We’ve been traveling for the past couple of weeks. A trip to Munich (always a homecoming of sorts for us) and the Baltic States with my dad, my brother, and my brother’s husband. And now it’s time for the dreaded vacation re-entry.
Why the Baltic states?
To say my father has traveled extensively is an understatement. When my kids were little, one of their favorite games was to get out the world map and have Grandpa identify all of the countries he’s traveled to. It never got old.
After my mom died, my brother and I asked Dad if there were any countries he’d not been to that he wished he’d had an opportunity to visit. His answer? The Baltic states. So, the genesis for this trip.
We all added three countries to our respective lists of Places We’ve Been.
Now that everyone is home safe and sound (dad is back in Ohio), I’m going to call the trip a complete success. No one got sick (though I did bring home some kind of German stomach bug – grateful to be dealing with this at home, and not in Europe). And no one fell on uneven European cobblestones, or getting into, or out of, a Euro bathtub/shower.
Sidebar: What is the deal with European shower enclosures? All of Europe seems to have moved to these aesthetically sleek, but completely useless, quarter-shower doors. They do absolutely nothing to keep a tsunami of water from ending up all over the floor. Shower mat? Please, it’s a sponge now.
I have two weeks worth of posts and pictures to sort and publish. And, as usual, I will have a full drinks report and photo essay for each country.
But now . . . back to vacation re-entry. It’s time to pay the travel tax. I’ve been up since 5am, so may as well face this mountain of laundry and mail. And I just threw out everything in my fridge to make room for new groceries (one day, I will remember to do this before a trip).
Cheers!
The flask may only be half full, but your plate is certainly full !
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Am softly smiling — the Balkans and the Baltics being so far apart . . . hugs!
Oops. Balkans. Guess I must have been a few beers in when I read your post!! 😂
Or PTSD from your bull encounter . . . ;o)
Post Tipple Slump Disorder?
😂
I look forward to reading about it. The trip, not the laundry. We love the Balkans and by coincidence will be back there later this year, so am fascinated to see where you’ve been.
You’re going back to then Balkans or the Baltics?
Ha! Cannot wait to see where you have been and what you did see and how much of the ‘feeling-world’ you understood! Remember I am Estonian-born and lived there for a well–remembered first nine years of my life ) ! Still speak the language (one of the most difficult in the world) fluently and have a lot of local connections. So am dying to find out !!! And – we never had showers – you enjoyed yourself in the bath with a book to read and a glass of wine in front of you . . . or you went to the sauna and then jumped into the closest body of water, usually easily found close-by !!!
Of all the Baltic states, I felt most comfortable and connected in Estonia. I think it’s the Scandinavian in me. The language? Impossible. Absolutely fell in love with Estonian lieb – you wouldn’t happen to have a recipe, would you??
*smiling* dearHeart – you do NOT have to be diplomatic with me – every place in the world has its plusses and minuses. Estonians are hugely well educated and hardworking across the board, but can come across as dour and serious because to be well-mannered they feel they have to act private and what looks like withdrawn – they are not that once they get to know you 🙂 ! If you mean bread ‘leib’ – which kind, black, rye or sweet-sour – no problem about getting a recipe . . .
Any and all lieb recipes – please send them my way! theflaskhalffull@gmail.com THANK YOU!!
Give me a couple of days – I’ll find the best straight after Easter and send them over!
In the time of our grandparents, travelling was fun. I remember travelling with them to India, to the US (both by ship) and around in Europe and Africa (I didn’t like it in Africa). Nowadays, travelling has lost its magic. I prefer to stay at home. I liked to travel around the Baltic countries when I lived in Finland. My great-grandmother was Estonian.
The US I found kind of shabby as a kid. When I taught at a US university, I had a hard time getting used to historical ignorance and missing aesthetics, so I went to McGill in Montreal.
Anyway, I think the time of travelling is gone. Well, now I live in England and if I feel like driving around on this island.
Happy Easter
Klausbernd 🙂
Indeed. Traveling used to be so glamorous. Not so, anymore. But while I still have health and energy – it’s still a “tax” I’m willing to pay to see other corners of the world. Happy Easter to you. Cheers.
The most beautiful place I have seen was the High Arctic. I went on an expedition to NE Greenland and Jan Mayen. Actually, one shouldn’t do this anymore. But I have to admit I very much liked it.
Greenland is on my list! We’ve been to the very north of Norway – absolutely beautiful.
What a delightful surprise about your great-grandmother being Estonian – indeed it is a small world 🙂 ! One of my two grandmothers was Swedish from Sigtuna . . .