give him. For example, we have taken Edwin out to eat once. He screams when he wants something, he makes a lot of noise when he is happy; in other words, he doesn’t have the best manners when it comes to dining out. Another example – since Edwin has made the switch to his crib, he has not slept anywhere else. I so want Edwin to grow up a traveler with wanderlust, but I’m scared to actually start trying. So what do we do?

We are starting by beginning a new installment of his monthly photos. For the first year of his life, he was featured as a superhero in a fictional setting with a character represented by his dad. For this second year of his life, the theme will be travel destinations. Each month will feature a different European location with a photo taken by me. Edwin will be donning clothing from that country and I will join him on his travels. Although these images are photoshopped, I’m hoping by highlighting something important to us and capturing a moment around a theme, he will find an appreciation for travel. Edwin definitely loves superheroes, so it worked the first time around, right?

Beyond the photos, we are hoping to actually take Edwin somewhere this summer. We are going to start with a sleepover at pops’ house, but then, hopefully, venture all the way to Indianapolis. Baby steps, right? 😉

The background in this image spotlights one of my favorite places in Paris, Notre-Dame on Île de la Cité. I took this image in 2013 while going on a flâneur. Here is a post I wrote for that walk. Edwin’s outfit is brought to you by La Redoute; a French fashion retailer. The font for la vie est belle (life is beautiful) is Vincent Van Gogh’s handwriting. The decorative border is in one of our favorite styles – Art Nouveau. Although Van Gogh and Art Nouveau are not originally from France, they flourished there.

Below are some small excursions we have enjoyed so far this summer.

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Day 7: Strolling Through Old Town Quebec

Before going out for the day, I took advantage of the washer and dryer. With clean clothes, we left the loft to see Old Town. 

Right after climbing the hill, I found a store with cast iron home goods. We bought a huge door knocker, drawer handles, and a door plate. Since we bought about 25lbs of stuff, we walked back downhill to our apartment to drop off the goods, then went back up the hill. 

Today’s goal was to shop, take pictures, and walk around old town. We definitely did that. At dinner we had a unique experience because we got to put maple syrup on snow, then wrap it around a stick and eat it.

We wanted to finish our night at the Chateau Frontenac for a fancy drink. We sat and sipped for a couple hours, then made the trip back down the hill for the night.

Day 6: I Feel Like a Celebrity

Before leaving Montreal, there were a few more sites we wanted to see. We started by visiting the Atwood Market. Since I wasn’t a huge fan of Byward market, I was a little hesitant to go to this one, but it was exactly what I imagine when I think of a market. There were fine meats, flowers galore, and fresh produce. I found a couple souvenirs there.

Then, we drove up the hill to St. Joseph Oratory. This church did not quite have the same impact as Notre Dame, but it was nice to see. We then drove to Plateau one more time because I missed a little neighborhood while we were walking. Michael dropped me off since there was no parking. Because of the one-way streets, he had a hard time getting back to me. This freaked me out a little since I couldn’t see him, but we were reunited. 

After this, we had a stop outside of town at Chambly to visit the Brewery, Unibroue. There wasn’t a tasting room, we just wanted to see where the beer was made.

About three hours later, we arrived in Quebec. It was a little confusing getting around, but we figured it out. 

Our apartment is pretty cool. It is on the third floor (which is the top) so it is an interestingly shaped place. Michael’s favorite part is the turret.

For dinner, we went to a place recommended by the Vagabrothers called Chez Biceps BBQ. I was excited to have some foie gras. This dining experience ended up being one of the coolest ones I’ve ever had. We knew it was going to be good when the waiter replied after our order, “this is going to be crazy.” The food was outstanding, but what made this such an awesome experience was how we were treated. I felt the Liberated Traveler had grown in fame and I was being treated to a special service. I think the waiter thought Michael was cool. He asked if we wanted to have a shot, and he grabbed the chef to meet us. The four of us then took some sort of Polish Vodka shot. The chef was talking with us and shaking our hands. Other waiters were coming over to talk to us. It was like we were famous. I don’t know what we did, but it was one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me.

We finished the night by visiting Old Town, which we hope to see more of today.

Day 5: I’m in Love with a City

Montreal is such a cool city. There is such a variety of things to do. We started the day with a walk to Plateau and Mile End. We were in search of murals, colorful homes, poutine, bagels, and smoked meat sandwiches. 

Murals: the city has done an impressive job of encouraging mural street art. It can be found all over, but is especially prevalent in Plateau and Mile End. 

Colorful Homes: the Plateau area is home to colorful homes with steep stairs and little gardens. It is an instagrammer’s dream. 

