Singapore slims

On the way back to Australia, we stopped over in Singapore to visit our former neighbours Annie, Tommaso and Lucia, who now has a little brother, Giovanni. Zoe and Lucia hit it off straight away, even though they hadn’t seen each other for nearly a year. Still great friends. Actually they immediately disappeared in Lucia’s room and started the dress-up routine which was to continue over the next two days. This is after one of their bigger efforts. And the pool in the background was Zoe’s other big passion in Singapore. She spent many an hour in the water, and on the last day was even able to swim on her own from one end of the pool to the other.

Tour d'Europe

Six weeks of holidays - hurray. The long flight to Europe was ok; Zoe slept half the time, the rest of us survived bleary-eyed and with cramped legs. And then we were in stinking hot Germany - 37 degrees and no respite in sight. The first week we spent either at the local swimming pool in Esslingen (where I had hung out on the odd summer day, years - ahm, decades - ago) or at the local hospital visiting poor Oma, who has turned into an unfortunate regular this year.

First an operation and then a broken leg, the latter a week before we arrived. She took it in her stride, so to speak, and Zoe did her best to provide some consolation. Next up was a tour of half Europe by car, visiting friends and family in Munich, Innsbruck, Bodensee, Geneva, Karlsruhe, Frankfurt, Brussels (me), Jena (Vivien and Zoe), Bad Neustadt and some other places in between. It sounds like a lot and it was. But it was great seeing everyone, watching Zoe interact with plenty of German kids, start forming whole sentences German and generally having a great time. And we did have nearly three weeks for that. Obviously, Zoe then needed a break from Mama and Papa who she sent to Paris for a long weekend, while she got to stay with Opa and Oma, who was finally back home, albeit on crutches. Good fun, especially Karsperle-Theater and Julius next door. A stopover in Erlangen, several days in Berlin with Tante Irina and a big apartment all to ourselves on the Main in Frankfurt - thanks to Andreas and Karla - and then it was already time to say goodbye to Europe. We’ll be back soon!