Happy Wednesday, friends!
As of today, three out of four Shull kids are back in school which means, my life is 3/4 of the way back to normal after the holiday season. As much as I LOVE the holidays, I also love my routines, and slowly but surely, we’re getting back to norm around here.
I have TWO POSTS for you today. I’m talking about HIBERNATING on this Wellness Wednesday and then I also have PART ONE of our WINTER VACATION for you too.
You guys, Andrew and I both agreed this was our favorite vacation to date.
The weather + the destinations + the touch of Christmas + the history + the food + OUR KIDS just made us both tear up walking back to the hotel on the last night. We love spending time with our kiddos, but this trip just felt extra special. Maybe it’s their ages, maybe it’s the fact that we’re on “count down mode” now to graduations…I’m not quite sure, but it was just really extra special.
The funny part is…this wasn’t our original vacation. We had booked a snowboarding/skiing trip to Colorado back in March. We had flights, accommodations, lift tickets, dining reservations…the whole thing planned and booked. When Andrew tore his bicep this fall, we knew immediately that he wouldn’t be able to snowboard right after Christmas, so we asked the kids what we should do and Kensington suggested Poland.
If you’ll recall, our family had a trip to Poland planned and booked for the summer of 2020…but COVID happened, so we rebooked it for summer 2021…but COVID still was happening so we rebooked it for the summer of 2022 but then there was the war in Ukraine, so we just decided maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Since then, it was still on our bucket list but kind of forgotten. She suggested we go there instead and bam, a trip was born. The fourth time was CERTAINLY the charm.
So, that’s how we go there. Ready to recap?
Here’s a little look at PART ONE…
Awww, so fresh faced and excited! It was December 27th, and we were off to fly from DFW to Germany to kick off our winter break. We decided to start in Munich and then finish in Poland.
Fast forward 11ish hours and we were much less fresh faced but still quite excited 🙂 .
We had a short layover in Frankfurt where we found a cute cafe with a Christmas tree and Christmas music and coffee at the airport.
After a 50 minute flight…
…we landed in Munich 🙂 .
We had a car waiting for us at the airport to take us…
…to our hotel for the next few nights. How amazing was the gingerbread house at the Mandarin Oriental?
The hotel was decked for the holidays and oh so gorgeous!
Our rooms weren’t quite ready when we arrived (around 1:30), so dropped off our bags and walked to lunch…
…we were dirty and tired, but so happy to be in Munich! We had a DELICIOUS pub lunch at Kennedy’s.
Pub food and German food really are our family’s faves.
We were bundled up (the weather was sunny and gorgeous every day in Munich, high around 34ish) and took a nice walk back to the hotel…
Munich has always been one of my favorite European cities. It’s clean, it’s friendly, it’s walkable but has great public transportation, it has great restaurants and shopping and so many amazing excursion opportunities both inside and right outside its city limits. It’s truly located in the perfect spot.
Our hotel rooms were ready…
…so lovely. We had two right next door to each other. Both had sweet little views…
Hi there, Munich.
We showered and changed into fresh clothes…but no sleeping, you don’t want to nap! I have a post on jet lag you can read HERE. And then we were ready to head back out. The name of the game is stay up and active until bedtime 😉 .
The real star of my trip were MY BOOTS! I wore them every single day. They were waterproof, comfy and kept my feet warm.
BOOTS + FAVORITE BLACK JEANS + SWEATER for the win on day #1!
We headed back towards the Glockenspiel to see the Christmas lights.
Awwwww! Look at us all in Munich! We were so happy to be there.
Munich was still decorated for the holidays and oh so pretty…
…this first day was all about walking and exploring. This was a great way to keep us up and active after being on an overnight flight.
We stopped at Scholars Lounge for hot chocolates…
…and I found this random selfie on my phone, ha!
This little spot pub was so cute and the perfect place to get warm and have a hot drink.
After that, we walked to dinner…
…Munich, you are so festive in December!
We had reservations for dinner at…
…Augustine Braustuben. We didn’t have one bad meal on this entire trip, but we agreed that this was our favorite dinner in Munich. Not only was it so gorgeous inside…
…it was SO festive and unique and absolutely charming…
…but the authentic German food was crazy delicious. I LOVE GERMAN FOOD!
Please note Smith’s TRAY. Bahahaha! He ordered so much that they legit brought it on a big tray.
We ate and we ate and then we walked back to our hotel room and crashed for the night. It was an EXCELLENT way to kick off our winter vacation.
Okay, a few things to note: Munich is AMAZING! Don’t forget, Andrew and I went with the Slaughters…
…in September of 2022 for Oktoberfest. If you want to go to Oktoberfest, I cannot recommend it enough. We absolutely had the VERY BEST time on this trip. Our travel agency loves to send clients to Oktoberfest. We have access to the best tents, hotels, excursions, drivers…you name it…so if that’s on your bucket list, reach out to us today and let’s get planning.
We love German vacations no matter the time of year, so please let us know if you are interested in visiting. You can easily connect with us HERE.
I have a few other travel related posts you might want to check out today too like…
MY 13 KEYS TO MANAGING JET LAG
HOW I TRY TO STAY HEALTHY WIN I TRAVEL
MY 18 KEYS TO PREPPING FOR A TRIP
MY 9 KEYS TO RETURNING FROM A TRIP
MY 7 KEYS TO REDUCING/AVOIDING MOTION SICKNESS
MY TIPS FOR KIDS CARRYING ON and…
MY TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH KIDS (at this point, I’m a pro!)
