Our Journey is the story of a family who sold everything, packed up two young children, and moved to Europe for what was supposed to be one year. Ten years later, we had lived in France and Hungary, built new lives abroad, and returned home forever changed. This collection of stories, journal entries, and memories preserves that journey and serves as the foundation for the books I am writing today.
Saturday morning our students left. During the week I worked very hard to vaccum the house, clean the bathrooms, get the bedding changed, and clean the laundry so that the moment they left we could have a traditional HAMORI family day! It has been far too long! Alfonz came back from dropping Paul off at…
It is always times like these that I remember my own mother back home in Canada and think of her life to come on the new frontier of retirement. What will she do with her years of freedom from hard work? What will she do with all her free time? Visit me I hope! Mom…
Twenty minutes from Solymar and it feels like we are on a beach holiday. Along the Danube River in Budapest there are little beaches and restaurants from Spring – Autumn for tourists and locals alike. You can find families eating ice cream, groups of students canoeing up and down the river, and cyclists making their…
We walked down our street, Rue Gambetta, 5 min to the school through the winding alleys, to drop the kids off at their new school. The children of France just finished their fall break, and are fresh and bright eyed for their next semester, a perfect time to introduce Daniel and Angelina into the mix….
Test out the waters! Why not rent in the area we wish to buy in. This advice has been great, but finding a rental house has been interesting to say the least. Most websites list short-term rentals, holiday homes for the 3 – 7 day traveler. There is a hole in the market for what…
Where are we, Heaven? The earth reaches to a point, out stretched jagged rock, where houses cling to see the blue green Mediterranean Sea below. Such angelic beauty can only be created by a higher power. That is this southern spot on Cinque Terre called Portovenere. The Palazzatta of fortress houses was built to defend…
Travelling with kids can be a daunting proposition but once mastered is a cinch. People often tell me they cannot travel until their kids are older. Or that travelling with kids is too difficult and stressful and would rather stay home. Or packing for travelling with kids is a nightmare even to think about, let…
We dropped off our kids with my wonderful cousin Zsolti and his wife Detti while we traveled to France to check out possible real estate. In my mind I couldn’t have left them with anyone or anywhere else. My fondest childhood memories are of my Auntie Ilonka’s farm. Chickens and ducks run free, horse and…
We left Budapest after cleaning up the Walnut Apartment for the guests arriving Saturday, feeling a little sad as Budapest got smaller in the distance behind us. Silently we drove the 2 1/2 hours straight to Vienna, Austria. We found our campsite just on the outskirts of the city along a little stream with walking…
Our last day in Budapest, after 2 months of fun and travelling around, we take inventory of all we’ve done! We spent loads of time visiting our families and friends, first and foremost. Way more rewarding than I had realized, our kids are watching Hungarian TV as I write my blog entry and they understand…