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Germany, Poland, and Iceland: family travel over the holidays

I had grand plans of having this finished sooner, but better late than never, right?

We have just returned from a two-week winter trip to Germany, Poland, and Iceland. Our trip consisted of my family (2 parents, kids 8 and 4) and another family with kids the same age, so 8 people in total–4 adults, 4 kids. We wanted to experience Christmas markets as well as spend our winter holidays in a new place. My family has all traveled to Europe previously (Switzerland and Italy, as well as Ireland (my oldest) and my kids are good travelers. Thankfully at this age we don’t need strollers, diapers, or baby cots any longer–hooray!

Our itinerary was: Berlin, Germany, Wroclaw, Poland, and Reykjavik, Iceland. With kids, fewer destinations and moves makes for a smoother, happier trip for all. We chose a winter trip partially due to work and school schedules. I am a teacher, and the kids and I had a two-week winter break. The family we traveled with has Polish roots, and they still have a family apartment in Wroclaw. Our friend is also fluent in Polish, which was incredibly helpful. On our way home, we decided to do an Icelandair stopover for three nights since Iceland has been high on our list.

Arrival in Europe- a delay, a volcano, and a missing bag
Our trip started off on an interesting note. We were originally supposed to leave on Sunday, December 17. Then we learned that there was a planned air traffic control strike on Monday the 18th in Iceland, so we were rebooked on the Monday the 19th flight. We were thankful that we were all rebooked on the same flight and only pushed back by a day, especially given that it was the holidays and flights tend to be full.

On Monday the 18th, we were on the plane about to take off, when the pilot made an announcement. The volcano in Iceland on the Reykjanes peninsula had started to erupt! “We think it will be fine,” we were told. Despite the eruption, we were cleared for takeoff. The flight itself was mostly uneventful. I appreciated that the kids got free meals, headphones, activities, and small stuffed animals. As we were descending to Keflavik airport, our pilot announced that we could see the eruption. I was on the aisle, but able to see the orange glow of the lava. Amazing! The plane turned, and then the other side of the plane got a clear view of the eruption. It was a thrilling start to our trip, especially for the kids! On the flight to Berlin, the kids slept the entire time and I managed a few hours of sleep as well.

Berlin
In Berlin, we collected our bags, minus one. Sadly my son’s bag did not make it. My husband stayed behind at the airport to file a claim, along with many other travelers. The rest of us located our driver with Welcome Pickups, which worked smoothly. With kids, we have learned that it’s nice to get to our accommodations as quickly as possible. We stayed in an apartment between Charlottenburg and Mitte. The location was not my favorite, though it was close to a S-bahn station and worked perfectly for our group. Each family had their own apartment, and the two apartments connected by an internal door.

Our first night we visited the Charlottenburg Palace Christmas Market, which was a short s-bahn ride and walk from our apartment. Our first order of business was gluhwein for the adults, and hot chocolate for the kids. The market had a beautiful setting, but we didn’t spend much time browsing the booths given our tired, hungry state. Some bratwursts were a great dinner for our hungry bunch of travelers, and given the rain and glassy-eyed stares of the kids, we decided to call it a night. My daughter takes the cake for being the soundest sleeper, as she was asleep by 6:45 pm and woke up at 8:30 the next morning. It seemed easier for the kids to adjust to the 9 hour time-change than the adults.

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Berlin continued
On Day 2, we had tickets to visit the Reichstag Dome at 10:30, and stopped at Brandenburg Gate on our way there. I should add here that having the BVG app on my phone made navigating public transit very easy. Travel tip: if you are traveling with kids, a 24 hour ticket covers up to 3 kids ages 6-14. Kids under 6 are free. We all enjoyed the dome, including all four kids. After the dome, we took a somber walk through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Lunch was at a doner kebab place, and then we headed to H&M to buy my son some clothes. We were told the bag would take a few days to arrive, so we had it sent to our next stop in Wroclaw. (I should add here that I am glad we stocked up H&M rather than just buying the basics). After our shopping trip, we headed to the Spy Museum, which was a hit with everyone–plenty of history for the adults, and enough hands-on things to keep the kids interested. They particularly liked the lie detector, the laser maze challenge, and the exhibit where you could search for “bugs” in a room. After the museum, we visited the Christmas market at Potsdamer Platz, where the kids took a quick spin on the toboggan run. (This was a hit with 3 out of 4 kids, with one calling it “too scary.” Oops! Our final stop sightseeing stop of the day was Checkpoint Charlie, and then we headed back to the apartment to regroup and rest up a bit. For dinner later that night, we attempted to go somewhere without a reservation but it didn’t work out. Thankfully we were right near the Markthalle Neun, and we found a tasty pizza restaurant.

