Although the alarm went off at 4 AM to start our return trip, there were few complaints from the kids. We were ready to go home. Our driver was an interesting lady who, with her husband, ran a company that provided support to different types of productions. Essentially it sounded like they were roadies but not for rock bands. Since they were experienced in shipping and moving large productions, they also provided logistical support to missions. We had a very interesting conversation about her work and aid work in general. Time flew and soon we were at Schipol Airport arriving in the pre-dawn darkness. We wheeled our large baggage into the airport and once again met no resistance during check-in.
The trip to Dublin was short and soon we were back in a familiar airport. The kids mentioned how nice it was to be able to understand the language around them. We had a good lunch and boarded our plane to Washington Dulles.
The almost eight hour trip has afforded me some time to reflect on our trip and think about if I had accomplished what I had hoped for when I envisioned the trip.
The first thought is that the trip was difficult. Each day presented new problems, new challenges and a long day of riding. Some problems were similar day to day such as finding a place to stay and getting drinking water. Other problems were different each day such as bike problems, train scheduling, heat, rain, navigation and terrain. Each problem we faced and overcame and everything eventually worked out. Some days the problems were easy to overcome and sometimes they involved stress and arguments. While I had expected difficulties I expected it to get easier after a week or maybe two. It did not. While I was willing and even excited with the daily challenges and long bike rides other we not.
The trip was clearly a trip into uncharted waters. The more we tried to set a schedule and plan ahead, the more difficult it became to maintain the schedule. When we went 'off-schedule' it became more difficult in some ways but overall less stressful. I believe the trip is an analogy for many large, new endeavors in life that require a large amount of planning and paradoxically the abandoning of the plan on the first day of execution. Not performing any planning would result in not enough knowledge to react to changing situations and insurmountable problems. Even with all the planning we did, still so much is unknown that we faced daily challenges.
All this sounds very negative but my emotions are the exact opposite. The trip was surely not a vacation but an adventure. We learned and experienced so much that I don't even think we have begun to processed it all. I think it will take me a month or more to process it all. People were asking the kids what they liked best about Europe and they can not begin to answer the question. I think it will take the kids months maybe even years to sort out everything they have experienced.
I'm already feeling nostalgic and want to plan the next cycling trip. I'm more convinced than ever of the value of bicycle travel. While traveling by bike we experienced the culture, landscape and people of Europe. The rest or non-bike days were certainly more comfortable but we experienced far less. I will do more cycle touring in the future. The appetite for this type of adventure among the rest of the family is may well be zero or may higher with some changes in the trip format. The next trips on the horizon will be skiing and a return trip to the grandparent's cottages.
The trip was also much more that experiencing Europe. The time I have spent with my family and my kids has been so wonderful it is hard to describe. I have learned more about my kids than I have in the last several years. I will forever look back upon the hours of conversations with my daughter while riding through the Rhine valley as among the best experiences of my life. In bad and good times, I learned about the members of my family and love them more for it.
In a few weeks, I will laugh about the hills in Switzerland, the rain in Duisburg, the smells of farming and the Youth Hostels at the tops of hills. I'm already fondly remembering Xanten, Stein am Rhein, dinners in Konstanz and breakfasts in Emmerich. Who knows how the kids will view the trip in five years or what lessons they have learned.
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