It feels like Andrew and I just got back from Disney World, and here I am blogging about another extravagant trip! 🤪 (Who are these people??) I have many life updates for you, but those are going to wait just a little longer. Today’s post is dedicated to our amazing trip to Germany and London over Easter vacation. We spent over a week adventuring, making memories, and spending time with some of my favorite people. 🥰 Cozy up, sweet friends! It’s a long story, but I hope you enjoy it!

Too long to read? You can see the highlights of our trip here, Germany here, and London here!

Why Germany and London?

In short: friends! Through a wild twist of fate, two of my best friends happened to move across the world at the same time. (It’s true!) My best friend, Kelly, and her family moved to Munich, Germany in early 2024. (Her husband, Trevor, was transferred for work as an engineer for BMW in South Carolina.) My oldest friend, Janna, is in vet school in London, England- just a 2 hour flight away from Kelly!

Andrew and I had sort of daydreamed about visiting both of them separately, but it suddenly seemed less crazy of an idea. What if we combined both visits into one big, beautiful adventure? What if we actually tapped into our savings for something fun? The Millers were so gracious to invite us to stay in their home, and we confirmed dates that would work with both them in Munich and Janna in London. All of a sudden, it was actually going to happen! We saved for this trip for over a year, got our passports and Real ID’s in order, etc. I still can’t really believe it, to be honest. I’m so thankful for how God continues to provide for us! This trip felt like something “normal” people get to do, an escape from cancer land. It was a lovely in every way!

Getting Ready

Andrew and I booked one-way tickets from Charlotte to Munich, then Munich to London, and then London to Charlotte. We did it all ourselves! (Pro Tip: Use Google Flights to find the best flight options without a travel agent. It even prices them lowest to highest, compares airlines, etc) We bought tickets in December for our April trip, and chose the best seats we could in Economy class. Our checklist of final items in the weeks before our trip included:

Cell service- This has really changed in the past 15 years! When I went to Germany in college, my phone was not even smart. 😂 I remember not being able to call home the entire time, and was really excited when a hotel lobby had a computer I could use to email my parents. (haha) Today, iPhones make life so much easier. Both Verizon and AT&T charge a flat $12/day fee for turning off “airplane mode” on your phone in a foreign country. As soon as your phone starts using data/service, you pay for the day. We decided to pay for Andrew’s phone so we could easily navigate and use apps as needed, but I left my phone on airplane mode the entire trip. I could still message/email wherever we had wifi.
Banks- Another modern marvel! In large cities, you can swipe cards and “tap to pay” with your phone without even worrying about converting currency. Andrew and I had a small amount of cash to use in Germany, but we never even used it in London. Apparently, the bank didn’t even need to know we were traveling abroad! Wild!

Leg 1: Germany

My heart would be been perfectly content to just hang out with Kelly and Trevor, hug their babies, and live life for a week. Hands down, I just love them so much. 🥰 So many of my favorite moments from our trip was just going about their daily life together: parks, riding the bus, seeing their grocery store, etc. Germany? Just a bonus for me! It was really wonderful to spend time together and be tourists on the side. Here’s a peek into our trip:

Sunday April 20- Travel Day

Andrew and I lived a full day before ever hopping on a plane! We went to Easter sunrise service, saw both our families, and made it to the airport by 4PM for our 6PM flight. We flew Lufthansa overnight, and landed in Munich Monday morning Germany time.

Monday April 21- Olympia Park

Kelly and her son, Tanner, picked us up at the airport! We were in desperate need of showers, clean clothes, and a good breakfast. 😂We settled in at their house, and had a few hours to turn around while the babies napped. Fresh faced and ready to get out there, we took a family outing to Olympia Park! Munich hosted the Olympics in 1972, and the main venue is now the center of a huge, beautiful park. It was really close to BMW World (display cars), the BMW Museum, a biergarten, and public transit to take us back home.

