My wife and I just got back from an amazing 6 week, 13 stop trip with our daughter. We flew in to Shannon, Ireland with my father-in-law, rented a car and drove straight to the Cliffs of Moher before heading to Dingle for 3 nights for the beautiful views and pubs. Drove through picturesque West Ireland (being diverted by some sort of car race in Killarney) to tiny Bandon, Ireland for 2 nights of visiting the wonderful towns around there (Kinsale, Clonakilty). Then headed through Tipperary (Chasing my father-in-law's ancestors) and the Rock of Cashel on our way to Dublin for 3 nights of history, great food, and great strolling. We bid farewell to my father-in-law and a sunny, rainless Ireland and flew to Amsterdam for 3 nights to visit my wife's friend and newborn and visiting the zoo, Anne Frank's house, and going on a canal ride. Dodged cyclists and traffic rushing on foot for a mile with a stroller and all of our luggage to the train station (the tram wasn't heading to the station for whatever reason) to take the train to Paris for 4 nights where me met up with my wife's mom and sister for all the beauty, museums, and food Paris has to offer. Took the train to Avignon where we rented a car and stayed at the dreamy Boquet du Seguret for 5 nights while touring around Provence's markets, roman ruins, great food, great wine and great views. We dropped my in-laws off at the Monpellier airport before grabbing coffee in lovely Pézenas and getting lunch on the coast at the bautiful Le Maya Club in Torreilles Plage on the way to picturesque Collioure for 3 nights of relaxation, beaches, and sunset drinks. We stopped in Carcassone for castle views and cassoulet on our way to La Barthe-de-Neste and its lovely B&B Le Closier with its lovely owners and dog Lenny for some Tour-de-France siwtchbacks (in a car) up to the heights of the Pyrennes for two nights. We grabbed lunch in Bayonne on the way to the bountiful breakfasts and comfortable accommodations at Ferme Elhorga in Saint-Pée-sur-Nivell in the basque hills for 2 nights where we spent a rainy day (the only one of our entire trip) in St-Jean-de-Luz and drove a sleeping baby through the nearby Basque villages. We dropped the car off at the Biarritz airport and spent the next 3 nights watching surfers and soaking sun on the beaches of Biarritz before hopping on a nauseating, but thankfully short, bus to San Sebastian for 4 nights where we met up with my sister, her husband, and 8 year old daughter for Pinxtos, promenades, txakoli, and the beautiful La Concha beach whose tides seem to usher you out in the afternoon. We all took the relaxing train ride to Barcelona for the next 3 nights where we got lost in the old town, toured the Picasso museum, and enjoyed the transportation system which is marvelously stroller accessible. We bid hasta luego to my sister and her family as we spent the twilight of our vacation on the shores in Sitges for 3 nights enjoying the sand, sun, and paella, and the fantastic museu de Maricel and Museu del Cau Ferrat.
It was a wonderful break and great to spend so much of it with our family, but an extra big kudos for our little daughter for being extraordinarily cooperative and calm throughout even the few stressful times. I think the only thing we missed out on travelling with her were a few extra pubs in Ireland, a fancy dinner or two in Paris, and a few sites we drove past because she was asleep.
If interested in what we brought, we had a babyzen yoyo stroller, a cosco scenera next car seat (occassionally questionably rigged to the stroller), my backpack suitcase (a 15 year old ebags motherlode from my first trip to Europe), a packable duffle that we'd drape on the stroller handle, an Away roller carry-on, an Ebags bellcourt-convertible carry-all that would ride on top of the away roller, and my wife's fjallraven backpack. All packed with clothes we didn't wear because of unexpected warmth.
Happy Travels