Traveling & Closed Borders

Travel is one of the greatest freedoms and privileges in our modern time. We have the ability to dream up a location, consider how we want to get there and then to head out towards the horizon. But what feelings arise whenever we can’t just go? How do we navigate restricted boarders and the red letter “no” travel?

In the past two years I have left the country to visit foreign countries. I felt free, I felt alive but did I feel grateful? Time and time again we find ourselves taking things for granted. I think in this year alone, we can all agree that we learned that taking things for granted turned out to be our secret talent, special language and or way of life.

Travel restriction goes one step further because not only can you not travel to surrounding countries but city to city travel is limited and not encouraged. I found myself frustrated and suffocated for not being able to explore, wander and feed my curiosity.

Frustration, anger, confusion, bitterness and even apathy are all normal things to be feeling in life and in 2020. But the big question that I want to ask you, are you ok with living life through these feelings? Or do you want to stop taking things for granted, putting off plans, staying in bad habits, choosing to put yourself last, delay that one thing another year, or anything else under the sun?

I think we all want to live lives that are well loved, cherished and free even when life throws a criss-crossing moment at you. Please know that at the end of the day, no matter what this year or the next looks like, that you have a choice to start living your ideal adventure today.

This is my challenge to you, find an area in your life that you want to love better, make a plan and walk into that plan today. And because our chances of reaching our goals increases whenever we tell someone else, comment your goal down below or share it with your bestie! Not only do you achieve more goals when you let someone else in on the journey but you can find yourself to be more motivated throughout the process.

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You are loved!

-Kriss

What’s a travel blogger to do during a pandemic?

It is no surprise to anyone that the condition of the world is not ideal for someone who has a travel blog. So many times I have grabbed up my computer to type out my feelings, picked through past travel photo albums for inspiration or dove head first into Pinterest to daydream about the travels to come. But what does it feel like to live in a body meant for travel but has to sit still?

There have been times of pure boredom with thoughts of helplessness and being disgusted with the mundane. Times of creative bursts to change that mindset into distraction. But ultimately there has been a new found sense of grace for where I find myself and the world finds itself. During a moment on the couch, I found myself thinking back on rests after a long day exploring. During a moment on a walk, I felt a breeze that set me back on European streets. During a curbside pick-up, I remembered that amazing late night corner pizza shop. I know that we will all find ourselves able to do more of what we love in the future but this season is something to be thankful for.

This season is meant to allow us to slow down, to think about others, to be kind, to do what we can and pray for what is to come. I truly hope that you have found a silver lining to this season as well and that whenever we get those green lights at the starting gates, that we are able to rise to that occasion as well.

Virtual Adventures of Nashville, TN

Right now the world feels like it is both in a standstill and out of control. From governments trying to decide what’s best for it’s people, healthcare workers trying to keep their heads above water while caring for the sick, moms and dads juggling work and home schooling their children for the first time and millennial’s loosing their hard-won, multiple part time jobs. Teaming up to stay apart is unnatural at best but it is the secret ingredient to overcoming this chapter.

Something that I have loved from individuals that are choosing to do their part and stay home are those who still give out their talents so freely. From actors reading children’s books to my favorite cello player yo-yo ma playing on Facebook live. Everyone see’s the need to somehow still make this world a better place and in my efforts towards this exact direction, I wanted to keep sharing my adventures with you!

So without any further ado, let’s go on a virtual adventure in Nashville, TN….

Let’s travel!

 

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I don’t know about you but there is just something about heading down south and wanting some feel good food. I’m not sure if its the southern ties or the cravings that come up during a roadtrip, but we were all about making our first stop in Nashville about a plate of chicken and waffles! To help us achieve this we stopped at a restaurant called Sambuca and tucked in.

After filling our bellies we opened our Airbnb app and pulled up the address to our new home away from home. The name of our place was called The Nomad Pad and its interior design definitely highlighted that feeling. To my delight, as well, the home even had its own Instagram page @thenomadpad, and they even featured some of my photography of their place. 

What did I say! ^ stunning place and I highly recommend booking with The Nomad Pad when you go to Nashville! 

And as nice as our new home was, you do not simply come to Nashville to stay inside, you must wander! First we went to one of my favorite coffee shops in the whole city, Crema. I ordered a Spanish latte while Jacob ordered a Mocha and we took a second to sit down at the bar. This coffee shop is a gem from their delicious coffee and merchandise to their lounge areas to work or play. You are guaranteed to see countless creatives and business types hunched over their laptops working away and groups of two or three laughing at someone’s tale.

