Day 29: Journey home: 20th and 21st July 2018

It's better to have a fright with an end than an end without a fright. And everything must eventually come to an end, even the most beautiful journey! Unfortunately, earlier than expected, but sensible and responsible, especially when it comes to the well-being and health of a little baby.

After a hearty breakfast at Elk View Lodge in Packwood, we packed our things and left the cabin. So we didn't mind! But as we drove along the wonderful Scenic Drive of Mount Rainier National Park, our hearts became heavy. No more national parks for the foreseeable future, although the wilderness should now be right in front of us. No second time going into Canada, with mountains and deserts and lakes and streams and bears. What can one say! The most important part of the trip for Marvin, at least, lay ahead of us!

Three hours later, we had a quick picnic, just before the obligatory jeans purchase at Walmart. Hopefully, the pants will still fit when we eat German food again. After that, we checked in at the airport in Seattle and waited for departure.

The flight can be summarized as: awful. Nothing against the pilot and the onboard service, but Julian screamed so much that even the best flying skills couldn't change the overall mood. Getting your sleep stolen by a stranger's baby at night is tough enough. But getting your sleep stolen by your own child in a crowded airplane is even tougher. Julian slept in between, but those were just episodes. And he's already too big to travel without his own seat. But since everything was full, we had to hold him in our arms the whole time. It wasn't good for him or for us. But we arrived safely in Frankfurt, where Pascal kindly picked us up and drove us to Fulda.

For us, a great journey came to an end, while Iris had to drive another hour by car to Kassel. She also arrived safely and now we're all happy to sleep in our own beds again.

And with that, this blog has come to an end. It was great that so many people read it, thank you very much for the kind feedback, whether in personal chat or through the comment function! Maybe we'll write again during our next journey and you'll feel like reading along again. Sending lots of love, Silke and Marvin with family.