RO: Am hotarat sa scriem aceste articole pe parcursul calatoriei inapoi acasa (chiar daca aveam sa le publicam cateva zile mai tarziu), tocmai pentru a ne aminti cat mai multe detalii de pe drum 🙂 Nu stim cum va fi intregul drum (avem totusi niste asteptari realiste conturate), insa speram sa ne putem bucura de aceasta experienta ca de o mica vacanta, cu multe opriri, cu putin plimbat in locurile unde vom inopta, cu joaca si cu mult optimism 🙂 Am ales varianta de a veni cu masina pana la urma, pentru ca ni s-a parut singura optiune prin care aveam control si puteam ajunge acasa fara teama de a ne fi anulata sau amanata plecarea. Nu puteam risca sa ni se mai anuleze din nou zborul (initial aveam un zbor KLM pentru 27 iunie) asa ca am decis sa transformam intoarcerea acasa intr-o mica vacanta in drum spre Romania, ca sa ne fie mai usoara intreaga experienta. Si noua, dar mai ales lui Alexei 🙂 

EN: We decided to write these articles along our way back home, so that we can remember as many details as possible from this trip 🙂 We don’t know how the entire trip will turn out (we have realistic expectations though), but we hope we can enjoy this experience as if it would be a small vacation, with lots of stopovers, a bit of sightseeing in the places where we’ll stop for the night, with lots of playing and optimism 🙂 We eventually have chosen to come back home by car, as this seemed to be the only option where we had the control of getting home, without being afraid of delays. We couldn’t risk having our flight cancelled again (we initially had a KLM flight scheduled for 27th of June) so we decided to consider our return back home a short vacation, so that the entire experience would seem easier. For us, but especially for Alexei 🙂

RO: Dupa o saptamana cum nu se putea mai haotica si mai plina, cu multe de rezolvat la birou, multe provocari toddleresti si cu presiunea de a termina de impachetat toate lucrurile, am reusit sa plecam inspre Romania. Vineri, 26 iunie, chiar de ziua mea 🙂 Am incercat sa plecam cat mai de dimineata insa plecarea ne-a fost putin intarziata de vizita agentului imobiliar (care a trebuit sa verifice intreaga casa) insa aproape de ora 10 am reusit sa plecam la drum. Cu masina plina de lucruri (chiar daca cu doua zile inainte umplusem deja o duba cu cutii), cu inima stransa, cu multa nerabdare si fericire ca urma sa ne intoarcem in Bucuresti dar si cu multa tristete ca plecam din casa care ne-a fost… “acasa” in ultimele luni si mai ales pe perioada pandemiei. Vecinii din casele alaturate au fost extrem de draguti, ne-au intampinat in fata casei pentru a-si lua la revedere, ne-au adus mici cadouri de ramas bun si ne-au asteptat pana cand am plecat, pentru a ne face cu mana 🙂 Momentul cel mai emotionant a fost fara doar si poate cel in care Alexei si Lotte, fetita vecinilor, cu un an mai mare ca Alexei, si-au luat “La revedere”. Pe intreaga perioada a izolarii se jucau si vorbeau prin gardul curtii, ieseau impreuna cu tricicletele in jurul caselor si chiar daca nu vorbeau aceeasi limba, pareau ca se inteleg. Cu siguranta ii va fi foarte dor de Lotte 🙂 

EN: After a chaotic and full week, with lots of things to solve at the office, with many toddler-challenges and with the pressure of finishing packing, we finally managed to start our trip back to Romania. Friday, 26th of June, precisely on my birthday 🙂 We tried to leave early in the morning but we’ve been delayed by the real estate agent (who had to check the entire house) but around 10AM we left. Our car was packed full with all sort of things (even though two days before we filled a van with boxes), and we felt quite strange. On one side we were excited and happy that we were about to go back home but on the other we were sad that we were leaving the house that was… “home” for the last months and especially during the pandemic. The neighbors from our nearby houses very very kind, they greeted us in front of the house to say goodbye, they brought us small farewell presents and waited for us until we left, to wave hands 🙂 The most touching moment was when Alexei and Lotte, our neighbors’ daughter, one year older than Alexei, said goodbye to each other. During the isolation they were playing and talking through the fence of our backyards, they were riding their tricycles together and even though they did not speak the same language, they seemed to understand each other. For sure he will miss Lotte 🙂
RO: Ne-am facut planul de intoarcere in asa fel incat sa ne fie cat mai confortabil drumul. Am planificat sa conducem aproximativ cinci ore in fiecare zi, chiar daca am fi putut mai mult, ca sa ii fie cat mai usor lui Alexei, sa nu stea ore in sir blocat in scaunul de masina si sa nu se plictiseasca. Vom profita la maxim de somnul sau de pranz (in general o ora si jumatate, poate doua daca suntem norocosi si mergem constant), ca sa putem conduce fara intrerupere si vom face zilnic opriri pentru plimbari. Astazi, in prima zi pe drum, ne-am planificat sa ajungem in Creglingen, un orasel mic aproape de Rothenburg ob der Tauber, unde aveam sa ramanem peste noapte.

