Life Update: Where Have We Been?
- Jennifer Lindemann
- 2 hours ago
- 8 min read
Hello friends! It's been a hot minute since I've updated this blog, hasn't it? While I post periodically on Instagram and Facebook, it's been over a year since I've created any content here. We are still traveling full-time and loving this style of living. We left the USA 1,122 days ago (just over three years!) and visited 31 countries, some more than once, and 3 continents. We have settled into a much slower pace, staying the last several places 6-8 weeks each. We've tried week-long and month-long stays in many places, but through trial and error have decided we enjoy our time in any country much more with extended stays. We find it grounding to park ourselves in one spot, get to know the neighborhood, find our favorite coffee shop, ask about local markets, and figure out the best routes for morning walks. This style suits us and we even scheduled a couple of 8-11 week stays in 2026!
A lot has happened in the last year, so let's catch you up on where we've been living in the world.
Puglia, Italy (Nov 2024)
My last update left us in the Puglia Region of Italy with our wonderful friends, David & John. We shared an AirBnb in Bari as a home base and used Italy's extensive train & bus systems to explore different towns and villages as day trips.
A highlight was renting bikes in Locorotondo, winding our way through vineyards and olive groves all the way to Alberobello and back, roughly 12-15 miles round trip. Alberobello is home to the iconic Trulli houses (pictured below). These traditional, dry-stone/mortar-free huts have distinctive conical roofs and were quite fun to see in person. Several are used as shops within the tourist area, however, many are still inhabited by local residents. Fun fact: a few are even listed on AirBnb to rent as accommodations.
Other favorite spots in this "heel of the boot" area of Southern Italy were Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, and Ostuni. We all loved the old world charm in this region with white-washed hilltop towns, rocky coastlines, and stunningly clear blue waters. It felt like life here was meant to be lived slowly, savoring the landscape while slowly sipping the local wines, so we did a lot of that! The Sangiovese and Negroamaro varieties were top choices. Unfortunately, we were not overly impressed with the food in this region of Italy. We tried many different dishes, but we all struggled to find anything we would order more than once. With one exception - the Pasticciotti (pictured below)! This traditional regional pastry, typically eaten for breakfast, is filled with an lemony egg custard. For someone who isn't typically a fan of sweets, this was FANTASTIC and I was a bit regretful I decided to share one with Brad.
Two weeks later, David & John left for Rome and we boarded a train to Venice. A train strike cut our time in Venice to only one full day, but we made the most of it. We wandered the network of narrow streets & bridges and marveled at the gondolas in the canals. It was immediately apparent this city is truly unique. I had a magical and genuinely unforgettable experience when we stumbled into the Piazza San Marco by accident. The beauty, grandeur, and magnificence of Saint Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace, The Grand Canal, and the massive Christmas tree was indescribable and brought tears to my eyes. I actually uttered "Holy Fuuuuuuudge", not even realizing I said it out loud, until the people near me started giggling and agreeing with me! It literally took my breath away! We know we will be back to explore more of this city one day.
We boarded an early train the next morning to Munich, Germany, where we met up with my daughter Laura and her boyfriend, Anthony, for a whirlwind, two-week vacation exploring countless European Christmas Markets.
Czechia-Austria-Germany
European Christmas Markets (Nov-Dec 2024)
Now, if you're not familiar with European Christmas Markets, I will tell you they are nothing short of magical. Every year from late November through December (some even into early January), you fill find festive outdoor markets selling regional hand crafts, ornaments, local foods, mulled wines & cider, and so much more. Some have outdoor activities, kids games, music, and rides. The atmosphere is always cheerful and each market has its' own special character and charm. Hot drinks are served in holiday-themed ceramic mugs, which change yearly, and become beloved collectibles for many. Laura and Anthony brought home at least 6 different mugs!
We started our self-guided tour taking the train from Munich to Prague, Czechia, where we spent 4 nights. Prague is STUNNING! We walked the bridges, took in the views from Prague Castle overlooking the city, and marveled at St. Vitus Cathedral. The Old Town Square is like a fairytale postcard and includes a medieval astronomical clock. Add all the festive Christmas decor and it was jaw-droppingly beautiful. We did, however, go to the Christmas Market here on opening day and in hindsight, this was a mistake. It was elbow to elbow people and we honestly didn't spend much time there because the crowds were so insane. There were several smaller markets in the city we explored which were just as wonderful and didn't have the unbearable crowds.
We all agreed we had the best meal of our trip at Pork's Mostecka in Prague. It was completely random that we stumbled upon it as it was opening for lunch. By the time we left, the line was over an hour long and we understood why! We tried three of their four main courses: Pork knuckle, pulled pork knuckle sandwich, and the pork schnitzel. My mouth is watering just thinking about this food again. If you ever find yourself in Prague, eat here and thank us later.
