We have arrived

It has been a very long couple of days but we are now all unpacked and feel like we can relax a bit.

We had a good night in Tokyo and went for a lovely walk n the morning in the hot sunshine. So nice to get out after being in a plane for the whole previous day. We got to the airport n plenty of time and got through customs no problems. Even though we were just in economy class we had good seats behind the bulk head so had heaps of leg room - not so good when the kids needed a sleep as the arms didn't fold up. We flew ANA and the staff were so lovely and attentive. The flight was only about three quarters full so also meant we got a bit more attention.

It was a long flight of over 12 hours so arrived in Paris very tired. We only had two hours before our connecting flight to Toulouse so managed to race through security - there was no customs! The bags came quite quickly so we headed for the train to take us to the domestic terminal. We discovered At this point That the Paris airport is not designed for travelers with lots of bags - we had seven suitcases plus 4 carry on plus three very tired children. Trolleys were not allowed up the travelator to the terminal train shuttle and were also not allowed on the train. This was a bit of a challenge and then we we got off the train we had to get All our cases up the very small lift. Jasper disappeared up the escalator but waited At the top thankfully. We then found a trolley only to go a short distance to discover a escalator we had to go up. We found some lifts, waited in the que and eventually got to the right place. We had made really good time and had done all that in under an hour and still had over an hour before our flight left. We discovered that this was not long enough! Our flight had Been oversold and because we were near the back of the line we got bumped off. I was so cross and told them so. They were helpful and managed to get us three confirmed seats. We said we were happy to go to the gate And see if there were any no shows although thought this unlikely as everyone had boarding passes. Amazingly two people didn't show and we got whisked on. I think everyone felt a bit sorry for us and certainly didn't try too hard to find the missing passengers!

Penelope and jasper slept the whole flight to Toulouse and when we arrived the shuttle was there to meet us and we got taken to our apartment. It was 8pm by now so we all got into our pjs and climbed into bed. Due to sleep n the plane and the fAct that in NZ it was the middle of the day the kids woke at 2am and stayed awake! Hopefully we all sleep a bit better tonight!

I am so proud of the kids though as it was a huge journey and they travelled so well with no complaining or tears. I do now agree with my friend Suzy who told me that it can be the last connecting flight that can be the killer - we certainly had that experience but thankfully it all worked out ok. Ido wonder how the other 2 passengers felt when they arrived at the gate to find that it was too late. Oh well I'm sure they wouldn't have minded catching the next flight three hours later.

Well James has just Arrived home from work with our brand new car, so I think we are going to head to the mall and get some lunch then go to the supermarket.

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Location:Toulouse