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Passport Number Two
2004-2014, R.I.P. we had some of the best times of our lives, you and i. from my very first trip to europe as the reason to get you, to the last year of your life, when you were really filling up too fast and just had no space for me anymore. people (immigration ladies) told me to forget about you…. to find someone new, someone who had more to offer (fifty-two pages) to better accommodate my needs (a visa stamp every three months). all of the greats are there… heathrow, gatwick, charles de gaulle, both functioning berlin airports. it’s been a journey, you and me. in this age when no…
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Krasný Nový Rok (2013 Recap)
happy 2014! the new year’s sun is shining through my window…. a wonderful first sight of this first morning of the year. it seems like just last week that it was january first and i was wandering around my neighborhood of mala strana in the fog. it scares me a little how fast the year passed, which is a great reminder to “live in the now” and savor every moment of life. it tends to pass at a normal and much more acceptable time when i’m doing that. 2013 has been a very exciting year for me. to blindly move away from lovely prague in january just because of the promise…
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Christmas + A Big Surprise
veselé vánoce, friends! my second czech christmas is technically still underway (as people traditionally get the 24th-26th off work) and it’s magical. this year my mother has joined us from far away washington state and we’ve been doing a whole lot of wandering the cobblestoney budějovice city streets, last chance advent markets, and of course: eating a TON of food (i may have gone overboard with grocery shopping, perhaps to make up for what is now known as our poor czech christmas last year) and a lot of relaxing before our trip to salzburg tomorrow. and, oh yeah……. i got engaged! alex and i have had a few chats about marriage before, both…
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Europe-versary
one year ago today, we arrived in glasgow, scotland at about 5:40am local time. we came in from hot and sunny toronto and were practically freezing in the 13 C temperatures. even though it was the last day of august, it really felt like autumn has arrived. it marked the next chapter of our lives! so we’re calling today, “victory in europe day”. our V-E day. and thinking a lot about our time in scotland. as much as i like to live in one place here in CB, i am really looking forward to the day we get back on the road– no lease, no taxes or social security payments.…
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six months
happy march! yesterday was the big six month in europe milestone, since we landed in glasgow, scotland on august 31, 2012 shivering in our summer clothes. six months in europe was sort of the baseline: the minimum time spent here for me to consider this adventure successful. hooray! of course being away from home for over six months (seven since washington!) there are a few comforts i miss….. basically allllll of my billion jackets because it’s cold here and i love them. (the zara jacket i have now is pretty and lessens the pain) and that leafy green plant–kale– is NOT to be found here in the czech republic. it’s…
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life after the bucks: fidalgo livin’
first post, welcome. the weirdest thing i’ve done in the longest time is quit my job AND move out of my apartment in seattle within 24 hours of each other. as tumultuous as my feelings about my barista job at starbucks sometimes were, i did work there for almost four years. i do miss my co-workers and regulars! it’s all for the best, as i am now about to live a travel dream of mine…. and i really needed a change of pace. also, been having starbucks related dreams the past three nights in a row– pretty weird! my time up north on fidalgo island has been incredible thus far. just…