I found a way to carve out exactly 5 days in mid October to be my brother’s family first visitor to Stuttgart, Germany & its was even more of a whirlwind than I had imagined.
Insert a catastrophic hurricane bearing down on the whole state of Florida just a day & a half prior to my departure, I was starting to panic that this perfectly planned excursion may not happen. But after being closed for 2 days (which is a rarity), Orlando Airport surprisingly opened on my travel day & I settled in for a brutal red eye and 8hr layover in London (on purpose). After expending 32k+ steps seeing my bucket list sites & lugging around my only bookbag, I was whipped but the fun was just starting….
To pull off this epic surprise, I arrived right before bed time on a Saturday night & walked in their apartment to lots of screams & hugs. Ooh how I have missed them!!!
With my birthday falling every few years on the Columbus holiday, we had 2 full days to go out & explore the local Oktoberfest festival and a few hikes to castle ruins. I love the old style buildings & quaint towns, while the pace of living is noticeably slower (which is such a blessing prior to my busy season).
I got to walk them to school & see each enjoy their extracurricular activities – Olivia horseback riding & fencing, Emma tap & cheer, and Carter karate & soccer. They still love playing at the park & bath time. Each night I even rotate whose room I sleep in because at their ages it always has to be fair! And while they sleep & due to the 6 hour time difference that I never adjusted to, I squeeze in some work nightly to hopefully lighten the load upon my return.
Needless to say, the days & hours fly by too quickly and I inevitably dread the final goodbyes. But they know I’ll be back in a mere 4 months, so that eases the sting somewhat this go-round.
After a quick flight back to London, I’m excited to try my first capsule hotel at Gatwick airport & catch some much needed zzzz’s prior to the long haul back to Orlando.
Wheels up!
FearlessAdventures 