Brussels

Wednesday

We were up early on Wednesday due to Ella talking loudly to herself in the next room.  We brought her in to our room while we took it in turns to get ready and finish our packing.

Eventually we were ready, the buggy was fully laden and the girls were in their seats and in a reasonable mood.

We made our way over to the train station and caught the train in to London with all the other commuters.  The girls seemed to enjoy themselves as they looked out of the window.

Once at St Pancras train station we were quickly through check-in and security and in to the lounge to wait the call to our train.  Isla enjoyed the snacks and seemed to be (too) full of energy as she ran up and down the lounge.  Unfortunately Ella got very fidgety and unsettled.

Once we were called to our train we quickly found our carriage and seats.  Thankfully a very helpful member of staff found us a free table of four seats so we could spread out and settle in for the journey.  I had been saving a Fire tablet (complete with shatter proof screen cover and child proof case) as a surprise for Isla and, as the train pulled out of London, she settled down to enjoy Gruffalo while Matt tried to pacify an increasingly unsettled Ella.

Soon after we left we were served food and we also fed Ella.

After everyone had eaten lunch the journey seemed to fly by and we were soon in Brussels.  After some chaos trying to find lifts and platforms we managed to get to central Brussels and we then walked the short distance to our first accommodation.  We did some quick nappy changes and then we went out to find the supermarket to pick up supplies.  On our way back we stopped off to have our first try of Belgium Beer.

I was very thirsty and I had not appreciated how strong Belgium beer was so, after drinking my beer far too quickly, the alcohol hit home all too fast!  At least it was a quick way to get in to the holiday spirit.  After our beers we went to find a recommended fish restaurant to get some dinner.  I think Isla was hungry and losing her sense of humour.

We collected our food and made our way back to the accommodation to get the girls their dinner and then ready for bed.  Isla was in the cot provided by the accommodation and Ella was in our pop up cot which we had brought with us.  Thankfully we had a one bedroom apartment with sliding doors to separate the bedroom from the living room area.  Therefore, we were able to put the girls to bed before closing the doors.  Matt and I were then able to have our own dinner.  However, i think Isla was a bit unsettled so we ended up allowing her to come through and sit with us until she got sleepy.

Onve we had finally got Isla to bed we then had to get ourselves ready for bed in the dark and in silence so as to not wake up the girls.  A new family holiday reality!

 

Thursday

We were up early again with Ella but we let Isla sleep in before we all had porridge and fruit for breakfast.  Isla was so full of energy she enjoyed playing with her sister

Isla was also running around the apartment, she seemed to really enjoy opening and closing the sliding bedroom doors.  I think a part of her glee was also having both Matt and I to herself for a change, without household chores and work getting in the way.

 

 

After breakfast we packed up and made our way to the Metro for the journey out to Heysel to visit a waterpark.  Public transport was very easy to work out and the trains were frequent and air conditioned.  However, I noticed that Isla went quiet on the train as she was staring at the fellow commuters speaking in a foreign language.  She seems so grown up that it is easy to forget that she is only two years old and this is the first time (that she can remember) she has been exposed to a foreign city and language.  I worried that she may be a bit overwhelmed by it all but she quickly seemed to snap out of it and started to ask questions and relax.

We easily found the water park but we decided to have lunch before going in so we found the cafe and ordered sandwiches while I fed Ella with food we had brought with us.  After lunch we found a family change room and we all got in our swimming costumes and put our bags in the lockers and then we went in to the waterpark.  There was a good section for smaller children with baby slides and fountains of water.  Isla had a fantastic time running around with her new safety jacket giving us peace of mind.  Ella also seemed to take it all in her stride and smiled broadly as we took it in turns to bouncer her around the various connected swimming pools.

Every 20mins or so a buzzer would sound and a wave machine would start up in the main pool area.  The waves were big, the sound effects were of a loud storm and the swimming pool got very crowded with adults and older teenagers.  Isla constantly amazes me by how fearless she is and, after watching the waves for a the first time, she was  quickly asking to go in the waves and requesting that I take her deeper and deeper in to the pool to catch the bigger waves.  Even Ella seemed to enjoy sitting on shoreline of the pool and feeling the waves lapping over her in quick succession.

After a few hours both girls seemed to be closing their eyes and so we thought it was probably time to get showered and dressed to make our way back to the hotel.  Ella very quickly fell fast asleep in the buggy and Isla was looking out of the train window and then suddenly, quite literally in the blink of an eye, she fell fast asleep on my shoulder.  Matt ended up carrying her out of the train and up to our room.

After sleeps and a change of clothes we all got up and went out for a walk to find the Grand Place.  It was stunning and we loved the architecture and history.

We found lots of chocolate shops (Isla loved the chocolate fountains) and we enjoyed chocolate waffles

 

 

We even managed to try another Belgium beer on the way back to the hotel.  Everyone was in a fantastic mood.

We then made our way back to the hotel for the girl’s dinner, bath time and bed before I made Matt & I a meal and we settled down to watch England Vs. Belgium in the world cup.  We could hear lots of noise around the hotel when Belgium scored!

 

Friday

We had to be up early this day because we were checking out of one hotel and checking in to another.  Travelling with the girls means that we really need a separate bedroom but, since this was somewhat of a last minute trip, I couldn’t find us anywhere with one bedroom for the full four nights.  So we had to split our stays over two hotels and we needed to be up and packed ready for check out.

We wanted to do a walked tour and that tour started in the Grand Place.  Our new hotel was just off the Grand Place and so we decided that I would get a taxi to the new hotel with the bags and Matt would walk the girls round in the buggy and we would meet in the Grand Place.  As with most of our travelling, we were running late and so I rushed down to ask reception to call me a taxi.  It was at this point that I discovered there was a train strike meant that taxis were going to take an hour – so I decided to call an Uber and hope that I could get the bags in to the car.  In the end it was no problem at all and in no time I was checked in at the new hotel and walking to Grand Place.

I had read about the free tours of Brussels and Viva tours looked particularly well reviewed.  They leave at several times during the day and we aimed for the 11am tour – all I knew was that we needed to look for a orange umbrella.  No sooner had I found the tour leeder and booked us on to the tour (and checked that a double buggy wouldnt cause any issues) than I turned around and Matt was stood next to me with the girls.

The walking tour started with some history of Belgium, Brussels and the Grand Place, including many interesting stories regarding the Town Hall.

 

 

After the Grand Place we moved to the monument of Everard t’Serclaes and more interesting sights from a different angle of the town hall.

 

 

After this we moved on to Manneken Pis for a quick run down of the history and the obligatory tourist pictures.

 

 

At this point Isla started to lose her sense of humour about being in the buggy for so long.  We decided to get her out to let us walk along with us.  This is the point at which the walking tour started to break down for us and Matt had to walk an increasingly bored Isla around.  She also couldn’t keep up with the walking pace and she and Matt started to fall behind.

