Wiedersehen in Manly

Finally the time had come and Michel and I met again in Manly, Sydney after over 2 weeks. We have been there several times now and love the variety, the fancy food with Poke Bowls and sushi, as well as the fresh breeze compared to Vanuatu. Exactly one year ago, we met there for the first time and saw Pepe in the ultrasound for the first time. That was quite special and exciting, and now we associate this event with the beautiful neighborhood in the north of Sydney. We spent a whole 5 days together there.

Michel arrived from Thailand on Monday already. Pepe and I set off on Wednesday very early in the morning. The plane took off at 7 am together with the volleyball president Debbie and 2 players Lynn and Chantal, as well as Lynn's son Terry from Port Vila to Sydney. It was very nice to have some company and help. Debbie also organized the transport and accommodation, which was very pleasant. Everything went well and we arrived quite happy and on time in Manly and enjoyed the first day together again. Debbie kindly booked a separate room for us. However, unfortunately, the accommodation was overbooked during the booking and we had to move twice in just 5 days. That was a bit tedious, but in the end, we ended up in a 5-star hotel on the waterfront and we couldn't complain :). It was also really nice that Michel's father Sebastian came to Manly on Thursday to spend his last few days in Australia with us. We often spent time together in the guesthouse and cooked together with the players and Debbie. In between, we also enjoyed the time together as a family and had coffee in a trendy café or strolled through the city. As always in Sydney, we also met a common friend from Kiel and her Australian boyfriend. Katha and Justin have been living together in Freshwater, which is right next to Manly, for 4 years now. Despite the wild renovation work, we managed to see each other 2-3 times and exchange ideas about everything possible.

After training during the week, the U21 championships and a tournament of the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour took place on the weekend. We had a team from Vanuatu with us for each tournament, which Michel coached. In addition to ball units, there were activation runs in the morning and yoga for regeneration. While we were busy, Pepe had a great time with his grandpa and they explored the promenade.

The days passed quickly and before we knew it, Sebastian, Pepe, and I were back in a taxi to the airport. At the same time, we flew back home. Sebastian to Germany and us to Vanuatu.

The flight back was very pleasant. We had a row to ourselves and Pepe could sleep peacefully next to me on the seat.

For Michel, it was still another week in Manly. Both teams participated in another tournament. During the week, there was diligent training again, and on the weekend, the teams even managed to win a silver medal and a 5th place. So things are slowly progressing and Michel returned home satisfied with his teams.

In the meantime, I already welcomed Anna and Malin with the babies Mikkel and Lönna. The four of them took their parental leave and made their way to Vanuatu. It's simply amazing. We will soon be reporting on everything we experience with the Coconut Crawlers group. But for now, we are enjoying the days with Michel because after 4 days he is already heading to the important Continental Cup in New Zealand.