It’s so hard to believe that a month ago I was packing my suitcase (and unpacking… and repacking again!) in preparation for my two week long trip to Europe. Traveling over the holidays isn’t always ideal, but I remember glimpses of the Christmas Markets in Germany as a child and eagerly looked forward to seeing them again. Most of them don’t run past Christmas Eve, so I made sure that I would be flying in early enough to wander the markets and drink gluhwein!

Since I was taking my camera, I knew that I’d have to pack pretty light. I purchased an away suitcase (I needed an upgrade!) and stuffed it to the brim. Thanks to internet searches, I also discovered the miracle of packing cubes. I bought a set on amazon and loved them. I’ll never pack without them again! I may write up a post on packing for two weeks in Germany in winter… if anyone wants to read that. Let me know in comments!

Travel Day 1: My flight was out of Minneapolis-St Paul, since it’s a larger hub than Des Moines. Parking there can be expensive, but thankfully my friend Liz let me stash my car at her place. AND she drove me to the airport! Good friends are worth their weight in gold, y’all.

Travel Day 2: Landed in Dublin around 8am. I’d never been to Ireland before, and since I had a nine hour layover, I decided to make the most of it (and to make sure I didn’t fall asleep —to help me adjust to the time zone) I took the airlink bus into the city center. I hadn’t planned much, so I walked around and saw Trinity College, the Castle, and Ha’penny bridge. (If you’re going to Ireland or even have a layover and decide to go to the city, I’d recommend waiting to exchange your $ to Euros until you’re in town— you can pay with your card to buy the bus ticket at the airport and I’m guessing the exchange rate in the city is better than at the airport!)

I got in late that evening to Dusseldorf, and got a train ticket to the central train station (HBF) where I switched to a Regional train. It was crowded and so I stood in the entry space until enough people got off where I could move down to the main seating area. David’s dad picked me up from the station— probably around 11pm. I’d be traveling well over 24 hours with hardly any sleep…. so I slept GREAT that first night!

Day 3: Aachen! This historic city bustles with lights and sounds during the Christmas season. We went into town around 11am for Rachel & David’s signing ceremony (the legal marriage part). After, there was a champagne toast and we took some photos, then headed in to lunch at a nice local restaurant. It used to be a carriage house! I love history like that. After our leisurely lunch, Mr B gave us a short walking tour of the area. The “Dom” aka church stands nestled in between many other buildings, and it actually began in 796 AD by Charlemagne! Rachel and I took the bus back in to town that evening, after an afternoon rest, to see the market more and so I could buy some sweets and mulled wine. :)

Day 4: Trains Trains Trains! Eva dropped me off at the Aachen HBF where I began to really figure out the train system in Germany. It’s truly incredible and I wish that we had more like that here. Of course, Europe has so many people living in closer proximity than we do in the midwest. Still, super neat and affordable and economical! I’d booked myself a Regional Express train to Dusseldorf, and then switched to an ICE train with wifi and a table & large window seat. It was calm and I was able to process, journal, listen to music, and rest.

It’s a long trip to Berlin, so I got in and had to figure out where to go for my local (S) train. That wasn’t too bad since I knew the number of the platform…but I ended up taking the right train the wrong direction. Ooops. At least I only went like 5 stops before the line ended so I figured it out pretty quick! Hahaha. Finally figured out my way to our hostel, checked in, and rested until Eunice arrived. We ventured out for dinner around 7, found a neat German restaurant, and then headed back for an early bedtime.

• Thank God for downloadable/off service Google Maps. what a lifesaver!

• If I ever get to go back to Berlin, I’ll 100% stay at the Sunflower Hostel!!! Cheap rooms, great service, I could go on and on for days. (Pictured below)

Day 5: Berlin!

To sum it up: what a wonderful day in a city with lots of heavy history. If you go, make sure you see the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. I loved exploring this vibrant place. Also never forget our very interesting encounter first thing in the morning with two very chatty Berlin men. lololol.

Day 6 (Christmas Eve) —things start to shut down. We had breakfast at a cute cafe near us, checked out at 11am, took the train to my airbnb in the city, checked in (after a very interesting and sad experience at a local grocery store) and dropped off our suitcases so we could run to the Christkindlmarkt one more time. Then I pretty much just lounged inside for the remainder of the day!

