The Magic of Athens and Santorini
When we think of visiting Greece, we picture images of the Parthenon or the beautiful beaches on its many islands. We had an amazing learning and relaxing experience in Athens and Santorini during Easter break. Although a bit chilly at times, we believe this was a great time to visit, since everything was quite cheaper, and […]
White Lapland and the Northern Lights Experience
Seeing the Aurora Borealis was always on the top of my bucket list. Our family had been planning to visit Lapland in Finland for a few years now, and finally decided to make our winter dream vacation come true with some help from Avila Reizen Tours, and with our friend Marcela, who flew from Costa […]
Winter Wonderland – Serfaus
On the first week of January 2022, the Netherlands was in the middle of a lockdown due to the Omicron variant. We therefore decided to follow our good friends Jacco and Monique, their son Moos and his girlfriend Iris to Serfaus, Austria, where they have been traveling to ski every winter for about 15 years. […]
Rome and Tuscany in Autumn
I love vacations in which we can enjoy food, beautiful nature, adventure and learn about history, all at the same time. Rome and Tuscany offered all this and more! For my 5-, 8- and 10-year-olds, a week in Rome was a unique experience. We started off with a pre booked tour of the Vatican, with an […]
Exploring Vancouver Island
In 2018, we took a family vacation to Vancouver Island for our Summer holidays. On our way there, we stayed a few days in the city of Vancouver and on the way back, we spent a night in Whistler. We never imagined that our trip would be such a learning experience for our whole family. […]
International Women’s Day Gender equality in Costa Rica
International Women’s Day motivates us to think of courageous women of our past and present who have demanded equality, and whose efforts have allowed future generations to become more aware of everyone’s unique talent and capacities. Many of us play different roles in society, and we all have our own responsibilities and satisfactions, privileges and […]
Baking with children
My children enjoy spending time with us in the kitchen. Particularly when the results are tasty desserts we can share! These are all classic easy recipes with basic ingredients most of us can find in our kitchen. Since we are in the Netherlands, I added the temperature and measurement changes to make life easier for […]
Sinterklaas
Sinterklaas or “Saint Nicholas” is a tradition celebrated in the Netherlands and in a few other countries in Europe on December 5. Sinterklaas (a bishop with a long beard who looks a bit like Santa Claus) arrives with his horse Ozosnel and his helpers “Zwarte Piets”, or “black Piets” on a steamboat from Spain on […]
Marjorie Elliott de Oduber
1926-2015 Marjorie Elliott Sypher was born in Ottawa, Canada in 1926. Her parents were Gideon Colin Fraser Elliott Smith and Mary Marjorie Sypher. Gideon Elliott, a civil engineer and lawyer, served in some of Canada’s highest political and diplomatic roles and was appointed Royal Advisor. His wife had been a teacher in Manitoba and graduated […]
Daniel Oduber Quirós: a Costa Rican Hero
Many remember my father for having been the President of the Republic of Costa Rica from 1974 until 1978, and for his political career, developed through many years from his participation in the Center for the Study of National Problems, as a member of the Founding Board of the Second Republic, as a participant of […]
