Happy Holidays 2007!

Happy Holidays from London!

We were blessed with a fun, productive year abroad and decided to stay on for more. G’s still working with a UK mobile services company and K has finished her graduate work and submitted her dissertation for her MBA. Though graduation will be in March, K headed to work in November and is now enjoying a position with a global relationship/online marketing firm (MRM Worldwide).Since greater opportunity for international travel was a significant motivator for our move abroad, we’ve made efforts to deliver. In 2007 we traveled to:

Germany: Nurnberg, Munich, Rothenburg (click here to also see Oktoberfest), The Romantic Road, Fussen
Austria: Salzburg, Hallstatt, the Lake District, Vienna
Czech Republic: Prague
Spain: Madrid, Toldeo, Port de Soller (Mallorca)
Italy: Florence, Pisa, Tuscany (San Gimignano, …)
Ireland: the Dingle Peninsula
England: Cambridge, Oxford, the Lake District (Keswick)
Sweden: Stockholm
Belgium: Brugges
Switzerland: the Berner Oberland region (Murren, Gimmelwald, Interlaken, etc.)

Additionally, Kimberly traveled to China (Beijing & Shanghai) and Poland (G’dansk & Sopot) as part of her MBA programme. And K made it home for Easter and we both ventured home for a short visit this Fall to visit with family and attend G’s sister’s wedding in Louisville, KY. Click on the name of any destination above to see a post from the trip complete with photos.

We continue to struggle with bits and pieces of the English culture. Parents and friends have very kindly kept us well supplied with staple items that aren’t widely available in the UK (chocolate chips, cornbread mix, dried cranberries, butter-flavored shortening, canned pumpkin, gummy vitamins, etc.) But, we’ve now worked through most of the vocabulary, pronunciation and cuisine. And we’ve even discovered a few favorite foods. Who would have dreamed that a nice Indian curry would be a mainstay of our English diet.

And we’re sure to eat our share of curries in a month’s time. We’re heading to Southern India to celebrate the holidays. There’s a Christmas Festival on December 26. So we’ll fly into Mumbai (Bombay), travel to beachy Goa for the holiday and Christmas Festival and then head further south to Kerala to explore the region’s backwaters, waterfalls and wildlife preserve before flying back to London.

And while we’ve made a notable mark on our travel list since we arrived in the UK, our list continues to grow! We’ve worked through our travel rankings this Fall, please let us know if you have any guidance to share regarding these places or any others you’d recommend.

At times, we still struggle with being so far from home. We’re unable to make birthday parties and weddings, births and to share in so many of our friends’ and families’ experiences. We’re thankful that everyone has been so understanding and supportive of our relocation.

We hope this greeting finds you and yours happy and healthy for the new year ahead. Please know that despite the distance, we think of you often and hope to make it home for an extended visit to see you all soon…especially all these little people who have arrived since our departure! We’ve had a great time visiting with friends across Europe this year–thank you Andy & Chiaki, Leigh-Emma & Kenny, Mr. & Mrs. B, G’s parents, Rachel, and Chris & Toni for paying us a visit in ’07.

Let us know if you plan to travel to London or elsewhere in Europe in the New Year…we’d love to see you.