On Day 3, we had a slower morning and then part of our group headed over to the Natural History Museum. The weather was particularly rainy that day, so it was nice to have an indoor activity. Everyone enjoyed the museum, especially the solar system exhibits, the dinosaur fossils, and the rocks and minerals (the 8 year olds). We had lunch at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant, and then caught the tram to go over to the Berlin Wall Memorial. This was the rainiest day of our trip, but we made the most of it. We did not go to the visitor’s center, but really enjoyed the Documentation Center. I appreciated that there were several parts of the exhibit tailored for kids, and also found the video upstairs to be interesting. Next we caught the tram to get us as close as we could to the Kulturbrauerei to visit the Lucia Christmas market. This was my favorite Christmas market we visited in Berlin. The gluhwein was delicious here, and overall I really enjoyed the charming atmosphere, the vendors, and the food. It helped that the rain had stopped, too. The kids enjoyed the carousel and a few carnival-style games, like a ladder climb and using a wooden crossbow to shoot at a castle (they LOVED this). I am not usually much of a shopper while traveling, but I found some earrings and a bottle of Eierlikor, which is a German egg liqueur which reminds me of eggnog. I also had some delicious raclette while there. After a few hours at the market, we went to Zollpackhof for dinner, which is a German restaurant that serves Augustiner beer (one of my favorites). After dinner, we headed back to the apartments to pack up since we were leaving the next morning.

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Wroclaw
After three packed days in Berlin, it was time to head to Wroclaw. We had time to spare at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, which gave us time to find snacks and coffee. The kids were entertained by the decorations and the Lindt truffle kiosk. ;) Getting on the train was uneventful, but on our first stop (still in Berlin) we sat for what felt like longer than usual. We were delayed by about an hour due to an issue with the doors on some train cars, but then finally got moving. The ride itself was pleasant with beautiful scenery. We arrived in Wroclaw, took a Free Now taxi to our apartment, and dropped our bags. We had a delicious dinner at Spiz, and then spent an hour at the Christmas market, where I had my first mulled wine, Wroclaw style (with rum!).

The next day we had a slow morning and then took care of some essential tasks like laundry and grocery shopping. Since stores would be closed on the 24th and 25th, we wanted to be sure we had what we needed. We also had to pick up our Christmas Eve dinner, which we had ordered ahead of time from Kozacka Chatka. The rest of our day was spent finding gnomes, visiting the St. Elizabeth church, and having dinner with friends. We ate at Woosabi, which was very good. I thought the cocktails were especially delicious.

Christmas Eve/Day
On Christmas Eve, we woke up to a dusting of snow so the kids were thrilled! It was just enough to be pretty though it did melt quickly. We had anticipated almost everywhere being closed on Christmas Eve/Day, but were pleasantly surprised by our options. The Zabka by us was open, so we were able to get coffee. We visited the Kolejkowo miniature world in the Sky Tower, which even the adults enjoyed. The amount of detail was incredible! We spent the afternoon walking around Cathedral Island. We found a restaurant selling mulled wine, which made for an enjoyable walk. At one point a busker started to play Silent Night on the flute, and I found myself overcome with the experience–the beautiful setting, the company of my family and friends, and the joy of experiencing Christmas in Europe, which has been a goal of ours for a long time. We capped off Christmas Eve with a Polish/Ukrainian feast at our friend’s apartment. The kids opened gifts (they each received one gift packed from home and one gift found at Wroclaw Christmas market) and we all enjoyed a merry evening celebrating.

On Christmas Day, we had a leisurely morning. More Zabka cappuccino, homemade breakfast at our apartment and stockings (candy and small trinkets from the Christmas markets). I brought small Dollar Tree stockings from home which worked well. In the afternoon, we met up with our friends and went to Aquapark Wroclaw, an indoor pool and water park. This was a hit with the kids especially. Be warned that if you overstay your allotted time, you will be charged heftily. This includes any time you are in the changing area. Live and learn, right? The rest of Christmas was spent having dinner with our friends, playing cards, and relaxing.

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Wroclaw continued
Our last two days of Wroclaw were especially nice. We visited the Wroclaw Zoo and Afrykarium, which was a nice way to spend a few hours. I probably would not go without kids, but they really enjoyed it, especially the sharks and rays. We also had a good lunch at the cafeteria–the Polish food was solid and I had an especially good Greek salad. That evening we had dinner at the apartment of our friend’s childhood friend. They were gracious hosts, and treated us to a delicious dinner and ample drinks, including a few that I had never tried before. Our last day in Wroclaw was sunny, clear, and absolutely beautiful. We strolled through the market early, when it had just opened. We found a few souvenirs, like some fun art tiles (to hang) and Polish pottery. From there went to the Hala Targowa (Market Hall). We had lunch at a milk bar, grabbed more coffee, and perused the stalls. For our final night, we went to the Christmas market one more time and let the kids talk us into more rides. We had dinner at the market followed by ice cream from a local shop (Ice Rolls) that had rolled ice cream—a fun treat for the kids!

