Off to South America

Nine months ago, my husband booked the two of us a trip to South America. It was my "push present." An opportunity to explore a new continent together, to enjoy each other, and relic in the fact that we successfully brought a life into the world, by way of my vagina - a fact which needed to be celebrated. (You're welcome for the visual.)

At the time, a trip across the world sounded magical, wonderful. With a baby still tucked safely inside my tummy, I had yet to realize how hard it would actually be to take this trip.

Pre-baby, Bryan and I traveled all the time. As a perk of Bryan's frequent travel schedule, we've been able to take very nice vacations on points and miles alone. This one included.

Since having Liam, obviously, our trips have scaled down just a bit. We've taken several trips with Liam, and just one without Liam. We went on 5-day trip to Florida in May to celebrate our anniversary without Liam. Like this trip, I was dreading it, but much to my amazement, we all survived every day we were away. Liam loved being spoiled by Gigi, and it was so wonderful to be able to reconnect and unwind with my husband. (Not to mention sleep in!) At the end of those five days, I was SO ready to see our baby. It literally felt like my arms were aching as we sulked through a 4-hour delay on our way home.

This trip we're taking is 10 days. DOUBLE the time. So for months now, I've had this week looming ahead of me. I use that word, "looming," purposefully. I'm excited, yet dreading it at the same time.

Bryan always talks about how the fact that his parents traveled a ton and have lived all over the world has played a huge role in his wanderlust. And how trips like this one will be so awesome to have to show Liam, and our other kids, as an example and encouragement to seek adventure and explore this amazing world. Our plan, if we have anything to say about it, is to travel as much as we can as a family. We want to show our kids the world.

Our first family vacation to Seattle

I know he is right. The trip, and what he has planned, is going to be AMAZING. We'll be making memories for ourselves, while our sweet boy will be home making memories with his grandparents that they will cherish forever. Especially since we don't live in the same place as them, their time with him is always limited. It's going to be amazing for them to spend some quality, extended time with Liam.

My sister sent me something the other day that was such a great reminder - not just for this trip, but for all aspects of my life.

"No amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future. It's impossible to be happy if you're constantly somewhere else, unable to fully embrace the reality (good or bad) of this very moment."

This really hit home, especially as I wrote a few weeks ago about feeling "less than" lately. And even more so as I think about this trip.

This trip is happening, ready or not. So why am I wasting energy worrying about it? And what am I even worrying about? I know Liam will be in the best of hands with his grandparents and our nanny. They will all take the very best care of him. And once you have a baby, I feel like your mortality becomes so much more...real. In other words, if our plane crashes on the way to Peru, he loses both of his parents. I realize this is morbid. In the same vein of wasting energy worry about things that are going to happen anyway, it's also a waste of energy to worry about things that are out of our control.

I also feel guilty for leaving him, and I've been all kinds of stressed out thinking about whether or not to continue pumping while I'm gone, or to wean. I literally CRY when I talk about the trip. This is not, OK, people.

I'm not going to jail. I'm not going to the other end of the Earth. I'm not even going to be gone for two weeks. I'M GOING TO SOUTH AMERICA. This is exiting and amazing! We are going to Machu Picchu and South American wine country, for crying out loud. To say nothing of Buenos Aires.

Basically, I need to pull my shit together and change my perspective. I need to realize how many people would LOVE to trade places with me. I need to be grateful that we can afford such a trip, regardless of points or miles, and that we have grandparents who are willing to travel to our home, take time from their lives and allow us to do such a thing. Taking a luxurious vacation to South America most certainly is not something to cry over.

I've figured out a plan for the whole pumping scenario - one that works in such a way that I can do so on our trip without (hopefully) affecting my supply too much, but that also will not interfere with the trip.

Not to mention, the trip will be so good for me and my husband. Strengthening the bond with Bryan is also in Liam's best interest. Nothing bad can come of quality time with your significant other.

Whom, I really need to apologize to. He's planned our ENTIRE trip and literally has barely shared a detail with me because he doesn't want to upset me. I know he thinks I'm not excited. (Honey, if you're reading, I'M EXCITED! I promise, I am.) I am so grateful my wonderful husband. Trip planning is but one of his many talents and things I love about him. I haven't even thought about the fact that he is having a hard time leaving Liam for an extended period, as well. It's nice to know we'll have each other as support. (Along with some amazing Chilean wine to take our minds off it, ya know?)

