London: My First Love, Revisited

​London holds a special place in my heart. It was the first city I visited in Europe, and for many years it was my favourite. I’ve been back a couple of times since moving here, but always with an agenda. This trip was different — this time I got to just be in London.

The week started with work. I got to celebrate a major milestone: my customer at Heathrow went live. As a bonus, I was given a tour of their operations center, which was uber cool. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing the work you do translate into something real and functioning at that scale. Check out the cake!

Then the holiday began.

I saw three plays, which felt like coming home in its own right. I used to go to the theatre all the time and somehow fell out of the habit since moving to Europe. Cabaret was… meh. Six, on the other hand, was absolutely amazing — great energy, great music, great fun from start to finish.

And then there was 1536, which I wasn’t quite prepared for. It was deeply moving, exploring the conflicts around how women are treated — and drawing an uncomfortable but undeniable line between then and now. Not much has changed. It’s the kind of show that stays with you.

I walked a lot. London rewards that. And somewhere between the theatre and the miles on foot, I remembered why I fell for this city in the first place.

I also bought some yarn and started a cardigan. Crafting comes to me when life is calm. I’m hopeful this year will bring that.

It was a nice little holiday.

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Egypt, Two Months Later

It has taken me two months to write this. Not because I didn’t enjoy the trip, or because there isn’t anything to say. If anything, it’s the opposite. Life has felt a little heavy lately, and sitting down to reflect felt harder than usual. But Egypt deserves a post, even if it comes a little later than planned.

In February, Oliver and I traveled to Egypt and stayed at Stella Beach Resort. And honestly, this trip was exactly what I wanted.

There was no packed itinerary. No pressure to “see everything.”

Most days looked like this:

• Wake up slowly
• Head to the beach
• Crochet
• Study for my Dutch exams
• Read for a few hours
• Repeat

It was simple. Quiet. Restful in a way that feels rare.

The resort itself was lovely, comfortable, easy, and exactly the kind of place where you don’t have to think too hard about anything. And sometimes, that’s the best kind of travel.

I did a bit of snorkeling while we were there, and the water completely lived up to expectations of the Red Sea. Clear, calm, and full of life. It’s one of those things that’s hard to fully explain until you’re in it, floating above coral and watching everything move beneath you. It felt peaceful, almost surreal at times. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

At one point, I decided to leave our peaceful beach bubble and take a 24-hour bus trip to see the pyramids. Yes, 24 hours. The journey itself was…an experience. Long, a bit chaotic, and not exactly comfortable. But standing in front of pyramids made every second worth it.

There’s something surreal about seeing something you’ve only ever learned about in textbooks or seen in photos. They’re bigger than you expect. Older than you can really comprehend. And somehow still grounding in a strange way.

My 2026 is filling up with many fun adventures, many of them with my Annelies, who only has six months of left in Europe. Time will fly. 

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Crete Greece

I am writing this post over a month after returning from Crete, Greece. I spent two weeks there over the Christmas holidays, and it was lovely. But the political shit occurring in my American 'hometown' of Minneapolis is making writing about my travels feel like a chore. I wake in the morning to news I do not want to read, and spend evenings talking to friends fighting the good fight. Travel has taught me the most important thing in life: History repeats itself if you do not learn about it. The majority of Americans are so isolated in their mini-world they cannot understand what many of us who travel and/or live in other countries understand: What is happening in America is not good. I hope they figure it out soon.

On to Greece. I spent the two weeks in Crete with Oliver. Oliver first showed up on my blog in February of 2025, when we visited Mallorca together to celebrate his birthday. We met in a pub a month earlier on New Year's Eve, and at the end of his ‘elevator speech’, he said “…and I am retiring in Greece.”  I grabbed a pub coaster, wrote down my number, and said, “Call me. I want to retire in Greece.”  He did, and that is why we spent our final two weeks of 2025 in Crete, Greece - shopping for a home.

It was the most 'mellow' holiday I have ever taken. We would spend our mornings sleeping in and enjoying our breakfast outside while we soaked up the sun before it disappeared from our Airbnb yard. We would then drive around the island, checking out cities and villages and attending home showings. We would return to our Airbnb, where we talked more about the homes and drank a ridiculous amount of amazing Cretan wine (that cost only €2.22 per bottle!). 

Retiring in Greece has always seemed like a dream to me. A good dream. But I have several hurdles to clear before I can make it happen. I need a visa that will allow me to stay in Europe without being connected to my job. The easiest part of getting that visa is simply staying in the Netherlands for 5 years (I reach that on October 31, 2028). The more difficult step, though, is passing five exams. Four exams show that I am proficient in Dutch, and one is about their culture. I have taken two and learned I passed one; the other has not been scored. I will take two more language exams in March. It is hard. Really hard. I mean, super duper uber hard. 

Crete is an island in Greece that thrives on tourism. Tourists like it for a reason: the beaches are beautiful, and the water is absolutely spectacular. It was quiet for the two weeks we were there because of the lack of travelers, but we got a good feel of what life is like in December on the island of Crete, Greece. We both agreed we could suffer through it in retirement.

I just booked a month in June to see what Greece is like in the summer. It gets hot - really hot. I love the heat, especially while at the beach or on a boat, but living there full-time in the heat is different than being there on a holiday. I will work from an Airbnb, while getting to know the culture more, and enjoying the beach. I am excited to return. 

For my American friends who are protesting the paramilitary occupation of Minneapolis, please be safe. Thank you for learning from history that hate, prejudice, and racism do not make the world a better place. 

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