Operation Deutschland

It's been seven years since our first sabbatical and you know what that means!  It's time to embark on another adventure.  This time with two toddlers in tow.  We swore we'd never take our kids on a European vacation until they were old enough to understand some history and wipe their own butts.  Well, we got the itch and found a way to make a long haul trip to Europe work.  We'll be living in Germany for three months while Jay works remotely from his company's office in Munich.  We'll have plenty of time to get over the jet lag and explore at a toddlers pace so it will all be worth it right?  We've got big plans and we're optimistic.

Jay's company has graciously allowed him to work remotely for this time period.  He's working hard to make it a smooth transition and continue to be a rock star engineer so they might let us do it again in the future.  I'm thinking the Aukland, NZ office could be stellar!  

We've been planning and researching our butts off and the number of spreadsheets created for "Operation Deutschland" is a little obscene but not surprising for us.  As we prepare for the trip we've been saving our pennies and churning all the flight mile credit cards we can so we can all fly free.  We were shocked at the monthly Airbnb rental prices in Munich but were able to secure a duplex (with a yard!) in Boggenhausen.  We desperately wanted to get the girls into a German speaking preschool or daycare but have had no lucking finding one with spaces open for us.  There are still a few things to check off our to do list but with passports in hand and flights booked we are feeling good.

We'll have several rounds of friends and family coming to visit.  We plan to travel regionally in Bavaria and to a few major European cities while there.  I have no idea how I'm going to manage the subways with two kids and a stroller but copious amounts of beer and bretzel should help.  I'll be spending the next few months brushing up on my non existent German language skills so that I can navigate the bakery and beer garden at the very least!  Stay tuned.

Aber & Out