Travelling

Pictures are to come. PROMISE!

Having said that I must also say, "I am exhausted!"

My body hurts. My eyes want to go back to sleep.

Next time I travel a long distance with kids no one will have carry on.

Maybe one small bag or roll luggage, but that is all.

Carrying a million (5) heavy bags.

Heavy if two people are carrying them all.

Now that I complained let the story telling begin.

So it all started out well.  Leaving our loved ones and trying NOT to cry.  good-byes are never fun nor easy.  BTW, my kids have no idea that we cannot go back to Grandmom's/Granpop's house anytime we want.

Once we were safety through the security gate, which was not, too, bad (we only had to do it like 5 more times, but we became pros).  The first plane ride was a breeze.  It was a small airplane. James sat alone in the other row next to me, Nora sat next to me, and  Elizabeth and Adam sat behind us.  Nora was so excited.  She held my hand as we gained altitude.  James kept looking out the window and saying, "Look at the tiny people.  They look like ants."  Elizabeth was a little apprehensive.  She may have started to cry, but it was a nervous cry.  There was some turbulence (as to be expected on a small plane).  BTW, we sat in the back by the toilet.  This can be good, which it was because everyone ended up going to the bathroom on our "long plane ride" of 2 hours.  Let's get back to the turbulence or should I say roller-coaster ride.  I only say this because Nora was saying. "Weeeeeeehhhhhh."  I put my hands over my eyes and held my insides in.  The best part, besides the weeeeehhhhhs, was opening my eyes to Nora covering her eyes and laughing.  She was a great person to sit next to during this part.

Before landing I kept looking for when we would see NYC.  Then there is it was. The skyline, Empire state, and the lady herself , The Statue of Liberty.  She was open to the public on the 4th of July, FYI.  It was so exciting.  We got other passengers excited as ME (and the kids) we giggling and oooooing with excitement at the prospects of visiting the big apple.

Once on the ground again we took our stuff to a safety hold.  I wish we would have left everything!  If you ever go to a city that is not handicap friendly or stroller friendly carry nothing.  Just a little FYI OR find every elevator in the city before going.  

We (me) were all wide eyed and bushy tailed.  We had to get help on buying our ticket to the city.  The "map" was a blob of lines.  I was not about to get lost somewhere I had never been.  Our first ride was a tram where we meet pierced guy.  He was really friendly and helped get us to the right platform.  He hung out with us on the train when we got on it.  It was great until this guy, who later told us he/she was a girl.  This person started talking to us.  Adam and I were  making that face where you don't want to be rude nor acknowledge their existence.  Little did we know this person would try to force him/herself on us as our personal tour guide.  It was really uncomfortable.  I cannot express how scared I became.  The person wanted us to walk and not take the Subway and became really rude.  Scary than said it is two blacks why have them take the subway and waste our money.  WASTE $5 to ride a subway that I can ride for 2 hours I would have done, but I will get back to that in a minute.  All I remember doing, after scary started getting verbally weird, was kneeling next to the stroller, as to look inside it, and I prayed the person would go away.  Scary did.  I am so grateful for the power of prayer.  

Once Scary was gone we said good-bye to pierced nice man.  Off we walked towards Time Square.  I asked James, "Do you know where we are?"

James, "No."

Me, "NYC"

James, "What!!! I always wanted to go here."

This is true.  Every time Grandpop goes he asks why he didn't take him.

His fascination with the city started back with The Wiggles.

They have a song about NYC.

The excitement of the city would soon come to an end.  We found Time Square, but THE Time Square from the movies.  We walked and walked and walked in the heat.  There is a heat way in the NE, FYI.  We swat and everyone just wanted to cool off.  Us and a gazillion of other people.  

My impression of NY was weirdos, millions of roads, stickiness (piles of garbage on the road), and every person in the wold is there.  I am sure I would have loved it if we would have stuck to our plan.  We had two hours.  We wanted to see Time Square, Central Park, and Rockefeller Center.  All super close to each other.  If we would have rode the Subway this would have been done.  We also wanted to eat pizza.  Never got to do.  Everyone was, too, hot and tired.  We wanted to get of the city.  We took the Subway back to Madison Square Gardens (where we started).  I will say the Subway was the best part, besides the super good expensive cupcakes we ate.  I loved the Subway, even though it is not handicap friendly.  Best part ever!!!!!! Hands down.  Once we got back to where we wanted to go we got on the wrong train to the airport, but good thing all the trains are connected in a strange way.  We got to help this lady with her luggage.  SO it all worked out for everyone.  Back at the airport we went to our terminal only to find two food choices.  A pub and a Mediterranean grill.  I do not know about your kids, but mine eat hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and mac and cheese.  I did find some chicken fingers and fries.  Ordered them separately and spent another million dollars, but it was sooooo good (I was soooooo hungry).

After dinner we let our kids run, and run, and run, and run, and run.  I kept saying every one on the plane will thank us.  We ran them ragged and gave them Benadryl. Yes, they slept on the plane.  I kept waking up to their every movement.  I picked up blankets and pillows a million times, but they slept the whole way! 

They woke up to eat breakfast.  It was all good. 