After our time in Wroclaw, we took the train back to Berlin for one more night since we were due to fly out of BER to Reykjavik. Our final night in Berlin was uneventful as we were all pretty tired. We stayed at the Moxy Ostbahnhof, which was a convenient place to stay and it had family rooms. We had heard that lines could be long at Berlin’s airport, and that proved to be the case. Thankfully we had given ourselves plenty of time before our flight to Reykjavik.

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Reykjavik
We arrived in Reykjavik at around 4:30 on the 29th. It was easy to get our bags (all accounted for, though my son's was still missing). The Flybus worked well for our group, with the older kids being half price and the younger kids free. We stayed near bus stop 6 (The Culture House) and it was a quick walk to our accommodations, which was a four bedroom apartment just off the rainbow street. The apartment was fine–a little basic and noisy at times, but the location couldn’t be beat. We had a quick dinner at 101 Reykjavik Street Food, which was very tasty. We had a relaxed night with early bedtime for the kids since we had an all day tour the following day.

The next morning was an early one, as we had an all day tour with Reykjavik Excursions. We packed all our warmest layers, hand warmers, snacks, and water. First we had an early morning trek to Brauð & co, which I had heard wonderful things about. Our pastries did not disappoint, and we made sure to return the next day, too. Pastries and skyr made for an easy breakfast, and we were out the door by 8:10 to walk to bus stop 6. I was a bit worried about how an all day tour would go with four kids, and if I chose the right tour, but it turned out to be a highlight of our trip. We chose the Golden Circle and Fontana Wellness tour, which was fabulous. This also worked out well since the Blue Lagoon was closed when we were there, and allowed us to visit a thermal pool. Though the tour was on a large tour bus, the bus was not full (maybe 25-30 people?) and there was plenty of room. There were also a few other kids on the tour. Our tour guide, Helgi, was absolutely wonderful, providing interesting and engaging commentary and facts about each place, as well as Iceland in general. I thought the tour was an excellent value. The older kids were half price, and the younger kids were free. Many tours had age minimums, so this tour worked really well for all of us and exceeded our expectations.

We had great weather for our tour, with mostly clear skies and no precipitation. One thing that surprised me in Iceland was how early the sky started to get light, despite the sun not rising until after 11am. As we drove toward Thingvellir, we were treated to a beautiful sunrise. Though we did not have much time here, we made the most of it and took in the beautiful sight of the sun rising over the snowy horizon. Our next stop was Geysir, and by now the sun was up and we had a blue sky day, though the wind had picked up and it felt much colder. We saw the geyser erupt a few times, explored the area, and then went inside to eat lunch. After our time at Geysir, we made the short drive to Gullfoss, which was stunning. This was by far the coldest stop, but the waterfall was absolutely stunning, covered in snow and ice. Finally we made our way to Fontana, where we relaxed in the thermal pools and most of us took dips in the icy cold lake. The rye bread baking demo absolutely blew us all away. All the kids got to help dig the pot out, and the whole experience was just really special. The guy who led the demo had a lot of inspiring words to share, and combined with the beauty of Iceland, it made for a wonderful end to our tour. After sampling the delicious rye bread, butter, and smoked trout, we got back on the bus to return to Reykjavik. When we got back, many fireworks were already being set off (it was December 30). We had a late dinner and all the kids crashed hard after a long day.

Our final full day in Iceland was December 31. We returned to Brauð & co, got flat white coffees at Te & Kaffi, and set out to explore Reykjavik. It was another beautiful day, and we decided to head to the Whales of Iceland museum. It seems to have mixed reviews, but we really enjoyed our time there. The models are incredible, and the audio guide was really interesting and informative. There’s also a whale play structure which the kids really liked.

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Iceland continued
After our time at the museum, we were hungry and still needed to try Icelandic hot dogs. We walked toward Hallgrimskirkja church, and got lunch from Vikinga Pylsur. I had the traditional hot dog, which was excellent. After lunch, we did some shopping and let the kids each pick out a few things (they gravitated toward anything puffin related and we also got a fun children’s book). I am typically not a huge shopper while on vacation, but Iceland got me! I like to bring home Christmas ornaments from trips, so I found one with Icelandic Yule Lads on it. We also visited Mjuk (cozy hat, scarves for my husband and I) and I was interested in finding a sweater. Since it was New Year’s Eve, stores were closing early (most by 3pm). I walked by the Handknitting Association of Iceland shop just before it closed, and found a beautiful sweater. Yes, it was an investment but I will wear it for years to come.

Shout out to mikliz97, as she gave so much great Iceland advice, not only through her posts and trip reports, but in several messages that went back and forth. Thank you!

