We made it! After a really easy trip through DC’s Dulles to Frankfurt, we are in Germany! Woo hoo! We had 8 checked bags and 6 carry-ons full of the clothes, shoes, tools, kitchen items, jackets, school supplies, and beloved games and toys we’ll need to help us get through the next 6 weeks before our items from home arrive. Here’s what it looked like:

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We are so excited to be here – lots of emotions the past few weeks have given way to curiosity and excitement about our new home. We are staying at a really cool hotel, the Falkenstein Grand Kempinski, which reminds me of a sort of German manor estate with its 8 stately buildings and extensive grounds (it’s our transfer trip, so the hotel was on the company). The kids’ favorite parts are the underground tunnel that secretly connects all the buildings, the zipline, and the pool:

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We’re in the process of moving into our new home – getting registered as town citizens, signing over the lease for our rental house, moving rental furniture in, obtaining insurance, etc – but we did manage to have a really great first dinner in our new home. Our landlord gave us a welcome bread that is a traditional move-in gift here in Germany!

We’ve taken the first of what is sure to be many hikes in the nearby forest -where we found two California giant redwoods that make Matt feel right at home, and a frog that makes Rowan feel at home! (I guess it was the bread for Cara and me 🙂 ):

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There is still a toilet in the driveway…which I caught someone using at random the other day. It turned out to be an electric craftsman (here in Germany, all the tradespeople are referred to as craftspeople – it’s a sign of how well-respected people are for what they contribute to society), but it still took me by surprise to open my front door and see someone disappearing into the port-a-let! Pretty sure he’s in there in this picture, so I will leave you with that bit of excitement for your day.

All in all, really happy and thankful to be here, and very grateful for all of the friends, family, and professionals who helped us make this happen! Don’t know how we could have done it without all the love and support we received so graciously from everyone. Vielen Dank!!!