Napa Valley Vegan’s New Look

I’m not much anymore for promising myself new year resolutions. I hope that if I notice that I need to make improvements to my character, fitness level or goals, I’ll tackle that task right then and there. However with 2018 in full swing, I am noticing a new level of excitement that I haven’t felt in a while. If you haven’t heard yet, me and my family are moving to Berlin, Germany this summer. My to-do list is long…from selling my belongings, to finding a new home in a new city to preparing my dog Violet and her cat brothers Stig & Clover for the journey of their lifetime! At times the list seems to be growing instead of shrinking but I cannot shake this feeling of joy!

Napa Valley Vegan

I was really fortunate when I met Steve over 17 years ago that he was my nomadic soulmate. As we got to know each other, we realized that we both loved to explore new places and have adventures. We loved traveling in Mexico, the West Indies and the Caribbean. But we found that we loved moving to new cities too. We bought our first home together near Denver, Colorado, then a few years later moved across the country to Raleigh, North Carolina. We rented for a few months, before purchasing our “dream” home in the Five Points neighborhood inside the Beltline. Five years later, we were packing up our furry family and heading west again to beautiful Northern California. Since we’ve settled in Napa, we’ve lived in a condo near the highway, a huge house in the suburbs and now a tiny home built in the late 1800s a few blocks from downtown. Three states, six houses and thousands of miles later off we head to Europe. Steve and I have always talked about living in another country together. Those countries have ranged from Mexico to Ecuador to Spain to finally, Germany. It was always in the back of our minds that eventually…someday we would be learning a new language and exploring new cultures & cuisines. And then the 2016 election happened. I have to admit that the election of this country’s newest President rocked my core. I became depressed, distrustful and just couldn’t get my rhythm back. And something really shifted for both of us after the January 2017 inauguration. Our two week vacation to Barcelona Spain and Berlin Germany shifted from a holiday to a scouting mission. We walked the cities’ neighborhoods, we explored the parks, learned Spain’s Metro & Berlin’s U-bahn systems. We looked at each city like it was going to be our next home. Within two weeks of returning to California, with Pro & Con lists hanging throughout our home, negotiations over weather concluded and the number of vegan-friendly restaurants per capita tallied the decision was made – Ich bin ein Berliner!

What does this mean to you, you might ask? With such big changes happening in my personal life, it is going to mean some big changes to my career also. I have spent the last several months brainstorming & volleying ideas to decide what was going to happen with my blog. Steve and I have had some interesting, productive talks and have come to some really exciting decisions. I am working on some incredible changes and updates to Napa Valley Vegan. Some of you are going to love the changes, some of you may not! To all of you I want to thank you for finding my little blog and helping me explore Napa Valley and become a better writer. It has been such an incredible three and a half years. I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Napa Valley Vegan as much as you have enjoyed this one. Remember that I couldn’t have done this without you. So stay tuned and as always…eat, drink & be vegan!

Tags: Berlin Germany, Berliner, vegan capital of Europe, vegan travel, vegan travel blog

Related Posts

by
Sjaak's Organic Chocolates Valentine's Warehouse Sale! Napa Valley Vegan's Global Adventures!

Comments

    • violet119
    • March 10, 2018
    Reply

    This is my first time visiting your blog, yes, I would imagine living in Berlin to be a terrific post-modern city. Hey, David Bowie liked it. Best wishes. Will you continue with this blog? Onward and Kristen

      • toniabrow@napavalleyvegan.com
      • March 11, 2018
      Reply

      Hi Kristen! Thanks for visiting. I hope you found the info you were looking for. Well, if David Bowie loved Berlin, it must be a great city, right? I do plan to continue blogging at Napa Valley Vegan. I will focus on my global vegan travels instead of just Napa Valley!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *