We’ve been in Innsbruck a little over a week and our little family has settled into a daily rhythm here that looks different than our life at home, but I love it just the same. We’re here for 3 weeks on a work trip, where Jordan is handling the work aspect and I’m handling the kids aspect. At home we have more overlap with these areas, so this is a big deviation from our norm, and one that I whole-heartedly welcome.
Our Airbnb apartment is right in the middle of town, with everything we need within a couple minutes’ walk. The boys have passed hours perched in the kitchen window watching the busy intersection below, a scene straight out of a Richard Scary book: buses, trolleys, trucks, ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks, whizzing around as people scamper across the crosswalks pushing strollers, riding bikes, and hurrying to places unknown. Who needs a TV or an iPad when there’s so much going on outside the window?
A typical weekday here:
- Jordan picks up breakfast and coffee and brings it back to the apartment. Fresh bread, butter, and jam is our go-to. Most mornings he makes coffee here on the stove, but….I much prefer a cappuccino from Koffee Kult or one of the local bakeries. Just sayin’.
- After breakfast Jordan leaves for work and I load the boys into the stroller for a morning run and exploration. I’m not running much these days, so these runs usually serve the purpose of running errands or scoping out playgrounds. The path along the river Inn is the perfect place for a stroller run – flat, paved, and a fairly straight shot.
- Then it’s back to the apartment, where we get ready for the day, then set out for a park, playground, or something touristy. It varies by day and duration, but always involves lunch.
- Once the boys are sufficiently tired, we load back into the stroller and cruise around town until Jurgen falls asleep for his nap. We mosey back to the apartment and Ali plays while I catch up on work.
- After the down time, we head back out for more – usually to a playground – until Jordan gets back in the late afternoon/early evening. Once in awhile we go to a restaurant, but our favorite thing to do is grab takeout and do dinner at the park.
- From dinner, it’s a stroll back home, usually involving a stop for gelato. Once back at the apartment, we stick with the same night routine as home. Then once the boys are in bed I sneak in some more work.
It’s fun for me to spend so much time with the boys without having to worry about the stuff that comes from being home. Here, we have time for the little things that get lost in the shuffle of the everyday. My patience seems to expand tenfold, a win for everyone involved.
