A Weekend in Verona!

Jamie and I just got back from a short weekend in Verona, where we went to an outdoor opera!  For several years, it has been a dream to go to an outdoor opera (ever since I saw the movie, Hannibal, to be honest…and it’s my favorite movie EVER).  So, when I found out that Verona’s opera puts on a summer season in an old Roman amphitheatre, I knew that this was the opportunity!  The season had a lot of my personal favorites, but once I saw that they were putting on a production of Romeo and Juliet, “in fair Verona, where we lay our scene” I knew that my mind was made up…it was almost blasphemous to go to Verona and see something else!  Romeo and Juliet it was (it also didn’t hurt that this has been one of my favorite love stories since 7th grade, when I read the play).  So, poor Jamie, I pulled him along for the ride.

We flew into Bergamo, which is about midway between Verona and Milan.  Thank god for budget airlines…those things are amazing!  We fly them as much as we can, and they’re super cheap if you only pack a backpack (which we normally do, because I hate waiting for luggage).  We arrived late morning, then jumped a bus to get to the train station, where we boarded a train headed for Verona.  One stop and two hours later, we arrived!  Took a taxi to the hotel, where we dropped off our gear and promptly headed out for some sightseeing!

Walls of the Old City.

Verona is a small Italian town, so I wasn’t overwhelmed with things to do, which was nice because I’ve been so stressed out lately with work and all I really wanted from this weekend was a little sightseeing, a lot of food and wine, and some opera.  We walked around to get a feel of the place, passed by the Amphitheatre, and went off in search of lunch.  Sigh…Italian food is my downfall. After lunch, it was around 3:30pm and it was ridiculously hot, so we headed back to the hotel for a cold shower and a nap.  Bliss.  Woke up a few hours later and just hung out for the rest of the night. Relaxing…loved it.A drinking fountain, but I didn’t give it a try.A drinking fountain, but I didn’t give it a try.

Saturday morning we woke up, grabbed breakfast (omg…the pastries were to die for), and headed out for some sightseeing before the heat of the day closed in.  Even at 9am, it was still in the low 90s, so it wasn’t like we really beat the heat.  Thankfully, there were plenty of places to splash some water on your face and cool off.

The Arena – sans people

We stopped into a few churches, which were stunningly beautiful, and took a tour of the amphitheatre before the performance that night, just to get an idea of what it looked like without all the guests seated.

Then, we stopped by a Ristorante for some lunch and had some delicious foods, then went back to the hotel for another shower, another nap, and to get ready.  I woke up around 5:30pm, which gave me an hour to throw up my hair, put on some make-up and get dressed (plenty of time).  After getting ready, we headed out for some dinner before the show.  OMG…dinner was my FAVORITE meal this trip.  I had a fantastic salad caprese (fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil) and an antipasti of proscuitto and melon.  Topped off with a glass of prosecco, and I was in heaven!  Jamie got a filetto that was super good too (though mine was better).  After dinner, we headed off to the Arena for the opera!

The “Cathedral” where Romeo and Juliet are married.

I didn’t get a lot of photos of Romeo and Juliet, sadly. We took my camera (barely one up from a point and shoot) and the lighting was dim (obviously, as it started at 9:00pm).  In addition, though we were in the 22nd row, it just wasn’t conducive to photography. I did grab a few shots, and here’s one of my favorites.  It’s of Romeo with the Priest, right as he and Juliet are about to be married. Juliet is kneeling on the ground that some guy’s head got in my way…sorry!

After the opera let out, we headed back to the hotel for another cold shower (even at midnight, it was hot), and to pack up before our flight out the next morning.  We woke up early today, grabbed our gear and headed out on the train.  Got into the Netherlands around 1:30pm, and promptly came home, and passed out!

So…there was our weekend get away in Verona!  It is a beautiful town with not a ton of things to do, but definitely makes for a relaxing weekend.  The opera was amazing…couldn’t have asked for better!

