Airports, planes and rental cars - with a 2-year old

June 10/11, 2008

Ta da. It may seem like a daunting task, but traveling half way around the world with a 9, 7 and 2 year old is possible. Obviously, we made it to our friends’ home in Switzerland. The last couple of days have not been exactly fun, but we survived with no major complications.

On June 10, we woke up at about 4:00 am and got on the road by a little after 5. We were a little worried about traffic into San Francisco, but we left so early that got to the airport three and a half hours before the flight. I’m sure if we would have slept in an hour later though, the traffic would have been much worse. Linda, thank you for the ride. Anyway, after getting breakfast and waiting for hours in the airport, we got onto the plane right on time.

The kids were excited because they had never flown before. However, after everyone was set and we thought ready to go, they kicked us all off the plane. Apparently, there were thundershowers predicted in Philadelphia, and they were trying to avoid flying into the middle of the mess. At first, they told us it would probably be a two hour delay which would have meant that we probably make us miss our connection. Of course, the kids were very disappointed at being stuck in the airport again. Zac, who was tired anyway from getting up early announced, “I don’t want to go to France anymore.”

Anyway, to make a long story not as long (you know me, I can’t make a story short), the delay ended being about an hour and a half, and we made our connection in Philly with less than a half hour to spare. The kids at first loved flying quickly grew bored. I think the first flight was the hardest of all, but they held out well. They were able to watch movies on their little DVD players – a good investment for anyone traveling with kids.

The flight from Philly to Dublin, Ireland was longer, but a little easier. The airline actually served a real meal that was not too bad, and I think that we all got a little sleep on the flight. I would love to say that we actually explored Ireland, but what we saw from the airport seemed lovely. Oh well, I guess that’s a trip for another day.

From Dublin, it was on to Geneva, Switzerland, and I think all of us slept most of the short two-hour flight. It took a couple more hours to pass through customs, get the luggage and rental car, and find our way (only getting lost one time) to our friends’ home. So approximately 30 hours after leaving our home in Northern California, we arrived at my second home near Lac Leman and the foot of the Alps in beautiful Switzerland.

Much more to tell, but I’ll save it for the next entry.