Year in Review: 12 Months, 16 Countries

Scotland

England

France

Turkey

Bulgaria

Serbia

Czech Republic

Belgium

Spain

Budapest

Austria

Italy

Germany

Ireland

Morocco

Greece

Soon we will be departing from our first year of international teaching and travel for some.... traveling. I'll be going to Vermont, Brett will be going to Kyrgzstan and Ohio, and then we'll both be meeting in Minnesota before heading for Norway. So there may be less posts in the next few months, but there will be a renewed onslaught come September. In the meantime, a few highlights from this year....

Brett ran a marathon in Vienna. Betsy learned to surf in Morocco.

We explored the underground depths of Magura Cave, Bulgaria, the castle hillside of Prague, and the most popular shopping street in Dublin.

We ate gelato and pizza in Milan, brioche in Paris, baguettes in Oxford, tapas and pomegranates in Barcelona. We also ate Indian food in Bulgaria, Italian food in England, and Thai food in Germany.

We walked through the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the Cathedral of St. Sava in Belgrade, the Koranic School of Marrakech and the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria.

We visited the Imagine graffiti wall in Prague and the Museum of Communist Statues outside Budapest. 

We enjoyed the holiday spirit of the Christmas Markets of Vienna, Brussels, and Prague. 

We walked along the Thames in London, the Cherwell in Oxford, the Danube in Budapest and Belgrade, the Seine in Paris, the Black Sea Coast in Sozopol, the Aegean coast in Thessaloniki and the Golden Horn in Istanbul. 

We hiked the West Highland Way in Scotland and Mount Vitosha in Bulgaria. 

Brett became a softball umpire for enthusiastic 8th graders. Betsy learned to cook. Brett learned a lot of Bulgarian. Betsy learned some Bulgarian, and basic phrases in Arabic, French, Serbian, Turkish, and British (yes, British).