Also, don’t forget, it’s WELLNESS WEDNESDAY, and I’m chatting all things HIBERNATION today. Make sure you pop over there too.
Have the very best January day, friends! xx
Elspeth Mizner says
What an incredible trip! I can’t wait to read more!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Britt says
I’m so curious if you went *after* Christmas, since it all was so festive still!
Mix and Match Mama says
We found plenty of Christmas spirit even after the holiday which made my heart so happy 🙂 .
Dana P says
Every time you post pictures of Smith, I cannot believe how he has changed! He looks so much like Andrew now, too. So handsome! 🙂
Amanda Wilson says
I know I say this to all your posts but Travel posts are my fave!!!!
Sheaffer Sims says
Off to a great start! And OMG at Smith’s tray.
Paula Hobbs says
I love all of the beautiful pictures!! Can’t wait for the rest of the recap!
Maddie says
Looks like such a fun trip so far!
Jessica says
When you travel abroad, do you carry some of their currency or just pay for things with your debit/credit card?
Mix and Match Mama says
Great question! We use our cards for as much as possible (it’s just simpler), but we also always get their currency for gratuities, smaller purchases, etc.
Sharon says
I’m curious what was on Smith’s tray, those long slabs of “meat”.
Mix and Match Mama says
Weiner schnitzel 🙂
Kristen says
I love your travel posts! Question. do you ever wing it on vacation or do you always have a planned out itinerary?
Mix and Match Mama says
We always have a planned itinerary. It’s loosely planned some days, but we always have a plan.
Kate says
What’s fun trip! Also nothing is more relatable than Smith’s tray as the mom of two teenage boys 🤪
Jen says
Do you splurge on better/lay down seats for long haul flights?
Mix and Match Mama says
We didn’t start until we were in our 40s, but now, yes, we do!
Erika Slaughter says
Ahhhh!! I loved our trip to Munich! Looks like you guys kicked it off right!
Paula says
How do you pick hotels and restaurants to accommodate the language barrier. I saw the menu was in English? Do you always have service industry workers including hotel know English?
Mix and Match Mama says
Honestly, I have traveled very very few places where English wasn’t spoken/written throughout. We didn’t encounter a single language barrier on this trip (through three different countries). Europe is especially “English-friendly”. Signage, menus, and everyone we spoke too knew English well.
Grace says
This is such a great post about your trip. The food looks amazing! The first photo of the gingerbread “house” was so awesome. Just curious how many steps did you get in a day?
Mix and Match Mama says
Great question!! The most we got was 27,000! Other days, we got between 20k and 25k. We walked A TON!
Grace says
Wow! That is so incredible. I’m happy you had a wonderful time away from the blog world, but I think it is safe to say that we are all glad to see you back. Cheers!
Angela says
I love hearing all about your European Christmas adventures!!! Thank you for always sharing with us!!! ❤️
Carolyn Becker says
Good choice to change, I live in Colorado and the snow has been awful. Only over last 5 days has there been any snow at resorts.
Lindsay says
The snow in Colorado is terrible this year, so that’s another plus that you pivoted. We are supposed to get some snow this week, but in the 25 years I’ve lived here it’s been the worst ski season.
Mix and Match Mama says
We kept saying that to ourselves on this trip too. We had friends there at the same time, and they were so bummed.
Polly Pover says
We’re you able to talk to people in Poland for their insights into the war in neighboring Ukraine that rages on?
Mix and Match Mama says
We had some conversations about the topic…the Polish people are wonderful.
Hayley C says
Do the kids also get lay-flat seats? I am concerned about spoiling ours as they start to grow taller since I never had such a luxury growing up!
Mix and Match Mama says
Well, I had to wait until I was 40, so they have to wait for some things too 😉 . They were in Premium Economy behind us.
Allison says
Well if you had to pivot, this seems like a great option! Can’t wait to hear more, Poland is on my list as well to go to. In most ski areas of Colorado there has not been a lot of snow yet so maybe okay to miss this year.
Ivy S. says
How do you break up hotel rooms? One adult in each? Adjoining? Does anyone share a bed? We have similar kid breakdown and I can’t for the life of me get it figured out!
Mix and Match Mama says
When we can, we always try to get connecting, but that’s not always possible. When they were younger, we would do three and three and honestly, that was usually a revolving door each night as kids moved and changed rooms. In Munich, we had the parents in one room and the kids in the next. Kensington slept on the sofa bed and Ashby and Mades slept in one full bed while Smith slept on the other.
Dana J says
Looks amazing and so festive!! Can’t wait to hear more!! Smith’s tray of food made me LOL…gotta love teenage boys and their never ending hunger!!
Natalie Gasmire says
I’m going to Paris for the first time ever in March! I need to read all your things about packing etc for it! We are going to Normandy too. And going to Cabo with your agency in Feb! Do you have any blog posts about Paris?? 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
I have several (and on Normandy too!). Start here: https://mixandmatchmama.com/?s=paris+normandy I hope you have the BEST time! Thank YOU for allowing us to help you with your Cabo vacation!!
Hope says
Looks like the perfect holiday vacation. I love Munich and all the surrounding places to explore.
Michelle says
Can you share what hotel you stayed at? Would you recommend?
Mix and Match Mama says
It was the Mandarin Oriental, and we LOVED it!