Easter trip to Massachusetts

It's already mid- April? How did that happen? Oh, yes, the two weeks off, the seven-day trip back to Boston, and now visitors coming tomorrow. I LOVE how busy we've been! 

 I must admit I was a bit nervous about travelling alone with a three year old, and arranged a lot of things in advance to make it as painless as possible: grandmothers got car seats installed, therefore eliminating the need for us to bring one on the plane, we left a lot of toiletries at Mum's house to eliminate the need for a checked bag (although I must say I was embarrassed when I got ON the plane and said carry-on suitcase was too heavy, resulting in a plastic Lufthansa bag full of shoes being carried draped around my arm along with the bag of toys and the oversized purse) and such things. 

But Fiona is a delightful traveler. Fiona enjoys all sorts of forbidden fruit on the plane- television, candy, and juice. She loves it and is constantly asking what movie they will show on the plane. I hand out the Smarties and M and Ms like, well, candy, and the eight hour trip is nothing. No sleep, but no crying either. I'll take it.

We spent a lovely Easter week with family and friends- see Fiona decorating Easter cookies with Granny above. We raced around like crazy folk and tried to see as many people as we could, but I snuck in a few rest times with my book while Fiona napped. All in all, a great trip.

The journey back to Weimar was longer than the one to Boston- we had a layover in DC. Normally I'm up in arms about this sort of thing (I actually GET on the plane and comment to the STRANGER next to me "I'm really going in the wrong direction. I hate flying this way. I'll be going back over this spot in four hours" and the like  until the person opens a book or Russ drags me away) but with my super-cheap tickets I tried to be positive about it. But still- a two-hour flight to DC, a two-hour layover, an eight-hour flight to Frankfurt, and then another two hour layover, then a tw0-and-a-half hour train ride make for a long day. Even with travelling in the wrong direction, we fared well and despite the lure of Hannah Montana on the plane, Fiona slept for a few hours and so did I. All was well until we got on that last leg of the journey- the train.

Unless you've been on a German train before, I'm sure you don't know this- most people don't purchase a specific seat. Nah, just buy a seat, and sit anywhere, and hope that the very few people who booked an actual seat didn't book the one you're in. Or just get up and move if they do approach you. BUT. If you're lugging a heavy suitcase-on-wheels, a toddler sized backpack full of toys, a large purse, Twilight (not a thin volume at all, but good airplane reading, it's actually pretty good and fairly interesting, although I'm not sure I'm obsessed with it as are most people), Dumbo, and a three year old, moving through the train cars (especially those doorways, you know, with the pleated floors and doors and the joints that shift side to side) as the train hurtles along is challenging. At best. And needless to say, the man who did purchase the seat I foolishly chose (chose, sat in for forty minutes, allowed Fiona to fall completely asleep in my lap in, and then had to vacate at the first train stop when he boarded) was kind enough to wait next to an empty single seat while I packed up ALL that stuff, roused a sleeping child, buckled us both into our jackets, and lurched away. He put down his computer bag and closed his eyes. 

We lurched through the train cars desperately seeking a pair of seats. Fiona was so tired that she actually STOPPED at a stranger's seat, put her head down, thumb in, and tried to curl up. I was busy righting the wonky-wheeled suitcase and didn't avert this disaster in time, so I had to drag her out of another seat. Eventually, we found a compartment with two empty seats and dragged ourselves in. But the magic of the nap had worn off and we played with Wiki Stix and ate Gummi Bears for the rest of the journey.

Now that we're back in Weimar (which was sunny and a positively tropical 70 degrees while we were gone, but now rainy and cold and not unlike the weather I enjoyed in Boston) we're expecting visitors (my family this time!) and we can't wait. We LOVE visitors (so if you haven't come yet, please do!) and we'll be taking them 'round to all the sights. And of course we go back to school on Monday so while we're busy ramping up (pun intended. I am teaching Simple Machines and not really looking forward to it. Poetry was far more my speed) for the last eight weeks of school, said visitors will be taking the train off to Berlin, Dresden, Nuremburg. I am sure that since they'll all be travelling with just a backpack and grownups, no one will have booked their seats.