Thinking about this now, during a time of isolation, warms my heart.

After sipping on our coffee for a short while, we got up to walk around the city. My favorite thing about Nashville is the amount of beautiful murals painted along its walls and walkways. You can just feel the heartbeat of this creative city with each step you take. I personally wish that more cities would follow in Nashville’s footsteps because street art is more than graffiti or tags- it is a culture all in its own. It’s speaks of the real people living and working in the area.

My favorite mural ^

While we walked we would take detours and step inside local shops, had goo goo eyes over delicious looking foods in the windows and talked about what all we would like to see and do during our time there. Walking and talking in general has always been our “thing” as a couple. So to be able to travel together and do our thing in new places has my heart the most happy and, just like that, checks off one of the items on my Nashville to do list.

What’s this list you might now be wondering? We’ll here it is:

Nashville To Do:

• Get coffee from Crema
• Buy a new plant baby
• See the murals around Nashville
• Walk hand in hand with the love of my life
• Try some “made from scratch” pop-tarts from Milk and Honey
• Find the Colosseum (aka what I call Nashville’s Parthenon)
• Eat ramen.

And speaking of ramen, that brings me to where we will have our official first date night in Nashville! Our ramen place of choice is none other than Otaku Ramen. This ramen house is so so good in the ways of giving me both butterflies in my stomach and ruining all other ramen houses for me for the foreseeable future. To put it plainly, Jacob and I got the same amount of food in our bowls and only one of us finished their whole bowl… or should I say, her whole bowl.

After Jacob rolled me out of our hot date, we had a chilly walk, drove around the city, got stopped in traffic that was leaving the Grand Ol Opry House and found ourselves back to laying on our new bed counting our blessings.

Saturday, Day 2

With the dawning of a new day it was now time for my favorite time of day, Brunch! While out and about the day before you might have caught on to me saying that I had a crush on some tasty looking. Well it was now time for me to get my hands on them. 

Taking a short drive over to the gulch area in Nashville, we found our seats at Milk & Honey. Everything we ordered was both delicious and gorgeous from various eggy concoctions, coffee drinks and, finally, two flavors of handmade poptarts! One had a strawberry jam filling and the other had chocolate and hazelnut whip. 

After brunch we wanted to go find one more mural and that’s the iconic “I believe in Nashville” mural and to stop at one of my favorite florist and gifts shop Bloom Flowers. Little did I know that Jacob was about to become an influencer….

Please tell me you got a little laugh out of this selfie central!!

Next we were on to Bloom Flowers gift shop! This shop has so many different indoor plants you can buy, they can make you a flower arrangement in house or you can pick up various stationary. While I looked around the shop I found and bought myself a cactus!

As luck would have it, I married a man who supports my love of plants and he married a woman who supports his love of local BBQ! We got my cactus wrapped up and ready to go, jumped in the jeep and headed over to Mission BBQ. We ordered something smokey and smothered in amber goodness and had ourselves a little picnic in the Centennial Park.

The rad part about being in this park was the gorgeous backdrop of the Parthenon. Such an odd, classic beauty resting on a green lawn near the heart of the city. But I enjoyed it because it drew runners, cute couples and families to its steps and grounds. Or maybe because it was such a gorgeous day, I’ll let you decide.

Thank you beautiful Nashville for having us! And thank you for coming along with me! I hope I have encouraged you, made you laugh, scratched your travel itch or inspired you to make some delicious food while on your staycation. Please stay happy, healthy and hydrated!

-Kriss

 

I just turned 28, Let’s Celebrate!

It’s official I’m 28 years old and there is no going back! But good news is that I don’t want to! I love the process of getting older, wiser, more sure of the life that I am so grateful to live. So this year I decided to stay put and enjoy my life exactly where it’s at and its in our new home in Indianapolis, IN.

Let Her Eat Cake

This year my birthday fell on Saturday aka the day birthdays should always fall on! So here I was in bed waking up to sunshine and the cuddles of my… dog! Haha! He was curled up on my guys side of the bed and ready to love me and give me all of his attention. But where was my guy?

