Thank you so much for all of the sweet, supportive comments and messages on my last post. I wish I could say I've been doing better, but this week has been pretty dismal. On top of not seeing the sun since Saturday, I've been sick with a horribly sore throat. I've never had strep, but if I were running a fever, I'd be pretty convinced that's what this is. Fortunately, the girls have gotten so good at playing with each other and entertaining themselves, I can just lay in the couch in a stupor and they don't get too bothered unless feeding time is delayed!
I did up my dose of Vitamin D and I just ordered a sunlamp from Amazon.de (this one for any of my Deutschland pals who may be on the hunt) that should arrive either tomorrow or Monday. So I am trying. I've decided to let myself continue to mope through the end of this week, and then starting on Saturday it's onward and upward. I will get through this winter, I will get through this slump, and there will be better days ahead.
In fact, I have taken steps to ENSURE better days ahead by going on a trip planning spree. With our heavy traveling schedule last summer and fall, including a fun though exhausting trip back to the States, we got pretty burned out on going places. But our last trip in Europe was to Brussels in October, which seems llke an absolute aeon ago, and I've been starting to feel the travel bug itch again.
First Up: Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Budapest, Hungary in February. Ever since my parents went on a Danube cruise last year, and raved about their experiences, I've been dying to go to Vienna and Budapest. With Bratislava only an hour away from Vienna, it seems like an easy way to add one more country to our travel list. Plus, I just want to see if you really could start your own hotel with a nickel.
Round Two: After a disappointing experience at the Keukenhof in the Netherlands last year, we're giving the tulips one more shot to impress us this April. We'll also do a daytrip into Amsterdam because we liked the city so much, and hopefully a visit out to the coast. Please cooperate with us this time, weather!
St. Petersburg is Gloomy: This is the one I'm absolutely dying with excitement over--a Baltic cruise to Copenhagen, Denmark; Helsinki, Finland; Talin, Estonia; St. Petersburg, Russia; and Stockholm, Sweden in July. Despite the rather more than slightly terrifying experience we had onboard our last cruise ship, we've decided that particular brand of lightning just couldn't possibly strike twice. Please don't let those be famous last words...
Croatian Destination: We haven't officially booked this one as we're still waiting to hear back on plans from family, but we're hoping to visit Croatia in August and sneak in a daytrip to Venice, Italy by ferry.
So, that's a lot of big trips, but since we're likely staring down the barrel of our last summer in Europe, we don't want to waste a minute that we have left. I don't think I could ever possibly fit in every single destination that we'd like to visit in Europe in one lifetime, but after this summer, we'll have checked off the biggest Must Sees on our bucket list. Do you have any fun vacations coming up this year?
Your upcoming travels sound AMAZING. Make sure to climb the hill to the castle in Bratislava - the stick man stone guards crack me up :) Wish we were getting your dreary weather - its crazy warm here, no snow in Tahoe! Bummer since its our last winter here. BTW awesome that C&A have each other to play with!
Posted by: Katie | January 24, 2014 at 08:17 PM
Um, can I hide in a suitcase somewhere? :) Sounds like so.much.fun!
Posted by: Caro | January 25, 2014 at 09:08 AM