Home. Warm, cozy, and comfortable. Through our moves over the years, I have come to love the first time of feeling like you've come home when you arrive back in your new city from a trip. It lets me know that I'm settling in. Sometimes it takes many trips before this feeling hits, and sometimes it's the first trip. You never really know.
In the past, this feeling usually hit when the skyline appeared as my flight touched down or as I drove over a hill. But Bonn doesn't have a striking skyline like Houston or Atlanta. I've only taken three trips since we arrived in October, and each time we returned in the dark. No skyline or view. However, this time, when we drove back into Germany from the Czech Republic, I walked into a gas station, ordered sandwiches, coffee, and bottled waters in (albeit poor) German and understood what the lady at the counter asked me. In German. After spending 5 days of reverting to English, unsure of how to ask where the bathroom was or how to order a bottle of water, I suddenly felt like I had come "home". And walking into our house never felt more comfortable.
It may not be a skyline, but I think this counts too.
Tschüss!
Awesomeness!
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