Winners and Losers


Now that we have had a week to recover after our big treck across German-speaking Europe, I thought I would write down some of the things that did and didn't work for us. Here, in no particular order, are the winners and losers of the trip:

Winners
1. Pottery Barn Kids suitcases. They were the right size, the kids could roll them, and their inline skate wheels were nice and quiet on cobblestones. Thanks to Karen for buying those in January!

2. Eddie Bauer wrinkle resistant shirts. I rolled them up in the suitcase, shook them out, and wore them constantly. Students kept asking me how I always looked pressed, which was nothing short of amazing. They were not always clean, but they always looked ironed!

3. Travel bibs. Katie and I can attest that these came in handy a lot. Even if your kids were climbing up the walls, if you had a sippy cup and a disposable bib, it looked like you knew what you were doing.

4. Tide travel bottle for 4 loads. This worked better on our trip than sink packets (though we did use those) and the stain pen (which I had to have a student explain to me -- they may yet become useful). We never did try the Shout wipes, but I may have to use them on the couches if we continue to buy Nutella . . .

5. two video iPods. I thought we were nuts, and we are, but not for having two video iPods. They both connect to the same computer and have all the same contents so that there is no fighting about wanting the white one vs. the black one. Four pairs of earphones and two splitter jacks complete the picture.

6. Band-aids. Had them. Used them. A lot. I should have unpacked the liquid Band-aid too -- that would have been very useful on the trip because Sebastian decided that he hates Band-aids.

7. the weather. From the moment that we left Dorfgastein, the weather has been uniformly perfect. We didn't have a single day of dragging suitcases in the rain, through puddles and mud. It is still beautiful weather here in Berlin, but it is getting cooler, and we know that soon our indian summer will be long gone.

8. Playmobile figurines. The kids each got one in Melk and another one in Nuremburg and they managed to play with those for hours and hours. The best part was when Maddie cast them all as characters in High School Musical (sort of an updated, squeaky clean Grease that is all the rage with tweens right now). The mermaid was Gabriella and the knight was Troy . . .

9. Friends who understand you

Losers
1. Rob's backpack. It was Will's last year, and it was too small for Rob's things and the bottom was broken, and we ended up buying a new suitcase in Fuessen.

2. Bonn bahnhof. This was the black hole that took the Isaaks' CD player and all their music, Kelsey's purse, and our camera. None of them have surfaced (coincidence? I think not . . .).

3. Sebastian's stroller: he outgrew it, and throughout the trip, he would stand up in it, wearing it like a turtle shell, or put his feet down and try to brake like Fred Flintstone. The alignment was also too loose, so that you had to compensate for his movements by pushing more on one side or the other. It was a real pain.

4. my right hip. It started acting up and has given me a lot of trouble. I was worried that I was developing the same thing Karen had, but I think it is just stress, and carrying lots of luggage, because it is much better after a week of sitting around Berlin. Rob is trying to find me a yoga class here in Charlottenburg.

5. European wireless networks. They were hard to find and unreliable and slow. Still are!

Comments

M-L said…
I think that you are becoming an expert on traveling through Europe with a young family! These are great tips! Good luck with yoga in German!
8:28 PM
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