Hello All – I had intended to write sooner but life got in the way because . . . our things finally arrived! The car is currently undergoing its mandatory government inspection, we received our boat freight last Wednesday, and our air freight landed last Friday—just in time for us to tear open the boxes and dig out our winter clothes for our departure the next morning! I know it’s just stuff, but there is something deeply calming about being surrounded by familiar things. We had the movers unpack every single box (mostly because I was terrified of enraging the neighbors by overflowing the apartment building’s recycling bins with cardboard and packing paper), which meant our belongings promptly exploded across every horizontal surface in the house. It about killed me to leave the house in that state, but it will just have to wait because it was time for Nia and I to start our Fall break train trip.
Over the course of nine days, we’re meandering southwest through five German cities to our final destination of Essen, Germany, where we’ll be attending Spiel Essen, a huge board gaming convention. Here’s a quick video that will give you an idea of what the festival was like last year:
This is our second Mom-Daughter trip over Fall break and I hope it will turn into a tradition, especially since the Dad-Daughter Spring break trip seems to be a regular thing now (it’s rumored that this year they’re heading to WWII battlefields and I have to admit, I am not sorry to be missing out on that one). The last Mom-Daughter trip Nia and I took was to Paris back in Fall of 2023. Remember that one?
Nia is a dreamy travel partner. We have similar stamina levels, she’s excited about whatever I put on the itinerary, and she knows to suggest donuts and a latte whenever I’m getting cranky. 😊 I smugly thought I packed light with my medium-sized suitcase, but it has proven to be an absolute pain in the neck trying to wrestle it onto crowded trains and get it up and down the endless stairs (why are so many train station elevators broken?!?). Nia was far smarter, fitting everything into a sleek carry-on. I will pack smarter next time.
I’ll admit I had a few romanticized preconceptions about the German rail system: that trains would arrive with Swiss-watch precision, passengers would form orderly queues, and the whole experience would be serene and relaxing. Sadly, reality has been a bit different. We’ve been crammed into overcrowded cars, forced to stand for long stretches, and had our entire day’s plan thrown off due to a missed connection from a late train.
It’s not all bad though, the cars are clean and well-lit, nicer than Berlin’s S and U-bahn. And we’re essentially traveling for free because we’re just using our Deutschland Pass, a 63 Euro a month pass that covers every train, tram, and bus in Germany except high-speed trains. I’ll close today’s post by wishing my travel buddy a wonderful 15th birthday. You are such a joy to have around and I can’t wait to see what the next year brings and how you change along the way! Love you, Nia!
