The Castro-Nyhus family goes south

The day was finally upon us when we were going to Elorrrio in order to show off Hanna to our Basque family and friends. We booked the tickets back in June, when October seemed so far away, but here we were.

We, or I to be precise started packing several days before, well ahead of schedule. Normally I pack two hours before leaving the house, but now, trying to be a responsible mother and wife, I was eager not to use the iron to dry my jeans with the airport taxi waiting outside – not that something like that has ever happened.

Apparently I did such a good job with packing my own and Little H’s stuff that I had to pack for Pappa Kas as well. He did a last minute check and most of the items I had chosen was approved, and I as the fashion police did not have to veto against any changes in the outfits choosen.

The day of our departure arrived and little H seemed in great spirit, unaware of the long and strenuous journey awaiting her. She had presented us with less spit-up than normal and her morning delivery was already done, so we hoped that the two changes of clothes we had in the hand luggage would be sufficient for the travel ahead.

Ten minutes before the taxi was due to arrive we were lined up outside the house with bags, suitcases and Little H. And I was thinking that if travelling with a toddler is going to make me plan ahead, pack smarter and be ready on time- bring it on! I'll take Little H on city breaks once a month. Pappa Kas can come if he pays...

Needless to say the travel was not such a breeze. I will not go into details, but here is a lesson learnt:

A carry-on bag for necessities (book to read on the plane, glossy magazine, water, fruit, a delicious sandwich and a small bag of toiletries (essential travel stuff: 8 hour cream, hand cream and Multi vitamin Recovery face mask and, and, and… )is no longer required.

Bring instead:

A large canvas bag containing: wet wipes, dry wipes, cotton wipes -WIPES! More babyfood, diapers and changes of clothes than you can ever imagine (do not forget an extra change for yourself as well as for the small one) pain killers (for when your stress related headache sets in) energy bars for food on the move and change in various currencies for shots of espresso whenever the opportunity arises. God forbid that you forget the small annoying toy which plays music as soon as anything gets near it. You get the drift...

Well, we arrived in Elorrio after having taken 1 taxi, 2 trains, 1 bus,  2 transport buses out to the planes, a stopover and flight change in Frankfurt.

Now a few days and a few bottles of wine later I am trying to convince myself that travelling with Little H was not so bad. I need to get home again - right?..