At the next stop on the tour we decided to cut our losses and peel off from the tour.  We gave the guide a tip and stopped at her recommended cafe for some Mitraillette – a half baguette filled with a full portion of Belgium fries (which we learnt are twice fried in animal fat), half a tub of mayonnaise and two meatballs.  Isla loved it, Matt devoured his in about 3mins flat (whilst protesting that he was only eating it because he was hungry!) and I fed Ella her lunch (baby food and fruit).

We then walked around for a little and re-visited Manneken Pis so that Isla could have some photos taken.  She seemed genuinely interested in the little statue!

We then went back to our hotel.  We had planned to go to a museum that afternoon but the train strike (and our lack of car seats) meant that we had to postpone that visit.  Instead we got the girls down to bed for an afternoon nap whilst Matt and I relaxed in the room and unpacked – I found the perfect spot in the room for the double buggy and the bag of Ella and Isla’s nappies.

After their sleep Ella worked out that she could pull herself up on the cot bars and she seemed to be having a fun time amusing herself with her new skills.

Isla was full of beans and practically bouncing off the walls.  We have been trying to get her interested in some child meditation and so Matt tried to do a quick session with her on the bed.  It seemed to work well as she listened to the calming voice and followed the instructions.

Our room gave us access to the Lounge so we decided to take the girls down to feed them there while Matt and I had some snacks and drinks.  The girls were well behaved and Isla enjoyed trying some new foods.

We took Isla for a little tour of the hotel before we headed out to get some more food for Matt & I.  We found a lovely old man playing music and Isla couldn’t help dancing – it was quite enchanting to watch her.  After a walk in a beautiful little square, and some delightful food we headed back to the room for baths and bedtime.

 

Saturday

We were up early and down to breakfast in the hotel.  Isla was in her element with a whole buffet of food to choose from.  She immediately spotted the shot glasses at the front counting the special daily smoothies and wanted to try both the mango and the strawberry varieties.  For her breakfast she chose a freshly made waffle with Nutella, yoghurt, hot chocolate and orange juice.  Each time a waitress came to bring her something new she proudly exclaimed “merci beaucoup” to the amusement of the staff and fellow guests.  She was in heaven!  Her sister happily chewed/gummed her way through a variety of pastries and fruit.

After breakfast I took us to the lounge again so that I could get myself a take away coffee.  As I was operating the machine Ella spontaneously projectile vomited all over the floor area in front of the smaller breakfast buffet and even managed to cover her Dad with some.  Nice.

We cleared up the best we could and sheepishly made our way back up to our room to get ready for the day.  We decided to walk to the museum because the train strike was still ongoing.  It was a lovely 25min walk in the sunshine and the route took us via the Royal Palace and gardens.

Our route also took us past the European Parliament which was very interesting to see.

We chose to visit the museum because they have a large collection of dinosaurs and when we arrived there was a big dinosaur outside – Isla immediately wanted to get out of the buggy and have her photo taken.  She was really excited.

When we got in to the museum Isla was almost unstoppable with excitement and poor Matt spent most of the time running around after her (closely followed by a museum attendant presumable worried about the integrity of the exhibits with a charging toddler on the loose!).  This gave me some time to look at the exhibits which were amazing.

After a fantastic few hours in the museum we visited the gift shop and Isla picked out a toy dinosaur she wanted (and I don’t think she put down for the rest of the holiday). We then walked home in the sunshine and the girls fell fast asleep.

We went to the lounge again to feed the girls before we headed back up to the room for bath time.

We then got the girls in to their pyjamas and decided to try to go out to the lovely square behind the hotel for a final drink in the sunshine on our last night of the holiday.  We found a table in the shade, Matt ordered a beer and I decided to try a beer flight.

The buggy and shade worked well for Ella who fell straight to sleep but Isla refused to play ball and go to sleep.

When Isla eventually woke Ella up I decided to pacify them both with an ice cream (Isla) and a churros (Ella) while we finished our drinks.

We then made our way back to our room to get the girls down to sleep after a lovely day together.

 

Sunday

After another messy but enjoyable breakfast at the hotel buffet we covered everyone in suncream (Isla remains unimpressed by the suncream process) and we headed out for a final stroll around the city.

We stopped again in the Grand Place.

And we wondered the cobbled streets buying some chocolates and watercolours to remind us of our time here.

We stopped off to pick up some gorgeous baguette sandwiches for lunch and when we checked back in the buggy the girls had both called fast asleep.

We went back to the lounge to eat our lunch and then we went back to the room to pack up our things (and both girls back in the buggy) before we checked out.

Our hotel was opposite the Brussels Central station and thankfully we were only one short stop away from Brussels Midi station to catch the Eurostar home.

It was our first holiday as a family of four and we had a wonderful time.  Although it can be challenging and tiring looking after the two girls, the time we get to spend together is magical.  I cannot wait for Isla to be old enough to start to remember our trips together.

Eurostar with a baby and a toddler

Los Angeles (again)

We spent the morning trying to pack up a truly massive amount of luggage – I thought we had too much when we left New Zealand but we had managed to acquire more things thanks to some lovely gifts from family and a few shopping trips of our own.

we had already given my parents a few items to take home with them in their suitcases.  We had also set up a box for things we didn’t need over the coming months for my sister to send back to the UK.  As we started to panic a bit over all the stuff we still had to pack my sister came to our rescue by providing us with a larger hold-all bag (thank goodness).

We had a bit of a rush to finalise everything but we we only 15 minutes leaving the house to get to the airport.  A few of the check in staff took pity on us and helped us with checking-in.  We had to pre-clear security for the US which meant taking all our luggage through to another section of the airport.  Again, a staff member took pity on us and, after a tearful goodbye to my sister, they helped us get all our luggage through security and over to departures.

We had a little time until our flight so we decided to grab a quick bite to eat in the airline lounge before packing up Isla’s buggy into its case ready for the flight.  As we sat waiting I couldn’t help but feel excited for the next few days in LA.

We had been decidedly unimpressed with Air Canada on our last few flights so we had decided to try Westjet for this flight.  It turned out to be a great decision because the seats were a great size, we had plenty of leg room and we got some good food and drinks included.

Isla seemed alert and excited for the journey too – she spent some time looking out of the window before take off (but managed to be transfixed by the flight attendants during take off so she missed the great views during take off).

We gave her a feed after take off and she quickly looked sleepy so we fashioned a bed on the table between us using Matt’s coat and an airline blanket.  Thankfully she put up little resistance and fell fast asleep.

Matt & I managed to enjoy some food and little TV on the flight before Isla woke up.  Matt then cuddled her and read some stories to her to keep her calm.