Tuesday April 22- Munich City Center

While Trevor worked that morning, the rest of us went out for traditional Bavarian breakfast. (You can see Tanner and I “egg tapping” in this reel!) Andrew and I also learned how to use and pay for public toilets at the mall. 😂 We dropped the babies off at home with Trevor, and then Kelly, Andrew and I went into the city center for the afternoon. We saw gorgeous, old landmarks and had lunch in a Beer Hall with polka music. Andrew and I toured the “Munich Residence” (a sprawling palace complex), ordered at a cafe and took the subway home- all by ourselves! 💪 We finished Tuesday with raclette for dinner- like German fondue/flatbreads cooked at home. We had the best time laughing and snacking into the wee hours of the morning!

Wednesday April 23- Eibsee

We woke up super early to take a side trip into the Alps! Trevor and the babies stayed home for the day, so it was just the three of us. Kelly drove their family car on the autobahn like a pro. 👏 We drove about an hour out of the city and through some beautiful countryside. (It looked like we stepped into a Rick Steve’s episode!) We hiked around Lake Eibsee and saw the highest point in Germany. After lunch, we drove through Austria to get to Neuschwanstein Castle - a gorgeous, fairy tale style castle built in 1832. This was such a fun roadtrip day!

Thursday April 24- Nymphenburg Palace

Thursday the gang was back together! We all took a city bus to Nymphenburg Palace, fairly close to their house. We explored the gardens together before the Millers went home to celebrate Emma’s birthday. Andrew and I toured the palace, ordered lunch at a cafe, and took city transit across town to the Bavarian Museum for the afternoon. We were so proud of ourselves! At this point in the trip, navigating and ordering in our broken German (with Google Translate open on our phones) wasn’t quite so scary. 🤪 We ended our Germany stay with a fun dinner out with Kelly and Trevor, and hugged the babies before they went to bed. It was a full, wonderful day!

Leg 2: London

Janna said that Andrew and I probably squeezed in more than anybody who’d visited her in London. (LOL) She was a great tour guide! Janna gave us a list of activities, and we chose a few to do each day. While this was definitely the fast and furious part of our trip, I’m thankful we did as much as we could in four days!

Friday April 24: Travel Day/London Landmarks

We woke up super early Friday morning, and Kelly drove us to the airport by 5AM for our 7AM flight. The Munich airport was massive, but really clean and easy to navigate. (Always a plus!) Our flight was two hours, but we actually crossed a timezone, so we arrived in London around 8AM. Andrew and I dropped our bags at our adorable hotel, then met Janna at Kensington Palace! After some quick hugs and a tour, we had a great visit over tea in a cafe. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking by all the famous sites: Big Ben, London Bridge, the London Eye, House of Parliament, etc. Janna knew exactly where to go and when to stop for the best shot! We had reservations in The Lamb and Flag for a traditional pub dinner, and Andrew and I crashed soon after to relax for the night. Whew! 😅

Saturday April 25: British Museum/Tea/Shakespeare’s Globe

Our hotel was in an amazing, quiet neighborhood in London! Every day Andrew and I walked to a different cafe for breakfast, and then nearby to a “tube” station. We met Janna at the British Museum, which was absolutely huge. (Reminded me of The Met in New York) It was cool to see the Rosetta Stone and the Roman Britain exhibit with all the ruins! For lunch, we booked tickets to a Sherlock Holmes themed afternoon tea. We solved a mystery while we munched, and then scooted to a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. Janna found the coolest spots to hang out for Happy Hour drinks and an amazing dinner in the Bankside neighborhood. A little history, a little night life. It was a great day!

Sunday April 27: Tower of London/China Town/West End

In the latest installment of “Doing All the Things,” Andrew and I explored the Tower of London in the morning before meeting Janna in Primrose Hill. Somehow, we managed to schedule activities right on the route of the London Marathon! 🫣 I cannot describe to you how crowded it was, but we survived! From Primrose Hill, we moved to fun dinner in China Town before seeing the musical “Six” in the West End. It was another full, fabulous day! We hugged Janna goodbye on a subway platform before heading back to the hotel. At this point in the trip, we were utterly exhausted and I was coming down with a cold. I’m thankful for such off the charts fun to keep us going!

