Christmas Road Trip
December 22, 2018
This year we’re spending Christmas in Austria with our friend Kim and her family. Kim was our au pair and lived with us for two years back in Virginia. We got to know her family when they came to visit, and now we’re going to take a road trip through Germany to Austria to spend the holidays with them.
We had an early Christmas at home so we didn’t have to haul all our loot through three countries. We had such a lovely little celebration — James Wilson woke us up with coffee in bed and then we went downstairs and opened presents while we listened to old timey Christmas music. Then we made American pancakes with Aunt Jemima syrup. I know it’s gross, but I love it. Maple syrup is too sweet for me and Dutch syrup isn’t my thing. I rode my bike to Kelly’s Expat Shopping to buy the syrup and it was well worth it!
After breakfast we loaded up the rental car (James had a bit of an ordeal because he realized after he’d booked it that it’s the law that you have to have winter tires to drive in Germany, and it’s not so easy to arrange in the Netherlands, but he was ultimately successful) and we hit the road.
We spent the first night in Cologne Germany, last night in Nuremberg, Germany and tonight we arrived in Vienna, Austria. Kim met us at the hotel and it was so good to see her. James, JW, and Kim are out to dinner now but I’m back at the hotel getting ready for bed. I’ve been sick for three weeks and I just can’t seem to kick it. It started as a sore throat and has progressed to a horrible hacking cough, which is miserable because every time I cough really hard I pee a little. I’ve been coughing and peeing all the way through Germany and I’m exhausted.
We’ll spend tomorrow sightseeing with Kim, and then the next day we’ll all drive to her family’s house in the country. I’m so happy we get this opportunity to travel and spend time with old friends.
We love you, Kim!
it was sooo great to have you guys here with us, we loved every minute!! you can come back whenever you want – remember, you have friends here!! 😘