Hiking in Teplicko-adršpašské skály

Wow…I am a slacker!  It’s been months since I’ve updated, and I completely forgot that I never finished my blog posts on our Czech Republic trip!  I have been remiss!  My 2.73 readers out there are surely shaking their fists in fury at my oversight. Basically…I suck.  My apologies.

So…where we left off, Jamie and I were wandering the streets of Prague.  Beautiful city with some amazing history and architecture, but I was ready for something different (as was Jamie, because he’s not a big city person).  The next day, we hopped in our car and drove a few hours east of Prague to a town called Teplice.  All throughout this region of the Czech Republic is some amazing sandstone rock formations that are perfect for rock climbing.  Also, plenty of forests for hiking, which was our main goal. We arrived in Teplice ready to go, strapped on our shoes, and headed to the trail.

Walking on snow in April.

The really amazing thing about hiking here was the fact that the rocks are SO tall, there are areas of the hiking path that never see light, so even in late April there is snow on the ground! The weather was in the upper 60s and we were walking on packed snow…it was awesome!

Here is a photo of me, walking in the forest with snow covering the ground. It was a completely surreal experience, but I loved it! It was only through one small part of the hike that there was snow, the area was referred to as “The Freezer” because once you walked into the area, the temperatures dropped 20 degrees and there was snow everywhere. I was chilly in my rain/wind jacket, but did ok…I wouldn’t have wanted to have any other layers on because it was warm throughout the rest of the hike.

After a few hours walking/hiking, we finished the trail.  It was so nice to get out of the city and see another part of the country that was off the beaten path.  Jamie and I really enjoy outdoors activities, but I also like city sightseeing as well, so it was really great to be able to incorporate the two during our trip.  Plus…the Czech Republic is such a gorgeous country throughout, it was really awesome to be able to drive around and just take it all in!

We got back to the hotel in the late afternoon, and grabbed a quick shower before going back to the hotel restaurant for dinner.  I told you this place was awesome!  The food was great!  The next morning, we had to get up early and head back home, as work was waiting for us.  The drive was long, but we made it back in one piece (no thanks to Jamie, who did all the driving).

Sorry that it took me so long to get back on this blog…I promise to make a better go of it from now on!  My next post…our trip to Verona, Italy for an outdoor opera!

All Prague, All Day.

Friday morning, we woke at the hotel after a good night’s sleep. Thankfully, the bed at the Park Inn was MUCH better than the one at the Mercure in Kassel. We both managed to get some good sleep, so that was really helpful for the full day ahead. We headed downstairs to the breakfast buffet and feasted on fresh fruits, fresh breads, eggs, and croissants. I love European breakfasts. They’re so delicious, and the massive amount of breads and spreads make me VERY happy.

Astronomical Clock - Prague

After breakfast, we headed back out to the city to do more sightseeing. We started in the same area we had been in the night before, and worked our way out from there. We saw the astronomical clock in the Old Town Square, saw the St. Vitus Cathedral, and walked along the Jewish Quarter. The Jewish Quarter was my favorite of all we saw in Prague, but I had completely forgotten that Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath, so we didn’t get to see the Jewish Cemetery (which was a bummer, because we both really wanted to see it).

Overall, we had a full day of walking around, sight-seeing, and checking out all that Prague had to offer. I wore shoes that weren’t fabulous for walking around in, so by the time that dinner rolled around, all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel. We wound up eating in the restaurant there in the hotel, and I’m so glad we did! The food was fantastic! Jamie had roast duck and I had chicken. We were both very pleased with the dinner!

After dinner, we went back to the room and passed out for a good night’s sleep.

Next Up: Hiking in the Czech Republic!

More driving, and Prague!

We woke up on Friday morning bright and early. Not really very eager though, since both our backs hurt and we’d slept poorly. I just really hate rock hard beds. We jumped in the car and went in search of some breakfast/lunch. Nothing like fast food on vacation!

