The voting has closed on Expatica's annual blog competition and we are pleased to announce the winners. Here are the blog posts that you, the Expatica readers, voted the best of the bunch.

Congratulations to the winning bloggers! We also send out a huge thanks to all the bloggers who tirelessly write such fantastic posts to share with their fellow expats and make the Expatica Blogs & Photos section such a great place to visit.

Belgium

How does your garden grow?
As the weather finally turns for the better, Sunbeams, Brussels-based green expats, plant some tips for a greener garden.
"Spring is in the air and slowly our outdoor work in the garden or on the balcony
starts again. How do we do it while respecting nature, the environment and not to forget, ourselves? Here are some ideas to choose from..."

France

Kissing à la française
One kiss, two kiss, three kiss, four? Former expat Maria Foley describes the five W's of French kissing culture.
"The first time I moved to France, as a teenager, I was blissfully unaware of the seismic cultural shifts that were in store for me. Life in Caen took a lot of getting used to -- and I'm not just talking about the language issues..."

Germany

Learning German: Passing the critical stage

American Emily Rasch offers some tips on how and where to learn the German language, and enjoy it.



Luxembourg

Slummin' it: A business lunch in Luxembourg

Libby of Lovely in Lux  plays it cool at her first business lunch, in one of Luxembourg's fanciest restaurants, despite an eruption of food nirvana.



Moscow

Bittersweet Moscow II: Music school
Marco North copes with life as a single father in search of quality and happiness for his daughter in Moscow.
"Music class begins with a flourish of Soviet bureaucracy, as the secretary inspects our shoes. Every parent without blue bags stretched across the soles of their boots are given stern warnings..." 

Portugal

My banking experiences in Portugal: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Blogger Piglet in Portugal shares how she finally found a bank that was willing to "go the extra mile" for a bewildered expat.
"When we opened our first bank account in Portugal the only thing I remember was our lawyer marching us up the road to a bank. The rest of the proceedings were a complete blur because said “proceedings” were conducted in Portuguese."

Spain

From Barcelona: Top 20 Spanish expressions
Impress the locals by using any of these top 20 Spanish expressions in your conversations, says blogger Jeremy Holland.
"Like any language, Spanish is rich with expressions and sayings. If you can use them correctly during conversations, it will boost your standing in the eyes of the natives..."


Switzerland

Tipping in Switzerland
 
Coming from a country where tipping is the norm, Kathy of TwoFools in Zurich struggles with the ill-defined tipping culture in Switzerland. She shares her own strategy for rewarding good service.


The Netherlands

Taal tale

‘Spreekt u Nederlands'? Three years ago, when someone posed this question to me, I answered softly ‘een beetje'.  Nandini Bedi tells her tale of language and learning Dutch in the Netherlands.


United Kingdom

Living Dibley: Moving to Wales, land of my fathers

Blogger Jann of Living Dibley visited Wales 40 years ago and was awed by the place. Now married to a Welshman and preparing to relocate there, she explains her affinity with the land of cawl, Caernarfon and... sheep.


We'd also like to introduce our newest website, Expatica South Africa, and one of its most vibrant bloggers, Sine Thieme.  Read her excellent piece on Starbucks in South Africa here.