Passports, please

For all the worrying over taking small children on a long flight, it's really the following 72 hours that make or break you. Ava stayed up the entire flight, so upon arrival in Frankfurt, she was EXHAUSTED. I was beyond tired having been up the entire night before cleaning and packing.

It was so fun to be speaking German again! And eating German! While Chad organized the rental car, we girls parked at the cafe and enjoyed Apfelschorle (sparkling apple drink), Pfifferlingepfanne (a seasonal wild german mushroom dish), and a variety of Broetchen and Suessigkeiten (breads and sweets!).

It took us the entire morning to get through customs, claim our three car seats, stroller and eight suitcases, and finally get to the rental car. Yet the promise of Schokolade, Erdbeerbecher-eis (strawberry ice cream bowls) and utterly charming villages and castles far outweighs any inconvenience and hassle.