So that wasn’t quite how we had planned it.
Road trips in the winter aren’t ideal for two-year-olds, so we decided to take the train.
It always runs—except last Friday.
First, the sign in Hengelo said 12 minutes. Then 27. And then the Deutsche Bahn website on my mini-computer said that all trains from Schiphol to Berlin were being taken out of service today. With no replacement.
There was too much ice on the overhead wires.
We went to pick up the car again, explained to our son that the train wasn’t running today (he took it surprisingly well), and then spent the night in Drenthe.
So we took the car instead, and thanks to our four-wheel drive (which our friend J. hasn’t stopped raving about these past few days), we were able to unwrap the presents under the Christmas tree a day later.
Now Max is staying with Grandma in the woods, and we’ve headed to the big city. Where tomorrow and the day after, amid the mountains of snow, a whole lot of work awaits me. Because I’m going back to work at the RBB Abendschau, where I already had the chance to do two weeks of reporting back in March.
It’s only two days, but still: suddenly working for someone else is a challenge, puts my nerves on edge, and makes me try even harder than usual. So that can only turn out well. (And my boss is okay with it.)
Plus, for now, these are REALLY my last two reports before I start my new job on January 4. It’s kind of weird.
I’m looking forward to it. And today I bought some snow boots so I can get to work on time tomorrow morning.
