It feels like a hundred years ago. And it feels like yesterday.
10 years ago, on a chilly October afternoon, we said “I do” in front of 130 of our closest family and friends.
I still remember the roller coaster of emotions I felt that day. There was panic, elation, more panic, numbness (from a calming drink or two), sheer bliss through many tears, anger (the groom and his men failed at their only job of bringing drinks to the photo shoot), relief, hunger, happiness and more happiness as the evening progressed and we celebrated until the wee hours.
After months of planning and stressing, we needed a holiday. The day after the wedding, our first order of business was to check the weather forecast at our destination for that day: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico! Nothing like kickin’ it pool side for two weeks after the most stressful/blissful events of our young lives.
It was our first international trip as a couple, and Pete’s first exposure to harrassing street vendors when he cutely/naively responded: “How did you know we are honeymooners? Sure, I’d love to come in your store!“
We strolled on rocky beaches, sampled many different kinds of tequila, and enjoyed a few afternoons of snorkeling. Most of the time was spent absorbing obscene amounts of Vitamin D and laughing at the oil slick that followed Pete around the pool thanks to his +50 sunblock.
We had NO idea that this first trip was the start of a life of travel. Never could we have guessed that ten years later, we would have spent one quarter of our marriage on the road.
As far as we are both concerned…
the honeymoon is still going!
But TEN YEARS is a huge milestone and called for some celebration! To northern Netherlands we went, to a small town close to the coast, far from the regular tourist path. And the regular budget dorm rooms just wouldn’t do – instead, we swallowed the big hit to the bank account and booked a charming and relaxing bed and breakfast for two nights.
Oh, the luxury! The elaborate spread of delicious breakfast foods, the plush pillows, the bathtub built for two. The fluffiness of the bath robes that were so obviously pleading with me to be worn the entire time. I kindly obliged – thanks to the non-stop rain for two days – we did nothing but lounge around and take advantage of being surrounded in such opulent comfort.
Hands down, the most comfortable bed we’ve slept in for months!
So. Much. Good. Food.
A decade ago, neither of us could have imagined spending our ten year wedding anniversary in Bergen, Netherlands.
Where will we be in another ten years? We can’t wait to find out.
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Congratulations! 10 years IS a milestone and definitely should be celebrated in style. Hooray for plush pillows and fluffy bath robes! Here’s to the next 10 (times 10)!
Kieu ~ GQ trippin recently posted..Memphis Tours Egypt: Day 2 of 2
Thanks so much Kieu. Yes, the plush pillows and robes sure were nice 🙂
Congratulations! Here’s to ten more and ten more and ten more….
InsideJourneys recently posted..Random Images – Victoria Falls
Cheers, very kind words 🙂
This is so very, very sweet. Congratulations on your relationship milestone!
thank you so much 🙂
Congratulations on 10 years.
Now, let’s talk about what is really important. That toast looks perfect!
The toast WAS perfect 🙂 It was supposedly *traditional dutch* but it tasted to us the same as French toast…
Hmmmmm, our tenth is coming up next June. I wonder if Dean would take me there. It looked lovely. I am so happy you splurged. True love deserves it. May the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years be as wonderful.
Joy
Thanks Joy, very kind 🙂 If you by chance make it there I hope you get some sunshine.
Awww, congrats on 10 years!!! Here’s to another 10 full of travel! 🙂
Amanda recently posted..The 3 Best Sandwiches I Have Ever Eaten
Cheers! I sure hope the next 10 is full of travel. We are certainly getting accustomed to this lifestyle 🙂
Great way to spend an anniversary! Just had mine last month and we didn’t do anything exciting at all! 🙂 However, first 2 months of marriage included a trip to Kauai and Paris and we’ve also been to Eastern Europe, Spain, Portugal, and numerous states in the US.
Travel teaches you a lot about each other! 🙂
Agreed, travel certainly does teach you a lot about one another.
You guys are such an inspiration! 10 years and still hot for each other? We hope we’d be like you guys in 6 more years (that reminds me, our anniversary’s coming up soon). Congrats!
jill recently posted..Mexico City – All the Fun You Can Have in 10 Hours
Awww, thanks Jill, so sweet 🙂
Congratulations on 10 years! Nothing to do now but keep on going. Is it hard going back to dorm rooms after such a nice B&B though?