No sooner had I wondered that exact question did I hear a creak of a step on our stairs and the glow of candles. Jacob had prepared a breakfast in bed moment for me complete with egg and avocado toast, fruit, coffee AND my slice of birthday cheesecake from my girls night the night before. The glow of candlelight came from a gifted apple scented candle and two letter candles that spelled out “28.” Good start of the day? Naw, more like a great start of a great day.

This the the Celebration Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

Fountain Square

Earlier in the week when I had first started to think about my new age, I thought about past birthdays. In past years I had put effort forward to have big birthdays, birthdays filled with high expectations (always a recipe for disaster), birthdays while traveling or just not wanting to acknowledge that years birthday at all. But this year felt wonderfully different, a sense of peace that I’ve never had before about turning a new age made me up for whatever the day had to offer. But I definitely still knew some suggestions.

So we got ready for the day, gave Tyson some more kisses and belly rubs and then got in the Jeep to go to downtown Indy. I knew the minute we stepped out of the house that it was going to be wonderful. This was because of the clear, blue skies and 50 degree weather allowing us to wear a light jacket for the first time in weeks. So once in the area and parked, I knew I wanted to keep outdoors and walk along the city.

Within five minutes onsite, my world got a lot more comical because of this rad biker.

Our walked paused whenever we came to the Upland Brewing Co. We popped in for J to grab a beer and to split some appetizers to keep the hangry away. I always look forward to these moments with him because it never really matters where we are but whenever we have intentional time together, it is always the best and warms my heart. It is also something I wish I could have had in past birthdays without him. So really he is the gift that keeps on giving.

Next on our exploring is stopping into a local Vinyl shop. The one we chose was called Square Cat Vinyl and boy did they have some tempting records for us. Jacob was looking at some Red Hot Chili Pepper albums while I was busy in the jazz section looking at Billie Holiday or in the Soundtracks looking for a Breakfast at Tiffany’s album.

Because no day of exploring with me if ever complete without coffee, we went to a much awaited location. This coffee shop is directly across from the building that states that “You are Beautiful” and is called Bovaconti Coffee. It’s the kind of coffee shop that when you go inside you kinda squeal internally because of its obvious beauty and aesthetic. Jacob ordered his usual mocha and I went with a Spanish latte (it’s made with condensed milk, espresso and cinnamon- a must try if you like those ingredients).

My only complaint was the lack of seating because of the time of day and my unfulfilled desire to sit in a coffee shop for awhile and chat. But there is always another day for that! So we switched up our order and got them to go.

Newfields or No Fields

Phase two of the day was to find ourselves surrounded by plants and flowers. However as the day would have it, it turned out to be another edit to the plans. We were informed that the greenhouse wasn’t going to be opened for another two weeks or so. We accepted the news and as we walked back to the car we stopped in the lobby to explore and to wonder at this kinetic art installation by Studio Drift. Funny thing is that we still ended up around flowers.

Birthday Surprise

At 5 pm all of my plans for the day were completed and mostly accomplished! But the fun part is this is exactly where Jacob’s plans pick up pace. He had been telling me all week that he had plans for us the evening of my birthday sometime after 6 pm. In my mind I was super stoked because I figured that it would be an occasion to dress up and eat some awesome food but… I was wrong.

Right before leaving the house for the surprise I ask Jacob what I should wear and he said something usual and also comfy. Still confused as what to wear I throw out the question “is there a chance that I will get dirty or messing there?” He seemed unsure but responded that he thinks its possible but that they will have stuff there to help keep me clean.

So…. yeah this girls mind was racing at what the heck we were about to do. So with some faith and keeping my eyes shut, he drove us to our mystery location. Surprise! We were going to a wine and canvas night! I was deeply touched by this gesture because that previous week I had said that I really wanted to get back into that love and here we were, about to start it up again but this time- together.

As you can see, 28 is off to such a wonderful start. I was able to see so many of my friends, family, artistic and inspirational places that have left my heart and mind refreshed and reminded of the amazing life that I get to live. Wishing you all only the best and I cannot wait until next time!

-Kriss

Best Holiday Market: Carmel Christkindlmarkt

Winning the title of North Amercia’s Best Holiday Market, the Carmel Christkindlmarkt has brought the old world charm of Christmas in Germany to Indiana. The Christmas market tradition stretches back to the middles ages in Saxony, Germany. Since then the joys of the traditional Christmas markets and customs have spread from town to town, around the world and has found a home in the Midwest.

