Family & Friends, Travel Adventures

St. Maarten Day 2: Look Mummy – there’s an airplane up in the sky!

We didn’t have to say bye to any blue skies as it was blue skies all day long. By popular demand, we of course spent the morning at the pool, but for the afternoon tackled #2 on the must-do list with a little watching of some BIG airplanes.

I can’t help thinking about my dad. He loved the water and boats. He hated sand. The house he and my mom retired to was perfect. No sand, great views of Little Creek Amphibious Base and the traffic that special waterway offers. Binoculars and a telescope – he spent his last days slowly. Slowly watching the amazing things moving around him. Ships, helicopters, toddlers, political unrest. This place is his speed.

Photo credit: Amir Louka

The airport at Maho Beach is technically the Princess Juliana International Airport, ranked by The History Channel as the 4th Most Dangerous Airport in the World. The runway is relatively short, starting just after the sand and ending just before some mountain elevations. It was first used as a military landing strip by the United States during WWII and opened in 1944 as a commercial airport open to public travel. At present, the entire airport operates out of makeshift tents that feel more like a state fair setup than a trustworthy aviation operation – but that’s just due to a huge renovation project that commenced in 1994 combined with the setbacks of Hurricane Irma (Cat 5) that struck the island in 2017.

Waterside table at Sunset Bar and Grill

When we approached the Sunset Bar and Grill, we were a bit worried about the size of the crowd and our ability to secure a table and food prior to multiple toddler meltdowns. By some stroke of luck, we walked up, asked for a table for six, and were taken to a high top with the best view in the joint.

The largest plane that lands here – Airbus A330

Despite being crazy crowded, the restaurant runs like a well-oiled machine except with new technology. Our waiter greeted us promptly, took our drink and food orders on an iPad, and returned within 15 minutes with frozen fruity fun for all.

I forgot to take any photos of my fish tacos – I ate them too quickly. The tuna tartare is worth trying, and the tortilla chips and guacamole were solid (verified by Ale, legit Mexican pedigree).

We stuck around until 3pm, awaiting the arrival of an Air France flight from Paris. The plane is an Airbus A330, the largest aircraft that currently lands at Princess Juliana. Amir downloaded an air tracker app – perhaps the sister app to his helicopter app he uses to track aeromedical flights – and was able to provide a realtime countdown to its arrival.

Airbus A330 landing at Princess Juliana Airport

After the aerospectating, we split up. Me and the littles went back to the room for some naps and downtime, Amir and #1BigSister for some beach time, and Ale for some free time to decompress. No big plans tonight as tomorrow we have an early start for a catamaran and snorkeling trip to a nearby island.

– Steph

Afternoon nap

Family & Friends, Travel Adventures, Uncategorized

St Maarten Day 1: Why can’t we drive to the island?

Sometime in October, we got another itch to travel – sooner than later – and somewhere warm. Amir found reasonable flights to St. Maarten, a small island in the Atlantic, a territory of the Netherlands.

He’s been here before – at least twice. When we met and were courting, I remember him showing me photos of a beach at the end of an airport runway where you can stand and be blown backward by the engine thrust from above. Now flash forward 11 years later – we are on our way.

Getting there is fun!

There’s no question this destination will satisfy everyone. #1BigBrother is in the peak of his transportation and trucks era. The planes will blow his hair and mind. The pool apparently has two waterslides, so #1BigSister has her dreams filled. I’m looking forward to all inclusive food that I don’t have to cook. Oh and dishes. No dishes. Did I mention the dishwasher broke just before Christmas?

#1BigSister in her mermaid bathing suit from Santa

As soon as as we hit tie doors of the Sonesta Maho, the kids were begging to go to the pool. I was impressed how fast we all made getting ready (swim suits, sunscreen, tactical wees) happen since we’d all woken up at 3am. Usually an extra early wakeup is a recipe for lack of cooperation. Today we got lucky thanks to a double waterslide and strawberry smoothies beckoning the kids.

Strawberry daiquiris in the pool

After the pool we walked just a few yards to the beach. Maho is one of the world’s most famous beaches, known as the beach where airplanes fly over. I was a bit skeptical of the serenity one could get with commercial jet noise, but I was quickly proven wrong. Planes pass in just a few seconds, hardly adding any noise pollution and giving a feast for eyes young and old.

Sunset at Sonesta Maho

We accidentally timed it perfectly. The sun was setting just as we approached. The beach was far less crowded than I’d expected. Everything seemed to come together to create the serenity I’d written off.

We have zero plans yet for tomorrow aside from sleeping in as late as possible. It’s 9:51PM (8:51 EST) as I type this, and that 3AM wakeup is really catching up with me. The two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc probably aren’t helping either.

– Steph

Family & Friends, Travel Adventures

UK Day 14: The long journey back to reality

The end of the trip is always the worst… Nevermind the physical exhaustion of an on-the-go two week “vacation” with kids… for me it’s the emotional closure that’s most difficult. You plan a vacation months in advance. The anticipation builds – you do the things – make the memories. It’s typically even better than imagined. That was the case this trip for sure. But vacations are escapism, and the end of the vacation means a return to reality, to the every day, to the grind.

Sometimes I’m good at seeing the beauty in the tedious, messy side of parenting, but just like anyone else, I’m often overwhelmed by it and oscillate between wishing it away and savoring it. Lately it’s been much of the former rather than the latter. Three is hard. Three is exhausting. It’s rowdy and non-stop and silly and physically demanding.