And I treated myself to my own methods of calming.

We even tried Isla on some apple pieces left over from our lunch, but she did not seem too keen.

We were soon landing in LA and it was just a short walk to collect our luggage.  There was a slight hiccup as we approached a double downward moving escalator (one going to baggage claim on the bottom floor and the other going to ticketing on the second floor) and we both simultaneously joined a different escalator.  As I (with Isla strapped to me in her sling) continued down poor Matt got stuck on another floor (with a ruck sack, change bag and massive buggy bag) trying to find his way back to baggage claim.

One we had reunited and collected all our baggage we realized that there were no free baggage trolleys and we had far, far too much luggage to move on our own.  We ended up with a system which involved moving around 10 meters at a time in stages.  I took two suitcases to the other side of the baggage carousel and left them (in sight), to go back to collect some more luggage – Matt was about to do the same when a airport security officer told him that we could not leave luggage unattended.  After several more stops (to the door, just outside the door, the first pillar, the second pillar etc.) we managed to find the taxi rank and flag down a large taxi van.  Even with some careful packing we still required Matt to squeeze in to the back with the luggage as I sat with Isla.  As we pulled off our backpacks, sat in the vehicle and then pulled away in to the traffic I felt an enormous sense of relief that the hotel porters would be there to help us the other end.

Through a credit card I had taken out before our trip (mainly for the free travel and hire car insurance) I had been given elite status with some hotel chains.  Other hotels regularly do status match offers and, thanks to a generous offer run by Hilton a few months back, I had managed to status match to Diamond level.  I had booked a basic room at the Beverly Hilton hotel during a flash sale a few days earlier and managed to get a really good deal.  Thanks to my Diamond status I also got the promise of a room upgrade, premium internet and breakfast for free.  When we came to check in they had upgraded us to a nicer room, in a nicer section of the hotel, but the overall floor space was reduced.  When I explained that we needed more room for all our luggage and for Isla’s travel cot the very nice man at the front desk then upgraded us to a suite – which we were extremely happy about (overall it was a fantastic deal with the rate we were actually paying).  When we got up to our room Isla seemed very happy with the upgrade too!

We then began the familiar routine of setting up her pop-up cot, blowing up her mattress and getting Ewan the Sheep installed in a place where he could be seen and heard but not pulled in and chewed.  Matt was also busy in the bathroom washing and sterilising bottles and dummies.  We also set up the feeding station (bottles, formula, porridge and kettle) and the changing station (change mat, wipes, nappy sacks and nappies).

After a while we were tired and it was getting late so we set off to find Nat ‘n Als which was a deli restaurant in the heart of Beverly Hills.  I had read that they did great food in huge portions – two of our favourite things when it comes to food.  We got a map from the concierge and it was an easy walk from the hotel.  When we arrived I pulled Isla’s cover down and used the Shush Baby app to get her to sleep.

Matt and I then enjoyed some good home cooking style food and a few beers.

On the way back o the hotel we passed Sprinkles cupcakery and, although the shop was open, I persuaded Matt to use the ATM outside to get me a cupcake.  It was surprisingly easy and efficient.

I had to admit that it was the best cupcake I have ever tried – and I have tried a lot over the years, it even beats the one I had from Magnolia Bakery in New York.

We then made our way back to the hotel and attempted to give Isla a final feed but she was so tired she fell fast asleep midway through.

We were all tired and so we settled down for a night of sleep in one of the comfiest beds I’ve ever slept in.

In the morning we were up with Isla at 6am due to the time different between Calgary and Los Angeles.  We then got dressed and made our way down to the breakfast buffet.  We sat Isla at our table and took it in turns to fill our bowls and plates from the amazing buffet.  We put a few pieces of fruit in front of Isla to see if baby led weaning would be successful.

She picked and played with the fruit, putting some to mouth.  She tried a strawberry for the first time – it was a good size for her to hold and eat – she didn’t seem to like it and pulled some really funny faces whilst eating but she kept going back again and again for more.

We then went back to the room, packed up ordered an Uber cab to take us out for a day at Disneyland.  It was a 50 minute drive to the park and we were dropped off right at the entrance.  We had to go through security to get o the ticket booths and during the security screening process I was told that I could not take my selfie stick in to the park.  Apparently selfie sticks are a danger because people try to take photos on the rides so they have a blanket ban on the sticks.  Since I had no car to return the stick to, and they refused to hold it and allow me to pick it up at the end, I lost the stick – I was really annoyed!

After we had picked up our tickets we made our way through the gates and down Disney street to the magic castle.

Once we were in the middle of the park we realized it was time to feed Isla and so Matt fed her a bottle whilst I got a map of the park and planned our day.  We found a fantastic Baby centre (sponsored by Huggies) which had a big changing room, play area, kitchen for preparing feeds and big sectioned off area (with curtains) for nursing mums.  It was brilliant – complete with nannies decked out in full Mary Poppins outfits!

By the time we came out the park was really starting to get busy – I must admit that I struggled a bit with the crowds.  I have never been somewhere so incredibly busy where it takes ages to even walk across the street.

For the rest of the day we made our way round each of the sections of the park including the new Star Wars land where we met Stormtroopers (very cool)

And had our photo taken with Chewbacca

I went on the awesome Indian Jones ride in Adventureland.

And we spent some time in the princess’s castle – Matt’s favourite 😉

We stopped for lunch in Old Orleans and got a lovely table in the shade in a cafe.  We both ordered sandwiches and gave Isla a feed whilst we waited.  Matt’s sandwich was nice but I had managed to order something called the Monte Cristo and I had not read the description properly.  It turned out to be a white bread sandwich with turkey, ham and cheese – covered in batter and deep fried then served with jam – it was utterly revolting (and I have a better stomach than most for junk food).  I could not believe it was a real sandwich and that people all around me were quite happily eating them.

As we walked around the park I was struck by how many people had buggies with them and how baby/child friendly the park was – however, you were not allowed to take the buggy on most rides or attractions which led to some fairly awesome buggy parks outside some rides.

After we had exhausted ourselves in the park we decided to try to wait out the notorious LA traffic and have dinner in Downtown Disney.  We found a nice cafe car in the centre of the main street and had chicken wings, salads and beers as we cuddled Isla and got her settled down to sleep.  She had been so good all day watching what was going on – she had been exposed to trumpets, bands, massive crowds, heat and lots of strangers making a fuss of her and she had taken it all in her stride.  I really hope that all the travel, disruption and constant change has helped to make her a relaxed and happy little girl – she certainly seems very chilled now.

As we made our way home in the taxi Isla awoke and, for reasons known only to herself, started to blow raspberries.  It must have been a nice sensation for her and she seemed really impressed with herself – so much so that she has continued to blow raspberries ever since (but it is a nicer stage than the screaming).

