Thank you for the lovely feedback via WhatsApp on the last blog 😊 The Problem Zone clearly kept many of you busy 😉 – and near-misses at two-lane roundabouts seem to be a surprisingly widespread phenomenon. And lovely to hear that life in my former house is treating its new owners well 😊

He’s back!

Thomas is on holiday and has been back in NZ since Thursday 😊 The journey took 41 hours this time – starting in Regensburg with the train to Munich, then a flight to Doha. First WhatsApp update en route: „Qatar is a funny airline. I order ‚water and orange juice‘ and get a Vodka Orange. I like the Muslims 😂“. Then on to Adelaide in Australia for a refuelling stop – now I finally know where that is, by the way. Adelaide always makes me think of the first cinema film my dad ever took us to see in Munich: „The Rescuers“ – in the swamps of Adelaide. Then on to Auckland, where Thomas spent six hours on an uncomfortable wooden bench before finally continuing to Christchurch – where I picked him up in the morning.

The Romantic Reunion – Expectation vs. Reality

But let me rewind briefly. My romantic vision of the reunion after three months went something like this: I stand beaming in the arrivals hall, see him coming towards me with his suitcases, he drops everything, we run towards each other, fall into each other’s arms, he sweeps me off my feet and spins me around, we kiss – and a few moved bystanders even start clapping.

And how did reality play out? The plane lands at 7:50 am, driving time at that hour roughly 23 minutes. I had taken Thursday off, got up early, made myself presentable and set off. On the way down the hill: a stunning light – the sky pink and pale blue, the flat part of the city shrouded in mist with just rooftops poking through, and the snow-capped Alps behind. Just before I clear the dead zones on the hill, I call Vicy – we’d arranged to chat once I was on my way. Traffic moves a little slower than expected, and suddenly Vicy says: „Thomas has landed – he just wrote in the family group.“ I glance at the sat nav: „Damn – still 14 minutes away.“ Vicy reassures me: „Oh, it always takes ages to get off the plane and collect the luggage.“ We speculate whether he’ll arrive full of energy or exhausted and leaning on me for support. I picture the romantic spin-around… and promise Vicy a full report.

On the dot of 8 o’clock I’m in the car park. Thomas sends his live location, I send mine at a near-sprint. Inside the airport, the two little location bubbles dance helplessly back and forth – completely without direction. He seems to be outside already… my romantic vision is slowly dissolving into thin air. Then I spot him through the glass: two suitcases, heavy backpack, eyes firmly fixed on his phone. I dash through the door and jump into his path – first surprised, then a huge smile spreading across his face, and then: a hug and a kiss in the light drizzle. A young woman nearby watched us with an amused grin.

Good thing we were outside – because I’d heard somewhere that New Zealand airports have something resembling a kissing and hugging ban. After some research: it turns out Dunedin Airport in the south of New Zealand has actually introduced an official 3-minute rule for hugs and farewell kisses in the drop-off zone – anyone who cuddles for longer gets politely escorted on their way. Christchurch Airport has no such rule, but better safe than sorry. You never know whether excessive reunion enthusiasm might appear somewhere in the visa conditions as grounds for deportation. I’d rather not jeopardise our application for permanent residency over an overly long snog 😄

And for Vicy’s information: so much for tired and in need of support – Thomas arrived full of energy. No surprise really, given he was wearing the lucky mushroom socks (which even got him through New Zealand’s notoriously strict Bio-Security Inspection) that we all received from Barbara as a farewell gift 🍄

The Souvenirs

Back home: a big welcome from Ferdinand and Marie, who are still on school holidays. Then the great unpacking begins.

