Last day in Geneva

I'm writing my last post from Geneva with 8 hours before we take off and my heart is simultaneously full of love, gratitude, sadness, and excitement.  I spent the last day here packing A LOT, having lunch with one of my best friends, and having goodbye drinks with Ryan and friends on a terrace overlooking the lake of Geneva. What a fabulous day that reminded me of how wonderful our life has been here. I'm ready for you California - you have a lot to live up to!

Life is a series of adventures

When we moved to Switzerland almost three years ago, we moved with the expectation that our move would be a temporary, two year adventure. We also had uncertain feelings as to whether we would enjoy living here and what career prospects it would hold for Ryan. Accordingly, we envisioned ourselves having a fun time in Europe for two years and then quickly returning to Boston and happily resettling into our old lives.  Our temporary two year adventure quickly turned into three years and we not only explored Switzerland and the continent, but this country became our beloved home.

Our adventure in Switzerland has now led us to unanticipated, new opportunities.  As most everyone who reads this blog already knows, we have big news: we are moving to California! We both accepted jobs in the San Francisco area. Ryan is transferring offices and staying with the same employer while I recently left my job and accepted a position with a new company.  I will be moving this coming Thursday (so soon, ah!) while Ryan will stay in Switzerland until fall 2015 for work reasons and then move.

As I prepare to imminently leave our home and start our next adventure in California, I have a multitude of thoughts and reflections swirling around in my mind that I thought I would share:

1. You can't (and shouldn't) predict or plan many aspects of your life.  One opportunity leads to the next and life itself is a series of continual, grand adventures. We thought we knew what our life looked like after two years in Switzerland and yet now it looks completely (and wonderfully) different.
2. To get the most out of these adventures, take chances and risks. They almost certainly lead you to unforgettable experiences and new opportunities. A risk not taken is an opportunity missed. This is probably the biggest area I have been growing in over the past few years.
3. Time passes so quickly. Three years here flew past us in a flash and it is so important to make the most of it. Why does life keep moving faster every second, minute, hour, day, and year?! I'm still working on making every second count.
4. Home is where your family and heart is. Although it can be far from others that you love, with enough effort and focus on supporting each other, you can still feel "at home" living away from your original home. New friends became a second family and our time spent with visiting friends and family resulted in some our fondest memories here. These are comforting realizations as we look to establish a new home on the west coast.
5. Relocating internationally is (so far) easier the second time around. Partly because we're moving back to our home country but also because we've already gone through this before (the movers, flights, packing strategies, storage units, selling furniture, relocation packages, etc.). Although our to do list is again huge, we feel less stressed and we mostly know what to expect this time around. 
6. I will miss Switzerland immensely but I'm also really looking forward to California. I think it is abundantly clear that I have grown to love Switzerland - it is beautiful, clean, simple, and full of outdoor adventures.  From the little that I know about California, many of these characteristics also seem true and I'm excited to explore the west coast.
7. A long distance relationship across continents for 6-ish months will be tough, but I'm confident it will make our relationship stronger in the end. On that topic, please feel free to come visit Ryan or me in Switzerland or California during this time, we would love the company as it could get a little lonely!
8. I have learned several extremely valuable career/professional lessons over the past few years. Since this blog is focused on my personal life, I won't share them here, but I'm happy to discuss them offline.
9. The blog will live on!  I considered stopping the blog after I move back to the US, but I realized that it has become a virtual journal for me and I will treasure the memories that I have captured in these blog posts for years to come. So for anyone that wants to continue to hear me babble on for the foreseeable future, enjoy, although I may need to change the name of the blog…

A spring weekend in Amsterdam

A few weekends ago, we jetted to Amsterdam for a quick 48 hours. I had always wanted to visit Amsterdam in the spring when their famous tulips were in season.

We arrived early Saturday morning into the city and quick sought out breakfast. We were pleasantly surprised to find a multitude of brunch options in the city.  We hadn't realized what a fantastic food destination Amsterdam was.  Living in Geneva can sometimes feel a bit limiting in the food department because our options are fondue, steak,  Italian, and more fondue, and while I certainly love a good ol' pot of fondue, finding different varieties of food when traveling makes trips all the more exciting.  Over the course of the weekend we enjoyed cuisines such as Indonesian, Vietnamese, Tibetan, and of course the required national dish of the Netherlands, french fries with mayo.

After breakfast, we made our way to the Rijksmuseum, a national museum dedicated to arts and history in the Netherlands.  The museum was just reopened in 2013 after a 10 year, EUR375 million renovation!  The museum offered a free audio walking tour via its App, so we downloaded it and spent a few hours exploring the museum and refreshing my memory on famous Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer.  My favorite piece was "the Milkmaid" as my grandmother has had a replica of this painting hanging in her kitchen ever since I can remember.  After you've viewed a photo or replica of something your entire life, there's just something indescribably special about seeing the "real thing" in person, whether it be a painting or a monument or a place.

The Milkmaid by Vermeer

The Night Watch by Rembrandt

The beautiful library in the museum 

Intimidating statue in the museum's Asia collection

Outside of the museum

After the museum, we did a podcast audio walking tour of the Red Light District.  Amsterdam of course has a reputation of drugs, prostitution, and debauchery, but it was fascinating to hear the history behind why this is the case (essentially Amsterdam has always been a safe haven of free expression, whether it be religion, speech, prostitution, or marijuana) and to learn about how the government regulates its "seedier" industries.  This was a prime example where a tour (whether it be via podcast, audio, or guided) significantly enhanced my understanding of a destination.

Thousands of bikes parked outside the train station - there are minimal cars in the city but thousands of bikes

Church in the middle of the Red Light District (ironic…) 

Some of the PG-rated sights in the Red Light District

On Sunday we started the day with another podcast audio walking tour of the historical part of the city. It brought us through each of the canal "rings" of the city, past famous monuments and also hidden, less-touristy parts of the city.  Amsterdam is bound together by a series of canals that beautifully connect the city.

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam

Flower market with tulip bulbs

The city of Amsterdam is built on land reclaimed from the canals, so you can tell that some of the older houses are sinking into the ground or leaning against each other for support

A hidden garden in the middle of the city

In the afternoon, we took a series of buses WAY outside of the city to the Keukenhof, a massive spring garden that is famous for its tulips.  While the journey to the Keukenhof was long, the gardens provided an idyllic Dutch tulip experience.  Pardon the multitude of flower photos, I just can't resist when it comes to flowers...

An indoor greenhouse full of orchids! 

Indoor greenhouse full of tulips

Outside of the Keukenhof you can see fields of tulips being grown

Overall, we really enjoyed Amsterdam.  It has a fascinating mix of architecture and canals, history, beautiful sights (and flowers!), excellent food, and a quirky counter culture.

EAT: Saigon Cafe (Indonesian food), Kerkstraat 59 (huevos rancheros(!) and breakfast), Ramen-ya (Ramen, obviously), Vlaams Friteshuis Vleminckx (fries)
STAY: Ibis Styles was cheap, clean, and conveniently located near the train station
PLAY: See all of the above! Also, we didn't have time to go to the Anne Frank museum but I have heard it is a must-see