Poutine: La Banquise is supposed to be the place for pouting, and I would agree. Other than the waitress spilling water on me twice, it was a great experience. The gravy and type of fries are what really make this place good.

Bagels: St. Viater is the place to get Montreal style bagels. Getting them in the Mile End neighborhood is unique because you get to see more of the Jewish neighborhood.

Smoked Meat Sandwich: Schwartz’s is the classic place to find this type of sandwich. It is basically a corned beef sandwich.

We needed a short nap after our hike around the city. This helped, but we decided to stop for coffee before the light show at Notre Dame. We found a little coffee shop called Tommy.

We bought tickets the day before for the Aura light show at Notre Dame. As I mentioned yesterday, this is one of my favorite churchs, but the light show made it even better. I found it to be an emotional experience that reminded me of what great achievements can be made through creativity. As if that wasn’t enough, we lingered to take photos, and the guy was nice enough to turn the lights on for us. It was just Michael and I in there. What an amazing feeling.

After having one of best moments so far on this trip, we decided to take a stroll in the night. Montreal has this awesome program called Cite Memoire. There are light shows projected all over the city with audio stories. We came across an interactive one in the alley that was mesmerizing. Feeling a bit hungry again, we stopped for pizza along the port. This was an amazing evening.

Day 4: So this is Montreal

Before we left Ottawa, we stopped at Gatineau Park. It is absolutely huge. We did a little hiking, then got back in the car.

Being in French Canada does have a different feel. We have not had any trouble communicating, but we do try to remember to say bonjour when entering a place.

We were pretty excited to enter Montreal. It immediately had a different feel than Ottawa. The suburbs seemed really nice, and the area seemed to be more alive.

Our apartment in Old Town was about $104 a night. It is huge and very classy. I’m thankful to be in the heart of Old Town. 

We started our evening walk with a visit to Notre Dame. It is probably the most beautiful church inside that I have ever seen. It is unique to see how the walls are filled with color. We liked it so much, we are going back tomorrow for the light show.

Since the weather was so perfect, we went to a bar on a rooftop terrace of a hotel. Terraces are pretty popular in Montreal, and they are fun place to grab a drink.

After our drink, we walked around Old Town a bit to reach our dinner destination. We ate at an out-of-this-world restaurant. The escargot was phenomenal, and Michael was in heaven with the pickles and bacon bits. It was a beautiful night.

Day 3: Checking out the Town

Today was a day of walking, so we fueled up by getting a big breakfast down at Byward market. We may have lingered too long because as we got up, there was a crack of thunder. We found shelter under an awning, and waited the quick storm out.

Then, it was walking time. I set mapped out a circuit to see some of the major sights. We started with Parkiment Hill. As we snapped our shots, I tried to read a little commentary so we knew what we were seeing. Michael and I are definitely fans of the Gothic Revival style. We were looking for Trudeau across the street, but no luck. All we saw was some sort of demonstration.

We passed the Supreme Court and the Veteran’s Memorial. We were origanlly planning on stopping at the war museum, but since we had a break in the rain, we thought it best to keep walking. We continued to cross over the bridge, seeing the Ottawa River and Victoria Island. I wanted to go across the river to get a different perspective of Parliament Hill.

While talking and snapping shots, a man came up to us and started yelling at us with slurred speech. He at first appeared to be a homeless man asking for a light, but then he started swearing at us and talking about how if I put my camera in people’s faces, I’m going to get my skull smashed in. I wasn’t even taking pictures of people. As we tried to walk away, he threw his cigarette at Michael and finally Turned the other way.

Michael and I were surprised about the homeless population here. A lot of what we have seen is not just people with collection cups, but people yelling and acting delusional. I don’t know why we expected there to be less of this. I guess we thought since they seem to have better health care that it would include mental health as well.

Although we were a little caught off guard, we shook it off. We passed the Canadian History Museum, and crossed back over the bridge to Major’s Hill Park. We were getting a little parched, so we stopped for a pint.

Once we completed the circuit, we walked back to the car to blast the air conditioning and head to the next neighborhood: the Glebe.

Feeling refreshed, and a little less sticky, we walked the trendy neighborhood, stopping at shops and grabbing lunch. Then, we got back in the car to visit the next part of town.

Before we got to Westboro, we took a bear break on Wellington Street. Westboro is supposed to be the hip part of town. We thought it was okay. 

We were originally going to rent bikes today, but with the morning storm and the severe thunderstorm watch until 9:15pm, we thought we better not. We wanted to rent bikes to ride along the Roseau canal. We did get to drive by it, and it definitely would have been a nice ride, but sometimes you have to be flexible with the weather.

