On November 29th it was finally time. The last day at the daycare center, my last day of work, and our temporary last day in Rostock.
Mathias was at the kindergarten with us. Wilma said goodbye today. A little round with the mini motorhome and children's atlas. The mini motorhome was more interesting than Mathias' stories. In the end, it was a little play party. Completely okay for a 3-year-old and probably the nicest way to say goodbye - see you soon.
My last day of work was the culmination of bad experiences of the last 9 months. More than a confirmation of our/my decision to put an end to it all.
Friends were with us all week to say goodbye. Others came on Friday afternoon for a small drink with a fire pit. Of course, at our motorhome. It was also a little party for our great pitch of the last few months. At 3-4 degrees Celsius, we spent the evening by the fire pit. A nice start to what's to come.
On Saturday morning (November 30th, 2019), the three of us had breakfast together and then headed to my parents' house. We spent the last few days there. Celebrated Christmas in advance, celebrated a birthday, and experienced St. Nicholas Day. We baked cookies and soaked up a lot of grandma and grandpa. A very, very nice week before we actually left home. Saying goodbye to my parents on Saturday (December 7th, 2019) was still emotional and strange. But thanks to technology, it's easy to stay in touch these days. Family and friends can still be part of our life/our journey. Great and frightening at the same time.
Berlin, Berlin ... we're going to Berlin. (December 7th - 9th, 2019)
First stop on our tour was Berlin. We visited friends and experienced some culture. In the meantime, we collected a few tips for Andalusia. Pablo, my friend's friend, comes from near Seville.
Wilma experienced her first house concert and found her first big crush. Pablo - we hear you every day :-). It was wonderful days.
The mountains are calling. (December 9th - 11th, 2019)
We don't have a real plan for our tour, but one thing is clear - we want to experience the Christmas magic a little longer. We believe we can find it in the Harz Mountains among other places. After Berlin, we wanted to go straight to Wernigerode. Well, due to traffic jams and such, we ended up near Halberstadt. Right in the middle of nature - on Spiegelberg, including a playground. Quiet, sunny, and beautiful. We spent two nights here. We played on the playground. We visited a hunting lodge and climbed a lookout tower. We even went on a short hike.
O come, little children ... (December 11th - 12th, 2019)
Our path led us through the forest to the main road... had we come from here? Definitely not! Off-roading was already a theme in the first week. Everything went well and safely. Our destination now - Wernigerode. We had previously picked out a pitch with water and electricity - close to the city. We arrived around noon. We had a relaxed lunch. Wilma was supposed to take a nap. In theory. She definitely rested a little, but then the peace was over. Okay, let's go on an exploration tour without a nap. A decision that had consequences for the parents - in the truest sense... Wernigerode is a cute little town with a big castle. Many lights and a beautiful Christmas market awaited us. The people - well - maybe a bit stressed or always like that? We don't know. After the very nice guy at the tourist information, we went to the castle railway to go up to Wernigerode Castle. Wilma's mood had already become challenging and the ride was supposed to lighten the mood. The sign said 'Entrance here'... unequivocally the right location for our plan. However, the train had decided to move its departure point. Just to make sure no tourist comes along, they simply didn't announce it. So it left without us. The very friendly - not - ticket seller also scolded us. Whatever. We'll just walk. My mood was at rock bottom because Wilma had been whining loudly through the Harz Mountains for quite some time. Mathias remained calm and led his two goats to the castle. The climb was not easy. Wilma had it easier on Papa's shoulders. But this didn't improve her mood, on the contrary... maybe it was the altitude that affected her. When we finally reached the top, it was actually beautiful. At least for Mommy and Daddy. However, Wilma was appalled and sad that no knight was waiting for her. Any attempt to entertain, motivate, or bribe her failed miserably. So Papa carried the angry unicorn back down the mountain. Luckily, my mood improved again. But our nerves were on edge. On the way back, we strolled through the Christmas market and hoped that 4 rides on the children's carousel would brighten up the child's mood. Temporarily, this was actually the case. A few steps later, forgotten. However, the uplifting bratwurst was a short-term remedy. When we arrived at the motorhome, we quickly had dinner for the child and then off to bed. We were hopeful for the next day. We ended the evening with mulled wine.
Snow, dancing the Snow Waltz... (December 11th - 14th, 2019)
The start of the day was great. The child was in a good mood, as were the parents. After we had packed everything away, filled up the water, and emptied the gray water, it was time to go shopping. Wilma and I stayed in the motorhome. Mathias went to get what was on the shopping list. We cooked lunch and looked at a few books. The child was still in a great mood. Lunch tasted good and then, we headed towards the snow. Our destination was Schierke. About 19km from Wernigerode and near the Brocken. And we were not disappointed - snow! We quickly found a spot for the night. The little one didn't want to sleep again, so the afternoon began. Everyone put on their winter gear and went out into the snow. A walk in the forest towards the Brocken Railway. Wilma initially had a lot of fun and then suddenly it was over. Okay, let's just ignore it. But anyone who has children knows that this is a great skill. Mathias had somewhat internalized it for himself. The reason? I am indeed occasionally a challenge. I can't ignore it. It makes me angry. So we trudged through the snow. Wilma didn't. She went up on Papa's shoulders. And then down again - to Mama. No! I won't. And just like that, the child was stubborn on the ground. We kept going. Wilma did too - in a different direction, and then she was gone. In the meantime, Mathias had gone to the train station to take a look and me? I shouted into the forest for the child. It was already getting dark and I saw something moving in the forest. Eventually, Wilma appeared. Shouting and scolding several times lured Wilma over. Grinning - grinning... We all went to the train station together and were lucky. The Brocken Railway arrived. Nice sight. Originally, we also wanted to take the train to the top of the Brocken. However, the prices deterred us. 45 euros per person. So we just watched. We had snow here too, and a few passengers told us that you can't stand it on the Brocken for more than 10 minutes. It's just too cold and windy. So we built a snowman and descended to the motorhome. Dinner, bathing, and a few tantrums later, the child fell asleep. And us? We warmed up mulled wine and took a little walk around the 'block' to quietly enjoy our winter wonderland. Great! We were happy to stay one more day and enjoy the tranquility. Wilma's mood improved or we had come to terms with it :-). We walked through the snow calmly and relaxed. We rolled down smaller hills and had a snowball fight. We spent the afternoon with homemade cake in the motorhome. Watched the snow and actually found inner peace. A little walk in the evening showed us many different Schwibbögen (candle arches), pyramids, and more. Christmas seems to be at home here. The evening was calm. Wilma slept. Mathias and I used the time without cell phone reception to have conversations about all sorts of things. On Saturday morning (December 14th), it snowed heavily. After breakfast, it was time for outdoor exercise, a snowball fight, and building a snowman - all alone in our winter paradise. We left before noon heading south. That means back on the road. The path from our pitch to a road was already the first challenge. I needed several attempts to drive the motorhome off the parking lot. We headed towards Koblenz through the wintry and very slippery Harz Mountains.
Thanks to Schierke, we are now Harz fans and will definitely come back.
Arrived? Yes, but not in Koblenz. We are currently in Wetzlar. The snow has turned into rain and the ice into a storm. The pitch is not beautiful, but functional. There is water and electricity. We are looking and waiting to see what the 3rd Sunday of Advent has in store for us.
At the moment, it still feels like a vacation, although we have already lost all sense of time. Wilma is also realizing that Mommy and Daddy have a lot of time to play, romp, do puzzles, tell stories, and cuddle.
We are grateful and say good night now
