"First comes love then comes marriage
then comes baby in a baby carriage...”
You might know that song. But how could the song continue? "Then come joy and happiness...?” or "Then come doubt and sleeplessness...?”
Let’s be honest, many women say: „Once I have a baby, my life will never be the same again. My lifestyle will change: I must stay at home, I will lose my freedom. I might have a holiday but I won’t be able to travel the world with a backpack.”
Mommies have enough questions, problems and worries about their lives. What do they need now? They need those many „good friends” with their „good” tips or comments:
You should sleep when the baby sleeps!
You should do the cleaning when the baby sleeps!
When I was young, housework was much harder.
You can let him cry!
He will surely suck his finger. You should give him a pacifier!
Can’t you breastfeed him?
You must stop breastfeeding; he is too old!
He can’t be hungry.
You can’t feed him with a spoon!
You should give him finger food!
Smoking is okay. We are outside.
You could give him some honey! (🫣) (*You mustn’t give a baby honey! It might be life-threatening for babies under 12 months because it has some dangerous bacteria in it.)
Do you guys know how mummies feel? They feel like this: „Go, step on a LEGO!" Let’s hit the road and leave these „good” tips behind!”
Hang on a minute... Can you just leave and hit the road with a baby...?
You might be lucky enough to have a baby who loves travelling.
Take this Mini Quiz:
Does he like watching the street from the stroller? Yes, he does.
Doesn’t she cry in the car? No, she doesn’t.
Is he calm and happy most of the time? Yes, he is.
Does she have a passport? Yes, she does.
Has he received the most important shots? (for example: tetnus, hepatitis B) Yes, he has.
Does she have cool parents who are ready to take an adventure? Yes, she does.
(if you have 6 yeses it is a good start)
Tip: If a child is less than 2 years old, you don’t need to buy a plane ticket for him/her, so the family can save some money. 😉
So, are you ready to take an adventure with a baby? Ladies and Gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts; our next destination is:
---> the Azores!
Nyelvtani magyarázat: módbeli segédigék You can travel. - Utazhatsz. You could travel. - Utazhatnál. You should travel. - Utaznod kellene. You will travel. - Utazni fogsz. You would travel. - Utaznál. You may travel. - Lehet, hogy utazol. You might travel. - Lehet, hogy utazol. You must travel. - Utaznod kell. You mustn't travel. - Tilos utaznod. You have to travel. - Utaznod kell. You don't need to travel. - Nem szükséges utaznod.
For the start
1. Prepare some toys!
You must rent a car to discover the Azores. The little man can sit in the back seat and play with his favourite teddy bear while you are driving and enjoying this view: vivid green landscape and these blue flowers (name: hydrangeas) everywhere. Really everywhere.
Watch out! You can expect cows on the street! Moo!
2. From raincoat to sunscreen
The weather in the Azores is changeable: it might be sunny, it might be rainy.
- You have to prepare a light jacket. It doesn’t need to be warm but it must be waterproof. You will need it in the mountains. - You have to prepare light clothes, such as T-shirts and shorts.
- Remember the sunscreen (for example Nivea) and a baby sun hat! You are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, after all. The UV index might be high.
3. Start the holiday with shopping:
- diapers (for example Pampers)
- milk and baby cereals (Nestlé should be okay) - fruit puree or fresh fruit
Tip: Bring your own fruit bar or muesli bar from your home country because they don’t have them in Azorean supermarkets.
3. You mustn’t forget medicine!
Hopefully everything will be fine, but make sure you prepare some medicine from your home country.
Such as:
Painkiller (for example Nurofen)
Diaper cream (for example Weleda)
Gel for teething
Suppository to help him poo
Should you need them, you will not have to go to a local pharmacy.
On the way
5. Have good trekking shoes and a baby carrier!
This combination will give you the freedom to go (almost) everywhere you want, to see (almost) everything you wish and to experience (almost) everything the Azores offer:
- Mountains and their spectacular viewpoints
- Lakes
- Vocanic lakes
- National parks - Waterfalls
- Coasts (where sea and land meet)
The list ist long:
- Hot springs (=hot termal water)
- Beaches
- Beaches with cold and warm water (fantastic!)
- Caves
- Tea plantations - Pineapple plantations - and a lot more...
6. Have a light stroller, too!
You don’t need to carry the baby in the baby carrier all day. Many tourist spots are doable (doable = you can do it) with the stroller.
Take a long walk along a lake early in the morning. It will energize your body and soul. The smell of these yellow flowers, the forest and the water is so nice. It is a perfect start for the day.
