Off to Japan

Posted on 2014/02/04 12:58:35 (February 2014).

[Friday 31st January 2014]
As always, we were still packing this morning, we got up around 7, and left the flat around 9. We had spent some time deliberating over how best to get to the airport this time, attempting to optimise cost / speed / convenience. In the end we decided on the somewhat tried and tested method of a taxi to Paddington, then the Heathrow Express from there.

After checking in and going through security there was just time for a quick snack, and a visit to the children's room for Erika to have a play in the soft play area.

Premium Economy was half empty today (frustratingly it can often be full when economy in near deserted, making me thing I've wasted the extra money, as you can spread out when there are empty seats). So we sat in the three seats in the middle at the front, meaning Erika could have her own seat (although most of the time we used that for storage).

As is often the case, the first half of the flight seemed to go quite quickly, but the second half really dragged, and I started to get quite irritable. It's a combination of being tired, bored, and the fact they switch the lights off a couple of hours in. As someone who has never been able to sleep on a plane that means a rather miserable few hours sitting in a dark cabin. Keeping Erika entertained (and preventing her from hurting herself when clambering about on the chair) felt exhausting at the time - I had this constant fear that any minute now she would start screaming and everyone on the plane would hate us. Actually though in hindsight she was really good, there were only a couple of teary fits - there was another slightly older toddler who made much more noise throughout the flight than she did. She even slept for a couple of hours - including impressively towards the end of the flight, and stayed asleep through the landing (but then woke up again when we were on the ground).

I managed to watch The Great Gatsby in short batches, in between keeping Erika entertained. I can't say I really enjoyed it. There didn't actually seem to be a lot of substance to the story, and I very quickly tired of Leonardo DiCaprio saying "old sport" all the time.

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