My childhood was punctuated by tales of the many wonderful trips my parents took: to nooks and crannies in Europe, to Israel, and later to more farflung spots like China and India. They traveled, as did most parents in those days, without children. But one year, they must have decided to give us a little culture, and my brother, sister, and I were packed up and brought along to London. I wish I could say we soaked in the sights and appreciated the chance to travel like grown-ups to a grown-up place. But sadly, my memories of that trip consist mostly of our teenage moodiness. It was no more exotic than our moodiness in Trenton, N.J. It was just relocated to a different place. We argued over which kilt to buy, complained about crowded pubs, somehow managed to leave my sister Jennifer on the curb when we got onto our first double decker bus, and were no doubt an overall joy to be with. So all these years later, I say a heartfelt "Sorry!" to my mom (and regret that I missed the chance to apologize to my dad) for dampening their love of travel during that long ago trip to London.

With those memories of my own teenage-era European vacation safely packed away, all four of us Drucker-Vines traveled together to Rome for five days during the post-Christmas, pre-New Year's holiday week. The time we spent together made me realize that both pre-travel anticipation and post-travel nostalgia are important ingredients for a successful trip. In other words, it's not just about the time you spend in a place. Was every minute of each day blissful? I think you know the answer to that. Nevertheless, I loved the chance to take advantage of our European hotspot to travel only two hours and be in a completely different country. And I loved that we were together as a family.

As many trips to Italy are, this one was centered around the food and ancient sites, with food playing by far the more important role. Who would have thought that Rome would be a haven for people like Ben who can't eat gluten?

Ben moved through this gluten-free pizza, and the gluten-free beer "like Grant through Richmond" before polishing off a gluten-free tiramisu and cheesecake. He was thrilled to be in a restaurant that had these treats. The only way I c… — Ben moved through this gluten-free pizza, and the gluten-free beer "like Grant through Richmond" before polishing off a gluten-free tiramisu and cheesecake. He was thrilled to be in a restaurant that had these treats. The only way I can relate is to think about the bread binge I go on the minute Passover wraps up.

Although the weather was uncharacteristically chilly in Rome, we did manage to treat ourselves to some delicious gelato. It was well worth the incredibly long walk through winding streets to get there. We were compelled to find it bot… — Although the weather was uncharacteristically chilly in Rome, we did manage to treat ourselves to some delicious gelato. It was well worth the incredibly long walk through winding streets to get there. We were compelled to find it both because it was *senza gluten* (without gluten), and because Rick Steves told us to.

This is one of Rome's famous coffee bars, where you drink your coffee like a shot of tequila and then move on so someone else can take your spot. This took some getting used to after the leisurely affair known as drinking coffee in Am… — This is one of Rome's famous coffee bars, where you drink your coffee like a shot of tequila and then move on so someone else can take your spot. This took some getting used to after the leisurely affair known as drinking coffee in Amsterdam. Also, the tiny portion made Amsterdam's cup of coffee seem like a Venti Starbucks in comparison.

In between wonderful meals, we took in some sights. First up was the Colosseum, which was every bit as impressive as I remembered it. There it is, right in the middle of Rome, and we were not the only ones who came to see it. The lines to get in were nearly as imposing as the structure itself. Luckily, I had (some would say, uncharacteristically) planned ahead and booked us on a tour. Mostly, that would allow us to bypass the frightening line. Our Italian guide spoke relatively good English, and a lot of it. Ben took the earphones out early on. Rachel hung in there for two hours, amazing considering that we had met up with the tour guide at 9:45 a.m., a full three hours before her usual vacation wake-up time.

I wonder what he was thinking. Was it, "I'm so glad to be traveling with my family in Rome"? Or "I'd rather be eaten by lions in front of a crowd of cheering Romans than be on this trip with my family?" Or maybe both?

This happy face was not the one I was greeted with when we woke her up at 9 a.m. In fairness to Rachel, I must disclose that she arrived in Amsterdam (with a brief stopover in Iceland, no less) two days before we packed her up and left for Rome… — This happy face was not the one I was greeted with when we woke her up at 9 a.m. In fairness to Rachel, I must disclose that she arrived in Amsterdam (with a brief stopover in Iceland, no less) two days before we packed her up and left for Rome.

Our next major site was the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. Wisely (or out of a sense of self-preservation), I waited until the night before to inform Rachel that this "beat the lines" tour would begin at 8:00 a.m. It was painful to get up and out by then, but judging from the crowds already there at that time, we would not be the only cranky people taking in the sites.

After being in secular Amsterdam for four months, it was striking to be in a place filled with so many people there for religious reasons. It was also nice to see some blue sky, another rarity in Amsterdam.

After spending time in uber-cool Pope Francis' house, we wandered around the Jewish Ghetto. There we ate delicious food, and saw some of the Jewish life that we haven't seen in Amsterdam. The synagogue is beautiful.

From the Jewish Ghetto, it was a short walk to the Trastevere neighborhood where Ben found a great spot above the city to take photos.

