EUROTRIP

Well well well. It appears I have been M.I.A for, let's see, FOREVER. I SUCK. There may be more talented, conscientious people than I (there are) who can travel the globe with an eleven month old and various stuffed bunnies in tow and still manage to update their blog. I, however, am a flawed being and my blog posts seem to fly out the window whenever there is even a moderately significant distraction in my life. A four week holiday led me to forget I even have a blog and instead frequently stress about foreign foods and jet lag and appropriate airplane behaviour and other things you SHOULDN'T be worried about on a holiday but of course DO when you simply must stress about SOMETHING.

SO! Welcome back, me. The past four weeks have seen my little family and I (and extended family on both sides) travel from Sydney to Hong Kong, on to Germany via Finland, take a quick Paris weekender and end up in country France for a few days. Then it was back to Sydney via Finland with a two day stopover in Bangkok. Does your head hurt yet? It should when I remind you there was an 11 month old on board. Yup. Head's hurting.

When I set out to write this post I intended to heap upon you wise words regarding traveling with a baby. But then I thought about it and realised that my own approach to traveling with a baby consisted of constantly stressing about how many clean bottles I have and breathing sighs of relief that I have such an easygoing, adaptable child.

Summer in Europe? Get naked.

I have a feeling that if my daughter were not so laid back (a trait clearly not inherited from yours truly) we could have had an entirely different trip on our hands. As it was she reacted with complete class to every hiccup and setback (again, unlike yours truly) and quickly adjusted time zones four times. She was the darling of her Aunties, the cherished plaything of her cousins and the apple of her grandparents' eyes.

What should be mentioned, however, is the ridiculous amount of ridiculous things that took place on this holiday. I'm sure I've told you all that I attract drama. I'm not drawn to it, oh no - it's drawn to me. I can see it coming and literally turn and run away but it always, ALWAYS finds me.

Let's see, first there was the Typhoon 10 (the highest level, yep) that kept us stranded in Hong Kong Airport for 21 hours. Then there was the unplanned night spent in Finland. There was the flight to Paris we missed (don't even ASK how much we paid for a new one...) and the other flight that cost us an extra $130 for a name change (Justus I'm looking at you mate).

There were the specs Justus lost (that one's on me) and then came the brand new sunglasses - gone. Heike's favourite cuddly bunny was also a casualty. Family arguments? Oh, there were heaps! Tantrums (thrown by adults)? You betcha! My parents even got scammed in Bangkok on their way home. Let's place that cherry on the cake, shall we?

Interestingly, almost all the drama of our holiday had absolutely nothing to do with our tiny tot, but rather came down to bad luck or mismanagement. Considering what a "lucky" person I am and how "great" my husband is at planning, I'd say we had it coming.

Nonetheless, a great time was had by all, particularly Madame H who would have loved to bid us adieu and spend a few more weeks I'm sure. The weather was warm, the bread amazing and the beer cheap. All in all - I'd do it again in a flash.

Swimming naked, German style

Z xx