The blue skies, rolling green hills and colorful flower boxes of Germany were a breath of fresh air compared to the unfamiliar, muted landscapes of Dubai, Tanzania and Beijing. I physically relaxed in a way I hadn’t realized I was on guard before. People ride bikes (with bells and baskets!) along pedestrian paths to work and to the market. Ladies in colorful summer dresses and high heels wheel about without helmets, their hair flowing in the breeze like an 80s…
Jens drove 200+ km/hr on the autobahn in a BMW 5 series, a sweet upgrade from the rental car agency. The car’s navigation is projected on the windshield like a hologram. This is a level of luxury and performance well beyond our 2008 Prius back home. Let’s be honest: this whole trip is an upgrade from our regular life. It’s fast paced, exciting and exotic. A friend of mine who took a similar extended vacation warned me to enjoy it…
When one brother dares the other to touch the electric fence, and the fun parent wants to prove he can do it, and the responsible parent offers to document the whole experiment – then it is time for Confessions of a Bad Parent. This may shock you, but I am not always the perfect parent I pretend to be on Facebook. Like that time in Tonga when we blatantly left our children at the airport to selfishly take the last…