After shopping, we headed back to our apartment, as sadly it was time to pack up and get organized for our flight the next day. We had dinner with our whole group, then walked outside to see fireworks being set off all over the city. Fireworks are a big deal in Iceland, and fun fact: fireworks sales are a huge fundraiser for the Icelandic Search and Rescue teams. Arnarhóll was a great view point, and as an added bonus, there were various repurposed items left there for sledding, including an old road sign and welcome mats. This was a big hit with the kids (and all the adults too!). After sledding until 10pm, we went back to the apartment to dry off a bit, bundle up, and gear up for the big fireworks show. Around 11:15 we headed out to walk toward Hallgrimskirkja. We’d typically not keep our kids up this late, but this was a special occasion. The fireworks were absolutely spectacular, unlike any display I’d ever seen before. Between the location and the huge, stunning display, it was an epic end to our trip. My daughter ended up falling asleep during the display (amazing considering the loudness of it all) and as the fireworks slowed, we hustled back to our apartment before the crowd dispersed. Back at the apartment, all the kids fell asleep quickly despite the loud fireworks going off all around us, while the adults stayed up into the wee hours of the morning chatting and reflecting on a trip.

The next morning, we had to be out of our Airbnb by 10:00, and there was not much open since it was New Year’s Day. Thankfully it was dry out, so we got coffee from the corner store and walked around while my husband stayed with all our bags. The Flybus dropped us at the airport with plenty of time to spare, and we had one last Icelandic hot dog before flying home. The flight home was easy, and it was very nice to have a “short” flight coming home from a trip to Europe. Our return at SEA was a breeze thanks to the mobile passport app, and then we jumped on the light rail as far as we could go, and had a friend pick us up for the rest of the way home. We were home by 7pm and all crashed hard that night. At 7:45 the next morning, I was out the door and back to teaching. While I don’t recommend doing that, it was more than worth it to be able to spend New Year’s Eve in Iceland! Overall, it was a wonderful trip that exceeded our expectations. Our kids were content with a few small gifts, the holidays felt more simple, and our focus was on quality time and experiences. Thanks for reading and following along. Skál!

P.S. On January 6th, we got word that my son's bag had made it back to SEA! Since we wanted it back right away, I hustled down to the airport to retrieve it from the United counter. We were so glad to have it back, especially since it contained my son's favorite stuffed bear.

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Oh what a wonderful trip! I loved traveling with our kids when they were those ages. It sounds just magical with the markets a the snow, just perfect. I look forward to reading more!

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Wow Meg, what wonderful family memories were made! I hope the kids remember it!
One question, you obviously did your research for this trip and you mentioned you work as a teacher, when do you find the time to plan and research your trips?

I’m retired and I spend a good portion of my time doing trip planning and research. Can’t imagine finding time doing it if I had a job.

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Great trip report, thanks so much! Did your son’s bag ever arrive?

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I enjoyed reading this and am so impressed with the logistics you managed with young kids.

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That sounds like a marvelous time and lovely memories were made. Gosh, your son was a trooper to go without his usual clothes and stuffie. Your kids really do sound like good travelers!

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mikliz97- thank you! They are at really fun ages, and great travelers. We walked a lot (as much as 20K steps in a day) and they did great. There were a few grumpy moments, but who doesn't have that after a long flight and 9 hour time change? I think it helped that they had friends to play with, too.

Tammy- thank you, and I hope they remember it too! Good question about travel planning. We started planning this trip about a year in advance so we had lots of time. My husband did a lot of planning, which he also enjoys. We had all our accommodations booked several months in advance, and then we started filling in the smaller details. There's a few things I could have done more on, like restaurant reservations, but we never went hungry. You're right though, planning takes a lot of time and effort!

Luv2Travel- thank you and yes the bag arrived! I made sure to add that detail now that I am done with the recap. It showed up on a United flight five days after we got home. We were very happy to get the call that it was back!

BethFL- thank you! They really do travel well. They both went to Europe as two year olds, and I joke that if we made that work, then we can do anything.

jennya- thank you!

uala.look- thanks! Yes, I was very impressed about his attitude about the bag, as well as his patience and flexibility.

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Sounds like a wonderful, full but not over-packed trip full of many memories! Congratulations!

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Sounds like a great trip. How lucky your kids are to get to travel so young!

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Meg--I loved traveling with our kids even at young ages. You see things differently. Ours are adult now and both love to travel. I wanted to travel as a kid, but did not have the opportunity. We camped or drove several states away to visit grandparents. Those were great, but I yearned to travel after hearing my grandparents stories. I say I am making up for lost time, lol.

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TexasTravelmom- thank you! It felt like just the right mix of sightseeing/experiences without feeling jam packed.

Mary- yes, we try to instill that in them--that travel is a wonderful privilege, not to mention a great way to learn more about the world.

mikliz97- traveling with kids has been so fun! I am glad to follow along with your travels and appreciate all the travel wisdom you share here.