Tag: europe

Travel, Wiesbaden

8 Things We Miss About Living in Wiesbaden

by reaglesinreality1 Comment on 8 Things We Miss About Living in Wiesbaden
8 Things We Miss About Living in Wiesbaden

We’ve officially been back to Michigan for five months…the same amount of time we lived in Germany. They say time flies when you’re having fun. Apparently time also flies when you’re living during a global pandemic. Not too long ago we were sipping glühwein at German Christmas markets and now we’re back home enjoying summer in Michigan.

Here are 8 things we miss about Wiesbaden:

1. The Charming Downtown Area

Wiesbaden is such a lovely city. It has a welcoming ambiance that made us feel at home almost instantly. One of our favorite parts of living abroad was taking the 20-minute walk downtown to stroll through the city, discover the local sights and sounds, and enjoy delicious food and drinks. Wiesbaden has the charm of a traditional German town with the liveliness of a larger city.

2. Traveling to New Places

Traveling has always been one of our favorite things to do. It was a surreal feeling to be able to hop on a train and travel almost anywhere in Europe. Our travels included spontaneous day trips to new cities as well as week-long adventures through multiple countries. We got to visit so many new places while living abroad…some that we had never even heard of before. Our favorite places included Ljubljana, Slovenia, Zagreb, Croatia, and Lucerne, Switzerland. We are so grateful we had the opportunity to explore so much of Europe before the border closed.

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Travel

A Guide to Visiting Germany’s 2 Largest Cities in 1 Weekend: Part 2

by reaglesinreality3 Comments on A Guide to Visiting Germany’s 2 Largest Cities in 1 Weekend: Part 2
A Guide to Visiting Germany’s 2 Largest Cities in 1 Weekend: Part 2

Let’s continue our journey where we left off.

Second Stop: Berlin

Yes, it is possible to visit Germany’s capital in one day…a half day to be exact. We took an early morning train from Hamburg to Berlin and hit the ground running.

Reichstag Building

Our first stop in Berlin was the Reichstag Building, the meeting place of the German Parliament. We snapped a few photos from the vast green space in front of this historic building before continuing on our high speed journey by foot.

Brandenburg Gate

Next up was the famous Brandenburg Gate. This 18th century monument once symbolized the division of Germany, and now signifies peace and unity. It truly is an iconic landmark.

Continue reading “A Guide to Visiting Germany’s 2 Largest Cities in 1 Weekend: Part 2” →
Travel

A Guide to Visiting Germany’s 2 Largest Cities in 1 Weekend: Part 1

by reaglesinreality3 Comments on A Guide to Visiting Germany’s 2 Largest Cities in 1 Weekend: Part 1
A Guide to Visiting Germany’s 2 Largest Cities in 1 Weekend: Part 1

Even though none of us are allowed to actually travel right now, we can still take mental vacations. So sit back, relax and join us on an action-packed two days in Hamburg and Berlin. With only one free weekend to spare before moving back to Michigan, we knew we had to pack Germany’s two largest cities into one journey. We’re becoming real pros at this whole one city (or country) per day thing!

Continue reading “A Guide to Visiting Germany’s 2 Largest Cities in 1 Weekend: Part 1” →
Travel

Returning to the U.S. During a Global Pandemic

by reaglesinreality4 Comments on Returning to the U.S. During a Global Pandemic
Returning to the U.S. During a Global Pandemic

The morning after celebrating my 21st birthday, my friends asked me how I was feeling. Slightly weird.

That’s exactly how I feel right now.

I’m currently unemployed without a house or car to call my own.

I knew moving back to Michigan after living in Germany would take some getting used to but I was not prepared for this. No one was.

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Travel

Around the World in 2 Weeks

by reaglesinreality6 Comments on Around the World in 2 Weeks
Around the World in 2 Weeks

Ryan and I don’t like to sit still. Some people joke that we do more in a weekend than they do in an entire month. Our German friends think we’re a little crazy for visiting so many places in such a short period of time.

But when you have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live abroad and traveling from country to country is as easy as hopping on a train or bus, you make the most of it.

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Travel, Wiesbaden

29 on The Rhine

by reaglesinreality3 Comments on 29 on The Rhine
29 on The Rhine

I got to celebrate my 29th birthday here in Germany. Can’t believe I’ll be entering a new decade next year. Most of the time I feel like I’m still 21.

Ryan celebrated his 29th birthday during our honeymoon in Italy so I guess celebrating our birthdays in Europe is becoming a tradition…one we could get used to it.

November 26 just so happened to also be the opening night of the Wiesbaden Christmas Market so the whole town came out to celebrate with me.

The night started with a special tree lighting ceremony complete with angels in the air, twinkling lights, live Christmas music (sang in English) and Gluhwein served in signature mugs – the first of many for our new collection.

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Travel, Wiesbaden

Our First Month Abroad

by reaglesinreality3 Comments on Our First Month Abroad
Our First Month Abroad

“Welcome to Germany.”

This is what a stranger told me when I asked for help at the Frankfurt train station and couldn’t use Google to find the answer because I didn’t have WiFi…

I never realized how much we millennials depend on our phones, until living in a foreign country with no WiFi. There are just some things we need modern technology for…like finding your way around a new city and posting Insta stories to document your whole life. Sometimes I even find myself scrolling aimlessly through my newsfeed only for Ryan to remind me that I don’t have WiFi. Imagine going a full day without Facebook stalking!

We’ve hit the one month mark of living abroad and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what’s different about living here in Germany.

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Travel, Wiesbaden

Home Sweet Home (Away From Home)

by reaglesinreality3 Comments on Home Sweet Home (Away From Home)
Home Sweet Home (Away From Home)

I know you’ve all been dying to see our home away from home here in Germany (well maybe just our family…but we’re going to show you anyway!). We are quite impressed with our first European flat. It’s clean, quiet, organized, modern, comfortable, and just a short walk to downtown Wiesbaden. You know, where all of the cute cafés are. 😉

It’s always a gamble to sign a lease sight unseen – praying that the place actually looks like the photos. Being catfished by your new home is the worst kind of catfishing.

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Travel, Wiesbaden

Getting Here.

by reaglesinreality2 Comments on Getting Here.
Getting Here.

Moving to Germany had always been on our radar since Ryan’s job brought him here for the first time.

When we got the official approval, it was time to – as we like to say – spring into action.

We shared the exciting news with our family and friends, collected all of the required paperwork, met with the German Consulate in Chicago, found a flat, updated my passport with my new married name (called in a panic to change to expedited processing), booked our flights.

All was going according to plan – until it was two weeks, one week, one day before our scheduled flight – and still no Visas (or passports…they take those when you apply for the Visa). By this point, I was in absolute panic mode. Our flights were already booked, first month’s rent already paid – what were we going to do?

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