On the day of our visit to the market they were celebrating Nikolaustag, or St. Nicholas Day. The tradition is that on the night of December 5th, children set out their shoes for St. Nicholas to fill with sweets and gifts. And depending on if they were good or not they will be visited by St. Nicholas or his sinister sidekick Krampus. It is similar to the Christmas Eve tradition on December 24th with the visit of Santa Claus, however we got lucky and there is no bad guy to this story.

The market is located in the City Center of Carmel and is decorated in traditional German flare with tempting treats, beverages and the opportunity to do some Christmas decor and gift shopping. One of  the activities that many people took advantage of was renting a pair of ice skates and taking turns around the pop-up ice skating rink in the very center of the festivities.

Something that I noticed was a bit of a tradition was the Carmel Christkindlmarkt mugs. These mugs are called Gluhwein Stiefel and for 2019 they came in either a white boot or a green train version. I was drawn to the boot so after purchasing one from one of the vendors, I hunted down some much needed hot chocolate. There were a couple of different options but I went with the Java Haus because the name speaks for itself.

After warming up with hot chocolate by the fire, we started feeling our hunger pains. One of the cozy things about the market was the fact that it was all things German. If you’ve been around the blog for awhile you’d know that we spent our honeymoon in Germany, so naturally being surrounded by German things brings us back to our romantic trip submerged in the culture, including the food.

While we were on our honeymoon in Germany, we definitely had our fill of pretzels, schnitzel, currywurst and bratwurst. So while browsing the menu’s at Carmel’s Christkindlmarkt we were instantly greeted with all of our favorite indulgences. Jacob’s pick was currywurst that came with a roll while I chose a traditional bratwurst on a similar roll. Personally, I was very happy with my choice!

^my horrible yet proud joke of the night was “all of the shops were great but this one was the wurst…”

Something we rather enjoyed about the market was the well-rounded planning that Carmel put into the event. They advertised visiting the market first and then taking the Christmas trolley into the Arts and Design District for more Christmas decorations, holiday shopping and local eats. So with that great plan in mind, we took it and follow their wonderful advice. Soon we found ourselves browsing around cute shops while holding hands and letting our date night in Carmel wind down.

My most favorite part of the market, was the time of the day that we got there. We were there early enough to catch the sun setting behind the market. So in the sea of Christmas lights, evergreen trees and crackling fires, everything was cast in a rose gold glow. However, this same glow and the previous warmth of the day tricked us into thinking that the night would follow suit. I definitely advise some good, Christmasy layers to keep yourself warm and to not be shy to blasting some heat in the car at the end of your night.

Do yourself and your loved ones a favor this holiday season and go check out this Christmas Market before its last night on December 21st! All the information you will need is on their Facebook page linked here >Carmel Christkindlmarkt. Next week on the blog I get the privilege of sharing more of our holiday season with you all! And how we are celebrating this year may or may not surprise you!

-Kriss

Scandinavian Saint-Gilles Airbnb

Welcome to our Airbnb located in the Saint-Gilles neighborhood of Brussels, Belgium!

Climbing up four floors, we reach our minimalist, Scandinavian home away from home. With being a lofted penthouse, skylights and windows offered plenty of natural light to highlight the simple beauty within the home and framed views of terracotta roofs against the sky. We decided that we truly couldn’t have picked a better place.

For anyone who has traveled in Europe, you know just how convenient the transportation system is compared to the US. So during our time away from the loft we found ourselves walking anywhere between 11 and 13 miles per day (hello half marathon)! This fact alone states how tired you could expect our bones to be by the end of the day and sometimes into the next morning.

Choosing to take rest in a such a minimalist space, I believe, truly allows for rejuvenation. There is just something so perfect about having exactly what you need in just a few basics that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. And it just so happens that both Jacob and I see the Scandi style as pleasing and ideal for a relaxing environment (huge win).

In this space we made excited trip plans, took in the silence, gorged ourselves on pizza from the shop on the corner, talked about our future, aired out drenched clothing from exploring during rainy days and watched sunrises to sunsets. My advice to every kind of relationship from friendship to romance- is to travel. There is this special kind of magic that occurs whenever you are one on one with your travel companion. It transcends every other kind of encounter.

You can bicker, you can explore, you can share truths and you can feel alone together too. Each opportunity leads you to know more about their pain and their weaknesses but more so their hopes and dreams. It is my goal to never stop dating my husband and especially never stop learning him. It is the greatest freedom and blessing to know that he feels the same way.