Day 7 Christmas Day I stayed inside all morning, and ventured out for a lunch reservation at 3pm. Ended up getting seated with an Australian couple, where we sat and chatted for 4 HOURS. Pretty incredible answered prayer in that I had specifically asked God to give me English speakers to eat my meal with. Skyped the family, lounged more, went to bed.

Day 8: Travel day to Randerath
Seeing my hometown was incredible. Getting to see Doris & Herman-Josef? Felt like no time had passed, I just could communicate better than a 6 year old. I think if I hadn’t cried out my feelings days before, I would have cried seeing our village. Thankfully, nothing much has changed so my memories are only reinforced, not shattered. <3

Day 9: Randerath and Aachen
Walked around the area with my host parents, then they treated me to a nice lunch out. Had “Indian curry” which had “fruits” aka pears and candied cherries! haha. So very different than what I expected to be in curry.
Doris drove me back to Aachen, where I met up with the crew and helped set up for the wedding.

Day 10: Wedding day in Aachen! SUNSHINE. A true gift. If you hadn’t noticed, I hadn’t really seen the sun since Dublin (I guess the sun came out a little on Dec. 24 for a few hours but other than that, overcast days). Everything went smoothly, and I got to see two of my best friends, Hannah and Amelia. SUCH A JOY!

Day 11: Travel to Amsterdam. Amelia’s family had a car, so we packed in tight (everything in Europe is more compact that in America… it just takes a little getting used to!). This is literally the only photo I have from Dec 29th. Oops. But dang. What a sight.

Day 12: Exploring Amsterdam! Libby is a dear friend, and I’d seen her twice during 2019. However, we were a bit pre-occupied (taking engagement and then wedding photos!) so to actually spend an entire day with her was a GIFT. I’m sure that we could have seen/done more … but I have a suspicion I’ll be back in NL before one can count to 2021. ;) We saw the city center, street performers, lots of bikers, canals, the Begijnhof (where the Pilgrims stayed for a year before coming to America), so many cute spots that Amelia has painted, and cafes.

Day 13: December 31 Oh, what a day. The best last day of the year, every. Slept in. Didn’t do much in the morning. Then we headed in to the city, met up with the family and ate at Dignita. 1000% recommend this place!!! Amazing food, impactful work.

After lunch we walked around Vondelpark, and then rested up until the party.

THEN. Fireworks. wowowowow. 360* of fireworks being set off all across the city for 45-60 minutes at midnight. Just pure experience— fireworks are my favorite, as they engage almost all your senses.

Day 14: Travel to Paris. (Note a theme of this trip? Lots of travel, lots of trains!)
I booked a first class ticket on the Thalys and it did not disappoint. Worth getting only 4 hours of sleep (although next time I’ll just book a later train haha) Honestly? Finding this train was top #3 stressful moments of the trip. It wasn’t clearly marked, it was my only solo travel bit in NL, and my code couldn’t be read by the electronic scanners to go to the tracks. Thankfully, people speak english well in the Netherlands and even though I had to ask for help 3 different times, I made it. :)

Day 15: Full day in Paris! If I had to pick a favorite day from our trip, it would be this day. Never did I make plans, which might be why it was so sweet.

We slept in a bit because of the fog, then got ready and ubered in (the French metro was on strike) and met up with my friend Emily and her family at the Eiffel Tower. (Technically Palais de Chaillot!) It was super crowded by 11am but still an incredible view, even with fog. Eunice and I walked down by the river, saw the Inception bride (since we’d just seen it on Netflix the day prior) and then scootered to lunch. After lunch, more walking, and ended up waiting in line for 20-30 minutes for Angelina’s (thanks to my friend Andrea for the suggestion!) where I died and went to princess heaven. I’d spend all my money there if I could. We took one of the working auto metros, saw Notre Dame, Shakespeare & CO, and bought some street art. Oh Paris. You have my heart more than you did 10 years ago.

I bought a box of the most beautiful and expensive macarons of my life! I ordered: 2 rose, one raspberry, one lemon, one pistachio, one coffee, one chocolate, and one creme brulee. SO SO WORTH the $20.
Also, next time I want a whole box of just the rose flavored ones.

After a rest, we went to a fancy dinner out at Astier. AH.MAH.ZING. GO go go there if you can. Such great options. And escargo, my favorite. :)

I could write pages and pages more, but I’ll stop. Mainly since I’m getting a headache from this lengthy post! But let me know in the comments if there’s anything I left out and I’ll try to add on, or write a new post. Prost!