Our First Year in Europe
It has been a little over a year since our family boarded a plane for this European adventure and a tremendous amount has transpired during that time. Of course, there are the unending recounting of our travels as well as the tips and advice that we'd like to pass along to others, but equally important is the personal growth that we have seen in ourselves.
Living abroad inevitably forces one out of their comfort zone and ultimately for our own betterment. Prior to our arrival, it was merely a dream to visit Europe and see a handful of the major locales. Since then, it has been necessary to constantly work on learning languages (yes, plural; or at least the rudimentary elements of them), learning to shop on the local economy (subject of a forthcoming post), as well as adapting to local cultural idiosyncrasies.
Looking back at the past year, I'm honestly amazed at all we've seen and done already: eight countries and nearly six thousand kilometers (over 3,700 miles) driven strictly for travel and sight-seeing purposes, and that doesn't include repeat visits to a handful of locations. Our most frequented place of travel is France due to its proximity to us.
The last few months have been extremely busy for us from that travel perspective and I have a myriad of posts that require finalization including Bastogne, Switzerland, Garmish-Partenkirchen and Strasbourg. Amidst the past-trips are the never-ceasing plans for future ones as we enter the holiday-laden time of the calendar. We have many plans afoot and they'll be shared in due time.
Many have asked what our favorite trip has been thus far; that answer varies depending on who is answering it. For myself and the #Smolyboys, it is our trip to Pisa, Italy this past January; for Janet, it is the Netherlands this past March.
What are your thoughts? Which location have you most enjoyed reading and learning about?