When we arrived back at the hotel we settled Isla for the night and started to feel very sad that this was our last night in Los Angeles and also the last night of our trip.  It seemed to have gone by so fast – too fast but we chatted about the amazing experiences we had enjoyed.

The next day we requested a late check out and spent the morning packing up all our things ready for the journey home.  We decided on a last meal in LA at the Farmers Market and we had a lovely few hours choosing lunch options and walking around the stalls and then the Grove shopping precinct.

We then had to accept the inevitable and get a cab back to the hotel to pick up our things before we then made our way to the airport.  It was with a very heavy heart that we packed up the taxi with our luggage and drove out to the airport.

Check in at the airport was quick and we were quickly through security.  This final flight home was with air miles and we had managed to find two Upper Class seats available.  We easily found the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and settled in to a corner sofa area with Isla.

I thought we had plenty of time before our flight but Matt went for a shower whilst I fed Isla, I then went for a shower whilst Matt entertained Isla, we then washed and sterilised her bottles from the day for the flight, we wolfed down some food for dinner, I then packed up Isla’s buggy in to the case and then it was time to strap Isla into her baby sling and board the flight – we seemed to be rushing the entire time although we did provide some amusement, and friendly conversations, for fellow passengers as they watched the two of us frantically moving from one job to the next as they sipped on their champagne and relaxed.

Once on the flight Isla was unsettled and we got some unimpressed looks from a few people.  However, and hour after take off she fell fast asleep for the rest of the flight – we woke her up 45mins out of Heathrow for a feed.

Heathrow security was a nightmare and we had a hellish 45mins in a fast moving queue at passport control – I had Isla strapped to my front, a heavy back pack on my back and the change bag, Matt had the bag with all her feed, a heavy backpack and the massive (and heavy) buggy in the carrier.  Thankfully, once we were through and down to baggage claim we quickly grabbed some luggage trolleys and were able to unload the bags.  Our luggage came out quickly and we had booked a Limo with air miles and so our driver was waiting for us the other side in arrivals.  We were soon on our way home feeling tired and sad and with a jet lagged baby Isla – her face perfectly summed up our mood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calgary (again)

We arrived back in to Calgary and we were really excited to see our little girl again.  When we got back to my sister’s home there were lots of smiles and cuddles, it was lovely to be back with our baby.

Whilst we were in Los Angeles my parents and my uncle had arrived from the UK for a holiday in Canada.  So over the next week we had some lovely family time relaxing and spending time together.

It was Matt’s birthday the day after we arrived and so we got to spend the evening, just the two of us, at The Keg restaurant.  We had been to the restaurant the last time we visited my sister and the quality of the steaks really made a great impression on Matt.  We enjoyed some time alone as a couple and we gorged ourselves on good drinks and fantastic steaks – the steak I had was called a baseball cut steak which is “the upper part of a top sirloin steak and is a rounded piece of meat at least two inches thick. The meat fills out slightly as it cooks, which enhances its ball-like appearance”…..delicious!

One day we had a trip out to Banff to have afternoon tea at the Fairmont hotel.  The afternoon tea area looks directly out on to a fantastic view of the mountains and river.

The afternoon tea itself was delicious – a first round of sandwiches, savory pastries and savoury and sweet scones (with jam and cream).  The second round consisted of yummy cakes and sweet pastries.

After we had eaten until we were full Matt & I went outside to have another look at the scenery and to take some photos.

After the afternoon tea we drove up to the gondola and took a ride to the top before walking up Sulfur Mountain for some breathtaking views of Banff and the surrounding mountains and valleys.  The mountain itself has hot springs on the lower slopes and a meteorological observatory building dating back to 1903 at the top which has been preserved with rustic furnishings – thankfully we had clear views all around.

On another day we decided to go to the local shopping mall.  Since we had no car we took the bus and the metro train to the other side of Calgary, which was an experience with Isla in her buggy.  Isla seemed to really enjoy herself and seemed happy and relaxed all day.  As the we came back during rush hour, and the metro train passed directly through the centre of Calgary, I was worried Isla would get scared as the train got busier and busier.  However, she seemed to take it all in her stride and even made some new friends on the train as commuters tried to make her smile.

We also got more disciplined with Isla’s weaning over the next few days.  One day, after some over the top encouragement from me, she suddenly just seemed to understand what the baby porridge was and what to do it with it, and she ate the entire bowl!

She was even leaning in to get at the next spoonful of food.

A couple of times she even launched her head on to the spoon in her enthusiasm for the porridge.

Matt & I also managed to take advantage of the in-house babysitters and we got to go to the cinema to see Money Monster and we had another night out at a local bar for dinner and drinks.  It felt strange, and marvelous, to be doing normal things again as a couple.

On our final night in Calgary we took my sister and brother-in-law out for a lovely dinner at a local restaurant to say thank you for being wonderful hosts.  We took Isla with us and, for the first time, decided to try her on a high chair.  They had these fantastic high chairs that screw directly on to the table.

Isla sat quite happy in it at the table.  The table itself helped to keep her upright in the seat and she really enjoyed being part of the meal.  We’ve decided to buy one for home (and travel) once we return to the UK.

It was very sad to see our time in Calgary come to an end.  Not only was it the end to some lovely family time but it was also a reminder that our own little adventure was also coming to an end.  However, we had a final few days back in Los Angeles as a family to look forward to.

 

 

 

Calgary to Vancouver

On the morning we were due to leave we both had more thoughts of cancelling the trip.  It just seemed too long to be away from our little girl, a huge imposition on my sister and brother-in-law, and we both knew that we would miss Isla very much.  Matt suggested an amendment to the trip to cancelling the first part and reduce the number of days we away. We had a talk about it all and decided that if we were going to go then we should just commit to it and try to enjoy ourselves.

We carried on packing up our things and getting ourselves ready to leave but we were both procrastinating and trying to  delay our actual departure.  In the end we did not leave until around 2pm and only after lots of kisses and cuddles to Isla.

As we set off we quickly stopped at a Tim Hortons drive through for hot drinks and then we were on our way on Highway 1 heading west.  We soon discovered for ourselves that drivers in Canada are not as polite or considerate as in England – we had to be confident with our driving and lane changes on the motorway!

As we left the city the road soon widened out and the scenery become dramatic.  Further west we turned off Highway 1 to join Highway 93 and one of the first road signs we saw warned us of Bears and avalanche risks on the roads ahead.  Soon after we saw a Lynx run across the road in front of us which was great to see.  The scenery also changed to become more alpine – as we took in the breathtaking views we were starting to get very excited about the next few days of the trip.

We stopped late afternoon at Peyto Lake and Matt walked up to take some pictures of the stunning views.

We were also close to Bow Summit which is the highest point along the Columbia Ice fields Parkway.

