The kids and I managed to maneuver another trip out of the Chennai airport. N was excited to have two of his teachers on the flight with us as well as another school staff member.
It was funny. There was quite a bit of turbulence, and at one point a few passengers starting screaming. The kids looked at me, and we just shrugged. It was a lot like being on a roller coaster. After a 10 hour flight to London, we made it through customs and found Charles. London was beautiful. The buildings are amazing, and the weather was good.
London is vast. There is so much to see and do. We started off just shopping and of course eating. We rode the London Eye, went to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, and Houses of Parliament. We saw Wicked the Musical. It was great, and the kids already knew the songs thanks to their Aunt B. We went to the Natural History and Science Museum and the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. We could have spent many more days, but we had to leave for Paris.
What is so fun about traveling is learning the best way to get around for the best price! Especially with a lot of luggage and a big family (by European and Asian standards). We have to always get two rooms, and M and N are for the most part adult prices. We left the airport and rode a train to get a cab to our hotel. For Paris, we had a van take us to the train station to catch the Eurostar. We really enjoyed that. Once off the Eurostar, we took a bus to the hotel. We also look the subway system in Paris a lot. I have to say that it was great to have had Charles bring back a suitcase of stuff to the U.S. that we did not need to lug around Europe. N can be a help, but the girls are just not big enough to really do the quick loading of the luggage.
Once in Paris, we settled into our hotel room. Funny the things you start to expect to be in the hotel rooms when you start traveling. Our room was a little cramped, but we managed. We freshened up and headed to the Disney Village. A lot of Disney stores and restaurants! We went into the city on two of our days. How beautiful! The weather was little cooler, but it was good all the same. We went to Notre Dame Cathedral, The Louvre, The Eiffel Tower (even N rode up), Arc de Triomphe, and just walking around. It rained and got cooler, but we managed to stay dry. Disney was fun, but E was not big enough to ride Space Mountain. That did not go over well. E was hilarious with her Hard Rock gear, Disney bag from Eurostar, and her map. Yes, she is quite the tourist.
We enjoyed the time in both these cities even though there is so much more we could have seen. There may be another opportunity to visit.
We made it back to London, got a taxi, and managed to get checked in and up to our room in a reasonable time. The next morning we went to the airport for the final leg of our destination. A long flight to Chicago, and then a short hop to Detroit. It was a relatively smooth. When we landed in Chicago and made it through customs, we found a Chili's restaurant. Yummy! I think N was a little concerned about the small plane that would be taking us to Michigan, but he did well. E jumped right in line and gave her ticket to the staff. The guy in front of me said that we may want to go with her. I think is knows what to do now, and she was ready to get to Michigan.
My parents met us at the car rental place and as promised brought donuts to the kids. They have really missed Grandma and Grandpa.
We got checked settled in at the house and visited for awhile with my parents before they headed home.
It is good to be back in Michigan! I will try to post some things every few days to keep everyone updated. It is funny, but our driver emails Charles to give him updates about the house in India, the work that needs to be completed while we are here, and of course Midnight. I have 400 pictures and a movie to share with everyone!
Love it!!!!
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