The Way Home

We're home now and we've spent the last few days trying to catch up on sleep and spend time with family. The flights home were pretty uneventful and Miriam did very, very well despite us not having a bulkhead seat for the long-haul flight this time...She managed two 1.5 hour naps in my arms over the 8.5 hour flight and so we were able to relax a bit this time and even watch a movie (or two).

 

The rest of the time she spent playing wherever she could, which included the floor and the aisles at some points. She loved walking the aisles and saying hello to the other people on the plane. We even met another little girl named Miriam who took quite a liking to our Miriam.

Having flown with several of the major airlines in the west now (United, Delta, Air Canada, Air France KLM, Lufthansa, Air Berlin, Austrian Air, etc.), we both agree that we've had the best experiences with Lufthansa. They gave us the best seat assignments, the best service and help with Miriam (toys, baby food, etc.) and the best luggage service. The Air Canada staff pretty much laughed at us when we asked for a bulkhead seat on the way home, but the one area they have Lufthansa beat is their in-flight entertainment system. Their selection of movies, TV shows, and satellite radio channels is awesome and we're so glad we actually got to take advantage of it this time!

We survived our 5+ hour layover in Frankfurt and Miriam especially enjoyed pushing her stroller around the terminal:

The last few days have been somewhat emotional as we make the transition back to Canada; there's been a little bit of reverse culture shock as we re-integrate back into our daily routines here. I actually did a double-take when a woman spoke to me in English in an elevator...that hasn't happened in awhile!  We are enjoying being home again and having our own quiet space and privacy and not having to eat meals with other people 3 times a day, but we do already miss many of the special people we met this month. We also came home to some bad news on a few fronts...first, the story of Lisa Gibson and her two little ones has been very hard for me to process, as I'm sure it is for many other mothers of little ones. Second, our dear Polish neighbour Jerzy (Jerry in English) passed away very suddenly shortly after we left Canada. He and his wife Barbara have been so good to us and just loved Miriam to pieces, so it is was really sad to learn of his sudden passing. We spent part of the day yesterday with Barbara and Miriam helped to cheer her up for a little while. And third, my parents' dog Angel died this month as well. She wasn't the family pet that I grew up with since I only lived at home for about one year after my parents got her, but it's still sad to not have her around anymore.

So, we're a little tired, our hearts are heavy and we've got a lot to think about and process in the coming weeks. But, we are glad to be home again and are really looking forward to seeing all our friends and family soon and hearing all about what you have been up to this summer.