As we set off again we soon stopped for petrol and snacks.  The first time we stopped we actually took it in turns to go to the bathroom because it was habit for one of us to stay in the car with Isla!  This time we both went in to the grocery store and it felt strong not to have a baby with us.

We quickly set off again and made our way further up in to the mountains.  The scenery started to become more alpine and dramatic with snow right up to the roadside.

Suddenly, in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, up popped our accommodation.  As we parked up, got out of the car and turned around we saw Athabaska glacier right in front of us.

We checked in to the hotel and when we settled in to the room we were delighted to see that we were on the side of the building that looked directly up on to the glacier.  This was the view from our window.

It was getting late and so we decided to head straight to the restaurant for dinner.  The food was bad and overpriced but the views were fantastic.

We were in bed and asleep by midnight but, unfortunately, we were woken up by a Chinese man who (for reasons better known to himself) went out in to the hotel corridor at 1.30am to have a loud conversation on speakerphone.  To say we were annoyed would be an understatement.  The jet lag was still lingering and so we did not manage to get back to sleep until around 4am and so we were pretty tired by the morning.

We got up and dressed in time for the breakfast service (which was also very expensive but bad food) and then we went back to the room to pack and check out.  I was ready a little earlier than Matt and so I went downstairs to try to book on to the first trip up to the Glacier.  We managed to get on tot he 10am trip so we had a bit of a rush to get checked out from the hotel and then back downstairs in time for the tout (I was warned that they wouldn’t wait for us if we were late!)

We were quickly through the ticketing lines and out on to the bus.  There were only nine people on the 10am tour so we were quickly out toward the glacier.  We were dropped off half way between the hotel and the glacier and quickly ushered on to the Ice Explorer trucks which were huge and really impressive.

The truck set off and soon we were driving over the ice.  The trucks have a transmission lock up which means that they are suited to travel on the sheet ice.  At one point we were on a scary 17 degree road drop but the truck managed just fine and it never felt like we were going to slip or slide anywhere.

After we leveled out again we were out on to the glacier and then up to a section of the glacier that had been cleared and checked fro weakness and crevasses.  We all got out of the truck and had some time to take pictures and ask questions from the guides.

We could see the hanging glacier further up the mountains.

The guides had cleared a circle around our section of the glacier and you could see the water melting and streaming down alongside.  Some people were filling their water bottles and drinking the water.  The guides told us that if we drank it then the water would keep us young – we were unconvinced and neither of us were brave enough to try it.

We could also see our hotel way off in the distance down the glacier.

We climbed back aboard the bus and we then made the short journey back to the bus exchange.  As we set off we saw a small group of people starting off on an ice hike.

We were quickly on to another bus and then off to the Sky Walk.  We were there within ten minutes and, as we disembarked the bus, we looked up to see the Columbia ice field up in the distance.  The pictures don’t do it justice but the ice is just over 100m thick at the top.

We walked along the walkway and we were introduced to some exhibits explaining how the sky walk was constructed along with examples of the types of animals you might encounter in the region.  Some of the animals had life sized models – I had no idea that the grizzly bears were so huge.

As we continued down the walkway we were soon at the start of the sky walk.  I’ve never been very good with heights.  I have walked across a similar sky walk over the grand canyon and, whilst I am glad  experienced it,  I don’t remember really enjoying it.  As I saw the start of the walkway I must admit to being utterly terrified!

Matt walked straight out on to the sky walk and was completely unfazed – he was still listening to the microphone they give you which explains what you are seeing.

I held back for a bit but I eventually made it round with one had holding the rail and the other hand holding on to Matt.

After depositing me at the other end Matt went back out on to the sky walk and had a conversation with one of the guides.

We ten spent some time looking at the exhibitions and Matt wanted a “conquering the Sky Walk” photo!

Matt then wondered off to look at some of the other exhibits.  I stayed by the sky walk and had a severe talking to myself.  Now that I have a daughter I decided that I did not want her to see her mother scared of anything.  I want her to decide for herself if she is scared of something without my influence affecting her judgement.  I then took a few deep breaths, and had a few practice steps out on to the glass, and then I walked straight out on to the sky walk.  No holding on to the side and not stopping myself looking down.  I walked all the way around looking down and feeling very proud of myself and thinking to myself how proud Matt would be when he turned around and saw what I was doing.  I felt awesome as I reached the end and looked for Matt to share my exhilaration and see his reaction.  Unfortunately Matt had walked around the corner looking for me and missed the whole thing!

When I found him again I told him what I had done and together, hand in hand, we did another loop of the sky walk and had our photo taken at the end.

We then walked back to the bus stop and caught the next coach ride back to the hotel.  We collected our suitcases and packed up the car.  We then set off on the five hour drive to Clearwater.  As we left the glacier area we caught sight of a mountain goat in the road, the traffic was slowing and we cautiously made our way round the animal.

We were then on our way through the Rocky mountains.  We drove along side a 127kn chain of unbroken mountains all the way to Jasper.

I think the scenery on the drive was the most spectacular and impressive of anywhere we have been.  The sheer vastness of the mountains and valleys, forests and roads was breathtaking.

We stopped briefly at Suwapta falls for some photos.

We then went on to Japser for lunch.  We ended up in Tim Hotrons again for some lovely sandwiches and some more TimBits – the holes from doughnuts which are cooked, covered in glaze and sold in boxes of 10 (totally addictive).

We then continued along the road and drove past Mt Robson which is the largest mountain in the Rockies.  We stopped in Clearwater for a dinner of A&W burgers (another Canadian institution).  After dinner we made the final 25mins drive to our accommodation.  We drove for ages up a dirt path, and thought that we were lost before finally seeing a sign for the hotel.  We were just turning up the path when we saw a black bear by the side of the road!  We were both so excited to see one in the wild (and relieved to be inside a huge vehicle).

When we arrived at our accommodation we checked in and discovered we had a log cabin which was fantastic – far better then either of us expected.  We decided to make the most of the final hour of daylight to enjoy a few drinks in the boathouse restaurant overlooking the lake before an early night – it had been a long day.

We were up early the next day in order to get on the road before 10am.  We set the alarm for 8am and we were just about to leave for breakfast at 9am when we realized that two of our phones were showing a different time.  It dawned on us that at some point yesterday we drove over the time line and switched to Vancouver time which is 1hr behind Calgary. We have no idea when it happened but we enjoyed the feeling of being one of the first people down to breakfast.

We had a great breakfast in the lake house restaurant and then went back to our cabin to pack up our things.  Before we checked out of the hotel we decided to go down to the lake to have a final look and take some photos.  It was peaceful and picture perfect – it was such a shame to only be here for one night.  Matt even had a little row out on one of the complimentary boats moored up by the jetty.

