Sunday, September 14, 2008
Three Years in Germany
It’s hard to believe yesterday was the three-year anniversary of when we first arrived in Germany. Yes, I’d been to Germany before (a month at Rhein-Main supporting Operation Joint Endeavor in 1996, and a week at Ramstein en route to Southwest Asia for Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001), but living in Germany is so very different from simply visiting.
We’ve come a long way in the past three years! I can still remember feeling very overwhelmed moving across the Atlantic (and seven time zones) solo with three kids (ages 9½, 7 and 2!) and 18 pieces of luggage (9 carry-on and 9 checked). It didn’t take long for us to get settled and to start exploring our host country as well as neighboring countries. To recap, we’ve visited many places within Germany as well as Italy, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Vatican, England, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Netherlands. I’ve also snuck in solo trips to Scotland (well, a few flight layovers), Iceland, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, and Israel. I haven’t decided what will be next on our travel itinerary, but am slowly starting to narrow down our travel wish-list.
I don’t think I’d trade any of our experiences during the past three years! Sure, we’ve had our ups and downs, but overall the experiences have been wonderful. I’m also very thankful that we’ll have another three years to explore Europe. As always, our home is open for visitors -- just let me know, and we’ll gladly host you!
We’ve come a long way in the past three years! I can still remember feeling very overwhelmed moving across the Atlantic (and seven time zones) solo with three kids (ages 9½, 7 and 2!) and 18 pieces of luggage (9 carry-on and 9 checked). It didn’t take long for us to get settled and to start exploring our host country as well as neighboring countries. To recap, we’ve visited many places within Germany as well as Italy, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Vatican, England, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Netherlands. I’ve also snuck in solo trips to Scotland (well, a few flight layovers), Iceland, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, and Israel. I haven’t decided what will be next on our travel itinerary, but am slowly starting to narrow down our travel wish-list.
I don’t think I’d trade any of our experiences during the past three years! Sure, we’ve had our ups and downs, but overall the experiences have been wonderful. I’m also very thankful that we’ll have another three years to explore Europe. As always, our home is open for visitors -- just let me know, and we’ll gladly host you!