EN: We made our plan so that we could have a comfortable trip. We planned to drive approximately five hours per day, even though we could have driven more, so that it would be easier for Alexei. In this way we wouldn’t keep him in the car seat for too long and he wouldn’t be bored. We will try to take advantage of his afternoon nap (usually one hour and a half, maybe two if we’re lucky and drive constantly), so that we can drive as much as possible and we will stop for walking every day. Today, on our first day on the road, we planned to reach Creglingen, a small town close to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where we booked our first accommodation.

RO: Am condus aproximativ o ora in Olanda, apoi am intrat in Germania (am intrat in Germania fata controale, fara opriri, fara niciun fel de verificare). Chiar daca faptul ca nu aveam limita de viteza (cum aveam in Olanda, de 100km/h), drumul ne-a fost incetinit de aglomeratie (era incredibil de aglomerat, multe masini, multe rulote si mai ales extrem de multe tiruri si camioane) si de lucrari. Dar in Germania par sa fie tot timpul lucrari, asa ca nu ne-a surprins acest lucru 🙂 Aveam avantajul zilei lungi, de vara (fata de toamna cand am venit, cand se inopta foarte devreme), ceea ce ne va ajuta foarte mult pentru ca vom putea profita de serile de plimbare in locatiile unde vom inopta, insa fiind atat de cald (peste 30 de grade), ne asteptam sa fie destul de dificil drumul (mai ales pentru Andrei, care va conduce).

EN: We drove approximately one hour in The Netherlands, then we entered Germany (no border controls, no stops, no checks). Even though it was nice not having the 100km/h speed limit we had in The Netherlands, we’ve been delayed by the traffic (it was terribly crowded, lots of cars, camper vans and trucks) and by the road constructions. But that’s something normal in Germany, so we weren’t surprised 🙂 We had the advantage of the long summer day (compared to last autumn when we came to The Netherlands and it was getting dark very soon) which would help us a lot to enjoy the evenings in the locations where we would stop along the way, but being so hot (more than 30 degrees), made our trip a bit harder (especially for Andrei who usually drives).

RO: Prima oprire (am facut doua opriri) din prima zi a fost la 3 ore dupa ce am plecat de acasa (dintr-un drum de aproximativ 6 ore in total) si asta pentru ca Alexei a adormit destul de greu, vazandu-ma pe mine in spate, langa el (adoarme foarte usor in masina dar numai atunci cand conduc sau stau in fata). Nu a avut un somn foarte odihnitor, s-a trezit de cateva ori si nu a dormit la fel de mult ca acasa (o ora si putin), probabil si din cauza multelor incetiniri din cauza lucrarilor de pe drum. In apropiere de Frankfurt chiar am stat bara la bara, blocati intr-un trafic pe care nu l-am anticipat. Din pacate intregul drum prin Germania a fost foarte greu, nu am mers nici macar 30 de minute continuu, fiind mereu incetiniti de lucrari. 

EN: Our first stop (we made two stops) was after 3 hours of driving (it was a 6 hours long drive) and that was because Alexei barely fell asleep seeing me close to him (he can sleep right away when we are in the car but only if I’m driving or staying in the front seat of th car). It wasn’t a good nap and he didn’t sleep as much as he does at home (one hour or so), probably due to the slow downs caused by the road constructions. Close to Frankfurt e literally stood still, blocked in a traffic that we didn’t anticipate. Unfortunately the entire road trip in Germany was quite hard, we didn’t have 30 minutes of continous driving due to the road constructions.

RO: Ne-am pregatit cu un intreg arsenal de jucarii, carti, tablete magnetice pentru colorat, stickere, carti de colorat si alte lucruri care sa il tina ocupat, asa ca speram ca drumurile sa ne fie la fel de usoare ca cel de astazi. As fi vrut sa pregatesc niste activitati mai interesante (asa imi propusesem), insa in tot haosul ultimelor zile nu am gasit suficient timp sa o fac. Am luat cu noi TOT ce am gasit inafara cutiilor deja impachetate, am umplut pur si simplu masina cu jucarii si carti. Am avut ceva emotii legate de acest drum, mai ales ca dupa izolare eram cu totii foarte dezobisnuiti de stat atat de mult in masina. Insa lucrurile au decurs nesperat de bine, ba chiar am observat ca Alexei era extrem de incantat de stat in masina, in scaun, de masinile care treceau pe langa noi (e in faza in care adora absolut orice masina, fie ea normala, utilitara, agricola, turistica, orice!). Nu am vrea sa generalizam dupa doar prima zi (cand oricum am fost cuprinsi de entuziasmul plecarii), insa am avut cu totii foarte multa rabdare, foarte mult chef de citit, jucat, dansat, cantat, asa ca orele in masina au trecut nesperat de repede.