We then went to check out and we were soon on the road north again to view some waterfalls Matt had read about.  We had some trouble with the SatNav and for a while we thought we were lost.  We then passed over a bridge which was very low and near to some fast flowing rapids so we thought that we must be getting close.

We then finally saw a sign to Helmkum Falls and followed the dirt track for 5km before we arrived at a car park.  We parked up and could not see any further signs so we followed some other tourists and suddenly, almost out of no where, we could see the spectacular waterfall.

Afterward we made the short drive to Dawson falls which were smaller but equally as dramatic.

We then made the drive back south to Kamloops.  The drive had the same fantastic scenery and what struck me the most was the sheer vastness of the landscape.  The mountains with their snowy peaks were huge and imposing whilst the valleys were lush and green and seemed to go on forever.

Kamloops was a large town than we thought and it took a while to reach the center and our hotel.  The hotel itself was nice and we managed to get a large room with its own kitchenette area.  We had a few hours before dinner so we took advantage of not having a baby with us and we went to the gym for a much needed workout.  Afterwards we showered and changed and found a fabulous restaurant over the road for dinner.  As we walked in to the restaurant they were playing the song from our wedding which made us smile – we quickly ordered two drinks and settled down to enjoy what turned out to be a wonderful meal.

The next day we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel – they even had a waffle maker whereby you could make you own fresh waffles (which I particularly enjoyed).  Then we packed up and we were once again on the road – this time making the short 3.5hr journey over to Vancouver.  The wonderful scenery we had been used to on the journey so far quickly gave way to more built up areas and towns.  As we drove through the outskirts of the city we joined rows of traffic that had been blissfully absent for the majority of our journey.

We drove over one of the bridges to the airport and the city appeared on the skyline in front of us.

We quickly found the airport and dropped the rental car off before making our way to the airport hotel.  The hotel itself was great but we showered and changed before heading back out of the airport to get the sky train in to downtown Vancouver for dinner.  We had been recommended a lovely restaurant by one of Matt’s friends and the food was fantastic – we had the “Grand Feast” to share and it certainly lived up to the name.

After dinner we slowly walked back to the sky train but the holiday spirit caught us again and we stopped off for a few more drinks at a bar by the train station.  They had a drink on the menu called the Oompa Loompa and, after singing the songs so much over the past few weeks, I could not resist giving it a try.

We then got the train back to the hotel and got ready for bed.  The alarm was set for 4.30am in order to catch our early morning flight to LA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calgary

After the way Isla had been on the flight we were both very glad to finally land in Calgary.  After being such a nightmare, Isla finally fell asleep just before we landed.

The only thing that slightly brightened our mood was the two celebrity spots a few rows ahead of us on the flight.  We saw both Brandon Routh from Superman Returns and Karl Urban from the new Star Trek and Riddick films (Matt had to tell me who he was) who were presumably in town for the Calgary Expo.

After we left the aeroplane we were quickly through security and through to the baggage collection with Isla still in her sling.  We had to wait until the very end for the car seat to come through on the conveyors but when we finally went through the exit my sister was there waiting to greet us.  Thankfully my sister’s car (or truck according to UK standards) was absolutely huge – along with every other vehicle on the road in Canada – so we were easily able to fit our entire luggage in to the back. 

It was lovely to arrive in a proper home and have a wonderful home cooked meal for dinner.  However, Isla seemed a bit unsettled by both my sister and brother-in-law.  She was also a little unsure about their two dogs – however, the dogs were happy to see Matt again. 

I think Isla may have become accustomed to only Matt and me over the past five weeks and I also understand that around six months is when babies start to bond with their parents.  That evening we tried our best to settle Isla before having an early night ourselves.

Isla slept well during the night, she woke up a few times but quickly settled back to sleep after with the help of Ewan the Sheep. 

We had a very lazy first day in Calgary. Since Isla was going to be in the same place for a while we got up at 7.30am and decided to get her started straight away on our old feeding and sleeping routine from home.  We also decided to get more disciplined with weaning Isla.  Each morning we wanted to introduce baby rice/puree and then we wanted to include her in each evening mealtime but sitting her at the table with us along with her own bowl of food.

That day we also did a mountain of washing, ate some proper food (as opposed to what we could source on the road in New Zealand) and had a few daytime naps to help us get on to Canadian time.  We also had another fabulous dinner cooked by my sister and brother-in-law.

That evening Matt shaved off the beard he had been working on during our time away – he decided not to totally give up on facial hair altogether and instead shaved himself into a rather fetching moustache.

That night Isla slept well again and even managed to give us a lazy morning because she didn’t wake until 8am.  After breakfast we decided to try some exercise and my ankle coped well – it felt blissful after the past few weeks off.

Since it was a Sunday, my sister cooked an amazing roast chicken for lunch.  Matt and I gorged ourselves on the wonderful home cooked food.  Isla also seemed to continue to understand the idea of mealtimes and food.  She was starting to consistently pick her food up and try to put it in her mouth.  A few bits of food also started to get eaten!

In the afternoon we took Isla for a stroll in the bright Canadian sunshine.  The weather in Calgary is unseasonably hot and we walked the 20mins up to the local shops.  Due to the brightness of the light in Calgary my sister bought Isla some sunglasses and she loved them!

That evening we had another fabulous meal and Isla managed to eat some more food.  We also tried her on some puree fruit and she seemed to love the sweet taste.

The next day we were up early & out to do some shopping for Isla.  We dressed Isla appropriately for her new environment in Canada.

First we went to Costco to have a look at some baby clothes my sister had seen a few days earlier.  We are members of Costco in the UK and I absolutely love the place so I was excited to see that the Canadian Costco shops are like the UK version but much bigger and much better – it as huge!  We were trying to be disciplined so we only looked at the baby clothes and rummaged through to find some great baby grows for Isla to sleep and wear whilst travelling.  We also managed to swing by the shoe section to pick her up some really cute Crocs which are too large for her at the moment but, every time I look at them I can’t help but smile at their cuteness!

After Costco we went to Tim Hortons (a true Canadian institution) drive through for a much needed coffee and a box of glazed doughnut holes (completely addictive).

We then went to a huge shopping mall and first made our way to the food hall.  The Canadians certainly know how to do fast food and we were completely spoilt for choice for lunchtime food.  I think we all went for different options – Matt had a chicken sandwich & broccoli salad from a healthy option outlet, my sister had a souvlaki and salad from a Greek outlet and I had a huge bowl of seafood noodle soup from a Japanese outlet. 

After lunch we were just leaving the food court when we bumped in to an old lady who looked dazed and had heavy bleeding from her leg.  My sister and Matt are both first aid trained so took time to help her which was very fortuitous for the lady in question because there was no trained first aider available in the whole shopping mall.  Matt first went to find someone to help and, after managing to find someone who could speak and understand English, the only people available were security guards (who were clueless) who managed to produce a huge first aid bag which they didn’t know how to use.  Thankfully, both my sister and Matt were able to help the woman.