We ate dinner at Wellington Gastropub which was featured on Vagabrothers. My pork belly was delicious. We decided to get dessert back at Byward market by picking up some beaver tails. These are basically like heavier elephant ears. Our sweet tooth was satisfied.

Day 2: To the Capital

Our stay in Toronto was short, but a new city awaited us. We began our time in Ottawa at a spa getting a couples massage. At the time of making this reservation, I had no idea how hot it was going to be. I should have also reserved some pool time. 

Our masseuses led us to our cabin, and as the stress was pressed out, wind blew through with the smell of campfire, and the waterfall relaxed our ears. It was nice.

Feeling rejuvenated, we found our apartment in the city and headed towards Byward market. We found a Mexican restaurant with unbelievable Mexican corn and tasty tacos. After loosening up with a couple margaritas, we were feeling pretty good. Our waitress was very outgoing and she gave us some great recommendations for tomorrow.

Ready for another drink, we went to the oldest tavern and sat under the canopy while sprinkles cane down. The bartender was a nice guy with stories to share about Chicago.

We weren’t ready to call it quits yet, so we found a wine bar with jazz music underground. It was a nice way to end our evening in Ottawa.

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Day 1: The Road to Toronto

After having an interesting night trying to save a stray dog, 6:00 am came, and we had a date with the road. We stopped to grab a coffee, visited Michael’s mom, and then we hit the road. 

We planned to stop in Detroit for a lunch break, since that was a good midpoint. Small Batch Brewing was our destination for a pint and some grub. Once done there, we hopped over the water, and boom, we were in Canada.

As we continued through Canada, the car seemed to be getting a bit toasty. It seems our air conditioning is not quite up to par. Let’s just say Michael was not lovin it. Fortunately, we opened our windows, and aired ourselves out. Hopefully this won’t be a problem all trip. But, that’s part of travel, too, right. I think sometimes we get this notion that travel is paradise and everything is going to be perfect. Life is not perfect, and there isn’t an exception for vacation time.
When we arrived to Toronto, traffic flooded the streets we needed to go down. You see, I picked this swanky condo in the hip Queen Street West neighborhood, which is also close to Rogers Centre, the home of the Blue Jays baseball team. Wouldn’t you know it, just as we were arriving a game got out, which means thousands of fans poured into the streets. This held us back a bit, but it all worked out.

At 9pm, we had a reservation to visit a Banksy art exhibit. It was a pop up exhibit in an old warehouse curated by a former friend of Banksy. We grabbed a drink, and then headed in for our timed entrance. The exhibit showcased his work through photographs, screen prints, and even some authentic work on a cut out shutter. 

I’m not sure Banksy would have approved of fans paying to see his art, but I did appreciate seeing a chronological sequence of his work and learning more about the street artist. A quote I really liked from the exhibit was: “The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Fame is a by-product of doing something else. You don’t go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit.”

After walking out into the night, hunger hit us. We made our way to Korean Town to slurp up some ramen. It was soooooo good. I wish we had a ramen place at home. Feeling tired from the meal and day, we came back to the apartment for the night.

Something we’ve been seeing a lot of while driving, are country flags supporting soccer teams in the World Cup. I’m hoping we can pick a team to support, and get into the action at a bar while on the trip. Who should we root for?

To the Northeast

Planning a Trip

Preparing for a trip is almost as fun as actually going on the trip.  I spend months reading about the places I’m visiting, watching videos, and researching online to determine how I want to spend my time.  Below, you will find a rough view of how I start to put together a trip.  I always plan the rooms ahead of time, but from there the calendar is pretty open.  If there is something in particular I want to do, I will make a reservation, but I try not to tie myself down too much.

Well, we are on our way.  I’ll try to post each day about our adventures.  We’ll see how well this calendar actually holds up.

