Germany

I hadn't been to Germany in over five years. The last time Fox and I went, he had just turned three, and it was hard taking him by myself. So naturally, I was very worried about taking TWO kids now all by myself. But at the beginning of the year, I just felt like we HAD to go this summer. Not just because it had been so long, but also because my grandma was getting old and not doing so great anymore, and I really wanted to see her again. 

So fast forward to July, when I received an email from the airline, a week before our departure, that one of our flights was canceled. I had the hardest time getting a hold of anyone, one company blamed it on the other, that company blamed it on the next, and so forth. Between airlines and travel agency, it was an absolute nightmare, and no one was willing to help me. I can't even count the times I was on the phone in tears because I was so frustrated to not get any answers, and no one wanted to re-book me. It wasn't until 24 hours before our first flight was supposed to take off, when I threatened to cancel the entire flight if they weren't going to re-book me right away, and what do you know...I had a new flight within minutes. I remember talking to friends and family members, wondering if this was a sign that we shouldn't go to Germany, but they all thought I was crazy for thinking that.

So we finally made it onto the first flight, a day later than we originally anticipated, and all went relatively well. The kids slept (me not so much, because Finn used my seat to sleep) and I was hopeful and excited to get to Germany soon. 

Until we landed in London for our layover and airport was an absolute nightmare. We didn't have much time to change planes to begin with, and when it took us two hours to get from one terminal to the next (via bus), I knew we were screwed. Our next step was to go to information to get on another flight, but apparently every single person in the airport also missed their flights, and we were in line for FOUR HOURS before able to speak to someone. I was so freaking proud of my kids, they never once complained, they listened, and they had a great attitude the entire time, even though we were stuck in a line. My attitude however, changed when I finally was able to get us a new flight, and found that that we weren't able to leave until the next morning, AND there weren't any hotels left to stay at. I knew if I lost it now and cried, it would be the end, so i tried really hard to swallow down my tears, my exhaustion, and frustration. 

We were stuck, with nowhere to go for 12 hours. Fox was not a happy camper having to sleep at the airport, but again, he was such a trooper, helped me with Finn, kept a good attitude and never complained after I explained why we didn't have another choice.

I felt so bad for them, especially Fox. Finn had the stroller at least, and he was able to sleep in there for about six hours which was great. 

He fell asleep while watching "The floor is Lava". 

It was a rough night for Fox and I. There were no cots, and all the chairs had armrests, so sleeping was impossible. 

When we finally got on the next flight (at this point we had to fly to Amsterdam first, before getting onto the flight to Germany), I sighed a big breath of relief. We had a couple of hours in Amsterdam, and besides not being able to find any food, it went pretty well.

Finn and I kept busy playing chutes and ladders approximately 569 times.

The moment we got onto the last flight, Fox passed out. Hard. The flight was only 45 minutes, and it was impossible to wake him up. If you watched me leaving the airplane, you would've thought I was crazy. I had way too much carry on luggage, two exhausted kids...oh, and did I mention that we had multiple bathroom accidents and a bloody nose as well? It was a shit show for sure. 

We all passed out HARD when we finally got to my mom's apartment, 36 hours after we had left our home in Phoenix.

After everyone got a little nap and a shower, we were able to play with Oma Karin.

The weather was perfect, and coming from 115 F, we loved being able to wear long sleeves. The next day, we took it easy and I just showed the boys around my little village. This is the house I grew up in, my brother lives there now.

The playground by my old house changed quite a bit, but it was still fun taking the boys there.

You can see my old house in the background here, this is how close it was to the playground, and as kids we used to go there all the time.

Both of my brothers met us at the playground.

We played in my brother's yard afterwards and I showed the boys my old room.

After the playground, one of my brothers picked up my grandma, and then we all had lunch in the village restaurant. Even my dad joined! This is where I had my first job when I was 15 years old, and now my elementary school friend owns it, and he let us use the little bowling alley in the basement. Fox thought it was so cool.

Finn's first german Fanta, he was a big fan!

The next day, my mom and I took the boys to a small amusement park in the Netherlands where we had taken Fox when he was three years old. Finn and I on the rollercoaster. 

 

Fox didn't love the park as much as he did five years ago, but he loved the bumper cars. 

That night, Fox wanted to stay with my mom, so Finn and I walked into town to get some ice cream.

More chutes and ladders, I think by the end of the trip my mom was sick of that game...ha!

I always say that Arizona is my home now, and while that is still true, I really loved being back "home", remembering all the places and memories from my past and sharing it with my kids. 

My dad met us at a playground that night.

The next day Finn was running a fever for the first time in his life. He slept a lot and just wasn't himself.

 

My cousin and I had plans to go for a walk in the woods, and even though Finn was sick, she decided to come to my mom's apartment instead to see us (and brought us delicious bakery items), and my grandma joined as well. My cousin and I are six months apart, we were best friends growing up, and even used to live in the same apartment building after my parents got divorced, and it was so nice to catch up with her and to see her again.

The next day Finn was back to normal, so we decided to go to a playground in the Netherlands that I used to play at when I was little.

The boys had a blast.

He was pouting about something in this picture.

Shopping with this sweet kid!

And this is where our trip basically ended. The next day my mom woke up feeling really sick. She went to get a Covid test which was positive, so the kids and I went to get tested as well, and Finn and I tested positive too. Which was shocking, because we just had Covid less than six months ago, but I guess you never know. The boys and I felt fine, but my mom was really sick for a few days (she also has COPD and uses an oxygen machine regularly, so I was really worried about her). Luckily my brothers, dad, and cousin all tested negative, but my grandma tested positive a few days afterwards, which made me feel really guilty and sad. 

We tried to make the best out of a bad situation, count our blessings that we could still be with my mom, and that the boys and I were feeling fine.

If you know me, you know that I go stir crazy if I'm in the house for just a day, so I made it a point to leave the house every night around sunset to go for a walk in the woods.

As teenagers we would rent a big inflatable boat and float down this river for hours. I was hoping to do it with the kids on this trip, but then Covid hit.

We also went to playgrounds late at night after all the other kids had left, since it stayed light out until 11pm in Germany, and we were still struggling with jet lag.

My village church...lots of memories!

My grandparent's grave

On our last day in Germany we were able to go see my brother again. He has an outdoor shower in his yard and Finn loved it.

This kid also hadn't eaten a single thing for the two weeks we were there. He wouldn't touch anything, and it was such a struggle. But on our last day, he found my aunt's carrot patch and pulled three carrots straight from the ground and ate them...haha!

The flight home was a little bit better than the flight there (and how could it not be), nonetheless it was a rough experience as well.

In the end, I'm still glad that we went. It was so great seeing some of my family (although I wish I could've seen more), especially my grandma. One of my favorite moments during this trip was when my mom watched the kids for me one night, and my cousin and I went for a walk in the woods alone, catching up like no time had passed at all. It was really special. 

I don't know when we'll be back, since it's quite an undertaking to fly with them alone, handle the jet lag alone, not to mention the financial aspect of purchasing three plane tickets. But my hope is that it won't be another five years, because I definitely realized how much I missed my little town, and most of all, my family.