Macy and Carly's Visit to Europe

In mid-June, my cousins, Macy and Carly, came to visit for a jam-packed week of European travels. Trying to find an open week between their busy summer schedule and mine was difficult, but I'm so glad it worked out for them to come! This was Macy's second visit to Europe, as she visited me in Wiesbaden two years ago, and Carly's first. 

Biking around Sittard

Although the time was short, I wanted them to experience as much of Europe as possible during their visit. Luckily, living in the tri-border region provides them an opportunity to visit three countries quite easily. We took a day trip to Aachen to visit the beautiful Dom, have a schnitzel lunch and shop for gummi bears. Afterward, we stopped by the Dreilandenpunt where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet. 

Aachen Dom

Standing in three countries at once at the Dreilandenpunt

After two days in the local area, we hopped a train for an overnight stay in Amsterdam. We stayed in a hotel that was a canal house from the 1600s in the Jordaan neighborhood. We did a city walk, visited the Anne Frank house and even toured through the Red Light District on our way to the Our Lady in the Attic Museum - a remarkable museum where a hidden Catholic church was built in the attic of a merchant's house during the Reformation, when Catholics could not worship in public.

Enjoying waffles along the Amsterdam canal

Amsterdam 

After our whirlwind trip to Amsterdam, we had one day to recover in Sittard, where we explored the shops and rode our bikes around the beautiful city park.

The next morning, we boarded the Eurostar to London where we would spend the next two nights. Immediately after arriving, we ventured to the nearby King's Cross station where the 9 3/4 platform is located from the Harry Potter movies. Macy and Carly are huge Harry Potter fans and I had arranged for us to take the Muggle walking tour the next day. 

Macy, on her way to Hogwarts

After dropping our bags at our hotel, we changed into our "fancy" clothes for an outing to Harrods. After wandering through this massive department store, we enjoyed afternoon tea in the Georgian Restaurant on the top floor. It was so much fun and surprisingly, was incredibly filling!

Afternoon Tea at Harrods Georgian Restaurant

After tea, we made our way to the West End theatre district to see Les Miserables. This was my third time to see it, though this performance was the best! It was so incredibly moving and the smaller more intimate theatre, provided an unbelievable spectator experience. This is my favorite musical of all time and the by the end of the performance, I had to restrain myself from joining the cast on stage when they sang "Will you join in our crusade, who will be strong and stand with me?" It was an unforgettable performance and night. 

After our Muggle walking tour around London the following day, we visited the Tower of London, and walked from Big Ben and Parliament to Buckingham Palace along St. James Park. There is so much to do in this large, bustling city, two days is simply not enough time. However, we packed a great deal in and I feel we definitely saw the highlights of this magnificent city. 

Parliament and Big Ben

The iconic London pic

I loved sharing a week of my life with Macy and Carly and tour-guiding them around Europe. What an opportunity they've had to visit Europe as teenagers, and I hope this helps to instill a passion for travel and experiencing new cultures throughout their life. Thanks for visiting!

Goodbye, Margaret!

Just when you get completely settled in your house, form a great group of friends you feel completely comfortable with and start to feel at "home," the inevitable happens.... people start to leave. It's one aspect of military living I'm not ever sure I'll get used to, and though it's wonderful to have these many different experiences moving around, it's also so difficult to say good-bye to those wonderful friends you've made. 

In late June, we had a Farewell party for our dear friend, Margaret, who always brings so much life, hilarity, and a bit more volume to any gathering we have. As she is newly engaged, this party also doubled as a pseudo-bridal shower as well. She and Brandon got engaged in Spain, so it was a great excuse to use my Spanish decor, to include the Spanish colors, flamenco and bull-fighter pictures and of course, plenty of Spanish fans. As Margaret and Brandon are now in San Antonio, I know this isn't a forever good-bye, but just a "see ya later" until I visit Texas again. I can't wait 'til that day, and until then, I'll be making the most of my time left in Europe and attempting to travel to as many places as Margaret has.

A pic of Margaret and Brandon in their Carnaval Spanish-themed costumes. Carnaval won't be the same without them!

Our guest of honor, Margaret

Decor with fans and pics of bull fighters and flamenco dancers

Of this group of ladies, several of us will be leaving in the next year, moving on to our next adventure. Each assignment has proved to be a uniquely wonderful experience and I know I'll look back on this time no differently. I've met some of the most amazing people here and I will cherish these friendships and memories for a lifetime. Now, let's make this next year one of the best ever!