And it is this very truth and joy that makes me certain that we will always keep travel in our relationship through the seasons in life to come. So we want to thank you for coming along with us as we explore God’s good Earth and the mysteries of marriage. Cheers to the wrap up of our Belgium travels and now onto some killer US locations….

Next week on the blog come back for Christmas! YES! Christmas is finally here again and I will be sharing some Holiday Cheer by giving coverage to a warm and cozy Christmas event going on here in Indiana.

-kriss

Our Day in Antwerp, Belgium

Butting up to the Netherlands on the coast of the North Sea is our last location, Antwerp, Belgium. This is a location we had in the back of our minds to visit while in Europe but we weren’t sure on if we would make it. I say that because on the flight to Belgium we had a certain itinerary in mind compared to the one we actually got to explore. So by the end of day one of our trip, we knew we definitely wanted to visit this city and explore all of its water ways.

Taking a train a little over an hour north of Brussels, we got to Antwerp. The thing I noticed first about this city is it’s amazing and gorgeous train station. With being multiple levels high and adorned with a golden clock, it truly was a sight to be seen. This beauty continued itself further into the station and then out its front doors to the new city awaiting us.

From those very doors, what I saw genuinely made me giggle. Across the walk way I saw painting in red with two proud stone lions, Antwerp’s Chinatown. Did I expect to find myself in China while in Dutch country? Absolutely not! But was I mad about it? Heck no.

Much like the swans I told you about, I saw my target and booked it to China! Looking in shop windows full of ceramics, silk screens, glowing neon and menus and menus of my kind of food- I was in a silly little heaven. I even made Jacob promise me that we would come back before leaving for the day because I knew exactly what I wanted to have for my dinner.

But onward we went in search of more of the cities charms. One of those being in another gorgeous center where an age old turquoise fountain stood with the backdrop of those buildings that I fell hard for! We even got lucky enough to not have lots of crowds around us while we took in the sights. I think this had a lot to do with the fact that it was Monday and also a rainy Monday at that.

It’s usually around here in the day where I try to nail down the feeling that I get from a place. I don’t think I mean to always do this but I truly think that our surroundings have a personality all of their own that help tells a story of the past influencing the present. While in Antwerp, this was a hard feat for me to do but I think by the end of the day I came to see it as a quiet beauty, a place of rest almost.

Some of my favorite moments were empty yet inviting outdoor cafes, more adorable Belgium pups, shops with their windows full of plants, churches offering moments of reflection and bikes with baskets…

But speaking of coffee, we were without a doubt in need of more. So with the need for a pause and a moment to fill our bellies, we sat inside of a restaurant that specializes in English cuisine. Jacob ordered his food with a beer to wash it down while I ordered a cheese toastie (grilled cheese) and a coffee.

Unlike my instant connection to the food found in Chinatown from above, I tend to struggle a bit with food while traveling. In my mind I think about the language barrier when ordering but also on the unknown. It can be hard to decide and pick a place whenever you don’t know what all is around you to try and eat. I have this feeling of “what if I’m missing out on something better.” It is something that I want to continue to get better at while traveling because who doesn’t love reading up on food and different cultural cuisine!

Around the corner from our lunch spot was a statue I was hoping to see. This statue is called “Nello and Patrasche” and is of a boy and his dog snuggling under a blanket. So of course this made me miss our sweet boy, Tyson. And it may have, also, made me wish for a blanket for myself because the day was just not warming up anytime soon.

Around this part of the city I remembered one of the things that Antwerp is known for. Antwerp is known to have the largest collection of diamonds in one area so we knew exactly what our souvenirs would be… just kidding. We tucked into a dime a dozen souvenirs shop for Jacob’s last Belgium city shot glass.

Maybe I need to do a travel around the world via his shot glass collection!

Something that I was missing from our day was water. In all of our other locations we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of water around us (or maybe we are surprised because we are from the midwest in the US). But with Antwerp being just off of the North Sea, we knew we could easily get our fill if we decided to do so.

The first promise of getting close to the water was a large and oh so stunning mural of a whale! Followed quickly by the actual water with cross walks to get to the other side of the water or ships sitting on its surface to travel down it.

So far on the trip we haven’t visited any museums. This is something we go back and forth on for whether it’s something we should spend valuable time on or not. But while in Antwerp, we figured we should visit one for the trip. We chose the Museum aan de Stroom and it is a museum that cover’s the city’s Metropolis, Power, Life and Death, and Antwerp’s history as a port city. The draw to going wasn’t just the history story but also the rooftop which offers panorama views of the whole city.

