We've been home for nearly 2 months now. Things have been crazy, and we're coming to the end of the school year for the kids, and into Christmas for all of us.

The one thing that's stood out of me is that our trip infiltrates our lives absolutely every day, in one way or another. It might be that one of the kids is laughing and telling a mate about Syd's poems on the edge of Lake Lucerne, or we're wearing the necklace that we bought in Venice, or the earrings from Barcelona, or we notice that the trees in Melbourne actually look like those in the London streets, or my push bike doesn't quite have the magic my e-bike did flying through the parks of London, or we finally did eat that can of Heinz Spaghetti and Sausages that we bought in London, that Johnny had to carry the rest of the way around Europe (and for the record, the sausages were AWFUL!!!), or Johnny's talking about a car that he saw at the showroom in Munich, or..... The points at where it pops up into our everyday lives now are endless and happy memories.

I'm so pleased to have helped the kids to move on from being scared to going somewhere new and far away, to actually dreaming about where they're going to go next.

Each time you ask the kids what their favourite place was, it changes. Johnny loved Switzerland, Jess loved Germany, Syd loved Paris, I loved Venice, the big fella couldn't pick. Lol. But really, we all loved everywhere. Places that I didn't like last time, were excellent this time, and vice versa.

The sun shone, the days were long, there were interesting things to see and eat and smell and hear on every corner. Bucket List items were ticked off. Wonder and amazement was created. The world is truly an incredible place.

There were a couple of things that I'd have liked to incorporate into our trip. Stopping somewhere for a week to rest, spending more time on the Mediterranean, visiting the Greek Islands or Turkey, and also visiting some smaller towns, where life is slower and you see more of the locals. And of course a week in southern France, and another week in Paris. In an ideal world, we'd have managed that with another 7 weeks. Lol. But time flies, and resources aren't as plentiful as we'd like. Perhaps that's our next trip.

I've just this week managed to get our 5500 photos down to 2351 of the top pics, and then culled to a more manageable 502 top choices. I've cropped them, and brightened the shadows, and put them into a photo album / coffee table book of a crazy number of pages. It should arrive back from the printers sometime next week, hopefully. I have my fingers crossed, and I'm mad excited to see it.

I'm dying to print some of the pics in a larger format and putting them on the walls, so we can look at them and daydream every day.

I've so much loved the planning of this trip, and the execution and documenting on our return. How wonderful it would be to have a job doing that. I'll keep dreaming!

We're all madly dreaming up our next trip. Although, I'm not sure we have one up our sleeves for a couple of years. While we drove each other mental at times, I'd hate to go anywhere without my crazy, beautiful travel mates.

It's lovely to be home, but that world is a great big place, full of wonderful adventures to come. I can't wait until we hit the road again!

*******

I'll finish with An Irish Blessing

‘May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

The rains fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand’

Sending you all our love,

Juanita, K4, Jessie, Johnny & Syd XXX