So here's to seriously letting go, embracing reality and opportunity, and being thankful for this trip and all the good that will come out of it, for us, for Liam, for the grandparents.

I'll catch ya'll on the flip side!

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7 Tips for a Stress-Free Trip Abroad

As you know, my husband and I love to travel. In fact, he's already bugging me about booking another trip to Europe. He forgets that we are going to Puerto Rico next month, and that we have weddings in New Orleans and Florida later this year. Spoiled much? (we totally are.)

In any case, even though it's STILL COLD in Chicago, summer will hopefully be here before we know it. And with that comes summer vacations! In case anyone is headed anywhere outside of the U.S. this summer, I wanted to pass along some of my best tips. Trust me, they will make life abroad less stressful.

Note: the below pictures don't have anything to do with the tip. :)

Follow customs. It goes without saying that things are different in every part of the world. For example, in Europe, tipping isn't customary. Doesn't mean it's not appreciated, but also doesn't mean you have to do it. Just do some research and pay attention before you leave so you know what you're getting into. 

Follow the crowds.When looking for a place to sit down and grab a drink, or where to eat a good meal at night, look for places that are busy. Of course you'll have to wait a hot minute, but the people filling up the place are probably locals and they know best. 

Patience. You're in a different country. A foreign place. You don't know where you're going. You don't know how long things will take. You don't know what food will taste like. You will have a language barrier. You must be patient, for your own sanity and for your the sanity of those you're traveling with.

Walking shoes. People in other countries aren't as lazy as we are here in the U.S. They walk EVERYWHERE. And you probably will too. Even if you don't, when you're waiting in line for tourist attractions and then you get in to the tourist attractions, you'll walk during that time, so do yourself a favor: leave the wedges at home. 

Bring cash. They have ATMs abroad, but you get charged up the wazoo in fees. And, not all places we've traveled to accept credit cards, so it's best to always have some on hand.

Learn key phrases. If you don't know a language, don't pretend you do. For example, with Spanish, don't try to speak it by adding an 'o' on the end of a word. For example, don't say "Where is the bathroom-o?" and think you're being funny. It's insulting.

Talk to locals. Some of the best things we did on our trips to Europe were recommendations from locals. For example, one night in Granada, we ended up at this tapas bar that a husband/wife owned. The husband was English and his wife was from Lisbon. We were headed to Lisbon later in the trip and we got fantastic recommendations from them as a result. 

Enjoy your summer traveling!

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Travel Update: Switzerland

Quick: Time warp back to Europe. Now where were we....

After our NYE in Amsterdam, we trekked down to South France. (Read about it here and here). After a lovely few days on the beach, it was time to round out our Euro vacation in Switzerland—Bryan’s favorite place on Earth.

Unfortunately, I awoke on the day we were leaving feeling horrible. My throat felt like I was swallowing glass, and I couldn’t breathe through my nose, which made the whole throat situation a million times worse. On the agenda for the day? A 6-hour train ride to Bern, Switzerland. Yippee.

Part of the view on our train ride.

We were excited about Bern, because although we were staying for just one night, we had plans to lay low, grab some dinner and hit up the casino. My illness had other ideas. After an out of body experience and allergic reaction to Ricola, we arrived in Bern and I spent the evening in the hotel sauna and sleeping. I woke up in a pure sweat the next morning – my fever broke! And I was feeling better. Not great, but better.

Off we went again, this time to Interlaken, where were going to spend the last leg of our trip. Interlaken, in case you’re unfamiliar, is a town in the Swiss Alps. It gets its name because it’s located between two lakes. It’s gorgeous.

Views of coming into Interlaken. This is one of said lakes.

I'll start by saying, Bryan and I don't ski. Somewhat of an OxyMoron for a couple of Americans vacationing in Switzerland, but we get as much pleasure out of taking cable cars up and down the mountains as others so risking their necks and lives skiing down. 

Up, up, up in the cable car! Plus Interlaken proper on the right. 

