The Big Trip, Part 2

The morning of the day we left was actually relatively normal, except for all the last minute pre-travel stuff. Jillian even got a morning nap. When Super Shuttle came to pick us up, we loaded our ridiculous amounts of baggage in and off we went. Things at the airport went relatively smoothly, as much as they can when you're taking ridiculous amounts of baggage and two small children and everything that goes with them through security. The short flight to SLC was pretty uneventful, but it was a little bit late. As you may recall, our turnaround time between flights was less than 45 minutes. We found out that our departure flight to Charles de Gaulle was also running a little late, so that took some pressure off. Once we landed, most of the team made a mad dash for the next gate. Our family waited until most of the people were off the plane, since we had so much to carry and would have to wait for a gate-checked stroller anyway. Thankfully, our departure gate was across the hall and a few gates down, so it was a quick jaunt. There was no pre-boarding, alas, but we made it on without much problem at all. Whew!

The overseas flight was long, of course, but it actually went pretty well, even with small children. There were frustrating moments and not a lot of sleep for anyone, and Katherine's diaper leaked at one point (thankfully, it was only pee), and we weren't all sitting quite together (Jillian & I were, at times, in front of or behind Robert, Katherine & Grandma), but hey, we made it and didn't really get the stink-eye from other passengers, so I call that a win. Once in Paris, we had to make our way to another terminal by bus. At some point just prior to that excursion, I realized that my cell phone was somewhere on the plane, and there was no going back. Bummer, but c'est la vie. We later had it shut off so as not to incur crazy charges from anyone who might try to use in in Europe.

Once we found our gate, the ladies went to the bathroom put on their head coverings. (Side note: I try to abide by local modesty rules when traveling, so if the majority of women cover their skin and hair where I am, I cover it, too. Not only does it show respect for the local culture, but it helps avoid an awful lot of harassment. I adjust my wardrobe before the flight into the country, so as to be dressed properly when I arrive.) I know there are a lot of Muslim women in France, and we saw a few, but it's still strange to walk around with a hijab on in a non-Muslim country, especially when you are clearly a Whitey McWhiterton. We got a few looks, to be sure. It's strange--once I put the covering on, I feel like I'm part of a club or something. It's almost like going into character. I'm still me, but my perception of my environment changes, and my perception of how others are perceiving me changes. Whether or not my perception is accurate is another story. Hard to say.

Anyway, not long before we got on the plane Jillian was getting super over-tired and fussy. I put her in the sling and she was out in no time. Unfortunately, that didn't last long, because she woke up as we were boarding. As we sat on the plane waiting to depart, I was doing my best to placate her and get her back to sleep, but she was getting more and more worked up between periods of calm. To top it off, the flight attendant informed me that I couldn't have her in the car seat for take-off, but would have to abide by European rules and use the baby seat belt, which attaches to my lap belt. At first, I was distraught, because the only thing that was making Jillian happy was to be facing me, over my shoulder and/or snuggled against my stomach. But then, we figured maybe we could just fasten the belt around her while she was backward, and that worked out pretty well. Both of us fell asleep not long after take-off (mommy was over-tired, too!), and I woke up just in time for the in-flight meal. Jillian, mercifully, did NOT wake up. So, I ate the whole meal somewhat reclined with a baby asleep on my belly. Tricky, but possible. I had been concerned that this last leg of the trip would be a nightmare, but it actually turned out pretty well. The flight attendants were really nice and helpful, the food was good, and they even had little toy packs for Katherine and Jillian. Hooray for Air France! I had wondered if I would be treated poorly because of my hijab (that actually happened last time we left NEA on a KLM flight), but everyone was really great. We reached our destination mostly without incident, and de-planed with help from the team, who were awesome and carried some of our bags. Unfortunately, when you de-plane at our destination airport, it's on the tarmac, and you have to take a bus to the terminal. Actually, the unfortunate part is that strollers go with the rest of the baggage, so instead of using my double stroller to lug Jillian in her car seat, Katherine's car seat, and any other bags we could fit on there, we had to lug it all by hand. Urgh. But, we made it there, through customs, through baggage claim and into the lobby without too much trouble. The girls were even in reasonable spirits, if tired. Now, all we have to do is get to our hotel. At this point, it was evening time, so we were all ready to get some dinner, get settled in and crash. Is that how it happened? Of course not.

I'll save that story for the next post.