We’ve had a really full year, and even though I said earlier that 2009′s theme was Transition, by the end of it all, I think the real theme was Travel. Here’s our 2009, complete with blog links. :)
January
We arrived in Belgium…to snow. We spent most of the month getting our bearings and figuring out what area we wanted to live in, while doing a couple day trips to Waterloo and Tervuren. I was very excited to see my first real protest.
February
We moved into our apartment and started getting settled. We celebrated Valentine’s Day in Rome, and even saw the Pope (photos/post still to come). I went on some great day trips to Amsterdam, and Aalst and Binche for Carnivale. I also discovered one of my favorite Brussels sites, the Basilica.
March
Our apartment was starting to feel like a home with a decorated bedroom and living room. We discovered the A-club and went on our first of many trips, hiking in Asse, with them. We also took the train to Germany and spent a wonderful weekend in Koln.
April
Georgy, our only house guest of the year, encouraged us to explore more of Belgium – Dinant (a fav), Brugge, and Knokke. Thomas and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary at Het Zwin Bird Reserve. Spring enchanted me with the beautiful bluebell forests in Hallerbos.
May
Again, more travel…while Thomas attended a company retreat in Spain, I pampered myself in Baden-Baden. We also did a lot of exploring in The Netherlands - Queen’s Day in Amsterdam, windmills in Kinderdijk, and flowers at Keukenhof.
June
The blogging this month was seriously slacking. We visited Geneva, Switzerland and Mont Blanc, France (photos/post coming). Then Thomas headed to the US for work, and I visited his family in Sweden. I learned better quilting techniques and danced around the Maypole with Thomas’ mom (photos/post coming).
July
We started out with a quick camping trip in the north of France, and then headed out on a monumental 3-week motorcycle tour of Western Europe. We stopped in Frankfurt, Berlin, Northern Bohemia, Prague, Central Bohemia, and Budapest.
August
We continued on our mototour – to Austria (a fav), Munich, Bavaria, the Romantic Road, and Ramstein where we visited my cousins. Hmm, it looks like I never finished posting the photos for some of those. I also had a great Girl’s Weekend in the cute little towns of Volendam and Markem.
September
Hurray! I finally received my Belgian permanent resident card. We celebrated by searching for storks. After no luck on our trip to Champagne, we tried the easier route at Parc Paradisio, outside of Mons. We also went camping with the A-club in the ancient Roman city of Trier.
October
I celebrated my 31st birthday with a trip to Morocco – my first time in Africa. We flew into Fez, drove through the Middle Atlas Mountains, through the desert and gorges, and on to Marrakesh where we flew back home. It was a wonderful trip full of new cultures, beautiful scenery, and tasty food.
November
I finally got to return to the US to fill up on friends, family, food, Clover snuggles, and shopping. We spent a couple days in Atlanta, Thanksgiving week in the NC mountains with my family, and then made a quick stop in Raleigh to see our niece and nephew.
December
We continued our US tour for a week each in Oregon and California. We got to do some skiing, explore the Oregon coast, and visit San Francisco and Monteray Bay. We headed back to a snowy Brussels for a quick change of clothes and then up to Sweden for Christmas.
It has been a wonderful and fun-packed year full of lots of travel and adventures. I hope yours was too. Happy New Year!
