We boarded our Qantas plane from Sydney to Bangkok the plane was completely full and so we found ourselves seated in the middle row next to an older German woman who was part of a large tour group. So we all sat waiting for takeoff. And sat, and sat. Finally an announcement was made informing us that part of the electrical system (”not the part that flies the plane”) that powers the galleys was broken and they were trying to fix it. So we sat and waited. Another announcement tol us that they were now going to truck in some dry ice from Mascot (other side of the airport). So we sat and waited, with Loll becoming more and more restless and my migraine getting worse. Finally we were informed that the problem had been fixed and we were cleared to takeoff. By this time over an hour had elapsed since our listed departure time and Loll was bored and hungry and annoying. The cabin crew had neglected to handout any kids’ packs and as we couldn’t put the tray table down, there was nothing for him to be occupied with.The plane was a new 747-400 and had individual seat-back TV screen with movies, TV shows and games. Loll was in heaven with his very own TV and controller! Once the entertainment started he sat quietly and happily watching Disney channel. The only problem was that he wanted to play the games but wasn’t able to grasp the rules or work the controls and he became frustrated. We quietly suggested that he not play them!

Here is a pic of Loll waiting at the depature gate:

Now, I had arranged for a limousine transfer to our hotel over the Internet and had prepaid a 50 Euro fee. We had done this before in London and it beats trying to catch public transport or getting a cab when you are exhausted and have kids in tow. The only problem was that we had been delayed inside with our baggage problem and when we walked out into the arrivals hall I couldn’t locate our driver. There were plenty of other drivers waiting , just not ours. Eventually my husband found a bank teller, got some local currency and purchased a phone card so we could ring the hire company. The receptionist said that the driver was on his way and asked where to meet us - I looked up at sign above the baggage hall door and said “two”. And so we waited, and waited - becoming increasingly frustrated and terse with each other. After about half an hour we decided to cut our losses and walked outside the terminal towards the taxi queue. It was then that I noticed that there were numbers above each door and those number didn’t correspond to the numbers inside the terminal. So we walked to door two and there was our driver - waiting patiently beside a brand new Mercedes with a sign. I was so relieved to see him and finally be on our way to our hotel.

By now it was lunch time and the traffic in Paris was building up for the afternoon peak hour - so we slowly crawled our way into the city. Loll was extremely tired and cranky and hungry (not having eaten much on the plane) and started demanding McDonalds. Here we were in one of the gastronomical capitals of the world and all he wanted was some chicken nuggets!

After negotiating the Parisian streets our driver eventually pulled up outside our hotel. I had chosen it from an Internet site but was blown away by the location - right on the Seine opposite L’Isle de la Cité and Pont Neuf. It is an apart’hotel which means they are serviced apartments. We were offered an apartment in the marsard roof (old attic) which, although smaller, had a view over the Seine. Things were looking up!

Once in our apartment, my husband went off in search of McDonalds for our very tired and hungry four year old. I went through our cabin bags only to realise that although I had put in an extra shirt for myself I had forgotten to do so for Loll. But now that we were in the hotel he was happy as he could watch cartoons (albeit in French or German) and play on the floor:

QF1, Qantas’ flagship, flies through the night from Bangkok to Heathrow. The problem with night flights is that you need to sleep - and so do your children - especially as you have an entire day to get through on arrival if you want to lessen the effects of jetlag. When you have kids in tow there is the added pressure to keep them quiet so that other people can sleep. Everyone is quick to blame the baby in row 28 or the preschooler in row 39 for keeping them awake. However, in my experience it is often other adults who are the culprits.

On this particular flight there was a rugby league supporters’ tour on board. They seemed determined to drink their way to London while blocking the aisles and chatting loudly. As a result Loll didn’t get a lot of sleep (and so neither did I!). For the most part he was quite content to sit and watch cartoons on his personal TV until tragedy struck and the transmission for Disney channel suddenly stopped. Of course the M rated movies were still working and so the cabin crew refused to reboot the system. With no TV, cramped seating and little sleep Loll started to fidget and cry. The man in front (who was reading with his overhead light on) gave us a dirty look (and yet he ignored the middle age men drinking in the aisles) but finally the tape loop restarted and with the return of Lilo and Stitch Loll was content again.

Having left Sydney over an hour late we had managed to make up time during the flight only to find ourselves stuck in a holding pattern above London. Lack of sleep combined with the air pressure meant that my migraine was returning with a vengeance. It felt as though my brain was going to be squeezed out of my ears and I was on the verge of crying when we finally got the clearance to land.

By this time we were getting dangerously close to the time of our next flight to Paris. In fact, we only had 40 minutes to spare - not a lot of time in the worlds’ busiest airport. Even though our next flight was in the same terminal we still had to clear security and check in. We made it to the BA flight with minutes to spare.