Don’t miss the hot springs! Your baby can have a nap (nap = a short sleep) next to the pool while you are relaxing in the hot mineralwater. Oh, and the colour of the water is dark yellow, because it is so rich in minerals.
National parks are amazing. Look at that old tree in the photo! My man is sitting on its roots. Isn't it fascinating?
Sightseeing: city centre, culture, buildings, dinner, etc.
Tip: Don’t only visit the biggest towns! You must see some villages, they are lovely! You may find a mini festival in the middle of a village. If so, you will see how locals party. Enjoy the music, the food and the atmosphere!
7. Time to crawl or walk
Todlers have a lot of energy, and they need a lot of movement. If they can walk from time to time, they will enjoy the day. And you, too. (!)
And why not walk on a wall like this...
Special moments
8. Eating and drinking
- Discover new flavours! Offer your baby the famous „volcano lunch”. The food goes under the earth and the volcano cooks it. After 7 hours it is ready to eat.
Look, they are making lunch:
- Have you ever seen a pineapple plantation? It is a big garden full with pineapples. You must indulge yourself with a freshly squeezed cocktail. Yummy! - You don't need to go to China or India to see tea plantations. There is a tea factory in the Azores. Visit it in the morning! A nice cup of tea with a piece of pineapple cake on the terrace? I know you want it.
Tip: Don’t drink coke in the Azores! Drink Kima! It is the local maracuja soft drink. We loved it!
9. Visit a cave!
Yes, you can do it as a family! There are almost 300 volcanic caves in the Azores. There are difficult routes: you have to crawl there. But there are easy routes, too, where you can walk. It is doable with the child.
You don't need to worry. The cave is not scary. At least our child was OK with it.
10. Smart timing
Do something nice during his nap time (=when he sleeps).
- You can take photos of the lakes and streets in the rain or watch the sunset in the evening. Watch out! You mustn’t leave him in a car alone! I mean... for more than a few minutes.
- The Azores is full of surprises. Not only the famous tourist spots but the no-name spots are fantastic. Just check GoogleMaps. We found a no-name volcanic lake and had a great time there: on the right: an amazing landscape on the left: a mossy forest in the middle: friendly (or hungry?) ducks in the water
- Finish the day with a drink on the balcony of your hotel. Portuguese wines are of good quality. It is a good idea to use a baby monitor to hear if the baby is crying.
11. Whale Watching – try to let things go
There are many „big fish” around the Azorean islands: whales and dolphins. (they are actually not fish, they are cetaceans)
The tourists can spend 4 hours on a boat and see a lot of these animals. Wow, what an experience! Of course we wanted to do whale watching and see the 16 m long sperm whales.
At the tourist office:
- „Good morning! May we book your whale watching program with a baby?” - „Whale watching on a small boat? Sorry, children under 6 mustn’t join the half-day program. It is too dangerous. But you can do the half-day program with the big boat. May I book it?” - Yes, please. Please book it for 2 adults and 1 baby. - Sure. See you on Monday! Bye!
We didn’t have luck. They called us later:
- „Hello, sorry, the weather is not really good. It might rain tomorrow. It might be too windy, too. The baby shouldn’t come. Maybe next time...” - What a pity! But thanks for the info. We might come back when our son is 6 years old. - Fine, then see you in 5 years’ time! 😊
---
Will we really come back in 5 years...? Will we ever come back...? Good question. But it was a very memorable holiday on a really really wonderful island.
Bye-bye Azores! We loved you!
Glossary baby carriage - babakocsi pacifier - cumi (szó szerint: békítő/csendesítő) (Pacific Ocean - Csendes-óceán) breastfeeding - szoptatás life-threatening - életveszélyes stroller - babakocsi (könnyű, összecsukható, ül benne a pici) teething - fogzás suppository - kúp todler - "tipegő" korú kisgyermek crawl - mászni nap - szunyóka, délutáni alvás take a nap - szundítani egyet baby monitor - bébiőr bacterium - baktérium bacteria - baktériumok Go, step on a LEGO! - így szólhatsz be valakinek az f betűs szót mellőzve hit the road - útnak indulni alfter all - elvégre, végül is vivid - élénk hydrangea - hortenzia indulge - kényeztetni plantation - ültetvény moss - moha mossy - mohás whale - bálna cetaceans - cetfélék sperm whale - ámbráscet
Tanulj meg angolul és lépd át a határaidat!
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vagy: timea@passportangol.com