Whenever we found the museum we noticed two things about it. The first was that the building itself was huge with modern touches and a very colorful exterior. The second thing we noticed was that it was very much closed for the day. Completely bummed at my lack of remembering its weekly hours, we turned it around and decided to take in the scenes surrounding the building.

Just down the way was a docked “pirate” ship as Jacob called it. To which he then decided that he was going to get on it for a picture and a laugh. Seeing the ship made my eyes fall onto another beautiful mural that ironically enough had the word “beYOUtiful” painted at its center. I love it when things don’t work out but you still find joy in the process. I think this about life but more importantly about myself and those around us. You never know how a “no” or a “rejection” will end up steering your life.

Before we took our frozen little bodies back to that gorgeous train station, we stopped in Chinatown for a to go order of my most favorite bao- aka the food version of a hug. Then we found our platform and snuggled in for a sleepy ride home to our Airbnb in Brussels for our last night in Belgium.

Thank you again for coming alongside me on our adventures! You’ve heard me talking an awful lot about our cozy, home away from home. Well for me where we lay our heads at night is just as important as the local or foreign streets we find ourselves on. So next week please come back for a cozy read about our Scandinavian home, how travel impacts our married and future adventures in store for Krisscrossing Life!

-Kriss

Bruges: Europe’s Fairytale City

When will I stop underestimating this awesome country? In my two previous blog posts about our trip to Belgium, Brussels and Gent, we are slowly exploring city after city. And if you haven’t noticed yet, this blog post is about our visit to Bruges. From my research of Bruges, I read things like “romantic,” “a storybook town,” and “a must see.” And to recap my thoughts on the city (is it too soon to recap??) those terms for the city are spot on truths.

Rolling into this city via train, we are welcomed by a string of oh so charming horse and buggies. Walking down the cobbled streets we saw countless horse-drawn carriages. Their hooves echoed down the rows of charming building and up towards the steeples of the churches. It was this very sound that pointed us towards the entrances of these churches.

We were not strangers to walking up and down the aisles, sitting in pews for a moment of silence or gazing at relics and stained glass; we actually made a point to visit many, if not most, of the churches we saw during our days of traveling. But this particular one really delighted my heart. This church was called, “The Saint-Salvator Cathedral.” The inside was dressed in contrasting blacks and whites with looming and richly painted images of the life of Christ.

After our tour of the cathedral we made our way to the center of the city. The streets leading up to the center were filled with musicians, designer clothing stores, Christmas shops, locals walking their pets, flower shops and all the chocolate you could ever need. All of these options gave way to a feeling of energy in the area because of all of the hustle and bustle of those shopping, visiting and eating.

As we journeyed on we found Brugge’s city center with those iconic Belgium buildings in colors like crimson, lavender, sky blue, soft grays and warm, earthy browns. In the city center there is also a famous, looming and majestic Belfry town. On the day we visited the center was teaming with life.

The city was setting up for a marathon while tourists were getting their hands on Belgium waffles made right in front of you. Jacob and I had started getting into the rhythm of getting a treat for ourselves and finding a nearby stair to sit on while we talked about our trip and life together while watching those around us. Our treats for this day were the famous street fries loaded up with curry sauce for Jacob while I had my freshly made waffle with a smudge of Nutella on top and an Americano.

^^btw number one travel tip, traveling is its best whenever you do it with your best friend.

My most proud moment in all of our Belgium exploring was when I saw a pair of swans. Ok ok I know what you are thinking, swans are jerks! But hear me out on this one because I have always romanticized the idea of seeing swans…. in a canal… in Europe. And finally it was my moment because it was finally happening. We were walking away from the city center to find the canals when way down the street I saw two white dots sitting on the surface of a body of water. So naturally, I booked it!

I walked so fast that I even lost Jacob somewhere behind me to get closer to those beauties. And when I rounded the corner those swans brought me to an area straight out of a fairytale. There were cute bridges, more cobblestone roads, willow trees and now the swans. Honestly it quickly became a God moment to me.

I find myself expecting a certain life and doing everything in my power to plan it out so that I can achieve it. Not that it is wrong to see a goal and a dream and bee line to it, but sometimes things just happen and they end up taking you to places you never expected and places you would have missed if you hadn’t been derailed at some point. I think what I mean is finding a way to welcome those detours because I am just so utterly thankful for each detour. They have helped me to create this life of mine, the ability to travel and the idea of using this blog as a tool to share it all with you. So I want to say thank you for taking an interest and joining me on my journey.