Once on board we made our way to our seats. As I was about to sit down I noticed a piece of metal on my seat. It was shaped like the blade from a box-cutter or a razor blade. Now this was post 9/11 so I was somewhat disturbed by this but in my foggy migraine-induced state of mind I didn’t know what to do and so I picked it up and gave it to a cabin crew member. I have no idea what he did with it and I’m not sure what I expected would happen but nobody questioned me and we took off without delay. It was only mid-flight that I began to worry about why a blade was allowed to be on a plane in this day and age.

The flights between London and continental Europe are surprisingly short when you have just stepped off a 21 hr flight from Australia. It feels like you have only just made your ascent when you have to descend again. There is barely time for a quick cup of coffee before the seatbelt sign comes on again. I love flying over the Channel and seeing the UK disappear and France appear. I also love to fly into Paris - you see the Eiffel Tower, the Seine and the Sacre Coeur come into view and know that you are in Europe and a long way from home.

I’ll be writing up this trip over the next few weeks. It was one of the few trips where I didn’t keep a real journal/diary so I’m working from notes and memory (some things you just never forget!).

Our decision to travel to Europe as a family in 2003 was made at the last minute. My hubby had planned to go several months earlier but I was going to stay home with Loll, who had just turned four. But persuaded by cheap airfares and the chance to meet with friends living in Europe we booked our tickets with Qantas/BA for a lightening 10 day mini tour.

The year had been fairly stressful for us and so the chance for some time away from the daily grind was a welcome one. On top of work stresses we were struggling with our third year of secondary infertility and the anniversary of a miscarriage. The trip itself would coincide with the end of our first IVF cycle (having had a failed IUI cycle earlier in the year) - we figured that we would either be celebrating a pregnancy or getting over yet another failed cycle. As it turned out, the cycle did fail and it was a good distraction to have a trip to plan.

It was going to be a short but jam-packed trip. Work commitments only allowed me minimal time off and the whole trip was only 10 days in total - including flights. Our original plan was to fly direct into Paris but our plans were thwarted by airline timetables and so we had to fly via Heathrow, not something I looked forward to given my previous history of delayed flights. We would then spend a few days in central Paris before heading to EuroDisney for 2 days. From there we would drive to Amsterdam with a short detour via the Somme. In Holland we would stay with my old flatmate and her family for 2 more days and then fly to London to stay with my husband’s best friend and his wife who had recently moved there. From London we would fly directly home to Sydney.

I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for the trip as it was a busy time of the year, coming straight after a work trip and coinciding with my cousin’s wedding, daily trips to the IVF clinic, organising the preschool fete and a visit from my parents who live interstate. Being on artificial hormones didn’t help much either. So I was still packing on the morning our our departure. In fact, we had to go on a quick shopping expedition that morning to buy a new suitcase, travel hairdryer and a small booster seat for Loll. I was also tired, stressed and desperately trying to ward off of migraine - so not in the best condition for travelling.

My parents, who had been staying in our house, were going to drive us to the airport. The men busied themselves with packing the car and then we piled in and drove toward the airport, over 50 km away. As we were driving along the freeway the fuel tank light came on causing a moment of panic and stress. The tank was almost empty and there were no service stations in sight. In fact, there are no service stations on that side of the road once you join the freeway until you reach the airport so we had to do a few U-turns (causing my dad to utter many swear words) and fill up the tank. But even with this delay we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

To be continued…

The only glitch to our plan was that we arrived in LA in the off season and to my dismay they had shut every ride in Fantasyland except for It’s a Small World. So I didn’t get to go on the Tea Cups after all - which was somewhat disappointing.

Fast forward to 1998 and my hubby and I were on the last leg of a round-the-world trip, stopping in LA before heading back to Sydney. We spent our last day at Disneyland and I finally got to go on the Tea Cups!

Then in 2003 I got to take my son Loll, who was four at the time, to Disneyland Paris (which I will write about in more depth soon) and show him my favourite ride. Here’s a pic of him (he wasn’t too sure about it at first but went back for another turn later!):

Loll and I explored the main shopping square and tried to find somewhere quiet for lunch. However, every cafe I passed seemed either too full or baby unfriendly and so we ended up in Burger King for some really disgusting food. After lunch we headed back out in to the streets and wandered about. I was asked to help with some market research by about 3 different people but they didn’t want to know me once I told them I was Australian!!

Hubby was about 15 minutes late meeting us and we went straight to a cafe to warm up when he arrived. He had been wined and dined at his luncheon which made me feel jealous! He had been given 150 pounds to spend on books by CUP and we decided to pick them up from their bookshop. We had a lovely time wandering about the store choosing books and even Loll got some kids books and I got a new organiser. The only drag was that we needed to carry them around with us!!

