Today is our last day in Europe. We’ve been traveling around for the past month, from the peaks of the alps to the crystal water of the Mediterranean. Now, we only have one thing left to do. Go home. I mean, really home.
We are in Torino again today, a city that we’ve really grown to know and love. We stopped here for a day to pick up all of our stuff (which fits into 12 suitcases) and head back to California. My parents asked if I feel sad or wistful. I actually feel really happy and excited to come home. It’s time.
Having a set expiration date for our adventures has always been a comfort. We knew we wanted to get a lot done in a year, and we did. The idea of living four seasons in a single place made for a very rooted home base. I’m glad we didn’t decide to be global vagabonds. It was much more relaxing for us and more meaningful for the kids to have a “permanent” address.
It is strange to be in a hotel room in a city where we lived. In fact, we are in the same hotel that we stayed in our first night in Torino. It’s incredible to think about all that we’ve done since the last time we slept in these four walls. We learned Italian, crossed the Arctic Circle, laughed a lot and had dinner together every day. The worst thing that happened the whole year was a case of strep throat that we all passed around and were made miserable by. So, we consider ourselves blessed and thankful for this experience.
For those of you that read this blog, I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I hoped it would be a way to share our experience with the people that we love. It was fun to share what we were doing. I don’t know how it might continue. Do you want to hear about us unpacking boxes in Los Angeles? Not as glamorous as skiing in the Dolomites, but something I am looking forward to anyway.
So, thanks for sharing this time with us. We are ready to come home.