For our first day trip, we tackled Schilthorn mountain. If that sounds familiar, that's because it was featured in the 1960s James Bond movies. In any case, we took the oldest, creakiest cable car up a very steep mountain until we got to a mountain village called Mürren. Mürren is a traffic-free town for the most part, with most people pulling sleds or walking in snow shoes. Bryan and I were severely underdressed. In any case, we spent the day walking around the village, watching the crazy people paragliding and skiing, and drinking beers cuddled outside under blankets and breathing fresh air. Seriously. Everything in Switzerland, from the water to the air, was the freshest, cleanest ever. 

Back down the mountain we went, where we indulged in a traditional Swiss meal of fondue and beer. We capped the evening walking around town, and we found the cutest local bar. Packed with people drinking, laughing, dancing. The owner was a gal who knew everyone, who drank while she worked, and laughed the entire time. Awesome.

Switzerland Part 2: Coming next week! Linking up today with Helene. 

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Marijuana, Prostitutes and Anne Frank

Did my title reel you in?

I can’t believe it’s been 3 months since our trip to Europe. I can’t believe it’s April. I can’t believe it’s colder here in April than it was in Europe in January. Mind-blowing thoughts, kids.

Anyway, after our jaunt to Belgium, we packed up on New Years Eve and took the train over to Amsterdam. I was super excited, because all I had been hearing was that NYE in Amsterdam was on par with New York City.We dropped our bags at the super swanky, five-star Hotel Pulitzer and set out to explore the city.

On one of the many canals. 

Before our trip, I associated Amsterdam with three things: weed, prostitutes and Anne Frank. Because we didn’t get in until the afternoon and we already had plans for the evening, rather than spending time to go see Anne Frank’s house, I told Bryan I’d rather walk around the city. And by walk around the city, I meant I wanted to see the Red Light District.

Holy Moly. I wish I would have taken pictures, but it just felt…wrong. Then again, so did walking through the streets looking at half-naked women sell themselves in the windows. If you’ve never been to Amsterdam, that is literally what it is – it’s a whole street filled of window fronts, which women rent out to entice men to come inside…so to speak. They dress in everything from “sexy” outfits to close to nothing. When they’re busy, their curtains are closed and the red light is on. I wasn’t totally creeped out by this whole thing as much as I was fascinated. The women were of all shapes, colors, sizes and nationalities. And, there were men just openly going in and out, no shame. Fascinating.

After I got done staring, Bryan took me into a “coffee shop.” As much as I’d like to say that we picked a good flavor and got super stoned (for the experience, of course), we did not. We were only there for the night and I didn’t want to ruin my evening with smoking. So, we popped in and I looked at the menu (again, fascinating), but that was the extent.

Before we knew it, it was already 5pm, so after a quick beer and a salami sandwich, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Tree in the main plaza before people went nuts.

So, dinner. The highlight of the trip. Bryan booked us at the hotel for a fancy, prix-fixe meal. We were hesitant, because let’s just say, it was SUPER European. So, we get dressed up, went downstairs and were seated between two couples, which basically meant the six of us were at the same table. I could write FOR HOURS about the conversations had during dinner. The two couples couldn’t be more different. 

We had Alessandro and Kevin to our left, a gay couple who lived in San Fran, but used to live in Amsterdam. And to our right was Tammy and Todd, a couple from Southern Missouri. Todd andTammy epitomized any stereotype that exists about Americans, while Kevin and Alessandro epitomized any well-spoken, polished human being. I’ll spare details on the conversations that took place, but this should give you an idea: during dinner, Todd announced to the table that he was “GOING TO USE THE CAN!” Ugh.

So, back to the meal. I wish I had taken pictures of every course, but unfortunately, I got distracted after during the first course. You’ll see why.

Amuses.

After our selection of “amuses,” none of which I could stomach, our first course came out. I knew what was on the menu, Bryan didn’t. So, he dug into his plate and took a healthy first bite. I sat, waiting for his approval before trying mine.

All of a sudden, his face turned red and he stopped chewing. He picked up the menu to see what he was chowing down on. And then, the best moment ever: Have you ever tasted something so awful that it makes you gag? Not even gag, but like your cheeks puff out, and it starts to come up and you have to make an effort to swallow it down?

That’s what happened. Twice.

Being the loving wife I am, I sat by and laughed while Bryan tried not to vomit in this Michelin restaurant. Meanwhile, Todd had already licked his plate clean. Successfully, Bryan got his bite down before letting me know “not to try it.” Thanks, honey!

