a year of travel: we are so grateful

It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that we’ve been living outside the US for a year... a whole year. How can a year feel so long and so short too? Since moving abroad in November 2017, we’ve spent time in nine countries (ten if you include visits to the US): Spain, Morocco, Portugal, Croatia, Germany, Poland, France, England, and the Netherlands. Each place stands out for its unique experiences and distinct culture. We’ll never forget exploring Fez’s intimidating medina, sea kayaking through rocky coves off the coast of Lagos, celebrating Croatia’s quarter-finals victory in the World Cup with thousands of fans in Zagreb (thanks, Michael!!), sharing breakfast with the growing Jewish community in Warsaw, and so many other adventures (long-overdue blog posts to come…).

Even more than sightseeing, we cherish the time we’ve spent with amazing people. We’ve met new friends and reconnected with old ones here in Europe. And we’ve been truly fortunate to have visits from dear friends and family from the US. The opportunity to share a bit of our adventure with people we love means so much to us, so very much. We couldn’t be more grateful.

Our 2019 wish list is pretty long: Iceland, Turkey, Ireland, Slovenia, Russia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, and probably a few more we haven’t realized yet. But if we never set foot in another country, we would still feel completely fulfilled by the incredible year we’ve had and the people who have shared it with us.

With gratitude, love, and best wishes for 2019,

Chelsea and Julien