I'm sure you wish you were looking at his professional photos instead of mine, but as the teacher in me would say: "You get what you get, and you don't get upset."

Many of you have heard me complain about the difficult placement of my birthday: a few nights after Christmas and the night before New Year's Eve. It was especially hard during my teenage years and young adulthood, in the days when New Year's Eve meant staying out late and having too much fun. Everyone needed to stay in on my birthday- December 30- to rest up. Peter has tried to make up for those lost celebrations by making my birthday extra special. In recent years, I have birthdayed in Jerusalem, Madrid, and Paris. Now I can add Rome to that list! We wandered around the city, ending up in the Villa Borghese park where we rented some bikes so we could show off our Dutch stuff.

Then we wandered down to one of the many bustling squares in Rome. We saw an enterprising pair of street performers with a simple gig: with a boom box blaring, they blew bubbles into the square, the obligatory hat in front of them in case you were so inclined. Young children crowded around, because what little kid doesn't love bubbles?

Still at kid at heart, I hope. I managed to embarrass not just my kids, but Peter as well.

The birthday festivities continued when Ben made plans for us to go to a jazz club after our last dinner in Rome. My night owl days are long past me, and I almost elected to go home after dinner when the post-dinner pasta coma set in. We persevered, and had a wonderful time listening to jazz together.

I wasn't even the oldest person in the room. And, no, we were not the first people to leave. We stayed for the entire show, Howard and Kate! — I wasn't even the oldest person in the room. And, no, we were not the first people to leave. We stayed for the entire show, Howard and Kate!

All in all, we enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Rome. There is nothing like walking around a city filled with ancient ruins to make you realize that you're not so old after all. The apartment we rented was right in the thick of things, and gave us some space to relax in between excursions. As per usual, what brought us together as a family was laughing. After the first day, we noticed an odd, unpleasant smell in the bathrooms of our apartment. The owner promptly came by, and the smell situation seemed to improve. The next day it was back. And then we thought we smelled it at one point (was it following us?) when we were out walking around. It wasn't until we got to the airport for our return flight that the smell became overpoweringly awful. We thought it was just the delicate, oversensitive Drucker-Vine noses until we started to notice people walking around the airport with their jackets lifted up over their faces. And then Rachel spotted airport personnel spraying Febreze around, the word "Cleaner" emblazoned on their yellow shirts. I promise you I am not making this up. Ben, of course, googled "bad smell in Rome" and we discovered that there was some type of problem and we weren't the only ones who noticed. We laughed and laughed, and were thrilled to finally get on the plane to escape the odor and head back to fragrant Amsterdam.

Much to Rachel's disappointment, my birthday escapades left me without the energy for a raucous New Year's Eve. We did walk around after dinner to take in the beautiful Amsterdam Light Festival, a series of sculptures made from lights, sparkling throughout the center of the city. We had heard in advance that Amsterdam gets a little fireworks-crazy come New Year's Eve. This advance warning didn't prepare us for the experience of walking around with firecrackers or just alarmingly loud noises going off on nearly every block, by kids of every age and even some adults. I was glad to get home by around 10 p.m. to put my old bones to bed. That is, until I was rousted out of bed at midnight by what sounded like fireworks going off inside the apartment. We had a great view of the official display from our bedroom window. In the front of the apartment, neighbors lined the street with their own unofficial display, so it was coming from all sides. Poor Casey didn't know what was going on. I think next year we will find someplace quiet for him to go. I may follow.

With our first excursion out of Amsterdam behind us, I was ready for the next. On January 6, Rachel and I boarded a high-speed train to Paris so she could meet up with her Colgate Existentialism class for the world's best week-long field trip. I was in Paris for less than 24 hours, but what a 24 hours it was! We stayed at a little hotel in the Marais district, and treated ourselves to a terrific dinner at a nearby bistro. The next morning I dropped her off with her group, and wandered around the city. Somewhere in my travels, I saw a street blocked off by a policeman, a news camera setting up. I didn't think a thing about it. At some point, Rachel texted me to ask if I had heard about the terrorist attack. I figured I would get more details when I was on the train headed home and had time to do some research about where and when. I didn't think for a second that the trouble was in Paris. When I learned what had happened, it seemed unreal to me. The next few days I spent alternating between the BBC, the New York Times and Twitter, trying with the rest of the world to make sense of what is happening to our world. Rachel will never forget the week she spent in Paris. She heads back to Colgate with the group on Wednesday. And then I'll breathe a big sigh of relief.

Part of me begins to feel very nervous about traveling when something like this happens. Then I realize that you can't give in to those fears. You travel to see new places, learn about other cultures, and in turn, about yourself. Traveling gives you a new appreciation of home. This trip was different because for the first time, I was not returning to New Jersey, but to Amsterdam. And it felt good to come home. I'll end with a few shots of Paris that speak for themselves. Just Paris being beautiful Paris. I'll cherish the memories of our family trip to Rome, even the less pleasant ones. In this terrifying world we live in, I'm lucky to have the chance to travel with my family. I can't wait for the next adventure!