This past summer,
three years ago, I received the diagnosis that changed our lives. It was the week before we were planning to leave for Germany on a family vacation. My dad was flying in from Trinidad to make the trip with us, and we got the news that I had stage III breast cancer the Wednesday of the week he arrived. We had to cancel that trip and I went straight into treatment.
This past summer, almost to the day, we finally made that trip to Germany...
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| Here I am on the ferry going to Denmark |
My dad was not able to go with us on this trip, but it was a wonderful experience to see Berlin again, and see it with the kids. They were great travelers! Helped by the chocolate breakfast bars with Nutella that we got on the plane, no doubt!
My first visit to Germany, pre-kids, was all about the places - my husband's University, Deutsches Eck, Munchen visiting friends, the hospital where he was born, Opa Willie's grave. This time around, it was about family and the foods he grew up with - Doner Kebab, Kartoffelpuffer, Mohnkuchen. All sorts of delicious yummy-ness.
We got the chance to visit some of my husband's relatives in Sweden and to experience something that my husband has always talked about, from when we first met many years ago - the Swedish sauna followed by a plunge in the cold water.
I, and I hope the kids too, will have many memories of this trip, but the happiest memory I have is the sauna experience. The sauna we went to was separated male/female (not all are), and you go in naked. Yes, that was quite the experience being naked with you mother-in-law in a sauna! I have to admit, the other ladies in with us were quite nonchalant, chatting away in English and Swedish, and me with my scars and vitilgo on display. These Europeans are quite something! The temperature in the sauna was about 85C so we were only able to stay in 10-15 minutes at a time, followed by a plunge in the cold water (10C or below)! When we went outside to get into the cold water, I could hear the boys over the fence separating the male and female sections. They were laughing and giggling. I could only imagine the little one in glee, running around naked with his bruder, Papa, Opa, Onkel R, all naked too. I could hear him having such a good time! Laughing with his brother. He boasted afterwards that he did the sauna-cold water plunge cycle 3 times! It was awesome! One of the best memories I have.
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| Heading to Sibbarps kallbadhus, yes, with jackets on |
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| The plunging area. |
My mother-in-law told me stories of the time(s) they had to add salt to the water so it would thaw enough for them to swim, my response? "Oh, really?" I mean, what can you even say to that? These Swedes!
I don't know what the next year will bring or the next month or even tomorrow, but I had this trip.
Enjoy some random pictures of us in Berlin, heading to Sweden and in Sweden.
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| On the ferry |
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| And don't forget that! No horns! |
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| Turning Torso, Malmo |
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| 3 generations - on the way back from the Berlin Zoo |
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| No clue what size this is |
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| Boys having fun. |
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| Wind turbines |
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| Taking a walk after dinner, the Swedes are the ones in summer clothes. |
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