November was a month on the move for me. It began in Belgrade, Serbia and ended in my
hometown of Atlanta with a handful of new cities and countries visited in
between. I covered a good amount of
ground last month, and had a lot of fun with new and old friends doing it.
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| Bundling Whiskey up for the cold...he liked it even if it doesn't look like it |
Although the beginning of the month wasn’t enjoyable with
getting quite sick in Belgrade, my month overall was a great one.
From further exploring the Balkans, visiting
Damian in his new flat in foggy London, spending time with Alex in Brussels, flying back stateside for Thanksgiving (my FAVORITE
holiday), and finally returning to Atlanta to see friends, it was definitely an
action packed month!
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| Catching up with Patti in Cincinnati before the family fun began |
The Balkans continued to be one of my favorite regions
visited in 2014. It’s no surprise with
the plethora of cities, incredible landscapes, delicious cuisine, captivating history, and
friendly locals. If you ever have a
chance to visit, I would highly recommend it!
Heading to London to see Damian was another highlight of my month.
It’s hard not to get excited when you get to
crash with your best friend for a few days in London.
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| Selfie: USA style |
Much to Damian’s dismay and confusion, I did
very few tourist activities while I was there, but I did manage to visit Kensington Gardens (you
know how I love my gardens) and introduce Damian to
Paddington bear.
How do you live in London and not know Paddington?!
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| Now he knows. |
I loved getting to see his new life and catch
up while we ate and drank our way around London.
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| Pub selfie! |
After London, I caught a short flight to Brussels to spend
time with Alex and his family and explore the city and surrounding areas.
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| Ville de Bruxelles: Jennifer and I definitely missed this last time |
Although
Jennifer and I had spent a few hours in Brussels back in July, our experience was limited to the infamous
Delirium Café (which is a very fun absinthe and craft beer bar, but definitely not representative of the entire
city).
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| In front of Ville du Bruxelles |
It was wonderful to see Alex
again, meet and spend time with his family, and see Brussels with a local.
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| We had a quick stop by Waterloo |
After Brussels, I headed back to the US for a few weeks.
One of my favorite moments back in the US was seeing my
immediate and extended family (and Whiskey!!!) in Ohio for Thanksgiving.
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| Back with the family for the holiday |
Patti graciously hosted a “Croatia Night” to display her new and incredible pasta
making skills as well as to share a taste of
our indescribably delicious culinary experiences from our trip with rest of the family. It was so much fun that we've decided to make it a new tradition! And I thought I couldn’t love this holiday more than I already did….
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| Earning my keep by making meatballs (and drinking wine) in the kitchen |
Heading back to Atlanta after the Thanksgiving holiday was
bittersweet.
There were some strange
moments seeing my hometown through a new perspective, but overall it was nice
to see friends and family.
It was great
to catch up with my friends, visit new apartments and houses, and hear
updates about careers and lives that I had missed out on during the past few
months.
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| Hanging out with my favorite fur ball! |
I was lucky to have family and friends make
time for meals, coffee outings, slumber parties, movie dates, and more to ensure we
could see each other while I was in town.
So many great memories!
One of the highlights of my trip home included a road trip to
Charlotte to watch Georgia Tech’s Yellow Jackets play in the ACC
Championship.
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| Go Jackets! |
Although we didn’t win the
game, it was fun to be back in the tailgating environment and see so many
familiar faces decked out in GT colors!
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| Holiday mimosas with Patrick and Patti |
Overall, November (and the beginning of December) was a
great month and I'm glad I got to spend it with so many friends, both new and old. As much fun as I had at home, I'm glad to now be back on the road and ready for my next adventure!
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| A little note from the universe on my flight home |