Sunday funday.

Today we awoke after 8:30 -- many hours of good sleep! Walking from our hotel to Tom's house took about 10 minutes.  We had a late breakfast with delicious breads and jams along with good coffee.  I read to Niklas and Yannik helped me learn more German words. Bob built things with the boys. We also babysat for a little bit while Tom and Martina retrieved a bike from the zoo -- some sort of complicated story where Martina's bike got left behind during their Friday visit.

We played a game with Yannik as Niklas sang and played with his legos. When the parents returned, Yannik and Tom made pineapple and ham pizza totally from scratch. 

It was delicious!  The boys also performed for us, so we have adorable videos.  

Two hours had again passed, so it was time for Kaffee and kuchen leftovers. Yesterday's strawberry cake looked more like a jumbled mess, but we ate it anyway! Martina explained that her grandparents were farmers, so they needed to eat something every few hours. We actually joked about the fact that just as we finished cleaning up after one meal, it was time to start the next!  

And by now it was time for foosball: Mexico versus Netherlands. It was fun watching with the knowledgeable Tom. After the Netherlands won, wE said good by to the boys and to Martina after watching a very interesting educational program where we learned that there is actually a point on a balloon where you can stick a pin, and the balloon will not burst!

With our former exchange student and family.

We arrived in London on time and then had to walk forever while also using two different types of transport to get from Terminal 5 to Terminal 1. Ridiculous. It took about 45 minutes to make the switch -- by then it was time to board our flight to Hannover. We received yet another complimentary meal during the one- hour flight. How different international airlines are from US airlines...

Tom was waiting for us as we exited the plane -- how lucky we are to have such lovely people to visit. Although the weather was supposed to be rainy, we ended up with a mostly lovely day with Tom, Martina, Yannik, and Niklas. The boys have really grown in two years. They're such fun -- Five-year-old Yannik was happy to help us learn German when he realized he couldn't understand us!  

Tom's parents came for the day, and we all had a lovely visit complete with meals seemingly every 2 hours. First was the midday meal: various meats and sausage on the grill with fresh vegetables, pasta salad, and bread. Afterwards we chatted and played outside with the boys.

Here is grandpa Ingo. We respect Tom's no pictures of the children on social media, but here's his dad! 

Tom took us to check in at the hotel, and 

two hours later we had delicious Kaffee and kuchen with yummy chocolates. 

Tom had his 30-year reunion this night, so we spent some time with Martina and the boys and then headed to our hotel. Bed by 9:00 -- I was exhausted!

Crazy beginnings

After spending quality time organizing and packing for our trip, the day had finally come. Bob was home, and we had plenty of time to get ready before leaving for the airport. Because it was Friday afternoon, we left in plenty of time to get to the airport and make our 6:15 flight. However, we were heading for the perfect storm of my worst nightmare....

We arrived at the Park and Jet, and I was surprised to see a stop sign positioned so that I had to get out of the car to get a ticket. I soon discovered that the lot was "full" - the woman who should have stopped me from getting a ticket was on the phone when I went through the gate. However, she knew there was a space in a certain section, and we found it. The shuttle to the airport was waiting for us I quickly put on my shoes and we gathered our things. Going through the TSA stuff was surprisingly quick, and we were soon seated at Ciba, having ordered our usual pre-flight wine. As I opened my purse to check in on Facebook. I realized that in the flurry of activity at the parking lot, I had forgotten to unplug my iphone and take it with me from the car. Panic doesn't even begin to describe my feelings! We canceled our drinks, and I decided to go back to get that phone, which had all my travel info as well as the camera app for all the pictures I was planning to take. Bob stayed at the gate with our stuff, assuring me that he was not getting on that plane without me! The time was 4:40 -- our flight left at 6:10. I ran back and had the information desk call the shuttle. It took 10 loonngg minutes for it to arrive, and the guy said it would take at least 20 minutes with the stops he had to make. Noooo!!! I ran back into the terminal and grabbed a cab. The ride seemed interminable, but he agreed to wait while I got my phone. I was in the area where I knew it was and just kept hitting the lock button until I located it by the sound of the beep. And then I ran back to the cab -- that shuttle driver, ironically enough, was back, but I took the cab instead. We made it back to the terminal in record time, and I fast-walked/jogged through the terminal again, this time half-crying at every little delay along the way. And----I made it back to the gate just as our row number was being called. Crazy. After that, the flight was totally painless except for the anticipated lack of sleep.

Here we are, happy but exhausted. 

Oy, what a day!