"I don't think we'll be back here for five years," Emily predicted as we headed to the ferry dock on Patmos.
"Five years?! That seems too long!" I responded. Really, how could it take five years to get back to a place so comfortable, familiar and loved by us?
Sennen was 15 months old then and reeked of garlic from all the tzatziki he ate. Saturday he turns six and he usually smells more like peanut butter these days. That night we sailed from Patmos to Rhodes and the next day was the last time we have seen the Aegean or Mediterranean since.
Friday – the day between Ailyn and Sennen's birthdays – we fly back to our beloved Mediterranean, this time starting in Israel. It's been even longer since Emily and I were there – August 2010, a few months after we were married on one-year our tour du monde. We worked, we visited friends, we toured around, we ate a lot of hummus, we sweated profusely. There were no plans, no one else's needs to consider and what felt like endless time. We hadn't even firmed up our plans for where to go next (it ended up being Patmos, Greece by way of Rhodes).
This time is different. Our niece, Bailey who was a three-year-old flower girl at our June 2010 wedding is almost 13 and will have a Bat Mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. With amazing generosity, My mother-in-law and father-in-law, Jack and Susan, are taking the entire Frydrych family (both daughters' families) to Israel where we have a completely planned itinerary covering multitudes of important sites, fun activities, great places to eat and several hotels. Everything is carefully planned and considered – which seems very necessary when traveling with a family of ten ranging from ages 70 to four.
Our 11 days together will end with the Moraleses (Emily's sister Molly's family) departing for England and France; Susan and Jack heading home; and us staying a few days in Israel to visit friends before heading back to Patmos for two months. For us at least, it's Promised Land after Promised Land.
And what of Matheus, our au pair who was with us in Thailand? He'll enjoy his last two weeks in the United States without us and then meet us in Athens before we all sail to Patmos for eight weeks. That way, Emily and I can have the childcare we need to still work – and we get to enjoy Matheus' company for our final two months with him. It seems like a very special way to wrap-up our 1.5 years with him.
Although we have a well-laid out itinerary, you never really can predict what will happen simply by the written plans. This kind of family trip is a first and will undoubtedly be filled with new and amazing experiences – not all envisioned by the travel agents. There will be moments of love, togetherness, stress, joy, adventure, overcoming, warmth and possibly bodily fluids that can all go with family travel, especially in a new, far-away place.
But we expect the unexpected. And we are so excited for this summer of adventure – beginning with the Frydrych Family Trip to Israel.
See you in two days!