Afterwards, we made our way to the Eddie Bauer clothes shop.  This was a North American make of clothes that had longer sizes which were particularly suited to taller people.  We tried on some clothes and they certainly seemed to fit very well on our longer limbs.  After that Matt went to get some more polo shirts and my sister & I went to get some frozen yoghurt and to give Isla a feed. 

We then made our way home (via Sephora ;-)).

That evening I got to cook for everyone and I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it.  After so many weeks on the road it just felt great to spend some time in a fully stocked kitchen and cook a more complicated dish from home.  Even Isla enjoyed playing with some of the chicken and rice (although the table got most of it).

That evening we also opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate my brother-in-law reaching 1000 followers on his wonderful photography Facebook page.  The page has only been established for a year and, with no advertising or promotion, he has now reached this number of followers on the strength of the photographs alone.  Well done George!

The next day we had a lazy morning before making our way to a restaurant called Eggs Oasis for a proper North American breakfast.  I had the pancakes, bacon and maple syrup; Matt had a huge omelette and we shared a truly massive fruit platter.  We then took Isla to an appointment at an Optician.  I was a little worried about her eyes and I didn’t want to wait until we were back in the UK to get her checked out.  I also didn’t want to get fobbed off by an NHS doctor more worried about costs and resources than clinical care.  In the end it turns out this is one to be chalked up to our being worried first time parents because, not only could the optician not see anything wrong, he reassured us that everything looks perfectly normal and her eyes were healthy and working well.  We left feeling relieved and reassured.

That afternoon my sister dropped Matt & I off at the cinema and took Isla home for an afternoon test run to see how she coped for a few hours without her Mum and Dad around.  Matt and I bought tickets to see the next showing of Batman vs. Superman.  Traditionally I cannot visit the cinema without getting a huge pot of popcorn but, unfortunately for me, in Canada they only have butter popcorn – they serve you a portion of freshly popped corn and then you take it to a topping station to pour over freshly melted butter.  It all seemed a bit unappealing but I consoled myself with a large packet of “gourmet” caramel popcorn and some strawberry Twizzlers J

We both enjoyed the film and, when we returned home, Isla had been absolutely fine and happy without us. 

We are due to go on a road trip from Calgary to Vancouver in a few days’ time and, since Isla had seemed unsettled when we first arrived, we had looked in to cancelling our trip.  However, after seeing how well the afternoon had gone, it made us start to think again about doing the trip again. 

That evening we had a fabulous dinner of tacos and then settled for a relaxed evening on the sofa whilst Isla slept soundly.

On the Wednesday morning we were up and out for a day at the zoo.  My sister dropped us all off and Isla seemed in a good mood.

We then spent a few glorious hours walking in the sunshine to see all the animals.  First we walked around a new prehistoric exhibition with huge replicas of dinosaurs that moved and roared.  I thought it was great but Isla seemed completely uninterested by everything!

After that we walked around some to see some of the animals.

They have a gorillas exhibition and one of the females has just given birth to a new baby.  We walked around the whole exhibition and did not see the mother, baby or male silver-back.  We only saw this guy snoozing in the shade.

We had just about given up when I walked up to the glass one last time to check around the corner – I couldn’t see anything and was about to walk away when I looked down at the glass panel I was standing on and saw this huge silver-back staring back at me – gave me a shock!

By this time it was getting late so we made our way home.  That evening we had another lovely home cooked dinner before making heading back over to the airport to collect our hire car.  We then drove back to my sister’s home to pack up our suitcases ready for our road trip to begin the next day.

Christchurch

We set off from Mt Cook in the morning and as we left the area we were really sad again to say goodbye to the stunning scenery.  We have never stayed somewhere so beautiful and it made us feel better to vow to return to complete some of the other amazing walks in the area.

We had only been on the road for 40mins when the satnav took us in completely the wrong direction, when we eventually ended up by a salmon farm and at a road closure sign so we parked up and gave Isla another feed before setting off again to retrace our tracks, this time to Lake Tekapo for lunch.

Lake Tekapo is a bright turquoise colour and, as we pulled into the town, we were again struck by the natural beauty of the area.  We parked the car and found a lovely café for lunch – even Isla was in a good mood.

It seemed a shame to get straight back on the road again and so we decided to take Isla in her buggy down to the shores of the lake for a walk to take in the scenery.

On our way down to the shoreline I spotted a zip line and, in my haste to point it out to Matt (who loves them) I neglected to look where I was going and I went over on my ankle.  I tried to save the situation by stepped forward and then, somehow, going over on the same ankle again before hitting the floor.  Matt came rushing over to help me and, after 2mins of shock, I burst out laughing and had to be helped back to the car.  Matt was great, sourcing pain killers and ice, but on the hour drive over to Christchurch my ankle and leg puffed up and became painful.

When we arrived at the accommodation in Christchurch poor Matt had to help me to the room and then unload the car himself.  The accommodation was a one bed room apartment and it was really great.  After we unpacked Matt then went out to get more pain killers and source us some dinner from a local spot we had read about.  Matt returned with a huge take out box filled with a slow roasted leg of lamb and rosemary potatoes – enough for three people – it certainly helped to life our mood.

The next morning my ankle was swollen but, thankfully with Matt’s vigilance, it was not any worse except that it looked worse because the bruising had come out.

I wasn’t in any pain but I was incredibly frustrated that it would mean no exercise and very little walking.  We had planned a trip into the centre of Christchurch and a ride on the gondola but we decided to rest in case we worsened my ankle.  So instead we went shopping and purchased new clothes & books for Isla.  She is growing so fast now and the clothes we brought away with us no longer fit her properly.  We got her some new trousers, tops and cardigans.  We also bought her some new books for bedtime.

We decided to buy some food for Isla because she is so hungry now and she seems very ready for weaning.  When we got home we decided to try her on some banana, sweet potato and quinoa puree – she didn’t hate it but she didn’t love it either!

That afternoon we read her the new books – the Gruffalo and That’s Not My Puppy seemed to be well received.  Afterwards she had a little snooze.

That evening we decided to try sitting Isla at the table with us and placing some softly cooked food in front of her to see if Baby led weaning would be more successful.

She completely ignored the food but seemed to really enjoy being with us 🙂

The next day the bruising on my ankle had really come through so we decided to have another low key day so I could rest a bit.  We also continued with our attempts at weaning Isla, this time with some vanilla bean custard – I’m not sure much of it was actually swallowed but she seemed to enjoy the whole experience.

Mid-morning we set off for the Christchurch Gondola and on the way we passed the Cathedral devastated by the earthquake – sadly now looking very derelict and sectioned off with a large group of tourists taking pictures.

