Wanderlust: Europe

36 Replies
True Colours

My blogger friend Casey asked me to be part of her
Wanderlust: A Travel Series link up and how could I say no?

Wanderlust
A  F a m i l y   A f f a i r 

Wanderlust has been instilled in me since I was born to two nomadic parents in a military family who were on their second three year tour in England. They went on to spend about seventeen years living abroad through out Europe and made sure my sister and I had the full experience.

4 Generations of my family have spent a significant part of their life living in Europe. I was not just ‘luckily born in England’ and moving here because of my dual citizenship.  Europe has impacted my family through the generations and has imparted a wanderlust down the line. My paternal grandfather was in Italy, not to far from where we lived, during WWII.  My parents chose overseas assignments one after another during my father’s 30+ years of service as an officer in the USAF.  For the last two years my husband and I have been living here with our kids and have no intent to move back stateside.  For my children, who are Third Culture Kids, that is 1/3 and 1/4 respectfully of their life spent so far in Europe.

Wanderlust
I n  E u r o p e  

Already Been. There are about 15 places in Europe that I have been so far (I separated the UK as I have yet to travel to Ireland) and looking at the list of European countries that does not seam like so many places. Easily my father will have me beat when it comes to the countries he was able to visit thanks to his TDYs with the US military forces.  Still even though so many are crossed off my list, it does not mean I do not want to return. Even more to the places that my husband and kids have yet to step foot in and to experience the culture again for myself.  Three trips I already have on my Wanderlust bucket list are: Italy, so my kids can see where I grew up; Sweden/Norway/Denmark; and Austria/Germany/Switzerland,  to experience the memories I cherished with my dad growing up.

Yet To Visit. I separated this list into two columns because there are really a lot of places in Europe that I have not yet been.  So the first list are countries I foresee being able to go to first, especially with young kids and the send list are the remaining countries my Wanderlust part of me would love to see while alive.  I wish I had my own private plane so that I could jet to each destination every two weeks and photograph and share on my blog.  That would be the perfect life, yes?

In today’s world it is not that unusual for a family to be split up by distances.  But at least at the holidays families come together back home.  For my family we do not really have ‘home’ to return too.  My mum, a PHD student, now resides in Arizona the last place my dad was stationed before he retired.  She is embarking on a new career of massage therapy and holistic health. My dad is in his final resting place at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs.  My sister works as a sommelier in Washington, DC. Now that we live in England, it is too costly with four people to travel back anywhere for every big family holiday.  
So Wanderlust has affected how we keep in touch.  Need to get together? Okay where well in the world do we want to meet up? I’m not joking. While my parents and my sister were backpacking through numerous countries in South East Asia, I flew over and met them in Cambodia.  My mum wanted to catch up with my sister so she invited her to Belize. Last summer we planned a last minute trip to the Jersey Shore (a place we frequented when visiting my Grandfather in the US), and in the next several days I will have them both here for our Vow Renewal in Wales.  
We are already talking about where we will meet up for our vacation next year.  We have talked about finally getting my sons to see Italy and renting a place in Naples, taking a family tree trip to the town in Germany where my mum’s side of the family comes from, and even staying at a place in France where my sister can take us to wineries and impart her sommelier wisdom.  
I say this to say that Wanderlust is a huge part of my families life and it is something we have already passed down to my sons.  They all the time talk about countries in Europe they want to visit and what they have learned about in school or from reading in books.

Q. Do you have Wanderlust for Europe? 
Please tell me all about it in a comment below!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I think you’ll adore the Netherlands when you get a chance to go there. xx

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I totally get the Wanderlust lifestyle. Though I wasn’t a military child, I did move around quite a bit and still move once every 2 or 3 years. I love this lifestyle. Being stationed in Germany just fuels (and allows) my passions to travel Europe. Though I work full time and go to school part time, I have a flexible schudule with both and don’t have children so if I’m not traveling to a new country every month I feel like I’m missing out. A little travel obsessed maybe, yes.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I hope you make it to the Netherlands sometime soon, I love it there. It’s so easy to get to and absolutely beautiful. Try to check out Leiden if you can. x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    As I have mentioned before, I totally get this – I moved house every few months when I was growing up and this is a continuing trend now that I am growing up. As a child I hated it, yet somehow now I find myself repeating my parent’s patterns – unable to settle! I hope one day I will finally settle though. I love Europe, but haven’t got round it too much: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Greece, The Netherlands, Iceland, UK…there is so much more I would love to discover. However, since relocating to Canada, my horizons have broadened beyond Europe and to the World, so now My travels are focused on a large scale!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Despite living in Russia for three years, I’m not well traveled in Europe. My wanderlust list is pretty long and I need to get started!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    My wanderlust for Europe is pretty long but for now we are focusing on Asia, during our time stationed in Japan! I really see myself living in Europe in the future and traveling to all the places on my wanderlust list :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Love this post! Thanks for linking up!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Absolutely loved this post- I have such a bad case of wanderlust right now I can taste it! And I also like how you divided your second list into foreseeable near-future options and places that you want to see in the long run- that’s the way to do it! I want to take some time after college to travel throughout EU. I think it would be such an amazing, rich experience.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Love this post! I would love to be able to see all of the countries in Europe (and the world, really lol) It is great that you are giving your kids the opportunity to experience so many different cultures and they will be better because of it.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I totally live the wanderlust lifestyle too. I want to visit so many different countries, I am not sure I can fit it all into one lifetime. It won’t stop me from trying though. I really like this post, and I am sure you will get the opportunity to visit the countries on your lists. You are going to love the Netherlands for sure :)

