"seeing the world, one weekend at a time" brendareed's Profile

Traveling and taking photos...that's what I like to do. And I am in a great place in my life right now where I have the ability to do both...a lot. Currently living in Europe and using this time to see all I can in the time I have. What an amazing place to live in and visit!

I tend to travel in short little bursts – long weekends or overnighters – with longer trips once or twice each year. When I’m not traveling, each weekend I try to get to something new locally – usually a small town or point of interest followed by drinks or a meal at a local restaurant. It may only be a half-day outing. I think we tend to forget the nearby towns – we know we can always get there, but unless we make a point to go, we usually don’t get there. And we miss out on so many good things in the process.

I like highlighters – the kind you mark your school books with. Only with me, I mark up maps and guidebooks! What a pleasure it is after a trip to mark it off in the book! My husband keeps travel maps on his office walls – he puts pins in the places he’s been and the places he wants to see.

History is my favorite – and there is so much history in Europe! Castles, cathedrals, and abbeys…my goal is to see them all! It goes well with hubby's similar goal of breweries and bakeries!

Art is my next favorite – so if I can get to a museum near a castle, I’m a happy girl!

I know many people that don’t take the time to get out and explore. So sad to think of what they are missing. Take the time and just do it! The dust and dishes will not go away – they will wait for you to get back. But the memories you gain from traveling will last a lifetime!

bungy jumping off Kawarau in New Zealand

I'm an American that was born in Paris and currently lives in Germany. I’ve been fortunate to live in some pretty spectacular places – Washington DC, Hawaii, California, and Yorkshire, England.

I’ve crossed the USA five times, driving from one coast to the other, and two other trips each half-way and back.

I’ve been to all the states, except for three – if you can figure out a way to work Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and North Dakota into one trip, let me know!

Some of my more memorable recent trips have been:
2008 - Alaska
2009 – Thailand
2010 - Maine and the Canadian Maritime
2010 – New Zealand
2011 – We moved to Europe and started our European adventure! This year we spent time in Paris, Normandy, England, Tuscany, Czech Republic, and lots of weekend trips throughout Germany.
2012 - Still in Europe! This year we saw lots of Italy - Florence, Rome, Sicily, Pompeii - Brussels, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Berlin, Malta, plus return trips to some our favorites - Paris and Luxembourg, as well as lots of weekends around Germany.
2013 - Still living in and loving Europe! Already we've been to Madrid and plans for southern France, Prague, and Istanbul. With a new grand-baby due and our son getting married, I'll be making a couple trips back to the States this year. Beyond that, we have a long list of places to see and we'll be ticking off this list as the year progresses!

worlds most adorable grandson

When I'm not traveling, I can be found doing things with my family and friends, writing, reading, taking photos or planning my next adventure.

Claim to fame: having the world's most adorable grandson :-) Check out my personal page for more photos of my favorite little guy! He had his first European adventure with us and I've added a second personal page with photos of his trip.

Because we are currently living far away from our family, we are enjoying making new friends in our new home. Through VT, I've had the pleasure of meeting a number of wonderful people, both virtually and in person...a trend I hope continues!

Of course, we love it when family and friends come to visit - showing them around to our favorite places and trying to squeeze in some new places with them as well. There is just so much history, art, and natural beauty in Europe, I doubt we'll fit it all in during the few years we are supposed to be here. But we do try and are keeping a busy travel schedule.

top sites for 2012

We rang in the new year for 2012 in Amsterdam, headed back to Florence for a 7-day Renaissance art history course, our anniversary in Rome, and another Renaissance art history class in Brussels and Paris -- and that was just the first three months :-)

The rest of 2012 included a ten-day trip to Berlin for a history and art course, a wonderful trip to Malta and Sicily, and some long weekends in Nürnberg and Strasbourg, France! We had a number of family and friends visit us throughout the year so we were able to revisit many of our favorite spots along with some new ones.

It was difficult to put them in a rank order of favorites...except my #1 was my #1 since January! So here goes...my top ten sites visited for 2012:

10. Zug, Switzerland (and environs)
9. Villages in the Deutsches Weinstrasse (German Wine Road) and the Rhineland
Palatinate Forest
8. Ghent and Bruges, Belgium (combined during an art history course)
7. Strasbourg, France
6. Paris, France (three trips this year!)
5. Nürnberg, Germany
4. Berlin
3. Malta
2. Rome
1. Florence, Italy (no better place to explore the Renaissance!)

2013

For 2013, we've already been to Madrid and plans for southern France, Prague, and Istanbul. We'll continue to spend our weekends touring Germany and wherever else we happen to get to.

I'll keep you posted...

my top sites visited in 2011

always something interesting to see along the way

2011 was a big travel year for me - we moved back to Europe in January and haven't stopped since we got here. Just about every weekend we are doing something, whether local or a few hours away (and from where we live, there is LOTS to see within just a few hours).

On my blog Wanderings, I've just completed a series of posts listing my top ten sites that I've visited in 2011 (plus five runner ups since I had trouble deciding!). I haven't written tips for all these places yet - although I do hope to get to them all.

Here's my list for 2011:

Runner Ups:
Canterbury Cathedral, England
Bayeaux Tapestry, France
New Orleans, Louisiana
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Baptisty in Pisa, Italy

Top Ten:
10. Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Lynchburg, Tennessee
9. Zugspitze/Garmisch, Germany
8. Mont St. Michel, France
7. Sunset at the Sacre Couer, Paris
6. walking around Warsaw, Poland
5. Giverny, France
4. Louvre in Paris
3. Westminster Abbey, London
2. American military cemeteries in Normandy/Luxembourg
1. the Duomo in Siena, Italy