I haven't finished my travel blog yet (mostly because I didn't have working internet for a while and was too tired yesterday when I came home to finish it) but I wanted to write a little about my travels in a different format, so here it is.
Lessons Learned
This trip was "hard" as my mom puts it. It wasn't hell, hell wouldn't have bright spots, like this trip did, but neither was it heaven. Difficult, challenging, frustrating, and possibly annoying are all words I'd use to describe the last two weeks. I'm tempted to say I'll never travel during winter again, but considering I'm married to a German, I know that in 2 years it's his turn again. So, instead of continuing to say how miserable the travel was (and it was) I'll focus on what I can learn from it.
1) Direct connections. After my initial flight over was canceled because my intermediary airport stop was closed, I ended up on a direct flight to Dublin. It was one of two flights that left and arrived on time. The other one was the flight from Paris, which actually left 1/2 hour late, but arrived on time. I'm going to be looking into direct connections to Munich, Berlin or Frankfurt and will probably book a hotel room for the night before continuing on with the train the next day. My reason for NOT booking direct in the past has been that I don't want to get on a 3 hour long train ride after an international flight. A hotel will solve that better than a flight that involves a change of planes.
2) Reduced Tourism. I have previously always planned in other things to do because 2 weeks sitting in a 650 square foot apartment with my in-laws would be too long. After 3 days of eating and sleeping I'm already done with "relaxation". A room full of people who are deliberately doing very little, so that they can relax, is not relaxing for me. Give me pictures to look at and put in a photo album, play a game with me, hook up wifi so I can blog, clear out some space where I can write and I'd probably be fine. I think I spent 3 hours playing games on my iphone because I had nothing to do (already read the book and couldn't download another). I was really looking forward to Paris. So, the plan is for me to come over for a shorter amount of time, and not try to put other things into the schedule so I'm amused. If I came into Germany, say around the 22nd, took the train the 23rd, left again on the 27th, and flew out on the 28th, that would be about the right amount of time for me.
3) Forget New Years. I've stayed longer so that I could be with my husband over New Years Eve. I hate fireworks. I've found that I especially hate fireworks in Chemnitz. Pretty much everyone buys expensive fireworks and sets them off for days before New Years, but then go all out on New Year's Eve. While I would love to be with my husband, there's pretty much no escaping the fireworks there. I debated staying until New Years, and taking a flight on that day (a true escape from the sound of fireworks) but that would involve 3 extra days, and I'm pretty sure I'd get stir crazy by then. No, I think every 2 years I can do without the hoopla. I can find other ways to celebrate the new year with my husband that are probably far more emotionally healthy.
4) Hotel. Having a hotel for the time my brother-in-law and grandmother-in-law were also staying at the house was definitely worthwhile to me. Gerd disagrees and would rather not spend the money on a hotel (it was expensive, but then we had 3 people...I don't have to worry about my mother deciding to visit again for a while, probably never). Having a place to go made a huge difference in the level of stress I felt under. I didn't need to worry that we were taking up the living and dining room space and that everyone else needed to stay in their bedrooms until we woke up. I could get ready in the morning without worrying that I was taking up the bathroom that 5 other people might need. I knew during the day that I would leave at the end of the day, so there would be relief in sight. AND, I think my mother-in-law was happy to have a few less people to worry about. I've really thrown a wrench in their system, and it isn't really easy for any of us.
5) Another Cat Solution. Another benefit of a shorter say would be less worry over the cats. For the first time this year I hired a catsitter that I didn't know well before hand. We spoke over the phone, and she came to visit a week before the trip, but I was concerned about the cats the whole time. It turns out I was right to be worried. I came home to find that they were out of water (well, there was probably a few licks left in each bowl) and their litter hadn't been cleaned in at least 4 days. I don't know if she got the days wrong or if she was just a bad catsitter. I need to send her an e-mail and find out what went wrong. With a 6 day trip I could ask someone to visit on a particular day and I can have enough food and water put out that I know they'll be okay while we're gone. I'm not saying that I'll never take a longer trip again, but it's one less stress over the holidays.
Happy Thoughts About The Trip.
I think it's important to remember that there were good parts of the trip too, so here's the highlights:
- St. Martin's B&B in Galway. Mary was the best hostess ever and she makes a great pot of tea. I can't imagine a nicer person to stay with in Galway.
- Stopping to walk up to the coast of Ireland. I'd done it before, but it was wonderful to see Mom and Wally enjoy it too. Plus, there's just something about the Burren that is incredibly interesting.
- Irish Stew with Brown Bread. 'Nuff said.
- Singing Christmas songs with my mother on the way from Galway to Dublin.
- Drinking Gluwein in the Berlin Christmas Markets (Weinachtsmarkt).
- Dinner at the Nussbalm Restaurant in Dublin. Cozy, and remarkably good lentil soup.
- Christmas Eve service in German. O Come All Ye Faithful and Angels We Have Heard on High sung in German.
- A friendly family taking us to my in-laws door when I got us lost after the service.
- Gerd playing guitar, his mother playing mandolin, and everyone else, including Granny, singing German Christmas songs.
- The excellent food made my my mother-in-law. Most especially the Nueinerlei (or however you spell it, the 9 small things) for Christmas Eve.
- Thoughtful gifts given and received by all. My mother LOVED her pyramid, and I also loved my bicycle bags. Gerd loved his book about the history of Chemnitz.
- The Windsor Hotel in Paris. It wasn't perfect, but the host was incredibly helpful. It was a 10 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower or the subway. And it had wifi.
- Eating in Paris. Again, what else can I say. French Food.
-The crypts of Paris. We didn't see it all, but I'll go again someday.
-The Louvre. I think in the 3 times I've been I've seen maybe 1/16th of what there is to see, but it's all so wonderful you'd need a lifetime to see all of it properly.
- Cooking for my mother-in-law. I'm not sure she likes to have her kitchen taken over, but I liked being able to cook for her for once.
- Gerd playing guitar for me as the fireworks started to really bother me.
- A visit to Vetsa and Andrea, Gerd's friends from elementary school. I really enjoy them as friends.
- Friendly people on trains, buses, planes, and everywhere along the way.
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