Last year around this time (from October 15 to January 11), we were in an Airbnb in Bucharest, Romania after moving out of my childhood home.
Life has been quite the adventure since then, and needless to say, I still often feel sad about my parents being gone.
A new chapter has opened up however and I am trying my best to embrace it and to be grateful for what I have.
For example, I’ve been very worried about something happening to the cats, so I am very grateful that our travels have been safe and we all arrived safe and sound every time we traveled – from the Netherlands to Romania, from Romania to Bulgaria and from our Airbnb in Bulgaria to our current apartment.
Tommy taking a careful look outside from the window of our Airbnb on the 7th floor. This is a height the cats were not used to – it took them a little while to sit comfortably on the window sills and get used to the sounds outside with the window open.
I would love to go see Romania again though, as I seem to have fallen in love with the country. But traveling with cats is not easy, and I do not take it for granted that everything went well so far.
Today I am bringing back some memories of our stay in Bucharest last year.
When I saw this chair on the pictures of the Airbnb listing, I knew Tommy was gonna love it. It took a few days, but once he discovered it, he was there every day!
Another shot of Tommy being comfy in a chair.
One of the many beautiful parks in Bucharest.
I once spotted this limousine during our stay. o.o Wonder who was in it. It’s a fancy way to get around, but regardless, stuck in traffic. :3
Ricky looking at snow!
And Tommy looking at snow. :3
New Year’s in Bucharest
Of course we celebrated New Year’s in Bucharest. That was… different. For about two decades, one of my brothers was the one to bring life to the New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands. Then he moved in with his wife and the street became less eventful, even though he’d still come over with the kids to light off some fireworks.
The Dutch love fireworks though, so there were always lots of fireworks to enjoy around us. I loved standing safely in the backyard (I love watching, I don’t use fireworks myself) but I also liked walking through the streets towards the end of the year. It was amazing to see how everything was super quiet the few minutes before the clock would strike 12, and then it would go wild all around.
I have a lot of memories ingrained into my mind…
Specifically a memory of 2021… when I decided to go to the cemetery for a better view of the fireworks. The cemetery was literally across the street and a part of it is slightly raised, so it allowed for a great view of the fireworks.
Not knowing I was standing very close to where my dad would be buried just two weeks later.
And all the misery that followed until burying my mom in the SAME line my dad was buried… I’m saying the line didn’t even get a chance to “fill up” (as disrespectful as this sounds) before my mom passed away too.
Unfortunately mom never got a chance to visit dad’s grave…
But that’s… part of the past now. As difficult as it is. It’s easy for me to get sidetracked and talk about this endlessly. My parents, my family, my 34 years in the Netherlands mean a lot to me.
But back to the fireworks – there was no shortage of that in Bucharest! And our awesome Airbnb on the 7th floor offered us a great view!
Watch the Video!
I also made a video about this subject. It includes some additional details I left out here, plus some awesome cat footage!
