Some holidays are easy to plan (or not plan and just wing it), while others take quite a bit of research and what feels like advanced puzzle work. Which is why when someone tells me, “OMG THIS WAS ONE OF THE COOLEST TRIPS WE’VE EVER DONE.” I steal it from you.

Cologne (Köln), Germany seems to be a popular first trip for expats in Amsterdam, and it’s easy to see why. The 2,000-year-old city is centrally located making it easy to access from many major cities by train. Boasting impressive attractions, such as their ever popular Christmas market, annual carnival, and a Gothic Cathedral.

We moved into our new apartment about 4 weeks ago. And for about 4 weeks, we lived sad, mid-century lives without internet. Luke was able to go to work, while I was forced to watch Call the Midwife ON MY PHONE. It was miserable. As I mentioned in my last post, most things take longer to accomplish here.

These first couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. I don’t know why I expected moving to another country would be a breeze…”We’ll find a place to live immediately, it will be beautifully furnished, everything will be perfect, then we’ll go on our first trip!” To which life responded, “You’re cute. But no.”

As I sit here in our temporary housing, a place that is beginning to feel like home, I am warmed by a refreshed flame of excitement in anticipation of this new chapter in our lives. The ache of leaving the people we love and a place that became so comfortable is still fresh. An ache I expect to reside in our hearts for a while. But in this moment, at least for now, we are past the fear of the unknown.