1 Marriage + Countless Obstacles = 1 Priceless Night in Bad Brückenau

This November 25th marked a big day for us, namely a decade of us being married (which is why "Walk in my Shoes Wednesdays" fell by the wayside this week). Those of you that are - or have been - married know that it's not one giant honeymoon, but a journey like any other. The rains may well come and create a flash flood, at which point you can either find a creative way to get past or give up and call it quits (this exact scenario actually happened during our travels through remote outback Australia - when I was three months pregnant with Lukas).

Curious about some of our roadblocks? They include, but are not limited to...
-Cultural differences ranging from nudity issues to prudishness, and lack-thereof... and don't even get me started on the expectations of a German "hausfrau"
-Survivor-like challenges, like being lost in the Utah desert at night with an ever-decreasing supply of fuel
-Living apart (in a foreign country) for 13 months, because your job dictates it
-Being forced to choose between your career and your relationship
-Having to work through 2 miscarriages (one at three months)
-Constantly having to get reacquainted with a new culture, then leave it (and your friends) behind
-Dealing with a flash flood in the Australian outback - not knowing if anyone will ever find you if you get stranded or robbed
-Hearing your spouse say something to the effect of, "I know I told you that I could live in your country forever, but I changed my mind."
-Coming to terms with (potentially) never again living at "home", and seeing your family (and having your children see your family) only once a year
-Expecting your partner to spend hours flushing the gasoline out of a motor home's water tank after an all-girls trip through South Africa's Western Cape
-Learning that your husband (or wife) will have to spend a half year in the Middle East, while you single-parent back in Europe

... and this is just to name a few! But hey, what fun is a journey on a straight, narrow street?

And since this kind of milestone is certainly one worth celebrating, we dusted off an old gift certificate from bongo.nl, chose a hotel in our area, and headed out to some unknown resort two hours North of our home.

Okay, so it wasn't just a place. It was the former summer residence of King Ludwig, a sort of Bavarian Versailles-Meets-Wellness-Resort, and it was fabulous!

Enter the Dorint Hotel, in beautiful Bad Brückenau. I don't have to tell you what a treat it was for me, as an American, to stay in a complex of castles and historic old villas, walking out of the hotel and right into a Bavarian fairy tale. Of course, Tobi enjoyed it too, in spite of his Germanic what's-so-special-about-castles? attitude. And add the Rhön Mountains, River Sinn, and fabulous Bavarian food to the equation, and you have a recipe for a romantic evening. We also loved its saunas (though I should add that they're mixed-gender and clothing-prohibited), spa treatments, indoor/outdoor swimming pool, and water "kür".

In fact, the water kür turned out to be one of the most fascinating parts. It involved the consumption of bottomless amounts of spring-fed mineral waters which are reported to have healing properties, assisting in everything from hair and nails to blood circulation, liver conditions, and kidney problems.

We may have set off knowing little about Bad Brückenau but it truly was the perfect way to celebrate 10 years together. And for 2020, Hawaii's on the radar. Heck, maybe we'll celebrate 12 and 1/2 years (half of 25!), like the Dutch. Then we wouldn't have to wait quite so long. :)

Marriage. Ours may not be perfect, but we certainly are loving the journey.