I always tend to wait until the last minute to pack. Tuesday night was no exception! I decided I needed to go to the gym to try and balance out the idle 2 days that we would spend on the flights...which meant late dinner, laundry, and packing. I returned to EE's "hus" (pronounced "hoos" in Swedish...meaning house. Since I am living in Jake's kitchen, all of us live in the same building now!) to find a lovely send-off dinner made by Anna. Starting at 8:30pm and ending at 1:30am, I only almost fell asleep 2 or 3 times. Oh, plus I was attempting to do laundry while being social/staying awake. One with common sense would have said goodnight at 10pm (had already finished their laundry the night before), packed, and been in bed by midnight. Jake and I were packing and dancing around to our favorite Glee tunes (ok, maybe that was just me) and were in bed by an early 3:30 am.
My alarm went off at 7am, took a shower, finished packing up my bathroom stuff, and we met the taxi at exactly 8:35am (this was Wednesday, March 7)
I've been on quite a few long flights, but this itinerary would be a first. Five total flights, about 26 hours in the air, plus layovers! We were to arrive in Canberra at 9am on Friday (meaning we pretty much lost a day!) When dressing and preparing for such a long journey, it's important to remember a few things:
1. Look fabulous. Seriously, for every hour you spend traveling, you become exponentially more disgusting and ugly by the end. So, you might as well start by feeling great!
2. Wear layers. Airplanes are either too hot or too cold, and it's impossible to predict which it will be.
3. Shoes should be easily removable. Some European airports don't require you to take them off at security, but I usually do anyway. Plus, that's the first thing to come off when getting comfortable in your seat (that sounds a bit wrong...) Also, wear nice socks, and try not to have stinky feet!
4. Don't wear a lot of makeup..but take some in your bag for touch-ups :)
5. Have all things that need to be removed from your bag for security easily accessible. I will give you dirty looks if you take too long.
The first leg of the trip was routine: Luleå to Stockholm. Then a very annoying 5 hour layover in Arlanda, followed by the 2 hour flight to Frankfurt. At passport control in Germany, they were not very chatty. They asked me "so, you live in Sveden?" I answered "I do" and he waved me through. Then, they asked Jake "are you wis zee woman?" To avoid confusion, jake laughed and answered "yes" and was waved through. We had a short layover there, but had enough time for some beer and Japanese appetizers. We had a super nice waitress and then super nice security people (all three of us were extensively searched due to the odd objects in our bags...mallets), so the stop was actually enjoyable!
We needed the kindness to prep for the 12 hour flight to Singapore! Qantas is actually an awesome airline company and the flight was so tolerable :) slept a ton!
Best part about traveling with friends...no need for airplane etiquette! Plus, Jake was always there to fetch my bag :) Although, I do remember waking up from a weird dream to find a lanky Charles climbing over me to go to the bathroom....
The Singapore airport was fun to explore. As we walked around the airport (we had to get off he plane so they could refuel and clean), it was the first time I felt like we were really going to an exotic place! I was getting really excited! After an hour, we re-boarded for the 7 hour leg to Sydney.
We ate and slept...again!
This is nothing for Ensemble Evolution!
Then....we finally landed in Australia! Getting through customs was simple and we had time to grab a Flat White (Australian version of a latte) and boarded the plane to Canberra.
We were officially allowed to be cool
So excited to be down under!!! The sun was shining and it was soooo warm!!! The excitement was slightly short lived...the pilot announced that due to fog at the airport and low fuel levels we had to turn back and return to Sydney!!! NOOO!
We were slightly bummed to have to add another flight, especially since we were so close to our destination!
When we finally did arrive in Canberra, Chrissy was there to pick us up. It was so cool to see her! She drove us to Charles' family's house (she drive on the WRONG side of the road! AHHH! I can't wait to attempt to drive down here!) The landscape was beautiful, weather perfect, and company couldn't be better! I took loads of pics on my real camera, and will upload them and write about all the adventures later! Time for bed...exhausted!!!
