Well, we are back, and already in a whilrwind as my husband had to go back to work soon after we returned (actually he was supposed to return the very night we returned, but our flights were rescheduled and then his boss took pity and let him take one extra day), and I was asked to teach VBS this week! I'll do posts about the outcome of the trip, of course, but first, I just want to brag about this little guy:
I was quite nervous about taking a toddler on such a long trip, especially that involved several plane changes. I had heard stories of little kids screaming unstoppably after more flights than they cared to take, and mine is certainly as energetic and emotional as any. I would have been even more hesitant if I had realized that our trip to Livingstone would add an extra 18 hours of van/bus travel in the middle of it! But Nathanael handled it all like he was born to travel. Each airport was interesting to him, each takeoff and landing fun to watch. He got to where every time he saw a picture of an airplane, or saw a plane out the window, he would point and exclaim "A-dah!" ("airplane"). He even seemed to enjoy the bus. He loved Victoria Falls, and was constantly pointing and exclaiming "Wa-dee!" ("water"). We were also treated to a boat ride on the river, which he also loved. I'm not sure if he noticed the hippos or crocodile, but he did at least notice the Egyptian geese taking off from the water.
He also made friends at the airports:
Everyone was amazed at how well he took the whole trip. The 12 days we were traveling, he only had one total meltdown, and that was a situation that was straining the adults to the limit! He didn't sleep as much as he needed on the flight from Amsterdam to Toronto. We then had a four-hour layover in Toronto, but that was a busy one because our next flight was on a separate ticket, which meant we had to go through customs (which was a very slow line), claim our bags, change terminals, get our new boarding passes, re-check our bags, go through security, and get to our gate. We then got on the plane, sat for two hours, and then de-planed because a communication device was failing a test and they couldn't get a new one. THEN the line to get rebooked moved as slow as molasses in winter. I stood in line for two and a half hours while Kenneth struggled to stay awake and watch Nathanael. Everyone was getting quite frustrated, but Kenneth heard some people remark that if that little boy could keep a good attitude, they could too. We finally got our new tickets for the next day and some hotel and food vouchers. Then we had to re-claim our bags and catch the hotel shuttle. Nathanael started to fall asleep on the baggage cart, and when I picked him up, that's when he finally lost it. At that point, who could blame him?
Then on the plane the next day, he was once again happy as could be:
But of course no matter how much someone loves traveling, there's always something special about coming home:
