Flying High
It’s days like this, you realise just how massive our world is and how far away Australia is from most of it!
Sam left our shores about 3 weeks ago, to travel around America and Mexico, catching up with his friends in the USA, before meeting us in London. Last week, he sent us a text revealing the secret location of a little something he’d prepared earlier – some presents he’d wrapped for each of us before he’d left. We were instructed to open them all together and to bring them with us to Europe (wink, wink). It turns out he’d had some t-shirts & bucket hats printed up for us (in the spirit of the Somervilles). Our very own “Jones Crew Euro Trip 2017” tour gear!
Adam had very kindly offered to drive us to the airport today & he arrived, right on time, at the very civilised time of 2:30pm, giving us plenty of time to get ready, packed & set to go. Molly did live on the wild side, mind you, packing at the eleventh hour. We all obediently (if not reluctantly for some) donned our tees & hats and loaded into the car. After a small, concerned lecture about the number of pairs of shoes I’d packed, and a subsequent slight cull of the said pairs, I was delighted to find that my bag was actually a good kilo lighter than Ross’. There’s a first time for everything!
Toby had been trying to conceal his mirth until now, but it had begun to show, bubbling out in giggles and displayed in the general expression of glee fixed to his face, once he saw he could bypass the substantial queue and saunter over to his Business Class line with barely a wait. When I say ‘saunter’, it was more of a shuffle and hop since the doctor had given him the go-ahead to start weight-bearing on his broken leg from today, we’d made the decision to leave his crutches at home. He still has to wear his big boot but can walk a little on it now. (*see my previous post for the full story!)
Eventually we made it through check-in and reunited with Toby, who had almost had time to write a short story and take up a new hobby in the time it had taken us to get through the throng of Aussies ready to depart the land girt by sea. Our journey today had 3 legs: Sydney to Bangkok, Bangkok to Dubai and Dubai to London.
Now I love babies. Most people know that about me. They are gorgeous. If not for practicalities I’d have gone on producing offspring well into the next decade just because I love them so. But… do I love babies on a plane…when I’m trying to sleep…? No. Not at all. They need to invent some sort of babies’ onboard cone of silence. Ross was quietly chuffed (pun intended) about his recent purchase of noise-cancelling headphones so he was largely oblivious to the loud, incessant crying from in front AND behind that accompanied us for the first 12 hours or so of flying. Lucky Ross! The stop in Bangkok was really just for a refuel, cabin crew changeover and a quick vacuum of the plane. Unfortunately we remained in the same seats and so did those insomniac babies. That, coupled with the air conditioning being switched to Arctic mode meant that overall, not much sleep was to be had.
Partway through the flight I thought I’d pay Toby a visit up in Business. As I ascended the spiral staircase with the polished wooden bannisters it was like entering another world. Twinkling lights, reminiscent of Warriewood Cinema, sparkled on the ceiling and there was a shroud of calm over this little elite group. Having never had the pleasure of Business Class myself, I was wide-eyed with wonder as I perused the luxurious accommodation on level 2. Reaching Toby’s seat, I found it vacant and assumed he’d gone to the toilet. I thought I’d wait there in his seat to surprise him. Marvelling at the sheer size of these seats, I noted the personal mini bar as I snuggled into the cosy blankets and doona (yes, DOONA) and laid my head on the perfectly plumped feather pillow with my legs stretched out beneath the sizeable flat screen tv, on the flat bed. I felt all eyes on me as I laid in wait and felt like such an intruder. As I was pondering the fact he seemed to be taking a long time to get back, I was visited by the steward who informed me that Toby was actually up the front in the lounge, enjoying a quiet apple spritzer and nibbling on hors d’ouvres! Sure enough, there I found him, reclining on the lounge, Appletize in hand (in a wine glass I might add) looking very comfortable and offering me a breadstick! He was lamenting the fact that his legs didn’t quite reach the end of the seat, “there was almost too much leg room”. Poor baby. Having already probably overstayed my welcome, I tucked him back into his comfy seat and descended that staircase back to reality. I hope he made the most of it.
We were met with soaring temperatures, despite it being only 6am, when we made our quick stop in Dubai. Going through customs was a highly stressful experience. Voices from 4 different places were yelling at us to remove various pieces of clothing – jackets, shoes, socks, belts, watches, earrings…I wouldn’t have been surprised if we’d had to walk through the scanner in nothing but our undies. The bags were going through the scanner at breakneck speed, not unlike the Aldi checkouts, and we were relieved to be standing fully clothed again, in one piece, on the other side.
On this leg of the journey, Ross thought he’d pay Toby a visit to see what all the fuss was about. The crew had changed over and these guys were playing by the rules. They were not going to breech any protocol and let a common Economy peasant fraternise with those in the lofty land of flat bed seats. No correspondence shall be entered into. Access denied!
We had received a text message, just prior to boarding, from the Mum of one of Maisy’s good friends, to inform us she had found nits in her daughter’s hair. Due to their sleepover the night before we left, there was a slight possibility that the other girls who’d been in attendance may have nits too. Oh no! Given the fact that Maisy scratched her head constantly from one continent to the next today, even in her sleep, I have a strong hunch that assumption may have been correct. Not great timing but that’s what you get when you travel with kids! Arghhh!
By the time we touched down on English soil we had all well and truly pulled on our grumpy pants. Fuelled by lack of sleep, we were snappier than a bunch of hungry crocs and irritating each other like there was no tomorrow. We had arrived at a different terminal to Sam, whose flight landed only an hour after ours so had to trek with all our luggage across the vast wasteland that is Heathrow Airport. Toby’s leg was hurting and as he hobbled along, crutchless, dragging his bag, I suggested we might get a cab to our accommodation. Ross vehemently disagreed, spruiking the joys of riding the famous Tube, and ‘think of all the money we’d save’! It was going to be an 11 minute walk from the tube station to our flat but Ross was insistent it was a lovely day for a walk. It was, but by now we had been travelling for nearly 32 hours straight! A compromise was had and we did get the tube to the closest station followed by a cab to the flat. Molly, Toby and Maisy all crashed out on the train, which made for good comic relief and photos and had the added bonus of helping to dispel some of our grumpiness.
Molly, who was almost in a coma by the time we reached the flat, (which is fantastic by the way) somehow rallied enough energy to catch up with some friends this afternoon. Rossco and Sam hit the streets for some sightseeing, determined to laugh jet lag in the face while Tobes, Maisy and I hit the pillow hard. Maisy has woken feeling quite crook, with a sore throat which is no good. Praying she’ll feel better after a good rest tonight. We had dinner at a great Italian restaurant in Knightsbridge and while Molly lost consciousness periodically through the dinner, Maisy slept soundly through the entire meal.
Let the adventures begin…
