We were up at 04:30, which gave us time to gather our belongings, and enjoy a quick complementary breakfast from Hilton. We discovered this included a pre-packaged croissant and a piece of fruit. They had a bowl on the table with an orange, apple, banana, and peach. I guess it was for everyone to share who had to depart before the breakfast was served. We polished off the fruit and ate the pastry. It wasn’t our best meal but it gave us energy. At 05:15, we were all waiting for Addison, who insisted on showering before our flight. When he arrived, we all made our way to the bus stop.
FYI: if you are ever planning to stay in Zurich, be aware that most hotels offer free shuttle service from the airport, but charge a fee of 6CHF per person to shuttle you back to the airport. Since we still had our Swiss Travel Pass, we opted for the free public transit option.
Using our handy Google Maps, we figured out that we could take a set of stairs down the hill to a main road, which led to a crossroad where someone was already waiting for a bus. It was quite straight forward and highly recommended. The bus was quite crowded, and had standing room only. We packed in like sardines with our backpacks on and carryon suitcases with us. However, it was still early enough that it wasn’t unbearably hot yet, and we only had 2 stops.
When we got to the airport, we followed the crowd into the building and had to search for our ticket gate. There were several to choose from, but we needed to find where BA was located. Somehow, Addison and Tavis deciphered the map and led us to a ticket booth where they checked our passports and issued our tickets for all legs of the journey home. Then we made our way through security and waited to board the plane.
Onboard, Tavis and I were up front, and the kids sat together in the section behind us. It was a fairly short hop to Heathrow, and quite uneventful. We each got a meal which was nice.
When we arrived in Heathrow, we met at the gate after departing the plane. About 5 minutes later, I realized I had forgotten my water bottle. I ran back to the gate but the security guard there basically told me no one could get back on the plane and to send an email if it was very important but mostly that I shouldn’t expect to see it again and next time I have to take more care to remember my belongings. How Rude!
I met up with Tavis and the kids back at security. Apparently, Ari had also lost his water bottle. Oh well. We removed all of our liquids and had no major issues this time going through security. Tavis and Addison’s bags got searched but otherwise it was quick and nothing was removed. We went straight to the British Airways lounge as we had 2 hours to wait. It was a bit more tricky because we only had 2 Business Class tickets. Addison and I went through first with our electronic tickets on our phone. Luckily, we could just scan in, instead of talking to someone. A few minutes later, Ayva and Tavis came through with our paper tickets. Ari was casually walking with them. Tavis had no issues scanning his ticket, but Ayva’s wasn’t working. It caused just enough commotion to get Ari in, and the agent had a look at Ayva’s ticket and waved her in. We spent the next 2 hours relaxing, and eating the most amazing meal I’ve had in an airport!
A couple hours later, we boarding our flight to Austin. Tavis and I had the pods, but the kids were back in Premium Economy. It was a nine hour flight, and they came up a few times to let us know that they really appreciated the seats we booked to Europe better than the ones home. We didn’t have enough airmiles to get everyone up front both ways. They were still grateful that we brought them. Tavis, Ari, and Addison slept on the long flight. I couldn’t sleep, so I watched movies and read. It seemed to go by quickly.
We arrived in Austin, Texas around 17:00. We had to exit and go back in through security a 3rd time! This time, the people at security were extremely strict. All of us had our bags checked, and they would not let us through with the travel size wine opener. Funny how it has travelled around the world and in Texas we are told it is unsafe! We also got in trouble for forgetting to empty our water bottles and not taking our shoes off. They wanted to confiscate Ayva’s Costco water bottle, but we made them escort her outside to empty it. Then, I decided to check Ari’s bag (the wheels were already broken) because Tavis was making a scene, and I didn’t want to surrender the wine opener. I first went to the wrong gate agent, then stood in the wrong line. Then after waiting 30 minutes, was told to go to the first place that asked. It took an hour to get a bag checked, but the agent was nice and directed me to a different gate where security was much more lax and they were helping passengers empty water bottles and getting through quickly. No one was asked to remove shoes either. It took 5 minutes to get through. I met Tavis and the kids at our gate about 10 minutes before boarding our last flight to Seattle.
The last leg, we were all in Premium Economy. There was an obnoxious woman wth a dog behind us. I think she was tired and frustrated because they kept telling he to keep her dog in the crate. He tiny dog spent some time exploring under the seats and rubbing up against my legs, and the girl beside me. By the end of the flight, the passenger was referring to all of us in terms that were not very polite. When we got off the plane, we stopped at the bathrooms, As I was inside, I heard a commotion in the hall. Apparently the passenger with the dog was still upset and not being respectful of others. When we got to the gates to leave, there was a long lineup and the doors were closed. Apparently that same passenger managed to close the airport with security was detaining her. When the doors finally opened and we were able to leave, she was in handcuffs. I think everyone wanted to clap, but we all just pushed on with our heads down, and smiles on our faces.
We were all very tired, but we still had a 2 hour drive home. Ayva, Ari, and I went to get the checked bag, while Tavis and Addison went to get the car. The bag actually came quicker than expected and we went to meet Tavis. This proved to be more difficult than expected without a working phone. We walked to the shuttle area and thought we walked the entire length before returning to the original meeting point. As we got back inside the airport, I received a message through wifi and we went back to the shuttle pick up. Tavis had the shuttle stop to pick us up and we were on our way to the car.
The drive home was a blur. Tavis and I were both extremely tired after traveling for 30 hours. Atleast Tavis slept for a few hours. At one point, we were looking for a rest area, but as we got closer to the border we kept each other awake and finally arrived home at 01:00.
We went straight to bed! It was a long day of travel, and we all slept well in our own beds.
We had quite an adventure, and the memories we had will last a lifetime. I am proud of our kids for joining us on the trip through Europe. Even though they were tired through long days of travel and sightseeing, they didn’t complain much and were very mature and well behaved. I hope they continue their adventures as they go through life, and never fear the unknown.