My sister's regular nanny requested some time off this summer, so she asked my daughter Mary if she'd like to travel to Switzerland to fill in and earn some money. Answer: ABSOLUTELY!
At first, we planned for Mary to fly solo to visit her aunt, uncle, and cousins. We only looked at non-stop flights, so she wouldn't have to navigate a connection on her first flight alone. However, it soon became clear that those flights were much costlier than having a layover.
I came to the brilliant realization that it would actually cost the same if I were to accompany Mary in the air, and Malorie assured me I would have plentiful Wifi and a quiet spot to work remotely at her house, PLUS she would cook for me! Joe has taken so many trips abroad, so we agreed I could have a turn at traveling. Huzzah!
We optimistically booked flights and got the Covid-19 vaccine in early May in preparation for a proposed trip at the end of June. However, in mid-June the Swiss government closed the border to US travelers due to concerns about coronavirus and our flights were canceled. It looked like we might not get to go after all...but then at the end of June, the borders were re-opened so we quickly booked new flights and off we went!
Our first flight left Chicago's O'Hare airport at 7:30pm. We had a bit of trouble checking in because the bag that Joe INSISTED was within the carry-on size allotment was in fact too large to carry on the plane. I had got out a tape measure at home and pointed out that it was a couple inches too large in one dimension, but Joe was adamant that "everybody brings bags bigger than allowed" and I would have no trouble. Ha!
Fortunately, the man at the checkout counter was super nice and let us check the offending bag for free. Luckily I had packed some empty cloth bags, as we had to remove some items to lower the weight in order for it to be checked. A little bit of shuffling our belongings around, and we got our boarding passes!
Security was a breeze - almost no line and so quick to get through. I guess not many people are traveling yet.
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| Obligatory Airplane Selfie |
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| Goodbye USA |
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| Above the Clouds |
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| In-flight Entertainment: the movie Music & Lyrics (one of my faves!) |
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| Mary did some sketching on my new ReMarkable 2 digital paper tablet |
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Moon and Clouds. I set this one to my phone background!
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We tried to get some sleep during the six-hour flight, but it was a bit difficult. I think we each only managed to sleep a couple hours or so.
The flight was slightly delayed, and to my dismay when we landed in Iceland it was already past boarding time for our next flight. We were at the back of the plane too, so it took us FOREVER to disembark. There was no gate open, so we had to climb down stairs outside the airport...in the rain.
Once inside the Iceland airport, I saw on the screen that our connecting flight status had changed from "Boarding" to "Closed"...oh no! We followed everyone to the line for customs...it was very long, and we were at the end of it. I found an airline staff member and told her I was concerned we would miss our next flight and asked for help. She was completely nonchalant, and assured me everyone at the airport was aware of connections, and I should stay at the back of the line.
Shrug. Worst case scenario: we have time to explore Iceland!
Not a minute later, another airline staff member announced "Anyone going to Zurich or Munich? Come to the front of the line!" so we rushed on ahead and made it through customs quickly. Then we had to find our gate - Mary and I sprinted through the airport and made it JUST in time! We were the last two to board the plane, thankfully they held the gate open for us.
We had another four-hour flight from Iceland to Zurich. We found the baggage claim area and thankfully our not-carry-on-sized bag arrived safely with us. Our Google Fi phones have service in Switerzland, but only if we connect to Wifi first. However, the Zurich airport Wifi requires you to receive a phone call or text message prior to connecting - Catch 22! No phone...so no way to call Malorie and find where to meet her! We ended up waiting in what we thought would be the right area, and she and Verena eventually found us, and were kind enough to treat us to some food and drinks since we were pretty hungry - the airline had suspended in-flight meal service due to covid concerns.
The drive home from the airport was supposed to be about 45 minutes, but there was a traffic accident and it ended up taking us considerably longer. Mary was feeling a bit carsick and we were exhausted from traveling, but we made it home without anyone throwing up.
I had a lot of work to catch up on, so I connected to Wifi straightaway while Mary played with her 3-year-old cousin Verena. Malorie picked up 6-year-old Ceci from school and started making dinner. But suddenly remembered there were swim lessons! She left me quick verbal instructions on how to finish the dinner recipe, and I was fairly successful at following them (I think).
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Only FIVE different pots and pans to remember what to put in where. No big deal.
Mary and Verena in the background cutting paper with scissors outside on the patio. |
Mary was fading fast from travel weariness but I told her she had to stay awake and play with Verena until at least dinner time. She and Verena ate early. Uncle Siraj and I were still working, and Malorie was at swim lessons with Ceci. As soon as Siraj was finished with work and took over with Verena, Mary crashed into bed. Unfortunately I had to work during the evening and wasn't able to eat dinner until after my 7pm Zoom meeting, but it was very delicious. After finishing up the last of my work that had to get done, I also crashed into bed for the night.
Tomorrow will be our first full day in Switzerland!