Cinque Terre con Amici

What better way to kick-start the summer than a weekend getaway to the Italian Riviera! The Cinque Terre is one of my favorite Italian destinations, complete with sun, sea, trails, delicious cuisine and unbeatable scenery. I've had the opportunity to visit this jewel of Italy twice previously, but really wanted Jon to experience this amazing destination. Our friends, Meghan and Dave, joined in on the adventure and we had a fantastic four days exploring the five villages known as Cinque Terre.

After arriving in the most resort-esque village of the five, Monterosso, we walked around town before watching the sunset from a beautiful lemon grove and garden on the rooftop of our hotel. In the garden, we discovered a vending machine that dispenses small bottles of local wine that were quite the hit with our group. The views above Monterosso and out to sea were absolutely breathtaking.

The following morning, we began our hike through the hillside along the sea to visit the five villages. The most difficult section, between Monterosso and Vernazza, has tons of stairs, but the views high above the sea are worth it. 

View of Monterosso from the start of the trail

Hiking the trail between Monterosso and Vernazza

Vernazza

In October 2011, the area experienced some heavy flooding and subsequent mudslides that caused mud to build up 5 feet tall in the villages. Vernazza was hit the worst and the town came together to clean it up and restore it before tourist season began in June. Although there was still lots of work being down on the buildings, it's amazing to think how much the town accomplished in the past 8 months. Looking down on Vernazza from the trail, this picture-perfect town doesn't seem real, and it's no wonder it's the jewel of the Cinque Terre.

Vernazza Harbour

From Vernazza, we were not able to continue the hiking path to the next two villages as the trail had not been restored yet from the mudslides. So, we visited Corniglia by train and enjoyed walking through this hilltop village. 

Next, we trained to Manarola where we re-connected with part of the open trail and found a great spot for deep-sea swimming. The turquoise water was so refreshing and though there are no beaches in this area, it's wonderful to be able to jump right off the rocks into clear deep water with no one else in sight.

Our swimming hole

Manarola

From the beautiful town of Manarola, we continued on the Via dell'Amore path to Riomaggiore. This path received the name, "Lover's Lane" from locals in both towns who were now able to visit more frequently, and make love connections, on the newly built path between towns. Today, the path is lined with lovers' names, and Jon and I decided to leave our mark as well.

'Jon and Cat' on the Via dell'Amore

Riomaggiore

At the Monterosso train station - our main form of transportation between the villages

From Riomaggiore, we trained back to Monterosso after a splendid day of exploring the Cinque Terre. The next day, we headed back to Vernazza for sun-bathing, swimming and boating around the coastline. 

Swimming in the Vernazza harbour

Swimming in the Vernazza Harbour

Vernazza Harbour

Boating around the Cinque Terre coastline

Our final night in Monterosso, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of Ligurian seafood before visiting our favorite pub. Although it is a small village, the amount of tourists here by day is incredible, though not too many make it out after dinner. We enjoyed meeting those that did and watching the locals. Two of the locals I met with my friend, Allison, nine years ago are still here. It seems some things really do never change. I guess that's part of the appeal of Cinque Terre, where time really does stand still.

Our last day, we walked around town to find the locals assembling a carpet of flowers for a procession taking place later that day. Unfortunately, we would miss that, but it was incredible to see the team- work talking place from the very young to the very old, all lending a hand to create this beautiful carpet that would wind through town.

Before our flight out of Pisa, we planned a little bit of time to visit Pisa's Field of Miracles, to include the Leaning Tower and Duomo. Of course, we had to take the obligatory silly photos in front of the tower. 

It was an incredible four days in one of my favorite region's of Europe and I'm so glad I was able to share it with Jon and our amici, Meghan and Dave. Grazie mille, Cinque Terre!

Memorial Day - A Weekend to Remember

Well, in classic summer fashion, I am once again behind on updating the blog with all the exciting happenings that have taken place the past couple months. But before I can delve into my trips around Europe, to the States and even Mexico, I have to begin with the end of May and our fantastic Memorial Day weekend.