Next stop: Austria! We boarded another train from Prague to Vienna (train travel within Europe is so fantastic!) where we spent 3 days. We lost count of the number of Christmas Markets we meandered through, in addition to exploring the city itself. We found multiple small markets that were incredible, most notably the Belvedere Palace Market and the market near St. Charles Church. We all loved the large Rathausplatz Market, situated in front of the striking Neo-Gothic City Hall, which is fairytale-like lit at up night. While this market was the largest, it didn't feel overcrowded because it was spread out. Neat features included a ferris wheel and ice skating rink. Of course, we drank a few mugs of gluhwein (hot mulled wine), rented ice-skates, and fell spectacularly on our asses! It ended up being our favorite Vienna market.
Vienna was walkable with easy public transportation. Within the city, St. Stephen's Cathedral was breathtaking. I could have stared at the Gothic multi-colored tile roof for hours. In fact, we purposely went back several times just to view it. (see photos below) Vienna will require a future trip to be able to fully explore this gem of city.
Leaving Vienna, we boarded another train bound for Salzburg, Austria. We visited here a few months prior with my brother & his wife during Oktoberfest and fell in love with it's quaint charm. It was even more gorgeous all decked out for Christmas! Again, there were so many markets scattered throughout the city and we took in as many as possible each of our 3 days in Salzburg. It's hard to describe the almost magical atmosphere at each market - it's a bit like stepping into a living snow globe. Core memories were made for sure!
While in Salzburg, we took a fun day trip to the picturesque village of Hallstatt. It snowed big, beautiful, wet snowflakes as we were arriving by train, which made it even more impressive. Our trip didn't coincide with the Hallstatt Christmas Market, which is only held one weekend in December, but there were plenty of shops, sites, and things to do during our 6 hour stay.
Our absolute FAVORITE memory of the trip was the Annual Traditional Krampuslauf Parade (aka Krampus Run) in Salzburg. I think it is safe to say none of us will ever laugh as hard as we did that night. A little backstory on Krampus (according to the Googlemachine): "Krampus is a pre-Christian, pagan Alpine tradition who is the malevolent counterpart to Saint Nicholas. He is half-goat/half-demon and said to punish naughty children by swatting or beating them with birch branches. In some versions, he even stuffs them into a sack or basket to be drown or eaten later!" In the modern day version, performers dress as Krampus in extremely elaborate costumes with ornate masks & horns. They prowl the streets with cow bells, birch branches, and whips while playfully "punishing" the crowd; All the while grunting and howling. IT.WAS.CHAOS!! It was also hilarious, delightful, unique, terrifying, and mesmerizing -- and it went on for two hours! Anthony got taken into the street to get "whipped" and we were all laughing so hard we could hardly catch our breath.
We ended our lovely vacation with 2 nights in Munich, Germany exploring the city and markets as well as introducing Laura & Anthony to its authentic beer halls. Munich has a great mix of large & small Christmas Markets and we wandered through several. An ideal ending to spending quality time together!
After a tearful goodbye, Laura and Anthony flew home. We are thankful they will spend their vacation time visiting us and love seeing the world through their eyes. Why didn't anyone tell us having adult children you enjoy spending time with was so amazing?! Brad and I remained in Munich for 2 weeks before flying to London a week before Christmas. We were excited to care for two gorgeous bengal cats over the holidays on a pet-sit as well as spend some time with our dear friends Mike & Wendy, who now reside in London.
Unexpected Trip Home (Dec 2024)
Unfortunately, Brad's mom died on December 22, 2024. She was only 72, but had been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and living in a nursing home for over 2 years. While her death wasn't completely unexpected, it was still difficult and we continue to process this void in our lives. We greatly appreciate the calls, texts, and messages of condolence and support we received from so many of you.
2025 Travels To Be Continued
Since this post got longer than I anticipated, in my next blog post I will give you a high level view of our 2025 travel and adventures. I pinky promise not to leave you hanging for another year. Thank you for continuing to encourage us, love us, and support us from afar. We value your questions, check-ins, comments, and meet-ups more than you realize! With that in mind, is there anything you'd like to know about life living abroad? We've come to see our life as "normal", therefore, don't know what you want to know? We'd be happy to answer all of your questions (anonymously) in a future blog post.
What's Next and Where Are We Now?
We are currently in Santiago, Chile - our 31st Country and 3rd Continent! We arrived just in time for beautiful spring weather and plan to spend 7 weeks here. Santiago's skyline is impressive since it sits at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. The tallest building in South America, the Gran Torre Costanera, also dominates the horizon. We are excited to explore the many amazing Chilean wines - having already fallen in love with each glass of local Carmenere we've sampled.
Before Christmas, we move to Buenos Aires, Argentina for 7 weeks. Our friends David & John (mentioned in our Italy piece above) have retired & adopted our nomadic lifestyle. They will be joining us in Argentina as well as other nomad friends Olav & Emily who we met in Mexico City in 2023 & Guatemala in 2024. It will be so wonderful to spend Christmas and New Year's with great friends!
We have some amazing things planned for 2026, so stay tuned.
Cheers, Peace, Love, and Kindness,
Jenn