Once we arrived at the gondola it was good to see that parking was easy and there were no queues so we were on our way very quickly.

The views at the top were great although it was a little sad to compare the “This is what you are seeing” maps with the reality of the city skyline post-earthquake.

We also experienced the Time Tunnel exhibition at the top of the mountain which involved the three of us squeezing onto an automated cart and being wheeled around an exhibit of the history of the area.  We passed exhibits showing the volcanic eruptions many millions of years ago, the first Maori inhabitants and then the European settlers.  Isla seemed to enjoy herself immensely and was very interested in some of the exhibits.

After that we made our way down the gondola back to the car.

We gave Isla a quick feed in the car and decided to head over to Hagley Park for a short stroll and some tea/coffee and cake.

It was then time to go home for another feed for Isla and some more rest and ice-packs for my ankle.  We also gave baby led weaning one more go at mealtime – again, Isla seemed to love being involved…..

……but was not at all interested in eating any food!

That night we put Isla to bed and I put my ankle up to rest with the hope that it heals fast so that we can enjoy the outside activities on offer in Kaikoura over the coming days.

Flying with a baby

This was going to be a challenge because our daughter will only be four and a half months old when we take our first flights.  A friend gave me a tip of buying some treats/chocolates to give out to adjacent passengers and cabin crew when we board the aeroplane.  These treats/chocolates serve to apologize in advance for any screaming the baby may do during the flight – it wont solve the problem but it might get people on-side ahead of any bad behavior!

Baby Baggage Allowance (and lack of) – Our first flight will be from Heathrow to Hong Kong with Virgin Atlantic – rules are set out here.  For each infant Virgin Atlantic give you one piece of hold baggage weighing up to 23kg, and one piece of hand baggage weighing up to 6kg.  They also allow you to take one fully collapsible push chair and a car seat.  We already had a cover for the pushchair and we have bought one of these for checking in the car seat.

Our second flight is from Hong Kong to Auckland with Air New Zealand – their rules are set out here.  Air New Zealand allow you to carry a stroller and/or car seat free of charge.  However, we have a Bugaboo and this is not classed as a stroller.  Air New Zealand say that the Bugaboo would need to be checked with our other baggage.  If we do this then I’m really not sure how we would then be able to carry Isla through security and then around the airport, and up to the aeroplane, and so I am hoping we can check this item at the gate when we go to board.  Air New Zealand allow you NO checked bag for the infant and so we have had to pay £45 extra for a checked bag for her.  We were informed it was best to purchase this bag in advance otherwise it would be £116 on the day at the airport.

The Bassinet Seats – Virgin Atlantic only allow you to put in a request for a bassinet seat but they cannot allocate you that seat.  The request is apparently merely an indication to the airport staff on the day that an infant will be travelling in that cabin.  There is only a single bassinet seat in our cabin and that will be allocated on a first come, first served basis at the airport on the day of the flight.  We therefore plan to arrive at the airport early.  In the meantime I cannot request any other seat on the aeroplane because I have been designated as travelling with an infant and taken out of the online seat map.  This is not very reassuring and we have no guarantee of even being able to sit together.  We will just have to keep our fingers crossed.

Air New Zealand charge you £25 each to secure a bassinet seat.  This is pretty unfair in our opinion but at least it means we are guaranteed to have those seats and be able to put Isla down to sleep without needing to constantly keep her on our laps for the 12hr flight!

We have also purchased this SkyBaby travel mattress to help her sleep and to help us for the shorter internal flights we take where the is no bassinet seat available.

Feeding a baby on an aeroplane – This is where travelling with a baby starts to get interesting.  The flights will be 12hrs long. Assuming that Isla will need to be fed every 3-4 hours, and allowing for time to and from the airport, then we will need to have enough of her food with us for around five feeds.  She is still young enough to need her bottles to be sterilized so we will also need either five pre-sterilized bottles, or a method to wash and sterilize a bottle on the aeroplane after for each feed.

Wanting to avoid the need to source boiled and cooled water on the aeroplane to make up the powdered formula the easier option would be to take ready made formula with us.  These ready made bottles of formula would be perfect along with this universal teat and travel sterilizer……or so I thought.  However, Heathrow will require us to taste 50% of all baby food when we go through security.  So we would need ten bottles of formula to take through security, on the assumption that we would need to open and taste five of them.  Once opened the formula can only be kept and used for 1 hr.  Therefore this is seemed like a huge waste.

There is the option to pre-order milk for your baby before travel and collect it from Boots at Heathrow airport after security.  However, Boots in Heathrow only sell baby milk formula in cartons, not in the the bottles to which the travel teat could be fitted.  Therefore would still need a sterilized bottle for each feed to pour the formula into.

In the end we decided to order cartons of feed to pick up in Boots once we are through security.  We will then take five of these pre-sterilised and disposable bottles for the flight and simply throw them away after each feed.  I am also planning to take a pre-sterilised bottle, some powdered formula, these liners and the travel sterilizer as a back up in case anything goes wrong.  It sounds like overkill but I don’t want to risk Isla not having any food, her picking up a tummy bug from the aeroplane or her screaming at the other passengers for hours on end.

We will need the same again for the flight from Hong Kong so we will pack more bottles and feed in our checked luggage to take out before our next flight.

Things were much simpler pre-baby.  Gone are the days of enjoying the in-flight drinks and movies service…… 🙂

The Planning Stages

After a lovely Christmas and New Year we both came to the realization that our departure date would soon be upon us and we had not yet organised anything other than a few flights.  This coincided almost exactly with Isla deciding that all she wanted to do was be held by Mummy and Daddy.  Isla was also finding her voice (and how high it can go) and was using it liberally to scream.  We had many days when we were not able to achieve any planning and we started to get a little worried.

So one weekend in mid-January we decided to sit down and do nothing other than plan our trip (and take it in turns to hold and comfort Isla!).  We had a rough idea of a few things we wanted to do in New Zealand based on things we had not managed to do or see the last time we were there on our honeymoon.  We also had a Lonely Planet guide and the ever faithful (and slightly addictive) Tripadvisor website.

Initially we started to think about activities and itineraries we wanted to experience. However, we quickly came to realize that travelling with a baby was going to be a very different experience.  Any accommodation we booked would ideally had a kitchenette for Isla’s food/bottle sterilization and any activities we wanted to experience together needed to be baby friendly.  It was a novelty to be searching for activities and accommodation with the “Family friendly” box checked on the search filter.

After a few days of reading and researching we had an itinerary, dates and a rough idea of costs.  Over the next few weeks we managed to book accommodation and activities each evening when we could find some time together.  Slowly the trip started to take shape and, along with it, our excitement was growing 🙂