I’m not so far away from our infertility struggles to realize what I am saying. I’m sure the old me would want to slap now me right in the face hearing me say some of these “ungrateful” things… but the reality is you can be grateful and exhausted in tandem. Joy and frustration often arrive simultaneously. Giving everything of yourself to your kids and then being angry at them (and yourself) that you neglected to spare even a morsel for yourself. I guess this multilayered dichotomy is the essence of parenting. Eventually all those conflicting emotions swirl together with the march of days to weeks, and form a fog that makes it hard to see the future.

Right now all I can do is look around at my family, these successes, and realize that no matter what happens, I have everything I need.

– Steph

ETA: arrived to the parking lot at Dulles to find our right rear tie with a pressure of only 19. We topped it off at a Shell station but hopefully won’t end up doing an ETA2 from the side of I-95.

Family & Friends, Food & Drink, Travel Adventures

UK Day 13: Natural History Museum and a date night out

Today the fatigue was apparent on everyone. We awoke to the typical London drizzle which didn’t help our motivational issues at all. It was after noon before we left the house and set off for the Natural History Museum.

Blue whale in the foyer of the Natural History Museum

We took the bus to the museum because it was much faster than taking the tube. Apparently they have a rule where each adult must purchase their own ticket, so when Amir tried to pay for three adults together, that threw everyone for a tizzy. Frustrated, the bus driver just charged us for one adult tickets and motioned us to get on board, more concerned about getting off schedule than coming up short on fares.

The museum was incredible. We only made it through five or six exhibits before the troops got hangry, but everything we saw was eye-opening.

We ate lunch at a family-friendly Italian joint called Bella Italia. It was refreshing to see an affordable kids menu with selections guaranteed to please our crowd. we wrapped up our late lunch and headed back to the house to pack up for our flight home tomorrow.

For dinner however, Amir and I were able to escape for an evening sans kids thanks to Liza. We’d passed a small place called The Sea, The Sea, multiple times this trip as it was along to path we took every day to reach the Sloane Square tube station.

Think elite fresh fish meets tapas… or maybe European sushi… I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. There are roughly 15 small plates to choose from, a healthy drink menu and just one option for dessert – peach, cream and chili – which was the perfect end to the meal. We also tried white port for the first time. As much as I love fish and chips, it was nice to experience something new that was on the lighter side.

Our flight leaves tomorrow at 3pm from Gatwick, and we have to check out of our AirBnB by 10. We’re pretty well packed up, even considering our many purchases this trip (4 new Christmas ornaments were necessary)! Heading into tomorrow, I’m even more excited about that direct flight to Dulles than I was on the way here. My plan for success is a good nights sleep tonight and hope for lots of travel luck tomorrow.

– Steph

Family & Friends, Travel Adventures

UK Day 12: Tree Top Walkway and Lily Pad House at Kew Gardens

I didn’t have much free time to research sites to see ahead of our trip. Not having had childcare the last 8 weeks has eaten up any free time I had. The one thing I did manage to find ahead of the trip and add to my must-see list was the Treetop Walkway at Kew Gardens.

The walkway is essentially a catwalk in the sky at the level of the tree tops. If this were the jungle, we’d have been up there with the monkeys. Here in London we had a face to face view with the birds and the fruit on these tall trees. There’s an elevator that’s “for use by those with mobility restrictions.” I decided that having a 20 month old strapped to my hip was a mobility restriction and jumped on that elevator without a shred of shame.

Kew is a 500 acre botanical garden and the worlds largest seed conservation project. Initially I thought it was a tree garden because they had so many species of native and non-native trees. It didn’t take long to discover Kew is a full-scale botanical garden with water plants, flowers, pollinators and a playground.

My favorite was the Lily Pad House which featured every type of water plant I’m familiar with plus giant lily pads. The different lily pad species each had unique blooms. There was one lily pad that had recently been removed due to decay and turned upside down on the sidewalk for visitors to appreciate the intricate structure.

Bottom of the giant lily pad

After the water plants, we headed to the playground to check out the slides we’d seen on Google Maps. There was a huge sand pit with multiple silver slides, a climbing wall and rock features.

#1LittleSister borrows some sand toys

There are multiple atrium/greenhouse type buildings with high humidity housing special plants that grow only in more humid environments like the Caribbean. There’s even a palm tree house that feels like walking onto a resort in the Bahamas.

Waterfall in the atrium

We stopped for Fish & Chips before jumping on the Underground back to our place. At this point in the trip, we are tired, a bit sore from hunching over pushing strollers around and occasionally a tad cranky. It’s just that point in any trip. Tomorrow is our last day of sightseeing in London as we leave Saturday to head back home. #1BigSister starts first grade Monday. I’m not sure what happened to the summer.

We have a lot left on our list and certainly won’t be able to hit it all tomorrow. We promised the two oldest a ride on an open-top double decker bus, and I can’t see leaving here without getting on some type of boat on the Thames. Amir still wants to try jellied eels, but I’m not sure the rest of us share that same urgency. We’ll see who wins out in the morning. If we have another 6:15am wakeup, we might drag all day and get only one thing accomplished. And no, not even going to think about packing yet. Nope. Nopeity nope.

– Steph