    xxSusanne

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I cannot wait. I am almost hoping I can save up and just pop on over for a trip to Amsterdam by myself sometime soon.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    That is awesome. I know if I did not have kids I would be traveling that much too with a flexible schedule. Travel for me and tell me all about it Brittany! x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Indeed I hope so too! Oh thank you for the recommendation!!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    So great having someone who gets the moving around so much thing. Oooh you’ve been to Iceland! Would love to go go there sometime soon. It just looks like an amazing place. I would love to go to Canada too as I’ve never been. I’ve heard it similar to New Zealand in a way.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Indeed! I would love to go to Russia, I dont know where to start as it so big! St. Petersburg for sure.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I love long Wanderlust lists because it means more to see! Where all in Asia do you have on your bucket list?

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    thank you for having the link up, i love it and fits great. x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    So glad you loved it Kayli. I hope you get to take some time to do that, especially after College that would be a great time. My sister traveled through Eastern Europe by herself and saw quite a bit on a budget, and she def recommended it. x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Thank you, i think they will really appreciate it as they are older as I do now from my parents. It makes traveling with three generations so much fun! x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Hopefully we can, and even if we cannot fit it all into one lifetime it will be one very rich life of travel and life lived. x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I suffer from a constant case of wonderlust, and Europe is so high on my list, especially England. If someone was to come to me and say I could plan a vacation anywhere I wanted, budget was not an issue, I would be on the next plane to London. I’m such a huge anglophile, it’s a bit ridiculous. I know I’ll get there eventually, for now I’m stuck planning the trip of my dreams until my budget catches up 😉

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Your “have been” list looks just like my “to see” list! I’ve now been able to cross Italy off my list, and it wasn’t even in the top 5. But there are still so many places I want to go, I can’t wait to experience it all!
    xx Sarah

    mysmallrayofsunshine.blogspot.com

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    So besides Vatican City and Scotland, our “Already Been” lists are the same! :) YAY! And I’ve been to Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain from your “Yet to Visit” list but I want to pretty much go to all of the other ones, too! I think that would be a fun thing to do — to visit all of the countries in Europe. I AM IN LOOOOOVE WITH EUROPE SOOOOO MUCH.

    And I like how you broke down the category of where you want to go… :) And if you ever get that private plane, let me know! I’ll jet-set with you!

    And also, I definitely relate to the “meeting up somewhere” thing. I think when I am not a broke grad student anymore, I actually would RATHER meet up with my mom in a new destination rather than at home. We’ve discussed it; it’s a good way to see each other AND the world!

    Love your TCK perspective and thoughts! It’s fun and it makes me think about travellllllllling again!!!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Yes! I love Moscow but Saint Petersburg is far more pleasant — as long as you don’t go between December-February!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Mainland Japan – Tokyo | Osaka | Kyoto
    South Korea | Thailand | China
    Pacific – French Polynesia | Australia | New Zealand

    there’s probably more :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I vote for France so I can crash your sister’s wine tour. It is so cool that she is a sommelier! Where did she study if you don’t mind me asking? (if you do that’s 100% ok) x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I do, but only three countries: Spain, Italy, and Greece! :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Definite wanderlust here! I’m going backpacking for 3 weeks around Europe this October ;). I’m Dutch so it’s easy to just go about Europe without long flights etc but I’m still very excited about it!

    If you want to visit The Netherlands check out cheap airlines like easy jet or ryan air, I sometimes am able to get return flights to London for as little as €40!

    Kazakhstan is generally not considered part of Europe although there is a very small part of the country located in the most eastern part of Europe. It’s usually referred to as an Asian country :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Wooo Wanderlust! Oh now that sounds fabulous! I am so excited for you because I would love to go do that again. That sounds wonderful. I would love to live mainland Europe for that reason too, to travel without airlines. I do keep checking those cheap flights and hope I can maybe go without the boys and do a girls trip. Would be so nice to visit a new country I have not visited before.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Spain I need to get too! :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    hehe, yes! And do. Actually my mum is pulling really hard for France right now. We have friends that own a place we could rent rooms from and we thought we could totally do that next year and maybe even fit in a hope to Germany too. I will ask her when she gets here. I know as a Sommelier she is now a level II and her test for that exam I believe she took in Maryland or somewhere near there as she lives in DC. Again I could be totally wrong so I will ask her and get back to you on that. x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Sweet then its a plane. Once I have a private jet we are going! 😉 You def should…why go back to the same place when you can meet somewhere new! Esp in the US too since its soooo vast. x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Wanderlust is such a long list that can always be added too and have countries going back on to it, a never ending battle I dont mind fighting. :)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    Once your budget catches up and you do and I’m still here let me know. I love showing people around our city of Bath and its such a great place to see and do things. :) x

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    I’m so excited about it too, I think I’m driving everyone crazy here just talking about it all the time! I hope you can find some cheap flights soon so you can enjoy your girls trip!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05022023043718407104 Bonnie Rose

    When I was still living in Europe, I didn’t realize there is so much to see and that it’s all so close. I had the worst case of wanderlust: the further the destination, the better. Now, after spending about 9 months in New Zealand and Australia. I can’t wait to go back home and travel around! I’m especially looking forward to the eastern part, because I’ve only seen the western countries… But I think my list of yet to visit is as big as yours, or even bigger!