As much as we love France, home is home - family, friends and our house. The journey home was an adventure in itself. Packing the night before, we wondered would our luggage meet Emirates weight requirements, had Sue bought too many gifts and what would I need to leave behind to accommodate them.
My beloved steed, the bike would need to be lightened - throw out the chain, some clothing and the many pieces of literature collected from our journey.
Waiting for Paris Shuttle, they were 15 minutes late. Not a problem because we factored in a one hour buffer zone. Over cautious - well maybe! Our flight departure time was delayed by two hours. That’s right two hours, you have to be joking. Where does that put us for our connecting flight in Dubai.
My mantra is, “Don’t stress over what you cannot control”. Buy a magazine, and enjoy over your favourite alcoholic drink.
OK, finally on the plane, even though I thought we were marched onto the municipal crèche. Can’t be too bad, this is the short leg and surely it can’t be worse on the 16 hr leg to OZ.
How wrong can I be. Arrived with 20 minutes to catch our connecting flight to Melbourne, we’re last off the plane and in the last bus being transported to the terminal. The Stewardess leading us (I’m sure she was a marathon runner in a previous life) arrived at the custom check in and the official said “No cannot do” just because he was male and our Stewardess wasn’t or he just had a power complex, so we were then led to an alternative check in with positive results.
Finally on the plane to discover that someone already had our seats, much shuffling of the seats and we are finally ready for the long haul to OZ.
Oh no!! Very unsettled babies and young children all as tired and unhappy as us.
I found the solution to the problem. Whack in the ear phones and crank up the Aussie heavy metal band AC/DC - preferable to several wailing infants.
I actually got several hours sleep.
The plane finally arrived in cold chilly Melbourne with a warm welcome from our two boys, Andrew and Mitchell joined by Mitch’s gorgeous girlfriend, Saskia.
We finally arrived back home and laid our heads on the pillow at 12.30 am Melbourne time after leaving Paris 38 hours previously.
I was up at 6.00 am the following morning - Monday and a holiday for the Queen’s Birthday long weekend to join my cycling friends for a 60k ride with two coffee stops along our usual training road, the cycling Mecca of Melbourne - Beach Road. This is about a 35k un-interrupted road of the most beautiful part of the whole world along Port Phillip Bay where we live. To us it is very similar to the same region it is named after in France, Menton near the border of Italy.
Even though the temperature was probably below double figures, it was a pleasure to be back home amongst familiar faces and scenery. Don’t get me wrong, we love France, the people we have met, the sights we have marvelled at, but we feel so fortunate to have been born here.
We’ll be back again some day but for us home is home.
Attached is one photo only for a special friend we met while in the Loire who showed us some kindness. He once had a Renault 4. I always wanted one but this miniature is all I have.
For those in France, this blog will continue possibly on a weekly basis - it will have a theme on MY MELBOURNE.
Thank you for reading about our indulgences.
Leon and Sue
