The Adventure Begins

For weeks before we left for our trip, Davey asked every day if it was July 8th (the day we were to leave). He just couldn't wait to go home and see all his family and friends, just like me. The day finally came and we boarded the plane just before midnight.

Smiling and ready for the adventure to begin.

Charlie loves to clean with wipes. He was happy for a good 20 minutes "cleaning" everything around him.

The kids settled in and fell asleep after a couple hours. I was able to relax but unfortunately wasn't able to fall asleep.

The flight monitor showing we were flying over Iraq! I was surprised to know commercial flights go through Iraqi airspace.

We arrived in Amsterdam after a smooth flight. I was so happy to have not struggled with the boys. Unfortunately we arrived early at 5am and the rental car agencies didn't open until 6:30 so we had to wait around the airport. It was quite a struggle just getting to the right location with a hugely loaded luggage cart that you had to hold a difficult handle down to move and pushing the kids stroller at the same time. I was amazed at the number of people that just watched me creep by (we were truly moving at a snail's pace), without even sympathetic smiles. Finally, a man offered to help us. While we waited for the Avis counter to open, however, Davey really needed to use the bathroom. We had to move at the same snail's pace to get there and my hands were killing me. No offers of help or kind looks. I was put off by the lack of response and I guess I have really gotten used to the friendliness of people in Bahrain. Welcome back to the Western World. I shouldn't have been surprised.

We finally got out onto the road in Amsterdam and it was wonderful! Everything was so green and beautiful. The weather was cool and the air was moist and fragrant. Such a nice change from dry, brown, dusty Bahrain!

I know the following picitures aren't much to look at, but I couldn't help trying to capture the beautiful scenes (holding my phone up blindly in front of my while I drove), even though I wasn't able to. The countryside in Holland and Germany was so beautiful and it was so fun just to be in Europe. There were beautifully cultivated fields and grazing animals with quaint villages each with their very Dutch looking windmill or church.

I had thought the drive would be closer to 4 hours, but it took six solid hours. I was TIRED after not having slept that night but didn't feel in danger of nodding off. The kids were great and slept for about 2 hours of the drive. I expected them to be really restless but maybe they were enjoying the beautiful scenery as well :)

When we got off the autobahn, this is what the rest of the drive to Sarah's house looked like. She has said that she is living out her childhood dream of living in a forest and she truly is. So beautiful and lush! I wish I had taken a picture of her townhome and the homes around it. Everything just looked so German. (Duh! right?)

In making all of our preparations for our two-month-long trip, I hadn't spent really any time thinking about our time in Germany and what we would see or do, other than to be so excited to spend time with my dear friend Sarah, her husband Jeremy, and to meet their darling one-year-old twins Isabella and Henry.

The three days we spent with them were so much fun! (Details in the next post.) Sarah greeted us with a great dinner of gnocci (German as well as Italian because of it being made of potato and dressed with gravy).

Sarah helpingDavey with his first German meal.
(Yes, I cringe when I see this picture. Davey loves to pretend to be a baby. Thank you, Sarah, for putting up with it! Though now as I write this six weeks later he is thankfully growing out of it/being pushed out of it mostly.)

The darling babies - Henry and Isabella!

Sarah also hid for them in their rooms a chocolate Kinder Egg.

They loved them!