Wandering further down the canals, the rain started to come down so we found an alley and decided to follow it to wherever it might lead. It took us to a cute residential area filled with ivy, rose bushes and a wishing well (cue my Snow White moment). But this direction also took us to one of the secret niches in the city.

This niche is the home of Bruges fairytale bridge. Made out of stone and tucked away behind a cathedral’s vineyards is the Bonifacius Bridge. Standing on the bridge gives you an intimate and romantic view of the city. Traveling tip to this location is to arrive early. Many tourists visiting the city seek out this bridge so during busy hours of the day it is hard to get some alone time in this area. Try to come early or around dinner hours.

We actually came across the bridge when there were a ton of tourists but because of the pouring rain, most scattered for cover. I took this moment to, naturally, claim the bridge as my own and to take a moment to let the day sink in.

Our last destination while in Bruges was to find the four windmills. These windmills are located on the far side of the old parts of Bruges. You can get there multiple ways by carriage, car or foot; but because we wanted the option to keep exploring as we went, we decided to go by foot.

With the use of google maps, we found the first two of the four windmills. Sitting nearly side by side these towering windmills felt like they continued the fairytale story for us. Each of the four were painted a different color from red, white, black and grey. Some we could access while the others were restricted for potential maintenance or security purposes. But regardless you could still get very close for better view of the windmills and a better view of the city.

With the coming of the evening we set off through the local park to make our way back to the train station. The walk took us by an old lookout tower, gave us a view of the resident life and brought us to a canal boat crossing that just so happened to be adorned by the setting sun. In was that moment that fully encompassed our day spent Bruges, Belgium.

Come back next week as I share our experiences at our last stop in Antwerp, Belgium! It’s a must read!

-Kriss

Gent, Ghent, Gint

The city of Ghent, Belgium confuses me. Why? Because I’m not too sure the spelling of the city as a whole. From Google maps to local signs, it seems like everyone spells it differently. But what this city doesn’t confuse me on is my new found and deep love for it! Going into our time here I had zero expectations for it. I figured that it would be cute and a little bit slower paced compared to Brussels but as of today, it is my most favorite city in Europe!

Our commute to Ghent started off with gray skies that threatened to pour on us at any moment but by the time we got off of our train the sky was blue, no matter what direction you looked. My heart loved how everything looked, felt and smelled- but my stomach kept reminded me of its existence. So we walked to an address that I had previously found on the interwebs. We ordered breakfast sandwiches and french toast….but quickly found out that because of the language barrier (English to French) we had actually ordered some type of scone with berries and whip on top. It was a nice comedic moment for us that truly set the tone for the rest of the day.

But speaking of my Googling, I did have one main location that I wanted to visit while in Ghent and that was it’s well preserved Medieval Castle built in 1180 called The Gravensteen which offers its visitors panoramic views of the city. After brunch we set off in the direction of the Castle which took us over canals, through graffiti alleys, around modern architecture and cathedrals.

We walked over canals, smelled more chocolate in the air, sampled Gent’s famous candy called the Nose of Gent, heard church bells tolling and then we came upon our destination! With 10 euro each, we were able to climb up and explore every part of the castle. There were suits of armor, weapons of old, tales of torture, enough stained glass that my mom would melt over, winding spiral staircases and then the best view in the city. Aka cue the view!

Once we were back on the ground I knew what I wanted to do next and ironically it couldn’t take place on the ground but on the water. We found a canal touring company, tucked into our spot on the boat and saw another view of this lovely city. I highly recommend seeing any European city from this viewpoint but don’t get offended if you’re the only one of the three people proudly showing off your single language skills to your tour guide.

From weeping willows along the riverside to locals drinking wine and feeding pieces of baguettes off of their dinner plates to ducks, the lifestyle here in Ghent will truly leave you inspired, have you reevaluate how you spend your leisure time and make you want to find more joy in the simple things in life. To celebrate the ending of our day in Ghent and to start living out their way of life, we bought two decked out waffles and sat along another beautiful canal to enjoy the nightlife springing up around us.

Thank you all for sharing in my Ghent tales and support my love of travel! It truly is as they say “the only purchase we can make that makes us richer.” So to further enrich you here on the blog, next week I will be sharing Brugge, Belgium! Please stay tuned and if you would like email updates of new posts, please subscribe below!

