@flowerlady

City of Madrid, Autonomous Community of Madrid (Becerril De La Sierra, , Navacerrada, Las Rosas), Conseguera. || Husband and I visited Madrid to explore the City and Autonomous Community with (more serous) Expat-type eyes. We wanted to see: could we cook the same kinds of meals in Spain that we cook in the US midwest? What's it like to buy property in Spain? (More of a potential "setting-down-roots" trip for us.) We brought my mobility-challenged mom and dad (Senior Citizens) to see if it'd be an option to live/work there. Honestly, this trip was more challenging than we expected. We had issues with our rental car, our maps technologies (the only one that would reliably get us to the correct address was Wayze), and fewer people seemed accommodating of our American English-centricity (I know a little bit of Spanish that's usually gotten us along pretty well before, but the rest are still learning it).

Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Killarney, County Kerry, Cashel. || Husband and I (returning) brought our parents to Ireland for the first time to show them how great it is and how much we'd like to live there someday. My mobility-challenged mom and dad, and my mother-in-law loved the experience and understood why our goal was to live there. Starting in Dublin, we toured the city for a few days. Then, we rented a van and drove to Galway, then Killarney (our most favorite city in Ireland, so far), and then back to Dublin.

Spent one night in Paris during a long layover. Best night ever. So gorgeous. Would love to visit again.

Madrid, Seville. || Husband and I returned to Spain to explore further and continue our Expat research. This time, we took the train from Madrid to Sevilla, spending nearly all of our time there. We fell completely in love with the city and would love being there in the winter, but we believe it might be too warm for us in the summer. We LOVED how many scooters were available to get from place to place. And, it's an absolutely GORGEOUS place to be. Pretty affordable, overall.

Duoro Valley, Porto. || First trip to Portugal for my husband and I. We drove in from Spain, stopping over in the countryside for a few nights. We are "city people," but love the more rural regions in the US, so we always try to get a better view of a country by exploring further than the key cities/towns. Stunning! Very affordable and semi-easy drive. I love to look at the mountains, but I'm not a fan of the long, zig-zag journey to get up and down them. While staying in the countryside, we didn't realize how much extra time it'd take to go from town to town for meals, shopping/groceries, etc. I realized that this kind of living wasn't for me. Then, in Porto...wow, was it an amazing city! So gorgeous - amazing art and tile works, good food, and very kind people to a visitor that could read better than speak the language (it's very similar to Spanish, so I limped along in my understanding). But I'm a native US Midwesterner used to very (very) flat terrain. I'm not sure Portugal is for me, in terms of expatriation. I felt like I "climbed," rather than "walked" the city of Porto. I wasn't used to navigating online map directions that would say we'd "arrived," but I was starting at a blank brick wall at the side of a staircase (because the actual location I was seeking was another storey or two above me). I'm sure there are worse things to be frustrated by, but this definitely told me it wasn't for me, long-term or as an Expat destination.

Madrid, Segovia, Salamanca. || First trip to Spain for my husband and I. Absolutely loved it! After a few days exploring the warm and welcoming city of Madrid, we rented a car and drove out to Segovia and Salamanca. We fell completely in love with Spanish culture, history, and food. OMG - some of the best produce we've ever had in our lives. Delicious restaurants with real, unprocessed (not heavily processed) food that doesn't taste like it was heated up in a microwave like some restaurants in the 'states. Few chain stores/restaurants, no giant billboards at the side of the highways. Very affordable. Lovely terrain/drive. Definitely a contender for our Expat plans.

London, Salisbury/Stonehenge, Bath, Bristol, Cheddar, Gloucester, Cotswolds. || Experience was o-k, but (aside from the family I'd gone to visit), people were generally not very friendly/helpful/welcoming. The car we'd rented wasn't a great experience - not horrible, but we had a hard time getting the cruise control to work on it and it lagged a great deal when stepping on the gas after a yield or stop. It's not much, but when you're in a new place/visiting for the first time and are trying to get your bearings and assimilate with drivers...it can be overwhelming. LOVED London. Gorgeous and semi-easy to fit in (aside from rando's shouting at us because my husband was wearing a Quidditch graphic tee, which made us very uncomfortable). But it didn't hold a candle to the Cotswolds AONB - it was a page out of a storybook. If the people were a bit easier to get along with, it'd be a lovely place to live.

I wrote a whole long description of what my trip here was like, but then it deleted once I updated the location to be specific to Helsinki instead of just "Finland" overall... Soooo...we went from Helsinki to Rovaniemi by train. Then hired a car and drove to Pyhä for a while. Then, we drove down the Western coast to explore my family's roots. Oulu, then Kalajoki (for the Untinen side of the family). Then, down to Vaasa and then Närpes/Kaskainen. While based there, we visited Siikainen (where the Virtanen side of my family came from). We explored the Siikainen parish: Otamo, Leväsjoki, and Petkele. We were able to meet with some of the parish workers, who were very kind and showed me the parish records for my family. They even kept records of my grandmother, even though she was born in the US! Amazing. We continued our travels to Pori and then Turku. Turku was MUCH more interesting and rich in culture than I expected, as I didn't know that it used to be the capital of the Finnish territory under Swedish rule. We'd love to visit again. Would love to live in Finland, as Helsinki seemed quite similar in climate to Chicago/Northern Illinois. I'd heard that the Finns are known for their "cold/unwelcoming" demeanor (compared to Americans). But, we found very much the opposite while there. I've heard that making long-term, deep friendships can be difficult - it'd be interesting to find out for myself. It was only slightly more expensive to be in Finland, but I'd imagine it'd be different if one was a permanent resident and navigating taxes. But, I saw firsthand what kind of support, mental ease, and peace those services (paid through taxes) provided the people. Might be interesting to understand that for myself, too.

Ireland: Dublin, Salterstown, Roscommon, Galway, Limerick, Killarney, Portmagee, Kenmare, Cork, Cobh. Northern Ireland/UK: Belfast, Anterim Coast and Glens AONB, Portrush. ||

My and my husband's first trip to DR. Loved the people, but even in November it was WAY too hot/humid for us. Lovely place. Recommend a visit.

(Far West Chicago Suburbs). Bought our first home, adopted 3 dogs.

My, and my husband's first time to Canada and Niagara Falls. Absolutely loved Toronto! Would love to live there.

(Far West Chicago suburbs) Lived in Bloomingdale before I was married and then for a bit afterward.

Girlfriends Trip