Healdsburg, CA

Back in November, Felix and I headed up north to wine country for my birthday weekend. We stayed a few nights in Healdsburg, which is by far the most charming wine town we've visited since living in California.

Main street was decked out in white lights and full of adorable antique shops. The food was unbelievably good. We shared fish tacos and calamari at a phenomenal fish restaurant and had mussels and wine at a small French restaurant. We took a 35 mile bike ride through the vineyards and up to an overlook of Lake Sonoma. On the way, we picked up sandwiches from the cutest general store off the main road. And biking back, we stopped at the sweetest vineyards for tastings in the sun.

On the way home, we drove down the coast and stopped at little beaches on the way back. No matter how many times I've seen it, the Northern California coast never gets less beautiful. It was an amazing weekend and the perfect way to ring in *26*. 

Happy Wednesday!

A Big Sur Thanksgiving

We spent a non-traditional and beautiful Thanksgiving in Big Sur this year. We have so much to be thankful for, and it was only highlighted by camping on one of the most stunning coasts in the world. We woke up to a view of the ocean, took naps in the sun, hiked a ton, watched the sunset every night, and drank lots of hot toddies. It was the first Thanksgiving in 4 years that we didn't cook a big meal together, and I must admit, while I definitely missed the turkey, mashed potatoes, and apple pie, it was nice to get out of town and eat sandwiches all weekend. Here are a few photos from the trip, if you're interested.

Lake Tahoe

Over the weekend, we headed up to Tahoe with a big group of Zoosk friends. We rented a house near Northstar for everyone to stay in and spent the weekend cooking, drinking, skiing, and hot tubbing. I had never skied in Tahoe so I was completely blown away at how amazing the mountain was. The snow was epic, it wasn't too crowded, and the selection of slopes was great. Overall, a wonderful weekend away. Now that I'm back in the habit of skiing, I am so excited to make the trip out to Tahoe more this winter. Happy Monday everyone! 

Holiday Recap

We had such an amazing 2 weeks in Europe for the holidays. We began the vacation in Paris at Felix's parents house. We opened presents, ate lots of delicious food, went on walks, spent time with aunts, uncles, cousins, and a grandma, and celebrated a birthday, all with a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. Night after night, it never got old watching it twinkle.

After a week in France, we headed to Germany to visit the other Grandma in a small farm town called Wadersloh. We spent half a day with her, sharing pictures, enjoying cakes and coffee, and hearing stories about her wedding and memories of her husband. 

We spent the night in Duesseldorf in the Bernhoerster's house, and left early the next day for Switzerland. We spent the next week in a beautiful ski-in/ski-out chalet in Nendaz, a small town about an hour from Geneva. The week was full of skiing (duh), swimming, eating, drinking, and playing games. Thankfully, since I was in a rock hard cast, I was pain-free the whole week and was able to ski all day, every day. There were 22 of us in the group from 4 different families, so I got to know a lot of new people (coming from Denmark, Germany, Australia, Canada, U.S., and Japan). We had a massive New Year's party, learned the fabulous Danish game Balut, and enjoyed everyone's company so much.

I've had 4 Christmas vacations with Felix's family now, and each one is better than the last. This year was extra special for a few reasons: it was our first holiday as a married couple, and I feel like I got to spend quality time with several members of the Bernhoerster family. 

Here are some photos from the 2 weeks. Happy Thursday evening!

 

Jordan

To continue living vicariously through myself and relive my distant but wonderful travel memories, today I am going to write about a trip we took over Christmas break 3 years ago with Felix's family. 

One thing (among many) that I love about having married into a European family, is the places they choose to take holidays. While I was really excited for this trip, Jordan is absolutely not somewhere I would have picked to take a vacation. 

It was unique and cultural and absolutely beautiful. We spent time in Amman, the capitol city, visiting different mosques, historical landmarks, and ruins. We spent a night at a traditional Bedouin camp, complete with local food and dancing. We visited Petra, one of the 7 wonders of the world. It was obviousy breathtaking and so memorable. We ended the trip in the southern city, Aqaba, at a stunning hotel on the Red Sea, where we could see Israel and Egypt from the shore. This was my first time in a predominantly muslim country. It was so interesting learning about the role women play in society, polygamous marriages, and other cultural norms. We had a great tour guide and driver the whole trip who constantly fed us information about the country and culture. 

Some memorable moments from the trip: taking a run through the desert with Felix and my father-in-law to the border of Saudi Arabia, floating in the Dead Sea and being rubbed down with mud, touring mosques (fully covered) in Amman, shopping at a traditional spice shop in Aqaba, climbing through old army barrack ruins, drinking tea around a fire listening to stories at the Bedouin camp, and walking through Petra at night by candlelight.