After we left the CUP shop we walked through the different colleges. Crocuses and daffodils were in full bloom and so the college grounds were alive with colour - it was quite beautiful. Once it started to get dark we thought it best to get some dinner before setting off back to London. We went into the first restaurant that we came across and had some pizza. After an early dinner we headed off on foot back to the railway station, of course we passed numerous restaurants on the way - most reasonable priced too, typical!!

At the station it was a bit confusing and so we just missed a train and had to wait for the next one. Once on the train we found ourselves seated across from some Cambridge uni students and judging from their conversation it seems that even students in such a prestiguous institution skip classes! They were obviously headed for a big night out in London whereas we were headed home to Kensington to bed.

Near Kings’ College, Cambridge - dressed for the cold!

Loll woke early so we were up and eating breakfast by 7am. But true to form he was back in bed after an hour! After he woke again we dressed in our coats and set off for a walk. It was bright and sunny but still quite nippy outside. We walked to Leighton House near Holland Park. This was the house belonging to a British painter. The front hall is decorated with Arab tiles in brilliant blues and greens. We took Loll inside and carried him about in his Kapoochi and he had a great time - even entertaining a tour group!!

After leaving the museum we walked through Holland Park towards Notting Hill Gate. Joining the crowds of mainly Swedish tourists we walked down through the famous Portobello Road Markets. The masses of people made it almost impossible to browse but it was still an interesting place and I managed to find a pair of mittens for Loll’s cold little hands.

By this time Loll was getting cold sitting in his stroller and so we headed home on the Tube which ended up being a free trip as the guard let us through the gates without taking our tickets.

We had planned to spend the next day exploring the National Gallery but Loll changed our plans around! We packed a lunch and took the tube to Leicester Sq to visit the gallery. We saw a couple of the rooms but Loll was becoming ratty and upset and the security guard was giving me the evil eye so we found the parents’ room and fed him some lunch. After his meal we tried to see some more of the Gallery but Loll continued to cry and whine so we cut short our visit.

We ate our lunch amongst the feral pigeons in Trafalgar Sq and then decided to walk down through Whitehall to the Thames. Once there we thought that we would take a look at Westminster Abbey, but as it was a Sunday afternoon it was closed to tourists. We took a walk around the back of the Abbey to the cloisters where we found a coffee cart (and some inscriptions!!) and stopped for a coffee to warm ourselves.

Loll woke up shortly after we sat down and so we decided to keep walking through St James’ Park, past Buckingham Palace and into Green Park.

By this stage we were nearing Hyde Park and thought that we may as well walk back to Kensington as it didn’t seem too far away. But as we were walking Loll was becoming quite sooky and we took turns carrying him in the Kapoochi. We discovered the reason why he was upset when we got home and discovered that his little legs and hands were ice cold but after a nice warm bath he was happy (and warm!) again.

Loll in his bath - a storage container! Our studio only had a tiny shower (with terrible water pressure!) and we couldn’t find a baby bath at any store - not even Harrods. So we improvised instead!

We set off from home in a taxi and arrived at Sydney Airport which was bustling with people and littered with construction sites. We lined up at the checkin counter and when it was our turn to checkin the woman at the counter said that she would try to get us a spare seat for Loll (I think she liked him!). After checking in hubby went to change some money while I filled in our immigration cards - under occupation I wrote “mother” for myself and “baby” for Loll for a laugh. We then headed off to the departure gates where we arrived with only a few minutes to spare. They called for people with babies to board first but by the time we got to the gate they had made a general boarding call and people had started to push in front of us. We still had our stroller but noone seemed to want to take it and in the end we carried it onto the plane and placed it in our overhead locker.

By this time Loll was tiring of his new adventure but he perked up a bit when we placed him on a seat with his toys. Then he tried to eat the safety advice card and rip up the inflight magazine. His perkiness didn’t last very long and this coincided with the taxiing and takeoff so by the time we were levelled off in the air he was not a happy-chappy. One of the flight attendants assembled the Skycot for him and he quietened down once he was in his own seat.

Loll was a hit with the flight attendants and even received a small toy from one of them. We were seated just outside the galley and so he watched them as they worked, smiling and babbling with them which won their hearts! He also managed to sleep quite well in his seat but also spilled half a tin of mixed fruit all over his mum just before our descent! I hadn’t packed a spare shirt for myself - only for the baby - and so I was quite self conscious and wore my cardigan buttoned up in spite of the heat.

It was hot and balmy when we arrived In Bangkok. Once off the plane we began to experience rock star treatment due to our little man. At the immigration counter we were pulled out of the long queues and taken to an express counter and everywhere we went people came up and said hello to him. He just smiled back at them and acted like it was all normal! When we arrived at our hotel we had several staff members fawning over him and when we went up to our room we found that we had been given a huge suite complete with a kitchenette.