The start of a very big adventure

   We are in Rome and I am calling this the end of the first day, although it’s 1am in the morning now.  It feels like a full day of travelling even though our flight only left London four hours ago and already I’ve bathed and shaved and washed some clothes and Kizzy has fallen asleep watching the market indexes on NBC World.  

   Our departure was like so many things this past year: visible from a long way off yet such a surprise as it happened.  We stayed in Brighton last night and from the moment the kids bounced in at 6:15am it was action all the way; except for a very pleasant and relaxing 40 minutes in the Laundromat for our last wash before we left; a new experience for me, but not really “travel” yet, is it?  It was lovely to have Rob see us off in Hammersmith as we tried (and failed) to get some US currency.  And lovely too to see Rabea at Heathrow for our last meal before we left.  Thanks so much both of you for the lovely send-off. 

   With Kizzy having taught me the art of coin-operated washing AND drying, it was only fair that I shared my secrets for backpack travel.  Duty free have samples of your favourite cologne and also a lovely Clarins eye gel to help refresh you for the flight.  And once your bags are in the hold there’s really no fuss if you turn up at the gate about 20 minutes after the screens tell you the plane is “boarding”.  Everyone knows nobody gets on the plane until they switch to “final call” and you’re still ok to board for the five whole minutes of “gate closing”. 

   What we both learnt was that like drink bottles and any other closed vessel with some air in it, a fountain pen should be handled carefully at 20’000 feet.  We’ve also learnt that washable ink is not bothered by being washed.  This lesson is an easy one to remember when you have only one pair of trousers for 7 ½ months.