Monday April 28: Harrods/Travel Day

Due to a late afternoon flight, we had one more morning to explore London! Andrew and I walked to a great cafe and then to Harrod’s Department Store, which was the perfect spot for some last minute souveniers. By the time we got back to the hotel, it was time to check out and head to Heathrow! We had airport lunch, then boarded by 4PM. Andrew and I powered through the 8 hour flight with movies, movies movies. 😂 We landed in Charlotte by 7PM EDT, and made it to the Reese’s by about 8:30. I’m so thankful we decided to stay the night, because we had officially been awake for about 20 hours at that point. By the next afternoon, we were home!

Favorite Memories

Oh my goodness, what a whirlwind! I am so grateful for the sheer amount of memories we made in such a short time. Some moments that I really loved and want to save forever:

Reading bedtime stories to Tanner and Emma every night 🥰
Hours spent sitting in cafes, bars, and hillsides with Janna. Even though we were running from one activity to the next, we truly had so much time to talk! Swapping books to read, news of old friends, her classes coming up, etc. The best!
Late night raclette, decorating for Emma’s birthday, and hanging out with Kelly and Trevor
Hiking at Eibsee
Seeing all the palaces and gardens
Driving through fields of yellow flowers between the Alps
Jamming out to the musical “Six”
An almost-daily afternoon coffee and cake stop!
Order room service tea every night in London, and feeling so cozy. 😊

Travel Takeaways

As with all vacations, it wasn’t perfect. I got pinched in a closing “tube” door in London, fried my hairdryer in Munich, and had a mild case of food poisoning on the flight over. 🥴 I also started to come down with a cold by the end, and was really anxious about flying home without access to all the hot tea and tissues that I wanted. Overall, though, it was an amazing trip! God pulled me through, and there were so many good memories to balance the others. Some good things:

Andrew and I were so thankful for our Disney trip in November- definitely a great “practice trip” for this one!
Traveling internationally together, immersing ourselves in a world where we did not speak the language, etc was some good marriage team building. (LOL) I’m glad we did it together!
The weather was amazing! Chilly spring days, with some sunshine in the afternoons. Excellent for cute outfits!
Packing for 2 countries and 8 days went better than anticipated! I rented a few outfits from Nuuly for the first time, and really loved it! I packed 6 new pieces (a mix: 1 fun jacket, 1 pair of pants, 1 dress, and 3 tops.) Anthropologie rentals?? Yes, please! By renting a few new things, I was able to flesh out 8 days of outfits and spares without spending a lot, or buying a whole new wardrobe for the trip. The pretty things were exciting, and anchored the basics/staples I already had. Want to try it? Use my link for $30 off your first order!
To help us narrow down our London itinerary, I used ChatGPT! I asked it to organize Janna’s list into a 4 day itinerary based on sites that were geographically close to each other, and to include recommendations for travel, snack stops, and meals. You know what? IT DID! 🤯 ChatGPT even highlighted which things needed advance reservations, outlined the budget for the trip, and more. So if you’re planning a trip of any kind and need a little travel advice, try it out!

We saw some amazing landmarks and ate fabulous food, but my favorite moments were simply spending time with my friends. 🥰 Reading bedtime stories to Kelly's babies at night, or sitting on Primrose Hill with Janna laughing in the sunshine. It's so special to be a part of their lives in a faraway place, realizing that your connection is still strong, there's joy to be had in every season, and that we never really know where life will take us.

Just three years ago, I was in active chemotherapy and thought I'd never go anywhere again! Making new memories is even sweeter and more special today. It boggles my mind and makes me cry. Thank you, God, for healing and restoration I never saw coming!

If you’ve made it all the way down to this point, high fives and hugs for you, sweet friend! 😂 It’s way more than you ever wanted to know, I’m sure. Thanks for being a part of my digital scrapbook! 🩷

Epic Easter Vacation