A Drive to Germany
Take every opportunity to celebrate your family’s success
It was an opportunity to drive over a thousand kilometers to southern Germany and back again.
It was an opportunity to visit and celebrate the accomplishments of family. Something that is definitely worth driving thousands of klicks for.
Our daughter, Leah and her family are returning to the US this summer. Her husband, Greg, has won a promotion back in the States. They had hoped to obtain a better position here in Europe, but it was not to be. The planned five-year posting has been reduced to four. The new position sets Greg up for a better retirement package.
Leah has become heavily involved in the local Boy Scouts of America group. The American armed forces, recognizing that happy homes mean happy service members, goes a long way to support the scouting movement amongst the expat families in the Ramstein area. However, like every volunteer organization, leaders must be found, willing to put in the time and effort to organize the activities of that organization.
Leah volunteered to work with the troop Skylar became a member of. She quickly became a key leader, helping to organize and participate in camps and jamborees in Germany, Croatia, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia. She also received a certification to teach leadership skills to other adults helping with BSA.
But it wasn’t just Leah who had a growth opportunity. Granddaughter Skylar became the troop patrol leader. Her badge sash displays almost every attainable badge and she wears a number of cords on her shoulder signifying senior leadership positions. She will have completed her Eagle Scout Project before returning to the States. Not too shabby for a sixteen-year-old if I do say so as a preening grandfather.
We chose this particular weekend to drive to Waldmhor because the troop was holding a Court of Honour. A Court of Honour is an event where the troop recognizes its members for the accomplishments made during the year. Awards for completing badge work, being promoted within the troop such as to a patrol leader position. It’s a pretty big deal for the members.
We were very happy to have the opportunity to attend and watch the ceremonies which were facilitated by Skylar as senior troop patrol leader. It was gratifying to see Parker, our grandson, presented with a number of awards as was Greg for his role as an assistant troop leader. All of the family were recognized for their support to the Scouting Movement at Ramstein and were presented with parting gifts to recognize that service and remember their time there.
Now, about that drive.
There was a time when driving one-thousand kilometers wasn’t a big deal. Thirteen hours behind the wheel. Throw in a break or two; no problem. Used to do that regularly when I lived and worked in British Columbia. Now, not so much. We broke up the trip north and back with overnights in Dijon. Even so, I was done by the end of each day.
Driving in France, on the Autoroutes is an expensive proposition. Gas is selling at about 2€ per liter right now. From Lavaur, Fr, to Waldmhor, De, costs in the region of 75€ in tolls. If you do the math, it’s almost cheaper to take the train.
We chose to drive so we could collect some small appliances from Leah and Greg, before they return to the US. Small appliances just don’t cross the pond. One-hundred-ten-volt systems stateside, two-hundred-twenty volts here. Managed to snag a good coffee maker and a microwave oven, amongst other things. We left similar prizes in a storage locker for them on their return.
Should you decide to rent or lease a car and tour Europe, I highly recommend avoiding the Autoroutes. Not because of the cost, but because of all of the vistas and villages you will see. Leave a lot of time for breaks. I could easily have doubled the time we took on our trip if I had stopped for all of the photo opportunities. I also recommend using Waze as your navigation tool. Google Maps doesn’t let you know when you’re approaching a speed enforcement zone. The speed cameras are all over the place here.
Now, here we sit, back in Lavaur, reviewing rental opportunities, leasing agreements and financial documents – yuck – would rather be out exploring.
Speaking of rental opportunities, we think we have narrowed our search, having put in an application in what we think will be a nice location. Not going to say anymore until the negotiations are finalized.
Stay tuned…
