A 6-hr drive turned out to be 10-hrs on the way there. The return journey on Monday wasn't much better either, with us taking about 8.5-hrs back home. Usually I'm fine, but with my preggy self and achy back, I really wished that we took the plane or went on a long road trip on some other weekend instead.
However, it turned out to be a great and relaxing time spent mainly with hubby's family. My in-laws live 10-mins from us, but MIL's family live mostly in the North. The last time I saw them was about 6 years ago, even before I moved to Germany. Given that I barely spoke the German language at that time, I couldn't necessarily engage in much conversation other than the usual hands-and-feet gesturing.
This time though, I could pretty much follow every conversation as people in the North speak pretty good German, with hardly any slang / dialect that might impede one's understanding of the language.
The only negative side effect of our trip was that my hayfever which had showed signs of getting better, came back full-blown when I was there! Even my eyes became swollen and hubby's eyes were very irritable too. Thank God that once we got home, my hayfever disappeared again and as of yesterday, I'm back at work! :)
We spent a lot of time with Stephan's cousin, his wife and their two kids. Very lovely family. And I'm thankful for this opportunity to share their lives. Usually we only hear stories from my in-laws so it was real good to get to know them personally.
Lüer is a part-time farmer and part-time SAHD (stay-at-home-Dad). His wife Sandra, who is half-Spanish and half-German, is a very chatty and outgoing lady who made us feel immediately at home :) They gave us so much baby stuff! Oh boy, I can't even start to comprehend how many things a little human being needs! I do wish that they lived closer to us though!
One of the nicest shrimps pasta I've eaten! You get a pretty generous portion for just 9€! 
Hubby had the Carbonara pasta which he could barely finish
Hubby's aunt's place. Many people live in huge houses with even bigger gardens because real estate is so much more affordable in the North than in the South (mainly because of the scarcity of jobs available there).
The living room. I simply had to take a photo of the interior because one hardly sees interior designing like this nowadays. Reminds me of what my grandparents' homes used to look like!
Doesn't it look so antique?
Windows decorated with plants which thrive under green fingers! My mother-in-law (MIL) is very adept in gardening and this skill apparently runs in her family!
More family heirloom
The extended family from left to right: Stephan's cousin, son of Aunt Mariechen/ Aunt Mariechen who owns the house and is the oldest sister of my MIL / Stephan's cousin, daughter of Aunt Mariechen / Couple in the middle with the boy - Stephan's cousin (Lüer), his wife (Sandra) and their son.
We went for dinner at the "best" restaurant in a small town there. It was in a ship that was converted into a restaurant. Ambience was great but food wasn't fantastic so I won't bother to post photos or write about it. Its "Saute Deern" BTW.
In front of the converted restaurant. I'm getting rounder!
The North Sea's version of Dubai's burj al arab
The setting sun next to the ship
Trying to smile and keep my eyes open with the wind blowing in my face!
We went to the Cuxhafen which is where Sandra grew up.
On the beach front. Its still too cold to swim, but it was a warm and sunny day when one can chill on the grass. I still wore my jacket though because of the very strong wind!
A beautiful house in front of the beach
Ice-cream galore! Do you see my humongous fruit sundae?
The guys playing with the little boy. Hubby came back saying that he can't wait to have his own kid to play with
**soon soon**
Yup, that was my Easter. How was yours? We were very grateful to have superb sunny weather. Germany was the warmest country in Europe over the Easter break!
5 comments:
Oh dear, Pris... I'm crying while typing this. Those pics have made me so homesick... :(
Just one little thing: Luer is Minna's son - my aunt on the photo with her son and daughter (as well as Sandra and Luer next to them) is called Mariechen. ;)
Don't worry about approving this comment - it's just for you really.
Miss ya! xxx
Hey Jiejie
Oh no, didn't mean to make you cry! :( I hope you're feeling better now!!!! And thanks for the correction of the names! I knew their names "properly" but don't know why I ended up writing the wrong ones down!!!
Hey,
yes, feeling better about it. It just hit me so much as nothing ever changes in her living room - it's as if I've stepped out of it a few days ago.
Glad that you had a lovely time, can't wait to get up there myself. Maybe next Easter? Who knows...
No worries about the names either. ;)
Miss ya, big hug!
xxx
Hey Jie Jie!
Can imagine! The living room looks like it has been looking like that for years! Very quaint.
Yeah I told hubby that he should visit the relatives at least once a year - like how I visit Singapore too. Its the drive really. 8.5 - 10 hrs stuck in traffic jams in no joke!!! And with a little kid, I think we might have to consider taking the plane! Hah....
**hugs** to you too!
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