The drive was only supposed to take five hours, but due to even more traffic and construction, it took closer to seven. We finally got to our hotel and checked in around 5pm. We quickly dripped off our things and went exploring! There’s something about a city at dusk that I love…the people are slower, the lights are a bit more dim…life just seems to move at a more relaxed pace. We walked around to get a feel for the city and to get our bearings before finding some dinner. After a delicious meal, we headed back to the hotel to get some sleep for our full day of Prague!

Next up: All that Prague has to offer!

Driving to the Czech Republic

This is going to be a multi-post story, mainly because I’m typing on my iPhone and I’m too lazy to do it all in one shot. (Plus, I’ll probably forget half of what I intended to type by the time I get home. So, not only am I lazy, but I’m also forgetful. Awesome.)

Anyways…back to the story at hand. It is Easter time for all the bunny and chocolate lovers out there, and Jamie and I figured, what better way to spend the holiday than a trip to Prague! The city is well known for it’s Easter markets, so we thought we’d give it a whirl. Since I fly every month for my job, I wasn’t too keen on another visit to Schiphol, so we decided to drive. Prague is only around 7.5 hours from Eindhoven, so easy to fldo, especially when broken up over two days.

Today was leg one of the drive. Jamie and I left the apartment around 1pm and we were on our way! Jamie had some work teleconferences that he had to call into, so I was behind the wheel. Let me tell you, the Autobahn is really disappointing when it’s stop-and-go traffic. Getting to the hotel in Kassel, Germany took at least an hour longer than it should have, nut we finally made it! We checked in, had some dinner, and are now ready to pass out for the night.

Tomorrow: the drive to the Czech Republic, and Prague.

Norway: What a vacation!

Wow, what a vacation! Not what I would call relaxing, but it was definitely a ton of fun! We ventured into the Arctic Circle, to Tromso, Norway in order to have a little arctic adventure! We went snow-shoeing, cross-country skiing, dog-sledding, and Northern Lights chasing! It was full of activity and a lot of workouts, but what a great time!

Thursday we left the Netherlands in the AM to catch our flight out of Amsterdam to Oslo. I was surprised at how fast the flight was…only an hour and a half to Oslo! Then, we had a lay-over for a few hours in Oslo, before catching our flight to Tromso (another hour and a half flight). Once in Tromso, we went to our hotel and got settled in! We really didn’t do anything on Thursday, as we spent most of the day traveling, but we did manage to have an authentic Norwegian dinner of fish and veggies (omg…delicious fish, it was Boknafisk, which is a variant of Cod).

Midnight Sun

Friday morning, we woke up early to a fantastic hotel breakfast. I love European style breakfasts. There were lots of cold cuts, sliced cheeses, breads and spreads, and other things. Since we were in fish country, there were also plenty of salmon and other fish options for breakfast as well. After breakfast, we went snow-shoeing! I was initially worried that I would have a lot of trouble, since I’ve been really inactive after breaking my foot, but it was so much fun I never even thought about my foot! We trekked through the woods and the snow was about 3 feet or so deep. It was amazing to just walk around in the forest without anyone else around. The area was so peaceful and relaxing (even though we were hiking). Later that evening, we went on a Northern Lights tour. The weather conditions, unfortunately, weren’t fantastic for the Northern Lights, but we still saw them! It was so cool to watch the lights show up out of nowhere, dance around a bit, and then disappear as though they were never there, only to come back 5-10 minutes later! We took some pictures, but they’re on my other camera, so I’ll be sure to upload them later today once I’m home from work. We drove all the way to Finland, where I walked across the border, and then headed back to the hotel. It was definitely a late night and we were exhausted, so we just got back to our room and passed out.

Kisses from the puppies!