What was he eating? Terrine of veal and organic duck liver, quince, red wine shallots with syrup of aceto balsamic. The rest of our meal (deer wellington followed by chocolate ganache cake) was pretty painless, made better by loads of champagne and wine that tasted like marijuana. (no joke). And then, we were off to the square to ring in the New Year. 

As I mentioned, there is a huge fireworks display in the main plaza of the city. Everyone gathers with drinks, smokes and their own fireworks, and they party. Fireworks go off from about midnight until 5am. The downfall was that it was raining, so this all still went on, but just under the overhead spaces surrounding the plaza. Bryan and I grabbed a 6-pack of Heinekin tall boys and set to it.

Pre-gaming.

Right before midnight, we ran out to the square to countdown with everyone else. 3, 2, 1…Happy New Year! Fireworks, human pyramids, you name it…people went nuts. Bryan and I engaged for awhile before deciding we were too drunk and too wet and so headed back to the hotel to change into dry clothes and sip champagne from the comfort of our hotel. (Did I mention it was 5-stars?) Oh, and I was worried that Bryan would get blown up by a firework on the way back.

Human pyramid.

Happy New Year!

The next morning, we boarded a plane to head down to Nice. We cured our hangovers with airport massages. Best decision ever.

What’s your favorite part of Amsterdam?

                                                                 

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In Bruges

I hate showering. That's not to say I don't do it, I do, (nearly) every day. It's just annoying. That being said, I find that I write the best blogs, in my head, in the shower. I should start bringing a tape recorder into the shower every day and just recording my thoughts. (Disclaimer: This blog is not one such post I wrote in the shower.)

Speaking of not showering, let's go back to Europe--more specifically, my favorite part of our trip to Europe: Belgium. Not necessarily the country, in particular, but Bruges.

When we were planning our trip, we originally planned to spend one day/night in Brussels, but literally everyone we talked to told us to skip the big city and see Bruges. And boy are we glad we did.

Bruges, to quote the movie (In Bruges), is a fairytale town. It's seriously hard to put into words, but it was just magical. It was like stepping back in time. If you've never been to Europe, I think Bruges is the town you see when you imagine it: Cobblestone streets, chocolatiers, main squares, quaint buildings, canals, french fries, and of course, beer. The beer in this place...I'll get there.

 

Walking into the city market square.

Authentic, delicious lunch. And first of many beers.

Church of our Lady Tower in the Market Square. The Christmas festival, including ice skating, was set up in the square.

The Provinciaal Hof

In the Market Square & Chocolatier - I wish you could smell it through the computer.

 

Cutest building ever? Cutest street sign ever?

On the canal.

And here we are at the most fantastic part of the day. As we were walking along the canal, I spotted this cool looking tree that reminded us of something out of a Dr. Seuss book. Naturally, I took a picture, and we kept walking. We were on the hunt for a warm bar where we could sit and relax for awhile. 

Dr. Seuss, amiright? 

So, we round the corner and see people flooding out of a long hallway. A glance inside showed us perhaps the most wonderful sight we ever did see.

As we walked deeper into the hallway, we found that it turned into a bar/tasting room with hundreds--HUNDREDS of different beers.

Bryan was in heaven.

Unable to choose, I opted for a beer champagne (hello, when do I ever turn down champs?) and a blonde Belgium, while Bryan got a Delirium Christmas flavor. Excited with our purchases, we looked for a place to sit. EUREKA! A table opened up outside, with  perfect little view of the canal. And EUREKA again--it was the tree that we loved! It's like it was fate/love at first sight. Though it was a bit chilly, that didn't stop of us from sitting on that patio and drinking like it was 85 degrees out. We didn't want to leave.

 

Our view of the canal from our spot.

  

Our tree & me :)

By then, it was getting dark, so we decided to head back into Brussels and see if we could top our day. (We didn't, but of course we still had fun.)

Regretfully leaving Bruges.

Back in Brussels, there was yet another Christmas Market going on, so we walked around, watched some cool light shows, and by then, we were freezing and wet, so we popped into a cozy little bar for a nightcap and cheese plate before heading back to the hotel.

So that was Belgium. If I can give any advice, put Bruges on your bucket list. You will thank me!

                                                                 

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