We've finally reached the end of our month chock full o' visitors, and boy, was it a good time. It started with my college friends Megan and Claire visiting for a week with their significant others. We rented a "van" (I use that term loosely - it was basically a glorified hatchback that was far too small for 6.5 people) and travelled to Maastricht...

...took our second trip to Amsterdam (you can see a recap of the first one here), where we ate pancakes (a must!), visited Rembrandt's House and the Rijksmuseum, tried Indonesian food, took a canal cruise, and finally toured the Anne Frank House...

...and took a day trip to Burg Eltz - our first visit to a German castle! ...

...before they headed back to the good old U.S.A. One week simply wasn't long enough.

Next up were our pals Jas and Jennie from the U.K. We visited them in London last summer, and they came to Aachen the first weekend of this month. We partook of wine fest, endured the scorching heat, and enjoyed some good food and even better company, before they boarded the train to spend time in Bruges.

Last but not least was my dad's visit. This was super exciting because, a. he's my dad and 2. it was his first trip to Europe. It was so much fun showing him around.

We also took him to Maastricht...

Then, I got brave and kept the car for a couple of days and drove on the Autobahn (my first time without following Josh). Things I learned: I have the need for speed; a highway is a highway pretty much anywhere you go; people in Germany are MUCH better drivers than in America (they actually use the left lane only for passing... WHAT A NOVEL IDEA!)

Driving through wine country en route to Koblenz.

We drove to Koblenz to meet up with my dad's friend John, from our hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, as he's currently stationed in Germany as a chaplain in the military. We enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch and a walk along the river...

The next day, we went to Monschau, where we walked about the town, partook of a delicious lunch, and picked up some more of their infamous mustard.

Josh took off from work on Thursday, and we took a trip to Bastogne, Belgium. I'll do an entire post on this one since I actually took a decent camera with me and got lots of photos. For now, I'll just say that it was an incredible experience. Hubs got this great shot of the U.S. memorial...

And on dad's last day in town, we hung out in Aachen, lingered over a delicious breakfast spread, and took Miles on his first trip to a zoo. His favorites seemed to be the goats, ducks, and the ostrich!

Aachener Cafe is one of our favorites for breakfast and a great cup of coffee.

We're so thankful to have friends and family that are willing to travel far and wide to join us on our adventures! We don't have any more visitors planned until the beginning of next year, so we'll be exploring on our own over the next few weeks before we return to Nashville and High Point for Thanksgiving!

On any given day, I have a number of complaints about our new home. The rain. The lack of air conditioning. The abrasive personalities of many of the German people. The difficulty in communicating. The complaints were at an especially all-time high last summer while I was pregnant and frustrated and homesick, but finally... FINALLY... I've embraced this European adventure with my little family. Here are just a few of the simple things I love about living in Germany:

Miles and me heading out to run some errands.

Not having to drive anywhere. We only have one car - which Josh takes to work every day, but that's no problem since we live right in the city! I can easily reach the grocery store and a myriad of restaurants and shopping in less than 10 minutes on foot. While this means lots more trips to the store since we don't want to lug home six bags of groceries, it's nice to get out of the house and enjoy a daily stroll.

Outdoor seating. Any day when it's even slightly warm (as in, above 50 fahrenheit) and not raining, restaurants and cafes have their outdoor tables set up and the town square is swarming with people sitting outside enjoying a meal or coffee. It's prime people-watching territory.

Ease of travel. This is one of the very best parts of living in Europe. Flights are cheap, train travel is easy, and we're even close enough to drive to lots of places. We've made several day trips to places like Maastricht and Monschau, took the train to London last summer to visit our friends Jas and Jennie, and we're driving to Amsterdam (only two hours!) at the end of this month for a long weekend!

The pastries. The gelato. The sweets. These people love their treats. Just on my walk into town, I pass no fewer than three bakeries and two eiscafes (this is the German word for the ice cream shops). Bad for the waistline. Good for the soul.

Italian food. Say what?! I know it sounds strange, but the Italian food here in Aachen is amazing. Presumably due to our close(ish) proximity to Italy. I suppose it's a bit like finding great authentic Mexican food in the southeastern U.S. The pizzas are amazing (I ate them on a weekly basis while I was pregnant - this mama CRAVED marinara like nobody's business), and you can find delicious fresh made pastas all for extremely reasonable prices. It's definitely no Olive Garden :)

Enjoying it with the comfort of knowing that we'll be returning to North Carolina, home-sweet-home. Since we'll be returning to the U.S. in less than a year and a half, I'm trying to soak up every bit of this little temporary lifestyle as possible. While I'm sure I'll be sad to leave this place, it makes it easier to be away from family, friends, and the comforts of home to know that it's all there waiting for us when we head back stateside next year.

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enough complaining... things I love about living in europe

Elizabeth Glessner | Embracing the Good