Travel Day

Well, since you are all reading this it is safe to assume that I survived my transatlantic flight alone with two children! Hooray!

Monday started out like a normal summer day, we sent the kids to their last day of summer school. Four hours of peace and quiet to pack a few last minute things! We picked up the kids, picked up take out for lunch, and then we were on our way to Chicago. I prefer to fly out of Milwaukee but it is easier and cheaper to get international flights from Chicago. Our drive to Chicago was quick and uneventful. Dan decided since the kids and I would have a layover in Dublin that he would play U2 music the whole ride. This suited me just fine but after about 20 minutes the kids had this iPods on and we didn't head a peep from them!

We found the international terminal in Chicago. The Aer Lingus check in had a really long line. When we walked to the line a woman noticed I had a print out from online check in and she waved us to a much shorter line! Dan stayed with us until we got up to security. The kids were pretty upset when he left. He'll be joining us in Switzerland next week. I kept reminding the kids that we'd see him in 8 days and that we'd see Grandma and Grandpa in 2 days, even with my reminders there were a few tears.

Connor waiting for our flight

 

We got to the gate almost 2 hours before our flight. There was really nothing to do but sit and wait. The kids were good but Ali got a little crabby close to flight time. As we were sitting a woman from the check in counter approached us and said we should line up for pre boarding. I was kind of confused because I don't really think I have small children but I got in line anyway! It was nice to get on the plane and get settled before it was crowded.

 

The flight was very easy! We all watched a movie, there were about 20 choices for what to watch. Something to make everyone happy. They served us dinner about an hour into the flight. The vegetarian meal was kind of icky, the kids ate some of their kids meals though. If you are flying internationally with kids who are picky eaters I recommend ordering a child's meal before the flight. My kids would not have liked the adult meals.

After dinner both kids fell asleep, Ali was out in a matter of minutes but Connor had a tougher time falling asleep. Luckily after about 30 minutes of trying to get comfortable he fell asleep. Both kids slept more than I did. We were served a small breakfast before we landed.

We arrived in Dublin about 30 minutes early. We didn't have to go through customs since we were just changing planes. We did have to go through security though. It was super quick though. The people working were very friendly, the first man gave us a hard time about not staying in Ireland. He said it was so sad that Alice wouldn't be able to see any leprechauns. The second man we chatted with asked us about the weather in Wisconsin. I think our travel plans for the future need to include Ireland, I've visited three times but the last time was 20 years ago.

Ali and her new Irish bear

 

We had a 4 hour layover in Dublin. We browsed the shops and ate breakfast. Ali decided to have a hamburger for breakfast, what a silly girl! We did a bit of shopping and Ali wanted a stuffed teddy bear. Did I mention that we just bagged up 2 garbage bags full of stuffed animals from her room? I chatted with an older lady at the airport, she was born in Ireland but had moved to the states. She was in Ireland visiting her family. She made me think about my Grandma who was born in Ireland and came to the US at age 20. My Grandma never went back to Ireland, even when my parents offered to take her. I don't know if she was sad that she never saw her brothers and sister again, it certainly seemed sad to me.

Connor waiting for the flight to Paris

 

The next flight was the quick flight from Dublin to Paris. Ali slept the whole flight, I really wish I could sleep like her!

We arrived in Paris, we went through immigration which took no time at all! Our luggage came quickly, I was relieved. The last time I was in Paris my bag was 24 hours late! Now up until this point I hadn't decided if we'd take a cab into the city or the Air France shuttle bus. The cost difference was about 20 Euros. We ended up being brave and taking the bus. It was really easy. The bus ended up taking about 30 minutes longer than a taxi would have because we picked up passengers at other terminals. The bus worked well for us because we are staying right near where it drops off in the city. If that weren't the case a taxi would have been a better option. The ride into Paris is kind of boring, it is highway driving without much to see. Once we got into the city though the kids were so excited to see all the old buildings!

Ali even fell asleep on the bus!

 

When the bus dropped us off I didn't see the hotel right away, I knew we were close though. We walked 1/2 a block and found it. Check in was very easy and the woman at the desk spoke good English. I chose this hotel for , it is right across the street from Gare de Lyon (the train station).

I'd read about small hotel rooms and tiny hotel elevators in my guidebook. It was still a bit of a shock to open the door to the elevator and see how tiny it was, smaller than any closet in my home. Honestly I think only two adults would fit at a time. I took the bags up in the elevator and the kids took he stairs because we couldn't all fit in the elevator!

Our little room in Paris

 

Our room was very adequate but small. It was clean and secure, so for our one night stay that is all I was looking for!

We tried to nap but none of us had any luck. The kids seemed to be getting a second wind, I was exhausted so I closed my eyes for about 30 minutes. We didn't rest for long because we had plans to meet friends. I'll tell all about our evening in my next post!

 

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