Steve recently posted..About Us and Nearly Dying in Hawaii
Fortunately we have been lucky to score a sweet house-sit gig in London right after, but our upcoming trip to Croatia/Slovenia/Italy will soon tell what dorm life is like again… Thanks for the comment Steve!
You guys are so cute! I’m glad you took the time out to indulge and celebrate!!
Gillian @OneGiantStep recently posted..30 Days Of Indie Travel: Travel Goals
Thanks Gillian. It was worth every euro, so nice to indulge.
Happy Anniversary. I’m sure you’ll have many more happy travels in your future.
Thanks Alouise 🙂
Congratulations on your 10th anniversary and here’s to many, many years of happiness together!
The place you chose looks fantastic and we’re sure you had a great time.
Adrian & Mary @ TravelToSun recently posted..Photo Tour of Croatia: Bol, Brač Island
Thanks so much guys 🙂 It was really fabulous that we found this place. It’s funny because we were recommended this location by our friend Aafke (who wrote the last blog post for us) in Amsterdam and when we arrived the B&B owner asked why we chose them over Paris or Rome. We told them we like the places that are off the tourist map and it was exactly what we needed. Footnote that Dalene did all the planning for this and picked the perfect spot. It’s my turn next time 🙂
Congratulations on 10 years of marriage and travel!
Jennifer Avventura recently posted..Life Before The Internet | Remembering Youth
Thank you Jennifer!
Congrats guys! I have no doubt there will be 10 more and beyond. Great to see you took time out to celebrate. Ten years is a big one. I think I remember our 10th….. 🙂
Dave and Deb recently posted..ThePlanetD Joins The Travel And Escape Family
Thank you guys!! 🙂 It’s funny…I couldn’t tell you anything we did to celebrate our anniversaries before we started traveling…now they are so memorable! Our 8th was in Bolivia, our 9th in British Columbia, and now our 10th in Netherlands! Might have to find another continent for the 11th! 🙂
Congrats guys!! The strength of your relationship is evident! What a great way to spend your anniversary, too.
Phil recently posted..In Photos: Possibly Strange Sights in West Africa
Aw, thanks so much Phil! It was a pretty stellar way to celebrate, even if it did rain buckets! 🙂
Congratulations! I love this post so much… this is what I hope Alex and I will be doing ten years from now!
Emily Sims recently posted..The most beautiful place in America, part 2
Thank you! If you make it to Bergen, Netherlands for your 10th, I can give you a hot tip on where to stay! 🙂
Happy Anniversary! Looks like you chose a great place to celebrate. Fun to read about the big day 10 years ago, too.
Thanks so much Cathy!
Congrats! 10 years is a LONG time! You definitely deserved some luxury.
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Halloween Photo Fun with Foto-Ruta
Thanks Stephanie! I personally believe we should have celebrated with a whole month of luxury, but the bank account wouldn’t allow for that! 🙂
Happy Anniversary! (^_^)
Muza-chan recently posted..A Japanese Song per Day: Yasuhiro Abe – Cafe Flamingo
Thank you Muza! 🙂
Love this! It appeals to my nomadic side as well as my “wedding biz” side.
Congratulations to both of you. Here’s to many more decades together!
Thanks Maureen! I’m sure we’ll be able to string a few more decades together… 🙂
Yay, ten years!! Congrats, you two! Our ten year anniversary is this coming June and we’re hoping to finally take some sort of vacation. Our daily sort of travel really isn’t the vacation type, y’know? I’m thinking one of those beach bungalows over the water, with lots of drinks and daily massages. 😉
Thanks Christy! Hmmm…I like the sound of your 10th better, but I guess ours will have to do. 🙂 Maybe the 11th?!
And YES, our travel definitely isn’t a vacation type thing, although somehow for those two days we tried to make it feel that way.
Great writing. The people back home wish you guys nothing but the best. Enjoy the next ten years as much as the first and keep on living your amazing adventure. Life is not a dress rehearsal and you guys are definitely following that philosophy. Great to check in every once in a while to see you still have the passion. Love the site! Just a bit jealous….staring out a downtown office building window and waiting for the snow to start. I think I still have my backpack…somewhere.
