After a weekend filled with packing and preparation for 10-days in Europe with two children under the age of three, the alarm signaling the commencement of our vacation went off at 3:30am Monday morning. Andy sprung out of bed and showered while I was a little more slow moving after a long weekend of getting ahead on blog posts, my writing class and my side Stella & Dot business. By 4am, I was in the shower hardly able to believe our vacation was finally here.
Regardless of how well packed you are, it seems the morning before an early flight is always a little chaotic. Adding two kids to the mix only adds to the complexity. We finally pulled it all together, got the kids up and dressed and jumped into the truck driven by Andy’s dad to take us to the airport. After only one double back to the house for a missing wallet which was really just playing hide-and-seek, we were truly off on our latest adventure.
We met my sister, “Auntie Anna” at the airport and everyone was as giddy with excitement as four hours of sleep allows.
I held my breath as we checked in six bags and two car seats to the man at the United counter who had been a complete asshole when we moved to China. On that day nearly five years ago, his lack of customer service and our oversight regarding new baggage policies had cost us nearly $1000. Luckily, things went much better this time around and we found our load lightened as we walked towards airport security.
The man behind the security desk took a long time staring at our passports, likely because our children’s photos are already quite outdated. We eventually passed his inspection and were allowed to proceed into the family line where a group of very patient TSA officers watched as we placed bag after bag onto the conveyor belt and walked child after child (okay, only two) through the metal detector.
Once through security, I took a sleepy Eloise to the nearest bathroom to change her diaper and clothes while Auntie Anna, Belén and Andy stopped off at the Golden Arches for some breakfast.
Believe it or not the rest of the trip was fairly uneventful, albeit LONG. Our first flight was Boise to Denver, approximately an hour and a half. In Denver we had a brief layover where I indulged in a chocolate croissant and coaxed Belén to eat some granola and yogurt. Denver to DC was approximately three and a half hours. For the entire duration of the flight, Belén, who was sitting with Andy, switched between episodes of Dora, Angelina Ballerina, The Backyardigans and Toy Story 3 every five minutes. The prep work of getting her used to her Hello Kitty headphones was the best thing we did to prepare her for the trip! When we arrived in DC, nobody besides Eloise had slept yet.
The Dulles airport in Washington DC was pretty much airport hell. It was hot and crowded with long food lines and grumpy people. Our entertainment was watching Belén dance/walk through the airport in her sunglasses in a Stevie Wonder fashion. Her imitation was so spot on, I wondered if perhaps I had missed an episode of Sesame Street that she had watched where he had appeared.
Our flight was running a little bit late. Eventually we found ourselves, once again, walking down jet way juggling bags, strollers and children already extremely grateful my sister was able to join us on our sojourn and help us manage our posse.
During the eight-hour flight from DC to Zurich, Andy and Belén sat in the two seats in front of Anna, Eloise and I. We crossed our fingers that B would get some sleep on the flight. Eloise seemed to be having no problem sleeping as long as she received the requisite breast milk in three-hour intervals. Her pattern was basically eat, smile at people and make friends, sleep, repeat.
Two hours into the flight, they finally fed us and afterwards we watched “Midnight in Paris” and then caught a few Zzzzs. When I woke up from my catnap, I peered into the seat in front of me and Belén seemed to be sleeping. Andy later told me she only slept about one of the eight hours of the flight and spent the rest of the time in her erratic children’s show watching pattern. Thank goodness for the iPad and an ability to watch a screen for an inordinate amount of time. I don’t think all two-year-olds have this sort of television attention span. In some ways it concerns me but for this trip we are not complaining.
An hour and a half before we arrived in Zurich, the little plane on the airplane map ended its trek over water as we flew over Great Britain. A not exactly desirable breakfast was served and awhile later, the wheels touched down on the neutral, expensive country. Welcome to Switzerland!
Our kids survived their first intercontinental flight like champs. The jetlag in addition to almost no sleep on the airplane would be another story.
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I think all your planning has sure helped with the trip thus far. So anxious to see more pictures as looks like you are having a wonderful trip. Hope B’ is feeling better. Sending hugs your way…
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