Throw Back to Europe

 I got an email this week to make a free photo collage from the Black's mobile app. These are the photos I've chosen to include in my collage.
I love Europe, and I really miss our trip. I am excited to get this collage printed, framed and up on the wall. There were so many pictures to choose from, but these are the final few that made the cut.
There's much more from our trip over here, at a time I was fairly good at blogging.

Missing Austria

Lately I have been reminiscing a little too much perhaps. This is around the time that Eric and I were moving to and getting settled in Vienna Austria, last year. Those were probably the best months of my life. We were on an adventure, we were growing closer together and learning how to be married, and we were having so much fun.
Today I was home alone, which is dangerous anyway, and I went on a cleaning rampage. I found a folder of all our European souvenirs and my wedding dress. I, of course, put both these things to the test.
I started with the folder. I looked through it, to see if things in Europe really were as exciting as I remember. I have a grand picture in my mind of how glamourous it was, and how exciting. Truth is, there were a lot of real life moments, even in Austria. But it really was so amazing. Eric and I saw and learned so much. I really do wish we could go back for a while. Maybe even more now that I've looked at these things.

Second I put on the dress. I know this is dangerous.

 Eric and I did not have the fairly tale wedding I always dreamed of, and that we wanted to have. The weekend was sloppy and nothing turned out the way I wanted. To be honest, that was a really hard thing for Eric and I the first few months we were married. It was a big hurtle for us, and the day I looked at another couple's wedding pictures and wasn't jealous or upset, was the happiest day of the year. It took a long time for that day to come too. To be honest, Eric and I have had so many days together, better than our wedding day. I would never say that my wedding day was the best day of my life. That would be a lie. The truth is, it was one of the hardest. The pictures and the invitations and the food and the decorations are things that I don't like to think about very much anymore. What I love and have always loved and will always love, is the dress. The truth is, nothing else matters anymore, because Eric and I are over the trial of our wedding. We can go forward from that and make better memories and have better days together. The one thing that went my way that day, was my dress. My mom made it and it was everything I hoped it would be. It was perfect, and I will always treasure it. I've kept a few things I did like about the wedding, but they'll go out of fashion soon enough and I'll forget why they were so important to me.
This is the thing I will always have to remind me of the important thing that happened that day: I married Eric. He fits me perfectly, and will never go out of style. Our relationship only grows and grows (whether we're in Calgary, Halifax or Vienna), and every once in a while I stop and think about how cool is it that we made it through our roughest first year, and how much better we get together each day.
That was a lot of cheesy words to come out of putting on an old dress, but I'm sure there are people out there who understand exactly how I feel and what I'm saying. There has to be. And if there aren't, well it's just one more unique detail to mine and Eric's story. Just one more thing that makes me like our story the best. I just think it's the cutest, what can I say? I love us!

Eight Ericless Days

Eric went home to Calgary tonight. He has a potential job to go home to, and I really hope it works out for him soon. It was sad to say goodbye to him. It wasn't just a quick trip or the end of one, it was the end of a few really good and fun months. It was the last day we had here together, and all the chances we had to do the things we wanted to in Halifax are gone. It was good though. It was the first step towards getting home and getting settled, and that's really what I think we both need right now.
 Tonight I had to say goodbye to him for the longest we have been apart in almost two years. Our relationship is a bit complicated, but since the last time we started dating (September 2010), I don't think we've gone more than 3 maybe 4 days without seeing each other. This week will be 8. I won't see my husband until next Saturday night, and I will miss him. Mostly at night I think I will miss him. It will be a little weird without him there. (Although he'd tell you otherwise, because he's always the one who tries to snuggle up to me, and claims that I never want to snuggle with him anyway.) I am excited to have this time with my family though, and know that it will be a good week for me. This time and distance from Eric will teach me a lot about how to use the patience and love and understanding, that I've learned from him lately.

 I've been thinking about and missing Austria a lot lately. This didn't help!

 Good to know that we're flying out of such a nice airport.

We were really blessed to have the time we did have here in Halifax. We got to do and see some really great things. Together we did 14 of the 20 things I wrote on the list, and we did so many that I would never have known to write down.

Europe's Greatest Hits

We loved Europe. We got to see some amazing things. The trip was great the sites were amazing. Some places we loved more than the others though (not that any of them were bad); we just had our favourites.
k: My three favourite sites to see were as follows...
1. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe - Berlin, Germany

This was one of my favourites because it was so educational. There are about 2100 of these grey cement blocks in a grid, all different sizes and heights, representing jews who were killed in World War II. Underneath it (underground) is a little museum/visitors' centre with a lot of information and clippings from personal letters and journal entries of those affected by this inconceivable historical incident. It started Eric and me on a World War II kick. We were fascinated to learn and read more all over the city and on the internet when we got home at night. It was beautiful.
2. Basilica di Santa Marie del Fiore (the Duomo) - Florence, ItalyThis whole square caught my eye as soon as I saw it, even at 11pm when I was tired and we were lost finding our hotel. The outside of it is stunning and overwhelming all at the same time. it's really something. Then come to find that our hotel was on a street just off the corner of the square so we got to see it every day we went outside. It was great for me.

Built in 1296, the building itself is an architectural gem. It seems impossible for this massive dome structure to have been built during that time period, but when you see the paintings on the ceiling, you're even more amazed by the hard work and earnest effort these people put into their places of worship. Stunning!

THEN you climb the 414 steps to the top and this is what you get to see. Breath taking. I actually could have spent an entire day up there looking at this. I don't think I could have gotten enough pictures of it, and definitely not ones that could do it justice. It was amazing.

2. La Fontana di Trevi - Rome, Italy
I don't really know much about this fountain actually, but it is beautiful. I tried to read about it a little. I got that, with the help of a virgin, a spring of pure water was found here; about 13km outside the ancient city of Rome. In about 1629 the Pope decided that the old fountain was not sufficiently dramatic and so he commissioned a new one. After he died the project was abandoned, then somewhere along the way it was picked back up again and this masterpiece was created. Anyway, I don't really understand it all, but you can finish reading about it over here. The important things are it's beauty and magnificence, and also the legend that holds that if someone throws a coin into the water they are ensured to return to Rome. So of course, I did that.