As the birthplace of the European Renaissance, Florence has awe-inspiring works of art and architecture at every turn and it’s impossible to see them all in a short trip, but this past weekend, we tried to squeeze in as many as possible. Traveling my friend Kaitlin, who’s a photographer and fellow artist (and our husbands),…
Category: Expat Life
Getting Happy with a SAD lamp
SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder – a disorder with symptoms similar to depression that occurs regularly at certain times of the year, usually in winter when days are shorter. On my second day in England, a relatively sunny Mid-May day, I was informed that soon enough, the skies would darken and it would be a good…
New Year, New Domain, Big Dreams
“I’m not sure when it’s time to stop saying Happy New Year…so… Happy New Year.” My wonderful yoga teacher, Sam said with a grin as she greeted us for the first yoga class of the 2019. And I guess she’s right… when do we stop saying “Happy New year”? When do we stop chasing those…
Finding the Joy of Childhood at London’s Winter Wonderland Carnival
If Weisbaden is the quintessential Christmas market, then London’s Winter Wonderland is the exact opposite. While it had some minor nods to the idea of the German Christmas Market, it, by and large, was nothing like the first market we visited. Sprawling throughout Hyde Park, London’s Winter Wonderland faire is beyond massive. I knew it…
Six Month SITREP
What I’ve learned about myself in my first six months abroad. Six months ago today we moved into our dream Georgian farmhouse on a working farm in a tiny village about 20 minutes from Tim’s work here in England. I fell in love with the massive 300 year old brick farmhouse when I first saw…
Catching the Christmas Spirit at the Wiesbaden Christmas Market
The smell of bratwursts mingles with the scent of freshly laid pine chips in the crisp chill of the morning air. I tug my coat tighter around me to ward off the chill as I take tentative steps into my first ever German Christmas market. This place is a place of Christmas dreams, or at…
Ten Treks to Take in Ireland
A decade ago, Tim and I got married. A DECADE! Can you believe it? We couldn’t either. To celebrate, we decided to take a week’s long road trip through the Republic of Ireland starting in Dublin, driving south to County Cork, west around the coast and then up to Galway. The entire week was amazing…
Picture Perfect Portmeirion
September flew by in the blink of an eye and if it’s any indication as to how this tour overseas is going to go, then I have a feeling we’ll be home in CA before we know it. Less than 24 hours after returning from Finland, Tim and I popped down to Heathrow to pick…
Food, Forests and Folklore in Finland
When we discuss traveling throughout Europe, I usually envision the southern parts of the continent, Italy, my favorite country; France to see the romantic capital, Paris; Spain to see my college roommate in Madrid; and Germany to see the world-famous Christmas markets. I never really thought of heading North to Scandinavia other than off in…
Unexpected Post-Visitor Blues
The sadness and ache hit me like a wave as soon as I walked in the house. Setting my purse on the counter I immediately lost any sort of composure I had carefully crafted since we left my parents at the airport a few hours earlier. Barely able to walk, I sunk to the floor,…
Fernweh Findings 