-Kriss

Brussels, Belgium

One day in our Harrison Home (catchy huh? I should make an Instagram page for it) we were talking about how in the world we were going to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. Some people go all out for this moment while some like to spend it at home going through their photographer’s amazing captures of the day. Both are definitely a good idea but for us we felt the need to go a little crazy. By crazy I mean we decided on a foreign location, booked the plane tickets and nine day long stay at an Airbnb all within four days… yeah we did that.

Personally, I have never daydreamed over the idea of spending much time in the country of Belgium. My thoughts always wandered to Greece, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland, England, France, Spain and just about every other country in Europe but Belgium. However, even though it was never an idea in my head I soon realized just how blissful I was about to be while walking the cobblestone streets of the country oozing the fragrant smells of chocolate and waffles.

We are clear for takeoff!

On the afternoon of October 14, we started our journey. From Indianapolis we took a short plane ride to Chicago (shoulda coulda drove) then we boarded our eight hour flight to Brussels, Belgium. Jacob and I’s plans for the plane ride were polar opposite. He had a strict schedule of sleep, snack, sleep, dinner, sleep, arrive in Belgium. While I, on the other hand, was filled with envy over his ability to sleep on the plane. I am a deep lover of travel, of exploring new land, of trying new food but I am not a fan of the journey to the destination. Try as I might I can never sleep on planes so my plan for the eight hours was simple, watch all of the movies and not focus on how much time is left until arrival.

Good news is that it worked. Sooner than I realized, we were there and it was 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday the 15th of October! We grabbed our checked bags, got our euros, bought transportation passes (this step made me miss how effortless it was to get transit passes in Germany) boarded a train and road into the heart of Brussels ready to explore.

Whenever you research the city of Brussels you instantly see that one of the hottest locations to visit is the Grand Place. It is the queen of courtyards that gives all of its glory to the surrounding buildings dressed in gleaming, gold in the sunlight. Here you can find restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, gift shops and more. It really is a one stop shop that will stop you in your tracks.

Because of the nature of our stay in Brussels, we were able to come back to this city center many times to enjoy its splendor, the excited onlookers like us and the feeling of being apart of the heartbeat of this city. I am also glad that we were able to come back here a few times because even though it is still beautiful while rainy, it is even more special with a blue sky backdrop.

Moving past the Grand Center you will find four roads to take. Each of these roads leads to more gorgeous, old style buildings with cafes, vintage finds, chocolate and waffles. But if you want a mini mecca of chocolate, waffles and a little something to tickle your funny bone, find the junction of Rue de l’Etuve and Stoofstraat.

Here you can get your chocolate and fruit smothered waffle while viewing a local celebrity, little Manneken Pis. This local celebrity has two other comrades that are roughly a 10 minute walk in either direction. They are called the three Pis and they just happen to be sculptures of a boy, a girl and a dog peeing very proud and free. I personally found this to be the weirdest thing but I’m not mad about it.

But don’t let this area confuse you. Brussels is the capital of Belgium and also the largest city in the country so there is still so much more to see. So with this fact, Jacob and I took off towards another section of the city where we found a gate that gave us a nod towards our honeymoon in Berlin. This gate is called Cinquantenaire and is located in Jubelpark. It is apart of a lush park with plenty of green grass for a picnic to history museums full of war planes and cars of the world. Neither of those things interest you? Well there happens to be a food truck there serving up more waffles and coffee to help bid your time.

As the day grows darker and into the evening hours finding a delicious restaurant, pub or bar isn’t an issue. Most restaurants offer English menus to their non- French speaking guests. However, if they happen to not have this option my advice is definitely to download the Google Translate app to your phone (not sponsored but that would be a dream). There is a camera option in the app that if you hover your camera over, say a menu, it will translate the words right in front of you. Hence making it easy to eat within your tastes, preferences and dietary needs.

On our evenings in Brussels we ate gorgeous amounts of pizza from a shop right around the corner from our Airbnb. I will share more about our new neighborhood in a later post but for now we are saying goodbye to Brussels with an evening view of the sky while on a ferris wheel ride.

Next week come back for part two of my Belgium series as we board a train to the city of Gent. Expect those iconic European canals, unique treats, stunning views and more places to save for your future trip to Belgium.

Salut!

-Kriss