Calendar

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						16-9 Hour Drive Leave @ 6am Stop in Detroit for Lunch Toronto –Banksy Exhibit @ 9pm –Queen Street West-Graffiti Alley
17-4.5 Hour Drive Ottawa Leave @ 8am –Nordik Massage @ 3:00 –Gatineau Park –Byward Market	18 Ottawa –Rent Bikes at Rideau Canal –Fairmont Château Laurier –Major’s Hill Park –Parliament Hill –Canadian War Museum –Westboro Neighborhood –Wellington Gastro Pub	19-2.5 Hour Drive Montreal Leave @ 9am -Old Town –Hidden Alley –Notre Dame Basilica –Atwater Market –Rooftop Terrace –St-Viateur Bagels	20 Montreal –Schwartz’s Deli –La Banquise –Ruelle verte –Mont Royal –Oratoire Saint-Joseph –Plateau and Mile End –Biosphere –Mad Hatters –Metalomania	21-3 Hour Drive Quebec City Leave @ 11am –Unibroue –Chez Biceps BBQ -Old Town -Festibiere –L’Affaire Est Ketchup	22 Quebec City –Île d’Orléans –Wendake Indian Reservation –Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac –Le Bouche Réservation @ 7:00	23-5.5 Hour Drive Portland Leave @ 9am –Montmorency Falls Zipline @ 11:00 –SchoonerFest –DeMillo’s for Dinner
24 Portland –Allagash Brewery –Bite Into Maine Lobster Rolls –International Cryptozoology Museum –Street and Co. DInner	25-4 Hour Drive Burlington Leave @ 12pm –	26 Burlington –Beer Crawl	27-6 Hour Drive Finger Lakes Leave @ 8am –Ommegang Brewery -Visit Wineries and Bring Back Food to Cabin	28 Finger Lakes –Wine Tour	29-5.5 Hour Drive Pittsburgh Leave @ 8am -Polish Food	30-8 Hour Drive to Home Leave @ 10am -Have Breakfast First -Stop in Cleveland for Break

Canada 2018 Itinerary

• June 16-Day One of Vacation, Stay in Toronto (9 hour drive)
• June 17-Leave Toronto for Ottawa (4.5 Hour Drive)
• June 18-Second Day in Ottawa
• June 19-Leave Ottawa for Montreal (2 hour drive)
• June 20-Second Day in Montreal
• June 21-Leave Montreal for Quebec City (4 hour drive)-Stop at Unibroue and Trois Rivieries
• June 22-Second Day in Quebec City
• June 23-Leave Quebec City for Portland (5.5 hour drive)
• June 24-Second Day in Portland
• June 25-Leave Portland for Vermont (4 hour drive)
• June 26-Second Day in Vermont
• June 27-Leave for Finger lakes (6 hour drive)-Stop at Ommegang
• June 28-Second Day in Finger Lakes
• June 29-Leave for Pittsburgh (5.5 hour drive)
• June 30-Head Home (8 Hour Drive)

44h Trip

Canada 2018 Ideas

• Toronto (1 night)
  • Casa Loma
  • Starving Artist-Waffles
  • The Art of Banksy Exhibition
  • Queen Street West-Graffiti Alley
    • Barchef
    • Queen West Antique Center
    • Skyyard at the Drake Hotel
    • Type Books
• Ottawa (2 nights)
  • ByWard Market-Farm to Table
  • Notre Dame Basilica
  • Parliament Hill
  • The Grand Pizza (VB)
  • Beaver tail
  • Check out Up and Coming Towns (Look for victoire store)
  • Brew Donkey Craft Beer Tours (VB)
  • Wellington Gastro Pub-pair music with food (VB)
  • Spa Outside of Ottawa Nordik (VB)
  • Rideau Canal-Rent Bikes
  • Gatineau Park
• Montreal (2 nights)
  • Notre Dame Basilica
  • Plateau-Artistic Borough (VB)
  • Brasserie Dieu du Ciel God of the Heavens Brewery
  • Mile End Borough
  • Mercantile/Clark Men’s Shop
  • Bagels
  • Schwartz’s Deli
  • La Banquise
  • Check Out Murals
  • Society of Art Technologies
  • Biosphere Museum
  • Botanical Garden
  • NOTRE DAME DE BONSECOURS
  • http://localmontrealtours.com/
  • Picnic-http://www.lefromentier.com/ or http://www.dinettetriplecrown.com/
  • Rooftop Terrace-http://terrassenelligan.com/a-unique-vantage-point/
  • Metalomania
  • Mad Hatters (Heavy Metal Bar-go on wednesdays)
  • FOUFOUNES ELECTRIQUES-Heavy MEtal
  • Unibroue
  • ruelle verte
• Quebec City (2 nights)
  • Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac (Get Old Fashioned Fairmount)
  • Old Town
  • Wendake
  • jacques cartier national park
  • Le Bouche (Quebecois Restaurant with bearded guys)
  • L’Affaire Est Ketchup (cook on electric stoves and heavy metal music)
  • Chez Biceps BBQ (Bacon in Bourbon)
  • Battuto Italian restaurant
  • He boislocal beer crawl
  • Festibiere
  • Snack bar poutine
  • Montmorency Falls
  • Picnic on The Plains of Abraham
  • Quartier Petit Champlain
  • Île d’Orléans-Countryside
  • SCANNER BISTRO-Heavy Metal Bar
  • BATEAU DE NUIT-Heavy Metal Bar
• Portland, Maine (2 Nights)
  • Allagash Brewery
  • International Cryptozoology Museum
• Vermont (2 nights)
• Finger Lakes New York (2 nights)
• Pittsburgh (1 Night)