When my blog hit the 10 year mark in 2024, I began to feel the weight of time more heavily than ever. Seven years already passed since my cousin Lisa and her now husband Christoph visited me in New York, when I showed them the best of New York City and we drove all the way to Niagara Falls.
I was going to visit for their wedding and I tried to work Germany into my revenge-travel-summer trip to Greece and Norway. Both plans fell through for various reasons. So, after 12 years since visiting Germany the first time in 2014, I was determined to plan a Euro trip with Germany as the priority.
That’s how I ended up with my Euro trip planned for May.
This post explores my day-by-day back in Bavaria after 12 years. I landed in Munich and from there my relatives whisked me off to 4 days of quality family time. Mixed in, I visited parks, saw incredible German architecture, hiked to castles, explored villages, and ate all the typical Bavarian food. The most heartwarming part?—Meeting my 5 new cousins aged 7 months to 5 years old.
I laid in my top bunk under a hand-woven blanket watching the sunlight trickle in through the far window. I smiled to myself as I heard the light ba-ah-ah-ing of sheep in the distance mixed with the faint breathing of my two new friends laying in the bunks next to me. We had all stayed together in the same room the night before even though we could have each had our own room in the place. I had chosen the room on the east side strategically so the sunlight would warm me up in the morning. What I did not anticipate was the emotional warmth I would feel when Carolina and Fabrice decided to stay in the room with me. We were becoming fast friends, and now it was like we were children away at camp together.
The day before we began our Ring Road trip by detouring around the Golden Circle. Today we planned to get back on Route 1 to see some waterfalls before reaching Vik for the night. Today was also the day that I was to learn how to drive manual—finally! I had always wanted to learn. Most cars for rent (especially the less expensive ones) are manual in Iceland. So with Fabrice and Carolina as my teachers and nobody around on these country back roads, this was my opportunity.
