The Clearing out begins

Our trip to the Philippines begins on April 24, 2026. We’ll fly via Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Thailand to take a short vacation. Christian and Jhed won’t arrive until July, so we’ll have some time to explore.

The plan is to move out of the apartment in Vaterstetten by the end of March and stay with my parents in Bad Staffelstein for a few more weeks. Then we’ll deregister in Vaterstetten and fly out of Munich.

We’ve now started sorting through and getting rid of a lot of stuff. It does take a while to find people interested in some things, like the houseplants, the treadmill, and especially a new home for the gecko.

I wouldn’t have thought we’d accumulated so much stuff. We’ve been to the recycling bins several times, and we still need to make a trip to the recycling center to dispose of the bulkier items.

Most of the flower pots have already been taken by neighbors in the area, and the mugs and various beer mugs are gone too. My dad was really happy about the inflatable canoe and has already taken it out for a few spins on the nearby lakes.

The houseplants have also been promised to someone, and luckily they’re all going together and will be set up in a school. There are quite a few of those in Vaterstetten. The basement is already pretty much empty. The climbing gear and puzzles are finding takers a bit more slowly, but little by little, those are going too.

I’m still waiting to hear back about the gecko. I wrote to a reptile and bird caretaker in the local area, and she put me in touch with someone. I hope it works out.