Lightly working on Spring Cleaning at my house and was thinking of our trip while taking a break.
In hindsight, it is almost like a dream.
London, 5+ days to eat delicious Fish~n~Chips, Indian food, Scones, Biscuits, Sticky Toffee Pudding and full English Breakfasts. Have afternoon tea then walk a couple blocks to see Buckingham Palace or Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Parliament and Trafalgar Square. Take a tour to see much more such as St. Pauls, Tower Bridge and Tower of London.
Dover for a day: toured the castle, Tim drove a standard transmission car on the opposite side of the road for the first time.
Oxford for 6 days: walks along the Thames, Christ Church Cathedral and College, so many colleges, Fish~n~Chips, Pubs, Eagle and Child, Stonehenge, oh my!
Scotland for 5+days: Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile shopping and sightseeing, cathedrals and other fabulous architecture, the highlands, B&B's, distilleries, scenery you wouldn't believe without seeing it for yourself, spectacular drives, scary drives, mountains, lakes, valleys, high-dessert, islands, amazing fresh smoked salmon, scones, haggis, whisky fudge, and full Scottish breakfast complete with blood sausage.
Night and morning in Paris: Eiffel Tower, Crepes, shopping, macarons, pastries, bread, cheese, chocolates.
Eurorail high-speed train and connection in Munich, Germany. It was akin to a homecoming. We love Munich and have fond memories of time spent at the Haptbahnhof train station. Hot chocolate, bratwurst, pretzel - mmmm.
Budapest, Hungary for 6 days: church and fellowship, amazing food including Chicken Paprikash, Roast Pork Knuckle, Chimney Cake, Kremes, Dobos Cake, Stuffed Cabbage, Goulash, Chicken Crepes, Cheese Noodles, Fried Cheese, Flodni, and so much more. Shopping at the City Market, and along all the roads surrounding the hotel. Sightseeing: Parliament, Castle, Fishermans Bastian, Cathedrals and Churches, Parks, Monuments and Memorials, Hillside Monastery, Danube boar ride, Easter Market, sidewalk cafes and more.
When I think of all the new things I've seen and tried just in those four weeks, it boggles my mind. Most people don't get these experiences in their lifetime, let alone a four-week period.
This is all made possible by the work my husband does. He travels, a lot, for his work. This means that he is building up airline miles, hotel reward points and car rental points. We get to use these for me to travel with him sometimes and to make vacations more affordable. When you don't have to pay for hotel or rental car, and get your airfare for a small fraction of the cost, this kind of thing is possible.
I don't take it for granted. Probably because I don't enjoy when my husband is traveling away from me. He doesn't like being separated when he has to travel. It's just something we deal with because it is his job. I'm glad that he likes to travel and that he likes teaching and coaching, because it makes it easier to accept this lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Just setting the record straight. Since this is the type of work he does, we use the benefits the best we can, including organizing a nice vacation once in a while.
What a life! I thank the Lord for it.
