Julie & Sean
Trip October 2023 - January 2024
Germ - Czech Republic - Poland
The first part of our trip went from Munich via the Bavarian Forest to Prague. We had good food, attended a jazz concert and admired the Art Nouveau architecture. From there we traveled to Gdansk - a very interesting city with beautiful houses and an exciting history. We climbed the tower of St. Mary's Church, the tallest brick church in the world, and of course Sean went for a swim in the sea.
Germany - Denmark
We continued north along the Baltic Sea coast back through Germany and finally arrived in Denmark! In Copenhagen our friends arrived and we made some preparations. On October 13th, we signed the papers in the Copenhagen city hall and had a nice meal with the friends.
Sweden
In Sweden, we continued our journey north. On the way, we discovered Tjolöholm Castle, a 'country house' built by the English around 1900. Upon arriving in Gothenburg, we walked around a lot, bought sweets like Pippi Longstocking, and, of course, ate plenty of meatballs. Afterwards, we wanted to head to the Tjörn Peninsula, where we finally found ourselves surrounded by sheep and the autumn was truly beautiful.
Denmark, Netherlands and Belgium
We took the ferry back to Denmark, to Frederikshavn. From there, we visited Skagen, the northernmost point of the Danish peninsula. It was cold, windy, and rainy—almost blowing us back to Sweden... We quickly made our way to Århus, a very beautiful city where we visited the ARoS Art Museum with the famous rainbow panorama.
We treated ourselves to a day at Legoland before continuing to Amsterdam with a few stops in Hamburg and ?? (Hello Leo, hello Imke!). There, we met Sean’s parents and spent a few lovely days in museums and strolling around together. Afterwards, we visited the fields of Flanders and several memorials in Belgium, right on time for Armistice Day of World War I. In the city of Ghent, we made a stop to, of course, eat fries and also explore the amazing castle.
France and Spain
After a few very rainy nights in Belgium, we arrived in France and enjoyed the beautiful countryside in the sunshine. I also saw Normandy for the first time—especially the cliffs were impressive.
Originally, we were supposed to continue on to La Rochelle, but all the campsites were already closed. Instead, we decided to head to Toulouse earlier and spend a few days moving out of the van and into Mama and Thomas’s place. After some good ‘rest,’ we continued south toward Spain, with two beautiful nights in the Pyrenees. We then drove to the Costa Brava, trying to soak up some sun, relax on the beach (at least 20°C), and swim a bit. Here, we met many bus travelers who were also escaping the cold north and planning to spend the winter months in Spain and Portugal.
Personally, I can’t go to Spain without making a stop in Barcelona—Sean liked it too, and we enjoyed tapas, museums, and the beautiful streets of the Gothic Quarter. Heading back north, we returned to France and visited Uncle Serj in ?? (merci pour le bon repas!) before quickly moving on toward Germany.
Noch schnell die Handschuhe fertig gestrickt
Back home
A quick stop in the overcrowded Colmar for the Christmas market, then we spent Sean's birthday in the Black Forest. Of course, we visited Grandma and Grandpa in Bamberg, and before we knew it, we were back in Munich. There, we picked up Sean’s family and drove to a cabin to spend the Christmas days. Afterward, we returned to Munich for the wedding New Year's Eve celebration! We were so happy that the families could finally meet and we really enjoyed the celebration.
Seoul
South Korea was a beautiful culture shock for both of us. Everything was new, different, picturesque, and simply exciting!
Every meal was special to us, from hotpot to the amazing soups to chicken feet! What we especially liked was the way of eating: many small side dishes and dishes to share, along with fermented rice wine.
The temples were also very impressive, with their detailed paintings and stunning architecture.
Streetfood
Vietnam
In Vietnam, we were able to experience an entirely new culture once again, and of course, enjoy amazing food. We landed in Hanoi, took the bus and ferry to Cat Ba Island, and finally flew south. From Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, we then headed to Brisbane.
Auf Cat Ba Island
