The broken wrist was a major setback in our sabbatical, but truth be told, it could have happened at a worse time. The reason for that is that our plan had long been to spend the following days with Ricardo’s family in Stuttgart, Germany. It was then a good opportunity to rest in a familiar environment while rethinking on our next steps. Mar ended up being caught a little off guard since the car roles got reversed: she was demoted to a driver for 7 hours while Ricardo was promoted to “passenger prince” who, during those same hours, only had to worry about choosing the music playlist and enjoying the scenery. The journey took its time as we crossed all of Switzerland until we entered southern Germany. We couldn’t have asked for a better welcome at aunt Aldina’s house (where Ricardo’s paternal grandparents are also staying), since we were delighted with delicious homemade lasagna.
The next day turned out to be a sunny Saturday, so we gladly accepted the invitation to go for a walk with aunt Aldina, uncle Paulo, and cousin Fábio. The chosen destination was the city of Esslingen am Neckar, less than half an hour from downtown Stuttgart. We started by visiting the castle and then went downstairs to the city center. In the town square, the local market stalls were being packed up as lunchtime approached. We ended up staying there to eat at a typical restaurant. After a much-desired bratwurst and a walk around the center of Esslingen, we tried the excellent rosé sparkling wine from Kessler.
Sunday was dedicated entirely to family time. In the morning, we went up to the famous TV tower from where one has a 360-degree view of the entire city of Stuttgart. At lunchtime, we managed to gather almost all four generations of the family. In the afternoon, we continued the family reunion with a lot of cake!
The week started with a trip to the city center to schedule a new X-ray appointment for Ricardo’s wrist. Once again, we had aunt Aldina full availability to take us, help us, and even guide us through downtown. We visited a chinese garden, the Markthalle (where we bought some snacks to taste), the Stiftskirche, and the old elevators of the Town Hall. In between, we couldn’t resist a hot cappuccino with a pretzel.
The next day, we went with Ricardo’s aunt and grandmother for some shopping. This time, the snack was a delicious Berliner. For dinner, we accepted uncle Paulo’s invitation for authentic “german fast-food”.
Wednesday was the day Ricardo would get some news about his wrist. We learned that the recovery was progressing well but that he would have to keep the cast for at least another week. Hope died of seeing this uncomfortable cast replaced so soon…
On this day, we also met the newest member of the family, Joaquin. It was a beautiful moment to get to know family members that Ricardo usually considers so far away… At the end of the day, we drove to Ricardo’s cousin’s house, Jessica, to have dinner together with her husband Florian and daughters Filipa and Alma. The way there was through a beautiful park as the sun set on the horizon.
Thursday was our last day in Stuttgart. The day was mostly dedicated to repacking for the next destination, where we are planing to stay for two months. One clue we can give about the next country is that we won’t need spring or even summer clothes. Ricardo’s aunt kindly allowed us to leave some luggage in her storage (which we will collect on our way back to Portugal). Not only did we take the opportunity to leave much of the clothes we know we won’t need, but we also left the bikes for this new stage of the trip (Ricardo will hardly be able to ride one so soon). This allowed us to empty and organize the car significantly better. However, this meant almost a day of work for Mar (since she is the only one in this relationship with two functional arms).
Despite that, there was still time for one last lunch out. Aunt Aldina, knowing that we had never been to a greek restaurant, took us to one along with Ricardo’s grandparents. There we had an incredible meal that we won’t forget so quickly. We couldn’t feel more grateful for all the love we got these days here. Ricardo has been living away from much of his family (for obvious geographical reasons), and as such, this stay in Germany had even more impact. In this more fragile moment, this warm support never ceased to surprise us and give us enough energy to continue our journey. Furthermore, it makes us reflect on how our “classic work life” has distracted us and kept us away from these moments entirely dedicated to family.
It’s with a full heart that we will continue this journey, stronger than ever!
Until next time!
Ricardo and Mar