And They Lived Happily Ever After.....The.....End

I have taken it all in and therefore, my mind has grown from the experience; Europe ignited my senses.

I sit, weary with heavy eyes, wondering if i am capable of completing the next sentence, but drawn to finish off this last chapter.

Yesterday, I sat in a coffee shop in Iceland. Today, I sit at the head of the dining table in my existence of home.

PARIS: She takes the role of the oldest sibling; confident, serious, respected, scholarly and reliable. We arrived in Paris with a desire to learn from her and she did not disappoint.
Random Mind Spree: gelato, Seine, walking, narrow streets, crepes, smile on children, espresso, chocolate croissants, writing, naive, clarity, parks, untouchable, cuisine, architecture, family - cousins reunite.

STRASBOURG: The grandfather who quietly sits in the corner, listening to the conversation filling the room, but lost in memory of times past. Strasbourg has seen it all, and without pretense, unobtrusively immerses you within the experience. Telling a remarkable story, if willing to listen. Strasbourg is wise, unassuming, and solid.
Random Mind Spree: Napoleon, Emperor with no shoes, writing on steps of the cathedral, building with green windows, finding hat for Simon, Martin Luther, Reconstruction, reminds me of The Giving Tree, two hotel rooms, john and I have an evening alone with kids next door (sid with us), high school students 'hanging out' after class on Cathedral steps.

GUNZBURG: This is the crazy relative that no one really mentions, but kids have connection. Nobody visits Gunzberg unless they are out of gas, lost, on the verge of a mental breakdown, or have an inkling to visit Legoland! Unfortunately, Gunzburg is also the birth place of Dr. Joseph Mengele : chief medical officer in Auschwitz.
Random Mind Spree: Legoland, Legoland, Legoland. First beer in Germany at food stand in the "Pirate" themed section of park. 10am to 6pm. Kids saw it all. tacky hotel. Bad breakfast. 80's music playing on speakers all night long.

FUSSEN: The emulated relative no one really knows, but craves conversation, appreciating and identifying a gain within relationship.
Random Mind Spree: Alps, Neuschwanstein, Mary's Gorge, Hike up to Castle holding Sidney, drinking beer, talking to john, feet up on deck, sweatshirt, view, swimming pool, lake, Seespitz hat for john, "He's the boss!", Bavarian dress, trying to find Kul Kaffe, buying Sidney's backpack for Iceland trip, would have come in handy during hike (sans stroller) up mountain the day earlier.

FRANKFURT: We really did not see much of Frankfurt, as we were just outside in city called Kronberg - my sister lives in Kronberg. An etch in time with family. Visiting with cousins and sister. We went to the zoo in Kronberg one day and then rode the train the next day into downtown Frankurt for ice cream, shopping and World Cup viewing.
Randon Mind Spree: swimming, chandeliers, marble stairs, baby Sidney, birthday cake, trampoline, lots of laundry, hotel down the street for John, Sidney and I, Frankfurt Airport, Europcar and gas.

ICELAND: The uber cool teenager, content, grateful, talented, unique. Iceland impacted my senses and complicated my views.
Random Mind Spree: GPS Unit, roundabouts, rock, moss, waterfall, vikings, laws, hiking, cool, sun not setting, expensive, trying to reason.

We are now home, we are all in bed, the chapter to this book is now coming to a close and as we turn to the very last page, the author pauses with intended significance and slowly puts forth the sentence all desire to hear, "And they all lived happily ever after."

Thanks for listening.

Where Did I Put My Garlic Necklace?

The Avenson family has shared some exceptional moments within our European journey. However, our dependency upon transportation has hailed upon us with significant hits of bad luck.

1. Arriving in Paris airport, luggage is no where. 2 days go by before we see clean clothing.

2. Luggage arrives in 2 days at 1:45am. Stroller arrives, but back axle is bent, so back wheels have a slight twist to them when navigating the road.

3. Leaving Paris, John picks up rental vehicle (Mercedes Vito...large van). The rental place (Europcar) is not ready for john and the vehicle they give us just came back into the store front. It is trashed inside with a half a tank of gas; but we are on a time schedule, we need the car, we take it.


4. Arrive in Strasbourg, France. On our travels across France, the brake light continues to go on and when driving down incline, the breaks squeak. The next day, we stop by another Europcar facility; they tell us they do not have a replacement car, but they have one at the airport - 20 kilometers in the opposite direction of travel. We arrive, and while investigating the vehicle, we see the tires are basically bald and would not be safe on the rode. Get in new car and take off. Tank is full at this time but this has taken a huge chunk out of our travel time.

5. Last day of travel. New car has suited us well. Arrive in Frankfurt Airport with half tank of gas -- Europe is not forthcoming about any of their rules and regulations. Becuase we picked up car with half tank, we simply assumed. Pull in garage and maintenance guy says, "Oh, no gas? This is really going to cost you." Get luggage, car seat, stroller, backpacks, baby backpack and kids all into Europcar Office and they tell us to fill the tank (1/2 way), it will cost us 170.00 Euro (208.00 US Dollars). After 40 minutes of talking to this guy and that guy and this guy and that guy; none of which took an ounce of responsibility, we get through to some guy in Hamburg. He very reluctantly agrees to let us pay for a half tank of gas at regular gas price. Imagine 3 kids tired, sitting on a car rental office floor, sitting patiently and one 15 month old 'holding it together' for just so long.

6. Arrive in Iceland. It's raining with gale force winds. We are transported to rental car facility and as we walk into small shop, the front entry door swings open with such force, it bangs up against shop edifice. With great strength, I grab hold of the doorknob and close the door. This does not seem to be uncommon, as others have done the same, including those working in the shop and the metal wall adjacent to the door is dented from force. A driver brings our car around and parks it in close proximity to another rental. As john is going around with sales associate, marking off specificity of vehicle, the slightly opened back passenger door quickly swings open and bangs right into the side of the neighboring car. The rental car company now wants to nail us with the cost of fixing the near by car. 30,000.00 kronars (234.00 US Dollars). Again, we sat, fighting our case, talking to this guy and that guy and this guy and that guy - convincing them that we did not place the car in it's spot and we did not damage the car, the wind did and we did not even have the keys to the car at this time - it wasn't even in our possession. We are let go with hand shakes.

So...tonight, as we consider driving possibly over a hundred miles tomorrow in our drive through Iceland, one has to wonder....was it really a black cat i saw, crossing my path, when i accidentally broke the mirror inside the house while trying to escape the owl looking at me through the window as i ducked under the ladder to avoid being hit by the opened umbrella that knocked over the salt jar? Not sure.

thanks for listening.
Katie