Saturday, we were lucky that all we had planned was dog-sledding later in the evening. We ended up sleeping in until 2pm! We’ve NEVER slept in that late! We basically just got up, got ready and went to get some lunch, before getting back for our dog-sledding tour. At first, I was really apprehensive about anything involving animal labor. I don’t like a lot of expeditions that involve animals because you can never be positive that the animals are being treated well and that they’re getting the proper care that they need…and if not, then I don’t want to be a part of it, and I sure as hell don’t want to fund something like that. We researched this place a lot before deciding to go, and when we got there, I was shocked. There were nearly 200 dogs there and they were all so excited to see people and go running! They were super friendly and all well taken care of (I pretty much petted nearly every single dog there…we were there for a while). After a big, we went to our sled and got settled. Jamie drove the sled and I just rode along. We had an awesome time (even though Jamie tipped the sled three times and I was face down in the snow, but that’s ok). The dogs were so happy to be out and running, it was amazing! After about an hour on the sled, we got back to camp and had dinner (delicious beef stew), and then got to play with the dogs more and meet the puppies (there were two puppies that were a result of an unexpected encounter between two of the dogs…oops). Later, we hopped back in the bus and were taken back to our hotel. Pretty much passed out again.

Sunday was our last full day in Norway. Both Jamie and I had been skiing before (downhill), but didn’t really like it, so we thought we’d give cross-country skiing a try. It was so much more fun! We spent a good couple of hours cross-country skiing through the country-side, before going back to the camp and having another dinner of beef stew. SO GOOD!!! I fell a few times, for sure, and have the bruises to show for it, but what a great experience!

Monday – well, we basically spent the whole day traveling home. I passed out in the Oslo airport during our layover, and when we got home, we pretty much just unpacked, checked emails, and went to sleep. The vacation was such a great time, but we were so busy that we really didn’t relax. I know we’re both tired and sore today, but the memories were well worth all the missed sleep and stretched muscles. Norway was an absolutely stunning country, one I could definitely get used to living in!

Next month, Prague!

A Year Ago Today…

One year ago today, Jamie and I stepped off the plane with our 5 suitcases, two backpacks, my violin, and our cat. We got our rental car, and drove the hour and a half south to our home for the next three plus years. It was so surreal knowing that this place would be the place that Jamie and I have lived the longest together since we’d met. It was also weird to know that “home” would now be in a different country, with a different language and different customs/social mores. Though we had lived in this town for three months during the summer of 2008, it was different this time.

Our time here in 2008 was more of a vacation: we traveled every weekend, we tried different restaurants and ate the local cuisine…we were complete tourists (well, while working five days a week at our jobs). Plus, we were riding the high of just being newly married, and life was perfect. There was an end-date, as well…that fixed point in time where we would pack our bags and move back to our house. You know, the one we had spent MONTHS laboring over, picking out every detail right down to the fixtures on the cabinets. The one we had planned on putting a Yoshino Cherry Tree in the back yard, to always remind us of our time in Japan. The one where I had already designated a room for a nursery, for the time down the road when we decided to have kids. That home…

This time, that was all behind us. The house had been sold, the cars had been sold…everything we owned was either on a boat heading our way, on a plane heading our way, in our suitcases, in storage, or sold. It was a crazy feeling…absolutely removing all roots to one place and digging a hole to replant them in another.

Well…it’s a year later. I can say, with all honesty, that we have done just that. We have carved out a niche here that is uniquely ours. We’re working on our language skills (well, Jamie is…me, not so much), we live our life here much like we did back in the States. We cook, clean, go to the grocery store, and do laundry, just like we did back in the States. After a solid 365 days here, I can say this is now “home.” We’ve talked about the future here, having kids here, and potentially staying for another three years after this contract is up (which is totally up in the air and nothing more than a passing thought, but it has been discussed).

I never thought I’d be at this point, one year ago. I was excited, scared, out of my element, and experiencing some culture shock…and I never thought I’d be at the point where I was as comfortable in this foreign country as I was in the States. I’m not really even sure when it happened. I didn’t wake up one day and say, “ok…this is home.” It was more gradual than that…sort of like a shy animal that just gets one step closer to you every day you try to pet it. Eventually, you get to pet the animal, but it takes a long time to earn its trust. That’s how this place was with me. Every day, I’d get one step closer to thinking of it as “home,” but it had a lot to live up to. I was happy with our lives in the States, and knew that it would be difficult having that level of comfort here. But, gradually, it happened.

And here I am…one year later.