And the Winner Is... (2015 Travel Plans & Giveaway Winner!)

Top: Source.  Bottom Left: Source.  Bottom Right: Source.

The moussaka is officially out of the bag - we're going to Greece, y'all!

After brainstorming various destination possibilities back in October, we finally made a decision and booked our flights to Athens and Thira island (commonly known as Santorini) for a spring trip.  We'll begin in Athens, explore the Parthenon and a few museums, then jet out to Santorini for caldera sunsets and island living.  As always, we won't be spending nearly as much time there as we'd like, but as our giveaway theme stated, "All Roads Lead to Bavaria", and there our Europe trip will continue with birthday bashes in Stuttgart, a weekend excursion to Paris with our German BFFs, and back to Dinkelsbühl and Bavaria for eight days with family, friends, castles, and plenty of wurst and spaetzle!  My sister-in-law is also flying into Germany for twelve days, marking her first visit in nearly ten years, and I'm excited to create some memories with her in her German hometown!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our giveaway contest to guess our travel destination!  Julie of Alone With My Tea and Joanna of Me and My Itchy Feet both correctly guessed that we're wandering our way to Greece.  Way to go, ladies!  I'm excited that two bloggers I've been following so closely over the last few months were the ones to correctly deduce our new destination, and I'm pleased to introduce them to you below:

Joanna & her family in Cinque Terre, Italy (October 2014)

Joanna of Me and My Itchy Feet
Born, raised, and living in Poland, Joanna and her itchy feet have been wandering across the world since 1994 and documenting their experiences (in both English and Polish) on her blog since 2012.  Joanna's easy manner of writing and ability to draw the reader into her family's adventures is particularly engaging.  I'm constantly inspired by her and her husband's desire to "pass the passion" of traveling on to their children - and to readers through her posts!  Check out her recent descriptions about a day in Florence or visiting the leaning tower of Toruń in Poland!

Julie & her husband

Julie of Alone with My Tea - the Giveaway Winner!

"I began alonewithmytea when I had to take a year-long break from Grad school, due to health issues. I spent most of my days home alone, drinking tea, and working on some sort of art or musical project. I realized that being alone with my tea inspired creativity. I spent time reflecting, practicing various art techniques, and just enjoying life. While this blog began as an outlet for exploring and displaying my creative attempts, it has since morphed into a travel and lifestyle blog, especially when my husband and I moved from California to Rio de Janeiro and then to the deep south (Alabama)! Follow along as I document all the adventures we find here and abroad!
XO, Julie -alonewithmytea@gmail.com "

Julie is the winner of our "All Roads Lead to Bavaria" Giveaway and will be receiving a scratch-off map to create a unique picture of the world based on their travels!  Give her blog some page-view lovin' with her posts about random conversations with taxi drivers in Rio, the Cathedral in Petropolis, or 5 Tips for Moving to Brazil.  Congratulations, Julie!

As we rev up our excitement over our Greece trip with documentaries, travel shows, and perusing blogs about other people's experiences, we'll share more details of our travel planning.  Hotels are booked, but we haven't nailed down specifics of our itineraries yet.  Any suggestions?  We're all ears!

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Have you been to Athens or Santorini?

Linking up with A Brit and a Southerner for #WeekendWanderlust!