EN: We prepared an entire arsenal of toys, books, magnetic tablets for colouring, stickers, colouring books and all sort of things to keep him busy, so we hope that the next days will be as easy as today. I would have wanted to prepare interesting activities, but in the chaos of our last days I couldn’t find enough time to do it. We took with us EVERYTHING we found outside the boxes that were already packed and we just filled our car with toys and books. I was pretty nervous about this trip, especially because after the isolation period none of us was used to stay in the car for so long. But things were way better than expected, actually we even noticed that Alexei was happy to stay in the car, in his car seat, being fascinated by the cars passing by (he’s in that phase when he simply adores every car, no matter the type – normal car, utility car, agricultural car, touristic car, everything!). We don’t want to generalize after only one day (when we were very excited about going back home) but we all had quite a lot of patience, we were in the mood for playing, reading, dancing, singing, so the hours spent in the car passed unexpectedly fast.


RO: Prima oprire a fost aproape de Limburg, am facut o scurta pauza pentru a lua pranzul si a ne dezmorti. Din fericire, in Germania am gasit foarte multe spatii unde puteam opri, multe cu spatii verzi si mese pentru picnic. Desi planul initial era sa gatim si sa pregatim preparate normale, pe care le-ar manca si acasa (ne-am propus sa avem grija cum il hranim zilele acestea pe drum si sa fim atenti sa manance cat mai variat si mai sanatos), nu am avut suficient timp sa pregatim prea multe. Am luat multe fructe si o banana bread pentru drum, urmand ca la cazari sa gatim masa de seara (si pentru pranzul din ziua urmatoare). Tot ce am ales pana acum in materie de cazari au fost apartamente AirBnB cu bucatarie, a fost principala conditie dupa care am ales cazarile. Nestiind insa cum va decurge drumul, am ales sa rezervam doar primele doua nopti, urmand ca pe parcursul drumului sa decidem unde vom inopta si ce cazari sa luam. Astfel ca in prima seara am stat in Creglingen, in acest apartament AirBnB (intr-un mod foarte ciudat, am gasit niste preturi exorbitante pentru cazarile din Germania – intelegem faptul ca turismul a fost afectat de pandemie, insa un pret de 10.000 lei pe noapte pentru un apartament similar cu cel gasit de noi este inadmisibil). Si desi planul era sa vizitam Rothenburg ob der Tauber, ne-am simtit destul de obositi si nu am mai avut energia sa mai conducem 25 min pana acolo, asa ca am ramas in micutul Creglingen.

EN: First stop was close to Limburg, we had a short break to have lunch and relax a bit. Fortunately, in Germany we found so many places to stop, lots of them having green spaces and tables for eating. Even though our initial plan was to cook and prepare normal dishes, as he would eat at home (we decided to be very careful about the food we will give to Alexei these days) we just didn’t have time to prepare. We took lots of fruits with us and a banana bread and we planned to cook in the evenings at the AirBnB apartments booked along the way. Everything we have chosen so far in terms of accommodation included a kitchen, that was our main request when booking the AirBnB apartments. Not knowing how the rest of the road trip will be, we decided to book only the first two nights and along the way to decide what will be the next stops and what accommodation we will book. So in the first night we stayed in Creglingen, in this AirBnB apartment ((in a weird way, we found some prohibitive prices for the accommodations in Germany – we understand that the pandemic affected the tourism but a 10.000 lei price for a night of accommodation in an AirBnB apartment similar with the one we have chosen is just not normal). And even though we initially wanted to visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber, we felt quite tired and we no longer had the energy to drive 25 more minutes to get there, so we stayed in tiny Creglingen for an evening walk.




RO: Legat de corona virus, stiam ca Germania a fost cel putin la fel de relaxata ca Olanda in privinta restrictiilor, insa cu toate acestea ni s-a parut ca lumea era ceva mai responsabila (desi extrem de aglomerat peste tot, in toate parcarile si popasurile de pe drum). Se purtau masti chiar si pe strada (am intalnit destul de putini oameni fara), lucru cu care nu eram deloc obisnuiti (in Olanda doar in transportul public sunt obligatorii). Iar oamenii respectau distantarea sociala. Singura vesnica problema in Germania a fost faptul ca nu am putut plati niciunde cu cardul (exceptand benzinaria), doar cash.

EN: Regarding corona virus, we knew that Germany was at least as relaxed as The Netherlands was when it comes to restictions but we felt that people here were more responsible (even though it was crowded everywhere). People were wearing masks everywhere on the street (we’ve seen few people without a mask) which is something that we are not used to (in The Netherlands the masks are mandatory only in public transport). And people were respecting the social distancing. The eternal problem in Germany was the fact that we couldn’t pay contactless (except the gas station), everything was cash only.
RO: Concluzia primei zile este ca a fost un drum lung, dar nu la fel de greu precum ni l-am imaginat. Am simtit aceasta zi ca un road trip de vacanta (poate si pentru ca eram in atmosfera de sarbatoare) si chiar daca a fost destul de solicitant, ne-a placut 🙂 Nu stim cum vor fi urmatoarele zile, insa planurile pe care ni le-am facut ne incanta atat de mult, ca efectiv nu conteaza drumul in sine 🙂

EN: The conclusion of our first day is that it was a long drive but it wasn’t as hard as we imagined. We felt this day as a vacation day (maybe because we were in the celebration vibe) and even though it was quite demanding, we enjoyed it 🙂 Not sure how the next days will be, but the plans we made are so exciting that it simply doesn’t matter the driving itself 🙂

To be continued