We are on the move again and have just arrived in Istanbul, the start of our second world trip. The last two weeks we have had a wonderful time in the Netherlands. Now we are fully charged for part two of our world trip!
Back in the Netherlands!
Ooo, how happy I was to go back to the Netherlands! After 15 amazing weeks in East Africa, I really started to feel a bit homesick. Our last night in Nairobi is quite turbulent. For 15 weeks we have not suffered from food poisoning. But now, on the very last night, we get sick. It’s not too bad, but we don’t sleep much.
After a 9-hour flight, we arrive at Schiphol airport, both a bit worn out. Mom and dad are already waiting for us and I am beyond excited to see them again (yes I admit, there are a few tears). We also see Jan, the father of Ries, at Schiphol. After a few drinks, we drive back to my parents’ house and see my brothers again.
Jan’s big party and family and friends in Weert, Bilthoven and Amsterdam
We don’t stay long in Weert, after one night we leave again to celebrate the 65th birthday of Jan, the father of Ries. The following days we see a large part of our families. We cuddle with Ries his little niece Julie, chat with his brother and sister-in-law, have a nice evening with my aunts and uncles and visit grandparents.
It is a lot of driving around and in addition to Bilthoven and Limburg, we also go to Amsterdam! I finally see my friends Susie and Nicole again, who we ask to be our masters or ceremony. We visit our tenants to pick up the mail and see how they have furnished our apartment. I love to hear how happy they are here in Amsterdam! Furthermore, I have drinks with my friend Fay and we have a nice evening and a Turkish breakfast with Axel and Gokce. They will be celebrating their wedding in Turkey in a week and a half.
Studio 54 and to Rosmalen
With my former colleagues from ABN AMRO, I go out for dinner and then to an amazing wedding party of my former manager. The theme is “Studio 54” and everyone looks great! A bit broke I arrive the next morning in Rosmalen where we are pampered by Thomas and Christine.
After a nice visit to the head office of NOMAD®, where we chat with marketer Mairead and see the new collection, we slowly start packing our bags again. During this second part of our trip, we not only visit sunny places but also go to Nepal for almost a whole month where we will hike the Himalayas. My backpack is therefore filled with hats, gloves and warm clothes and a super warm but light sleeping bag from NOMAD® (this one, highly recommended!). In addition, I bought a lot of new dresses, T-shirts and skirts, after 15 weeks I was done with the clothes that I had with me during part 1 of the trip.
Off to Turkey
A few nice last days with my parents and then it’s time to go again! Our first destination is Turkey: we start with five days in Istanbul, Ries has been here a few times, for me, it will be the first time. Then we go hiking in the region of Cappadocia. After that, we go on to Antalya where the marriage of Axel and Gokce takes place. I’m excited! A completely different culture, different food and above all, warm weather. Something that I have had to miss in the rainy Netherlands in recent days!
By the way, we have received a lot of tips about Istanbul. I am certainly planning to write a blog about this. However, if you still have places that we should not miss, let me know!
With love,
Charlotte
P.s. In recent months I have succeeded in putting two blogs online every week. I expect that it will become more difficult in the coming weeks. In Nepal we will be hiking for more than two weeks, not bringing a laptop and hardly having access to the internet. In addition, it takes quite a lot of time and effort to put two Dutch and two English blogs online every week. Sometimes I notice that this constant pressure is also a bit at the expense of our creativity. So if a little less blogs come online then you know what that is about ;-).
