Home again, home again

Wolfrathausen: decoration
in the town square. Not sure
what it is, or what it means,
but it looked fun.

I'm glad  that, before turning in our room key, we looked
in the cupboards for things we might have forgotten,

After our breakfast this morning, we decided there was no use lingering: we packed the car and started the three-and-a-half hour drive home to Zürich.  Dennis and I thought we had a more clever route planned to get us north to Munich and beyond, but, with a few wrong turns, we think we eventually ended up backtracking the same convoluted route that Google Maps suggested the night before last.

Ah well: it was a cozy day for driving, at least, with misty, foggy scenery.  A few weeks ago, Alex mentioned to me "I miss driving. Especially when it's night, or when it's raining."  I agree, particularly since I wasn't the one driving. There's something that feels so safe about being in a warm little car bubble, surrounded by your family, when it's gloomy out.

But two nights of church-bell-interrupted sleep has taken its toll on Alex, and he was uncharacteristically grouchy for the ride, short on patience and growling.  I did my best to entertain the kids, and him especially, dredging up Halloween songs I learned in grade school ("Have you seen the ghost of John...") and tossing them stickers and toys.

Eventually Alex cheered up enough that I could leave all the kids to their own devices. Joey was especially dear, chirping to himself, making up little stories with his finger puppets.

Going 100 mph on the German Autobahn

A little road trip snack

Perhaps after some disrupted nights and nonstop theme parks for a week straight, a few quiet hours sitting still where exactly what the kids needed.  The kids sprang from the car with all their joy and energy restored, and immediately congregated in Ella's room.  I'd forgotten all about the club that my little band had formed, back in Constanz, but they hadn't, and they each tumbled onto the floor of Ella's room all of the candy that they'd managed to accumulate and save during the week, and then divided it equally among themselves, calling the occasion a party.

Since the kids were high on sugar, I sent them outside to play for an hour while I unpacked and Dennis returned the car and brought groceries, but the chalk-drawing activity that they chose wasn't quite rigorous enough: they did this when they got back inside:

Finally I got the kids to settle: I had a surprise for them. Two packages from Amazon, stuffed with Berenstain Bear books, which all three of the kids love equally well.  After some shouts of excitement, we all curled up on the bed and read them, which was a very special thing, indeed.

It's good to be home.