First up: fridge magnets – absolutely essential for documenting the „Overseas Experience“ that Kiwis (owing to their well-known island complex) are always so keen to prove. Thomas had been impressively diligent over three months: Munich, Nuremberg, Neumarkt, Regensburg, Salzburg, Frankfurt, Singapore, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Auckland. Respect. Ferdinand has already taken to rearranging them constantly – in the current arrangement, fitting for the World Cup, a kicking footballer takes centre stage. Worth noting: the shape of New Zealand, turned upside down, really does look remarkably like Italy’s boot 😄

Then a mountain of hand-knitted socks from Thomas‘ mum, a T-shirt from my mum for Marie (perfectly suited to her future café ambitions 😉), and a gift from friends we met in Christchurch who have since moved back to Salzburg – intended for the son of our mutual Chinese friends here. And finally: the photo books. Five kilograms worth!!!

5 kg of Memories, a Toilet Bowl and Eggs Benedict – almost à la Schönhofen

One of my hobbies is making photo books – always nicely chronological. Since fotobuch.de unfortunately only delivers within Germany, Thomas simply had to go and collect them in person 😉 There are three books in total, now spread across the northern and southern hemispheres: one covering 2024 and 2025, and two documenting Thomas‘ life up until the point we met. Those two books were preceded by many hours of Thomas sorting through thousands of slides in the cellar, scanning and digitising the best ones. Actually putting the books together was comparatively quick. Along the way I discovered just how many countries Thomas has visited on holidays and work trips – and also how photo enthusiasm evolves with each child: with the first child there are pictures of every conceivable everyday situation, with the second already noticeably fewer, and so on. With the youngest, the very first photo was one of him striding confidently through the countryside in hiking boots at the age of three. Me to Thomas: „Hm, Ferdi wasn’t actually born in hiking boots, was he?“ And sure enough – there were more pictures 😊

Then this happened: I’m standing on a street and I see young Thomas looking completely smitten. But something isn’t right – he’s not looking in my direction. I follow his gaze and see his ex-wife, looking lovingly back at him. At that moment there’s a loud crash, and a toilet bowl shatters on the street in front of me. I look around – the entire street is covered in white porcelain shards, and at the end of the street there’s a white wall, and behind it another scene in which Thomas and his ex are dancing in a close embrace. And then it clicks: the white wall is the border between two photos in the photo book – and I am standing right inside it. At that moment the alarm clock jolts me out of the dream. I look to my left – good, Thomas is lying next to me. Everything is fine. Just a dream. At breakfast I tell Vicy about it, who grins and delivers her verdict: „Vroni, you need to take a break – I hereby issue a photo-book-making ban for a few days!“

Back to the present: Marie grabs the Wildgen/Kippes book and flicks through the last two years. Suddenly: „Mum, what’s Kirwa?“ She has landed on the page with Vicy’s Kirwa highlights. Brief explanation: Kirwa is the Bavarian harvest festival – and Vicy seemingly attended every single one within a 100 km radius in a single season. Vicy, please feel free to comment and provide exact figures 😉

At lunchtime, a typical Kiwi-style brunch: Eggs Benedict on sourdough – though in this case on a homemade spiced bread that came remarkably close to the one from Thomas‘ baker at the Neumarkt Saturday market. My own ambitions, however, are set higher: to recreate the spiced bread from Bäcker Altmann in Schönhofen – the only one far and wide made with whole spices, and one I absolutely loved. I’m not quite there yet, but I’ll get there. Dear Bettina, warmest greetings to you and to everyone in the bakery!

In the afternoon, a question to the room: does anyone still have laundry to go in at 60 degrees? Thomas: „Yes, I’ve already sorted it.“ Me: „Oh – and where’s the pile?“ Thomas: „No, the washing machine is already running.“ I think to myself: Cool. Right – we’re a team again 😊 And smile.

On Friday it’s Matariki – New Zealand’s very own public holiday, marking the Māori New Year and officially celebrated since 2022. It marks the rising of the Pleiades star cluster, traditionally a time for reflection, remembrance and looking ahead to the new year. We’re keeping it simple: long weekend, lovely weather forecast – what more could you want 😊

And to finish, a few photos. Ferdinand’s highlight: the burger and chips that arrived by pneumatic tube.