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🚲 Just a girl living that summer bike-riding li

🚲 Just a girl living that summer bike-riding life in Germany ❤️

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follow @jesstagirl for more fun around Europe. Link in bio for blog posts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

#jesstagirlingermany #americaningermany #americanineurope #expatfamily #militaryfamilylife #livingabroad #livingoverseas #movingtogermany

📚 Do we have kids around the same ages/grades?

📚 Do we have kids around the same ages/grades?

And also: has school started for y’all yet, or are you still living your best summer life?

I sent my three off to school today, and we’re all pretty excited about the upcoming school year.

So while they’re learning all the things, I’m booking all the things and seeing what trips we can fit in with their school breaks! We have some pretty exciting things in store for us soon 😃

Happy 2022/2023 school year, everyone!

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follow @jesstagirl for more fun around Europe. Link in bio for blog posts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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#julesgrace #maddieroo #loganjohns #americanineurope #americaningermany #lifeineuope #backtoschool #livingoverseas #dodea #militaryfamily #militaryfamilylife

✅ SAVE this for your Belgium bucket list! Here

✅ SAVE this for your Belgium bucket list!

Here's what you need to know about seeing the Flower Carpet:

❓What is it?
A massive 19,000 sq ft "carpet" made out of thousands of flowers in the middle of Brussels!

❓Where is it?
The Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium.

❓Where can I park?
Look up: Parking Grand Place for a garage, then follow the crowds to the center.

❓When?
August 12-15, 2022. All day/all night. It happens every OTHER year. The next one will be in 2024.

❓Why?
Because it's beautiful! The Flower Carpet has been going on since 1971.

❓How much?
It's FREE! But you can pay and get tickets to see it from a higher view.

❓ How long should I stay?
Plan on 30-minutes to an hour for the carpet. Snap some pics, say, "wow," grab some coffee and then explore the rest of Brussels.

❓ What about kids?
You'll want to go higher for kids to have a good view, or prepare to lift them up. Strollers are fine, but keep in mind that it's very pedestrian-heavy!

📍 Grand Place/Grote Markt, Brussels
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follow @jesstagirl for more fun around Europe. Link in bio for blog posts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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#jesstagirlinBelgium #visitbrussels #ilovebelgium #familytraveltips #mybelgium #belgiumtourism #americanineurope #flowercarpet #bucketlisttravel #takethekids #Travelwithkids #parentswhowander #wheretogonext

💐 Have you heard of the Brussels Flower Carpet?

💐 Have you heard of the Brussels Flower Carpet? Read (and swipe) to check it out!

It happens in Brussels, Belgium, for 4 days every other summer (although it's been four years since the last one...because of the pandoozy) and it's been happening since 1971.

2022 dates: August 12-15th

We almost missed it, because I tacked it onto my "if we're here next year" list. But then I realized (at 6:30 am this morning) it doesn't happen every year, and, "OMG, THIS MIGHT BE OUR ONLY CHANCE TO SEE IT."

So I literally woke everyone up, told them we were going to Brussels to see something cool, and we were all up and out the door within an hour.

An hour and a half later and we were following the flock of people heading to the flower carpet in the center of Brussels.

It was pretty neat, but if you make a special trip out there make sure you have other things to do/see on your list because seeing this won't take up a lot of your time.

Other things to do in Brussels:
🍫 Go to the @chocostorybrussels
👶🏻 See the famous manneken pis.
🥾 Take a walking free tour (let me know if you need a 🔗)
🍟 Eat some fries, drink some beer 🍻, and enjoy some waffles🧇.

It's free to see the ginormous carpet but get there early, because it fills up fast. Luckily, people move in and out so you can snap pics easily. If you want a bird's eye view you can buy tickets the day of at the town hall in front of the carpet.

🌟 PRO TIP: Go to a cafe, purchase some food/drinks (aka support the business), and ask if you can go to their second level for some pics! I shared where we went in my stories.

🚙 Driving? Park here: Parking Grand Place (Rue du Marché Aux Herbes 104, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium). It was €7.20 for two hours, just FYI.

⫸⫸ Pretty neat, right? Can you make it this year or is it on your list for 2024?

📍 Grand Place/Grote Markt, Brussels
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follow @jesstagirl for more fun around Europe. Link in bio for blog posts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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#jesstagirlinBelgium #visitbrussels #ilovebelgium #familytraveltips #mybelgium #belgiumtourism #takeyourkidseverywhere #travelingwithkids #ourtribetravels #showthemtheworld @flowercarpetbrussels

✈️ Just a quick PSA to check the expiration da

✈️ Just a quick PSA to check the expiration date for your kids' passports!⁠
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Passports for kids under 16 years old are only valid for FIVE (5️⃣) years (but technically it's more like 4.5 years because many countries require at least 6 months left on the passport to travel). ⁠
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Our kids' passports expire in March 2023, but six months before that is September 2022...so we're working on getting them renewed ASAP! ⁠
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And a heads up if you're overseas and not at a big base: it may take even longer for appointments since some places (like ours) only schedule them on certain days. ⁠
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💡 Consider this a gentle reminder to check the date, then count back six months, and then set a reminder for at least a month or two before that to get the renewal process started! ⁠
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🌟 I've got 7 more passport tips for you on my blog (find this pic from the 🔗 in my bio!)⁠
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Hope this post was helpful; it's one of those sinking feelings when you realize you've accidentally dropped the ball on passport stuff. ⁠
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⫸⫸ Drop a ✈️ below if you're going to double-check your current passport(s) now!⁠
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follow @jesstagirl for more fun around Europe. Link in bio for blog posts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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#traveltip #traveltips #travelblog #travelguide #instatraveling #travelplanning #kidswhotravel #travelwithkids #familytravel #travelfamily #travelkids #kidswhoexplore #kidstravel #familytravels #takeyourkidseverywhere #travelhack

We're in a weird limbo right now. We're either mov

We're in a weird limbo right now. We're either moving somewhere in less than a year (summer 2023), or we'll get to stay in Europe for two more years.⁠
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...and it's all in the hands of the military. (Sooooo that's where this emoji comes in: 🤷🏻‍♀️)⁠
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It's making me panic a little bit because...⁠
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Will this be our last fall in Europe? ⁠
Will this be my last Christmas market season? ⁠
Do we only get one more spring break and Carnevale to enjoy? ⁠
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But the most pressing question: how can we pack in all the places we still want to see? ⁠Because our list just keeps getting longer!
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We did the best we could after moving out here in June 2020 (right smack at the beginning of the pandoozy), but I feel like we're just getting started, and I'm not quite ready to leave. ⁠
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Yes, I miss my family immensely (and American conveniences), but there's still so much to see and do out here! ⁠
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⫸⫸ What about you: how much longer are you at your current location? And are you getting the itch to move again or are you cool with staying put?⁠
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P.S. If you are in a season where you're moving, I have some PCS binder printables available on my site--let me know if you want them! ⁠
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📍 Lisbon, Portugal ⁠
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follow @jesstagirl for more fun around Europe. Link in bio for blog posts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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#jesstagirlinPortugal #militarylife #militarywife #airforcewife #airforcelife #airforcefamily #militaryfamily #lifeinthemilitary #milspouse #milspouseblogger #milsolife #americanineurope #expatlife #militarywifelife #militaryspouse #milso #milspo #pcsproblems #pcsseason

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