The weekend began with a Fisherman's Friend Strongman Race in Belgium; Jon's second time to participate in one of these insane obstacle-laden running courses. He had a remarkable finish in the top 10 and enjoyed having a buddy there to take part in the fun. It was great for me to have a buddy as well (his wife) to run around the various spectator spots at the different obstacles.

His classic pose

Loving the obstacles

Celebrating the Finish

That Sunday, we once again visited the American Cemetery in the Netherlands for their Memorial Day Ceremony. It was an absolute gorgeous day and it was an incredibly moving event. I feel so honored to be able to attend these ceremonies where Memorial Day holds so much true meaning as we remember all those who sacrificed their lives for our country.

The Jons looking quite dapper

On Memorial Day Monday, Jon and I had a small Memorial Ceremony of our own remembering an American serviceman, Captain Donald Emerson, whose plane crashed down on December 25, 1944 on the outskirts of Sittard. We run by his memorial marker on one of our favorite running routes, now named "the Captain." We salute his picture every time we run past this spot, as an act of remembrance for his sacrifice and life that was ended so far away from his home.

Placing flowers and a small flag at Captain Emerson's memorial marker

Captain Emerson's memorial marker

Later that afternoon, we had a patriotic BBQ at the house, in lieu of the July 4th party we normally have. I was able to bust out my many patriotic decorations one last time as we enjoyed the company of all our wonderful friends and gorgeous weather. Like previous years, the festivities included a small speech by Jon, a kids pinata, and some games for the adults. We will miss hosting these patriotic fests that mean so much living abroad, but are so thankful we've had such wonderful friends and such a party-worthy house to continue this tradition for three years. 

The grill master at work

The festive inside - everyone contributed with such delicious food!

Jon's Memorial Day speech

The lovely ladies

And some men

Kids picking up the goods from the pinata

Couples water balloon toss

Beth and Jeff - the winners of the water balloon toss and their awesome prize - drinking glasses!

Bridal Bunco

I absolutely adore planning parties. From picking out a theme to decorating and planning the menu, I have so much fun dedicating my free time (and I have a lot of it) to hosting a unique event. May was my month to host Bunco and I was finally going to follow-through with my Bridal-themed Bunco idea. I was initially inspired by my friend, Kelly, who also hosted an amazing Bridesmaid Bunco, to re-create this theme and have been talking about it for the past two years. Like Kelly, I also thought it would be a great opportunity for us ladies to re-wear a former Bridesmaid dress. Although we all have them, we usually don't have too many opportunities to re-wear them. Unfortunately, being in Europe, a lot of people didn't move with these dresses, so they were requested to wear a garden party dress. 

I decorated the house with tacky wedding decor I found at the cheap Euro store and no wedding would be complete without lots of flowers (roses and peonies to be exact). I even made a wedding cake and though it wasn't my best creation, every wedding event must have a cake!

Clearly I am not a baker - the bride and groom even took a tumble in the icing!

Although it doesn't have anything to do with a wedding, I wanted to use my very girlie tea set that I received for  my birthday last year as decoration. My mom bought me the colorful Love Bird tea set from Pip Studio that I'd been raving since moving to the Netherlands and discovering this fabulous Dutch company. The vibrant colors and design make me so happy and I can't wait to add to the collection. 

Main table setting

The menu consisted of bridal brunch food, to include chicken salad sandwiches, spinach salad with baked parmesan, a fruit assortment, avocado ranch dip with pita chips and migas. For beverages, I served Prosecco with strawberries as a welcome drink and wine and raspberry mojitos throughout the evening.

Buffet with beverage choices

Mojito drink toppers

Eventually, it was time to get down to business and play Bunco, though these days we usually only get through about two rounds. Clearly our priorities are about chatting and enjoying each other's company. I absolutely love our Bunco group, and the best part about it is that it's always a new combination of ladies. Due to our hectic schedules, rarely can everyone be there each month, which allows for new people to join in the fun. 

Bridal themed Bunco Toppers

The weather turned out to be beautiful and though I had thought for a half second about playing Bunco in the orchard, I knew we would want to be close to the food and drinks so ultimately decided to keep it indoors. We did however, get some photos of all the lovely ladies in the orchard while Jon was still around. Five of us wore former bridesmaid dresses.... some we really loved and others not so much. It was such a great evening and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful ladies and friends to surround myself with. Until my next Bunco month.....