I won't say it was easy, but we made it to Germany on the morning of January 6th. All things considered, the kids were real troopers on the almost 10-hour flight from Portland to Frankfurt. It took us longer than expected to collect our 11 pieces of luggage (yes, we're nuts) due to our ignorance of the "bulky item belt", a separate location to which the car seats were diverted.

We found our shuttle driver with no problems, picked up a rental car and were at our temporary flat in Bad Schönborn within an hour of getting our luggage. We got a Ford minivan with a standard transmission and diesel engine. I'll give you $1 for each one of these you find in the US!

We're really happy with the three-bedroom flat. It's right above a small grocery/drug store and a fresh vegetable mini-market. There are plenty of shops and restaurants within a minute's walk, including a bakery where we buy our breakfast every morning. Fresh baguettes in the morning is a luxery we haven't enjoyed since our last vacation to Brazil. No doubt about it: these people know how to bake!


The kids and Bia are happy, if a little jetlagged. This morning Robert and Emily woke up at 6:00 -- much later than "normal" since our arrival. Another few days and our internal clocks should be adjusted to our new continent.