My good friend and author of the Ciao Bambino! book series, Danna Leahy, visited us in Switzerland this summer with her 7 and 10-year-old kids in tow. As part of her itinerary, she planned a four-night stop in Paris.

When Danna explained what she planned to cover during her time in Paris, I laughed. I know the Type A mom personality — ahem — well, as I look in the mirror each morning. Our husbands tell us that we pack too many activities into short periods of time. True.

I have yet to meet an expat in Switzerland who is familiar with Adelboden at first mention, although I know the resort is popular with Swiss ski fans as it hosts the FIS Ski World Cup in January (2012 dates are January 7-8).

Adelboden is in the Bernese Oberland, a mountainous area packed with natural beauty. I’ve covered Mürren and Grindelwald on the blog; Adelboden is in the valley before the Lauterbrunnen/Mürren/Grindelwald exit as you head down the motorway towards Interlaken.

This is a guest post from Carole Yu, one of our Italy giveaway winners. Carole offered to share a bit about her trip, as her story touched us all.

Thanks for sharing tidbits from your travels with us Carole. Reading your story makes me want to get back to Tuscany!

Istanbul, Turkey is a photographer’s haven. The city overflows with historic images, beautiful waterfronts, sophisticated designs and diverse people. It’s a city that successfully embraces its past while driving forward efforts to create a modern metropolis.

I have wanted to go to Istanbul for a ling time, drawn by its historical importance and rich culture. It did not disappoint! We absolutely fell in love with Istanbul. It was exotic enough to keep us completely engaged, but we were easily within our comfort zone, with fabulous hotels and spas …

Our last stop on my recent Jungfrau Region tour in Switzerland was Grindelwald, home to a huge range of summer and fall activities (not to mention world-class skiing).

Unfortunately, mother nature was not our friend for our overnight in here — it absolutely poured almost every minute we were there. The highlight of this area is the epic mountain views, and we saw none of them.

The reality of mountain vacations …

When our good friends suggested a trip to the Loire Valley with kids, I have to admit that I was not without reservations. Lots of castles and lots of wine — that’s all I really remembered from our last trip to this region 10 years ago. Sure, the former is kid-friendly in small doses. The latter? Not so much.

As it turns out, we loved exploring the Loire Valley with our children! We planned our days …

“What in the world is that Mom?”

“That, believe it or not, is how we played movies in the old days when I was a child.”

Seriously?! I can’t believe we’re having conversations like this already with our kids. It’s crazy.

This banter was all inspired by our visit to the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris. Founded in 1794, this museum of “arts and crafts” displays scientific instruments and discoveries …

Last week for Photo Friday I covered glorious Mürren in the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland. Our itinerary included a stop at Trümmelbach Falls.

The Michelin Guide gives the falls one of their coveted 3 star ratings. We discovered the reason for this — Trümmelbach Falls is quite simply astounding as visitors witness …

Most of us have just a few short weeks before school starts again. After all the non-stop, unstructured family time over these past few months, a bit of routine is welcome again.

September and October are terrific travel months in terms of weather and crowds. Given that days off work and school — at least in early fall — are limited, a 2-3 night getaway is your best chance to work in a back-to-school vacation.

One of the best summer activities in Switzerland is hiking through the Alps. You see people of all ages and abilities enjoying the endless jaw-dropping mountain scenery on foot.

It’s easy to set off with babies and toddlers in carriers or backpacks — more challenging is motivating school-age kids to go for any consequential distance. Fortunately, our Swiss friends have thought through this …