Are we finally ready? After gathering stuff to pack for over a week (and laying it out) we were running around the house right up 'till 3:00 PM when our taxi arrived to take us to the airport.
A few days ago we congratulated ourselves on how little stuff we had packed. There was so much extra space in our bags! But last minute our stuff ballooned, and our two duffel bags each weighed 49.5 lbs when the limit is 50 lbs. We better not buy anything!
Sara had a special shirt to wear on the airplane. It was brown with sparkle gold lettering that said, "I'm off to see the world" it even had the Eifel Tower on it!
At 3:00 we loaded up the taxi. Two duffle bags, two car seats, 2 kids, 2 parents, 2 backpacks, 1 stroller, 1 Kelty carrier. We didn't have space to move our elbows in the taxi, but it all fit. Whew.
It was a clear sunny day. Perfect for air travel. Check in and security were easy. Especially security - since Dan has pre-checked status and there is a special line for that. And he took both kids through with him! I had to go in the regular line, which had about 10 people in it. Julia looked so cute wandering around the security area. She just smiles and goes where ever her feet take her.
By the time we got a chicken burrito for the plane it was time to board. Our seats were good. The first row behind First Class, bulkhead. We didn't have any seats in front of us - so no one to lean back and crush us. We also had "economy plus" with is nice since there are a few extra precious inches of space.
I jammed our stuff into our overhead bin, which some lady had already nearly filled up. I wish people would use their own bins and also the space under the seat in front of them. Some people make it a sport to get all their stuff into whatever bin is around and then contentedly sit back and watch other people hunt for a spot to put their stuff.
Sara was saying, "why aren't we going yet? It is taking me a long time to wait." Not to worry. The plane got going at 5:45 PM, just about on schedule.
We had the three middle seats, so Sara was in-between Dan and I in her car seat (and Dan and I each had an aisle). We didn't buy Julia a seat so she was on my lap for part of the time and also Dan's. She cried a little, which is understandable. She also slept a lot. When she slept on me she was sprawled out on my lap on her back with her head tucked near my arm as a pillow. I didn't move a muscle for fear of disturbing her. She woke up when they made an announcement. She was displeased at being awake. I lifted her up and over Sara into Dan's awaiting arms. He took a turn holding her while I slept. When I woke up Julia was snoozing so cutely in Dan's arms.
Sara did well on the flight. She asked to go to the bathroom 3 times, which was a good chance to get up and stretch my legs.
"Why is this bathroom so small?" she asked. Then she plugged her ears remembering how loud the flush is on airplanes. Then she always RAN up the aisle back to her seat.
Sara had a kid meal on the airplane (arranged ahead). It was chicken and french fries, with a side of apple sauce. I had beef stew and Dan didn't get to eat since Julia was on his lap at the time.
The flight was about 8 hours. Half way in Sara asked "are we there yet? Why do we have to cross the Atlantic ocean?" She watched a Scooby Doo movie on her seat's screen. Her biggest 'problem' was that the head phones (or "ear muffs" as she calls them) kept falling off her ears. She was good the whole flight.
Sara's best sleeping was at the tail end of the flight. She slept the last hour or so, and was asleep as people were getting off the airplane. We woke her up and got off the plane.
We were among the first off since we were in the front of the airplane. (And we were ready to get off, with all our stuff packed up, which makes a big difference to not be scrambling to pack up as people are trying to squeeze past.)
The airport was just waking up. 6:30 local time. The sky was white with pink smeared on the horizon. The whole jet way was windows. We looked at the view as we sleep walked up into the airport terminal. Sara and Julia were quiet, almost contemplative as they looked around. Other travelers were just walking. Dan and I were juggling two kids, two backpacks, two car seats, and a stroller. We wouldn't have traded for their ease. We were all together and we were all happy.
PARIS!
Made it. Great. 12:30 midnight to our bodies; 6:30 AM local time.
Welcome to Paris Sara and Julia!
End of this post.
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