The father-daughter trip we might never have had

Postcard 22nd September ‘24: Moving to Aarhus

Spoiler alert: This postcard is not going to discuss any deep or meaningful aspects of (my) life. At least, not intentionally 😜.

I am somewhere mid-air above Middle Eastern terrain while starting to write this postcard. Off to our Thailand vacation. Window seat. Empty middle seat. Sven napping in the aisle seat.

My head feeling a little fluffy from the sophisticated amount of Baileys that the cute stewardess poured into a paper coffee mug. Most healthy choice? Certainly not. But it’s okay.

You guys are making me cry. Like the past week quickly felt like a no brainer for me in skipping my Sunday postcard…and so many of you reaching out to me since they noticed the void in their inbox. I did not expect that 🥺 And no, you did not make think “I should have”. But just this small sense of my postcards (or the lack thereof) is actually noticed brought me to tears. In addition, I started reading the quite detailed comments on my latest post about the move. This very article was written during a day which I took off from packing … which quickly resulted into uncontrolled overwhelm the next day as I felt like I wasted time. But I did not. My writing mattered. To me. To you.

What happened in the 1.5 weeks after writing this post was intense to say the least (yep, I already said that in this previous post, but … as it occured we had not reached climax yet). So I thought I simply use this postcard to share a bit about the moving week in four acts:

• Leaving Karlsruhe

• The loveliest Sunday

• Crafting a home in 5 days

• Returning to Karlsruhe

Reaching Aarhus | The moving truck (our stuff did max. take up half of the space!) | Papa and me 🥰

Leaving Karlsruhe

The day prior to the moving van arriving was blind madness. I woke up with anxiety about all the things I had to (or better to say expected me to) do. Maybe some things were simply no priorities, mabye we underestimated how much time packing kitchen items take, maybe I was simply overwhelmed. I could not get started. Whatever I started took way longer than expected. I had had three mental breakdowns by noon without getting anything done that I would identify now as priorities for things to go onto the moving van.

Worst thing was that we realised late in the evening that we had missed to pick up IKEA furniture that should go with the moving company to Denmark. (To anyone panicking over a missed Click & Collect order at IKEA: They keep it there for you to pick up anytime for 24 hours, so we still got our dining chairs on board).

The final task for the day was de-mounting our bed.

The moving truck came and all went super smooth. Three hours later we were sitting in a nearly empty apartment that used to be our home. For 9 years.

Making everything ready to hit the road ourselves, we had to make the difficult decision that Sven would not be joining. So it was Molly and me driving to my parents in Köln and leaving Sven in a truely sad empty flat with little to no furniture or utensils. But some of our friends helped with bedding and kitchen items 😂 At least he still got internet.

After a restless night and a short but sweet morning walkie in my childhood hood, Molly, my dad and I hit the road to Denmark, taking my parent’s car because: Space. I always feel like driving a spaceship!

I was still battling all different kinds of emotions - especially with regards to not having Sven with us. However, this unexpected papa-daughter trip immediately produced signs of becoming a once in a lifetime unique and dear memory. Like how often does a 34-year-old get to go on a 1 000 km roadtrip with her dad to start a completely new life abroad?

We created a What’sApp group for my mum and Sven to take them along. It was really funny!

From moving boxes to empty flat to walking Molly at my parents', then on the road with dad 🤍

The loveliest Sunday

We arrived late to Aarhus on Saturday evening to an appartment hotel that we had rented for the three of us (plus Molly). So Papa and I had plenty of space. I loved how my dad was delighted about every little feature of the hotel - traits I see in myself, too. So we were discovering our home for the next two nights like little children - inlcuding running out to the balcony to see a massive helicopter departing from a heli-pad close by.

Hotel hygge

And then came Sunday which we had already planned as a little day to rest and show my dad a bit of Aarhus. It was a super sunny and warm day in northern Denmark. So we started off walking along the Marina and the new waterfront area, had an iced latte while watching wakeboarders, explored the city center, had a delicious lunch at the canal. Then we drove to a yacht harbour, had ice cream and finished off the day with Netflix & Chill in our apartment. It felt like a whole vacation in a single day. The best part was that my dad loved it all!

The best Sunday in Aarhus

Crafting a home in 5 days

Monday morning we got the keys to our new raekehusset (a little row house) and after a quick hand-over and introduction to the applicances, the moving van arrived. It was pouring this morning so kind of had all items handed over to us at the door step while we carried everything inside. The unloading went super fast and smooth. The truck left. And before you ask. All items made it safe and sound to Aarhus! The only “damages” to claim were: A broken computer keyboard key (probably our own packing mistake) and a broken key in a glas vitrine. How hilarious that the part that breaks with a glass vitrine is the key inside the lock…(anyone having any further tricks on how to get the broken piece out? IKEA Is not having the lock in their spare parts…).

What started next was a magical madness of a dad and his daughter vanishing into a void of unwrapping, arranging, mounting, Bauhaus and IKEA shopping tours, hilariously uncooked or untasty dinners since “no body got time for that”, falling right asleep next to each other, getting up at the same rhythm (yep, I am my daddy’s daughter), inhaling a 1l load of French Press coffee and doing it all over again. My dad is a wizzard when it comes to mounting, crafting and building. Sometimes I was not able to even say: “I would like you to show me…” and things were already done. However, I got to install the light in my new room. Not without being overly scared of getting an electrical shock, but hey, I did it.

But seriously, my dad is the personification of McGuyver. Like look at our “cabinet under the stairs” and what he built out of nowhere. He got us a whole pantry storage, all lights installed, black-out curtains and so much more. He literally crafted us a new home within 5 days!

before & after

I loved seeing my dad communicate with others. He barely speaks a word of English let alone Danish. But he got along so well and we met really kind people.

In between, I went to get my residence permit in Denmark and also had a meeting at the university.

The last day we spent cleaning the house from all the fine drilling dust and then, we got to spend a really delicious and charming dinner in downdown Aarhus. Thank you so much, Papa. I am so grateful you got to help us so much - and simply for the time we had together.

Our new home in Denmark 🇩🇰

Returning to Karlsruhe

Exactly a week later, we were back on the road to Germany. Admittingly tired but happy. I think my mum was a bit amused when both of us said after dinner that we would go to sleep now. I slept for more than 9 hours - which is LOOOOONG. Sunday I continued driving south to Karlsruhe and finally being with Sven again. In our old flat. Our two old matresses pushed together for a cosy night rest. We went for a nice dinner to catch-up and re-unite. The next day was a bit cramped with appointments and things I still wanted to get sorted. But the mental and physical tolls of the past weeks started pushing me into overdrive. Which is kind of natural, I guess. In the end, most things still went more or less to plan that day (just wish I would have caused less drama). So, this was now the last night at our old flat and last morning walkie. We drove to Sven’s parents, spent the night there and then boarded the plane in Frankfurt. I will miss my little floof. She has been the most amazing, calm, patient and resilient dog during these past weeks. She deserves a vacation at her grand-pawrents, too.

Driving back to Köln | Morning walkie with Molly | back to Karlsruhe

And for our vacation, I will let go of any need to control anything. No matter what.

I. will. simply. be.

And process. Whatever might want to be processed.

I am a little exhausted.

Hug,