PAPPY!! So nice to hear from you! Dust that backpack off and come meet us somewhere…! 🙂
Congrats! Maybe your 20th in Bergen, Norway… 🙂
Sophie recently posted..Facades of Cartagena – a photo story
Thanks Sophie! And Bergen, Germany for our 30th! 🙂
AWW Happy Anniversary!! That’s quite a milestone. 🙂
Candice Walsh recently posted..Rafting Newfoundland, the Best Rafting Experience Yet
Thanks Candice! Hard to believe it’s been 10 years. When I say the word “decade” to Pete, he freaks out. Maybe he didn’t think we had the legs… 🙂
Hey congratulations guys on the 10 year milestone!! Very happy for you guys!
Thanks so much Jeff! 🙂
Congratulations. As a married couple, you have achieved a lot. Thank god you did not turn into coach potatoes!
Natalie recently posted..Sacrificing a Goat for Kurban Bayram
Now we are just couch surfers, not couch potatoes. Much more exciting! 🙂
Congratulations. That 10 year mark is a big milestone. Took me three tries to reach it, finally !
Ha, thanks Mike! Congrats on finally getting there!
Congratulations, guys!! Great to see how far you’ve come in the last 10 years, now traveling the world together! Hope Jess and I will still be traveling when we reach our 10-year milestone 😉
Love your wedding photo by the way!
Globetrottergirls recently posted..A little piece of Europe: 24 hours in Quebec City
Happy 10th! And 25% of them on the lam – amazing! May the next 10 be likewise filled with bliss – and make that 50% or more exploring this wondrous globe, yes?
Awwww congratulations!!!!! I quake just thinking about who I would have married 10 years ago. You guys are so lucky and wonderful and deserve the very best!!
Congrats! We just celebrated 4 in October.
It’s funny, we’re different- I travel, she doesn’t, but we make it work!
Congrats you two! We just recently celebrated our 21st. We’re kinda hoping it will be our last stateside anniversary. Our 22nd should be celebrated somewhere around the Equator….
Glenn Dixon recently posted..Minnesota – It’s Flat!
Congrats guys! Keep living the dream 😉
Congrats, guys! I didn’t realize how long you two had been married- that is awesome!
Jade recently posted..#SunsetSunday: The Secret Beach
This is adorable–congrats, you guys. Something else funny? I met my husband while studying in Utrecht in 2005, and it was our trip up to Bergen with about 100 other students that actually got us together. Actually, if we’re being specific, it was AT Bergen-Belsen (romantic, right?). To 10 more happy years (and a whole lot more after that!).
Camels & Chocolate recently posted..The Wildlife of Rajasthan
Congrats on 10 years! We just celebrated ours too, with a trip (but with 3 kids in tow, not quite the same sort of thing!).
Carolyn recently posted..Cheesy Sausage and Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
Congrats on yours too! I do suppose our trips might have been *slightly* different… 🙂
Congratulations, you Romeo & Juliet you! These posts just warm my heart so damn much.
sam kelly recently posted..Who Am I?
Congrats you guys… amazing the way life twists and turns, huh? Wishing you many more decades of love and adventure.
Kim recently posted..The Waiting Is The Hardest Part
Congratulations! You guys are obviously a great couple – it comes through in everything you post.
(My husband and I did travel a bit before we got married, so when I look back now it’s to marvel at how many places we’ve been with the kids!)
Mara recently posted..Dreaming of holiday travel with baby
Thanks so much Mara! Neither of us had traveled much before marriage, so this was a huge life change for us! And the best thing we ever did… 🙂
AWWW congrats guys! And thats hilarious about the hubby forgetting to do his only job at the wedding. I think all men are like that…. at least James certainly is!
Look how gorgeous you both are. Ten years is a huge milestone, ours is coming up in six months. How awesome is it to have travel be such a huge part of your marriage. Makes it so strong
Caz Makepeace recently posted..Travel Photo – Baby Hyena in Kruger Park, South Africa
Congrats on the anniversary!!!
I loved meeting you two in London, it was way to brief though, I hope our paths cross again soon! 🙂
Here is to many more than 10 years more 🙂
Cailin recently posted..Time to start taking more travel photos
Thanks Cailin – we were so happy to get to meet you too! We must repeat that! 🙂