We got off the airplane to find that our stroller was taken to the luggage pick up. Not cool Copenhagen.  We had to figure out how to get out of the terminal.  The entrance and the exit were the same.  Once we found the luggage claim we waited and waited for the luggage to come out.  Our stroller never came.  We waited by the over sized luggage.  It never came.  We waited a long time and it still never came.  I went up to an agent to find that our stroller had been sent to Lithuania.  Yes, I lost it!!!!! How were two little girls going to get around.  We decided to put our luggage in storage and we would go see the city.  We found the storage lockers.  Took several minutes to figure out how they worked.  Had everything secure.  Than we realized that we had no idea how to get to the city.  The tickets for the buses and trains and whatever were inside. We also remembered a huge line by terminal 3.  Where we needed to go.  It was 4 pm.  We were afraid we would not be able to get back to our gate in time to fly out at 8:30 pm.  Bummed we went back to get our luggage out of the storage locker.  That took about 30 minutes.  Our stuff was stuck.  We had to find someone to help us.  That was a pain.  We ate food at the 7 eleven in the airport.  Everything was pork so I had a nasty tuna sandwich that cost about $10.  I threw half of it away.  

We raced to where the huge line of people were to find out that line was not for security check in, but for luggage check in.  I mean this line was ginormous.  It looked like black Friday line at Wal-Mart.  GOt out of that line to go through security hoping that we were going to the right terminal since our flight had no terminal or gate next to it.  Found out we were in the right place.  This terminal was a fancy mall.  I mean fancy.  Gucci, Prada, etc.  It was like in a Vegas casino.  I don't know if you have ever been there, but on the main strip the hotels are connected by a huge mall that goes on forever, this was the terminal.  We sat and waited for the longest three and a half hours of my life.  We waited and waited.  Around 7:30 we went looking for food.  Our plane still did not have a gate next to it.  We did not eat because we freaked out thinking we missed our plane.  A few minutes later we found out our plane had been cancelled and were asked to go to a place to get more information. 

If you know me this freaked me out.  I wanted to cry, but I held it in.

When we got to the designated place there were tons of people.  We went to the end of the line where we were told since we had kids to go to the front. YIPPIE!!!! This was a sigh of relief.  These kids (and I) had had enough for one day.  We were given a voucher to stay at the only 5 star hotel in Copenhagen.  They also gave each of us an over night kit.  It included everything we would need and a t-shirt to sleep in.  I am glad that I am a prepared girl (well kind of) that I packed each of us a change of clothes including underwear and socks in our carry on.  We took a Taxi to the hotel and ate this buffet dinner.  It was good, but 5 star food and children do not mix.  They were happy to have Sprite.  I ate for the first time Cordon Bleu. I thought it was a something.  I realized 3/4 of the way done what it was.  Yes, I finished it.  It was so good! Will I continue to eat pork, probably not.  The other pork stuff was kind of yuck. 

In our fancy room we showered.  It was the best shower ever.  I stunk.  The girls also showered.  They seemed to enjoy being clean, for once.  We than said our prayers, read our scriptures, and were out like a light. That was the most comfortable bed (next to the ones at Nina's house) I had ever slept in.  When the alarm went off at 5:30 am, to catch the bus, I hated my alarm.  I wanted to stay in the bed forever.

Off to the bus we went.  We got to the airport a little before 7.  Our plane was to leave at 8 am.  So we had about an hour to get our breakfast vouchers, get through security, find our gate, and get some food.  This was all done. I won't give all the details.  There were moments of panic, like it being 7:45 and not knowing the gate we were supposed to be at.  Adam and I split up.  I got food while he figured out our gate number.  It all worked out and we got on the plane.  I do not remember much of the flight to Lithuania because I fell asleep until we landed.  

We made it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were excited to find our luggage and stroller had made it safely here.  We didn't even have to go through customs or anything.  We just walked through a door where we found our family and landlord rather quickly.  This was a great moment.  I was so happy, but than realized I had nothing to say to them.  I could not speak language.  They mustard up all their English and I called Adam's Cousin Aunt's Brother, Brother the whole time. Ughhhh! They were so nice.  They took us to the grocery store to help us get the right things.  It was great!  The grocery store is down the street.  Plus!!!!

After everyone left I took a nap.  Woke up and realized I was really here. We than went for a walk to the playground.  It is a playground, but really old.  It had a teeter totter.  The kids loved it.  Than we went for a walk in the woods by our house.  It has several paths.  I wonder if it is a part of a parks and rec or something.  It was pretty and look forward to more walks through it.

Our dinner last night was supposed to be spaghetti, but the sauce tasted like ketchup mixed with Campbell's soup.  The kids did not it very much of it.  We threw the rest out.  Yeah.  This morning for breakfast we ate Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  It tasted different in our very creamy milk.  There are a few things that will take some getting used to, but we will love it.  It is different.  I understand a few words (like 10-15), but we will get there.  It is weird to think we are finally here.  We have been talking about coming here for about 2 and half years.  I think we like it here. 

One quick thing before I go.  Our apartment is huge! Bigger than our little fancy house (the name our kids gave our old place).  James loves having his own room.