Let’s Hold Hands In France

"Daddy, let's hold hands in the car – let's hold hands in France!" Ailyn said after we got into the private van that took us to our Cannes apartment.

An irresistible invitation.

So we held hands down the A8 as it hugged the Mediterranean coastline on a winter's night. Because, as Ailyn rightly noted – this is France.

"Cannes is BEAUTIFUL!" Ailyn said as we reached the outskirts.

"This is really the outside part – wait until you see center of town where we're staying!" I told her.

But neither kid needed to see La Croisette – the central part of Cannes near the beach which is its real signature – to be impressed.

"I didn't think France would have so many sparkly lights everywhere!" Sennen said. Yes, it's true there were a lot of strings of lights on the street and streets towards the edge of town – I hadn't thought much about that before. "And palm trees – I didn't think of France having palm trees." 

Then came the pseudo-anti-climax in which by the time we reached our Airbnb apartment, the kids no longer cared much to go outside and didn't really see what was waiting for them at the end of the rainbow. But there's always tomorrow.

Instead, they were more amazed by our three bedroom, three bath apartment with one bedroom being a loft. Then they immediately dropped down to the low-end of Maslow's hierarchy with Sennen desperately wanting sleep and Ailyn desperately wanting a snack before showering and bed. In the end, we walked to the small grocery a block away, bought yogurt and cheese – and got everyone showered and into bed.

Unfortunately for Sennen, his dream of sleeping in the loft bedroom and his need to actually dream proved incompatible. Crying he was so tired, every little rustle from downstairs reached his ears and he couldn't fall asleep. I traded rooms with him since my intended downstairs room with ensuite bath was much more protected from noise – and in the end, got Sennen the rest he so desperately craved.

There's nothing new about a long international travel day that goes perfectly well until the final hours when all hell breaks loose. In the past, the kids have fallen asleep on Bangkok sidewalks, experienced night terrors in vans home from the airport, screamed for snacks they in turn refuse and other assorted joys that come only in the final minutes before getting to our destination and resting.

The important part isn't that last half hour – it was all the many hours before it that went exceptionally well. From a swift and easy check-in at the Lufthansa counter to fast-tracking security thanks to my CLEAR membership to access to the Star Alliance Gold Lounge as a result of my recent status upgrade, everything went superbly smooth at LAX. Even with our flight taking off almost an hour late, we arrived in Munich only 10 minutes behind schedule. The top deck of the A380 we flew was an exciting treat unto itself for the kids – and the seats were pretty comfortable. Sure, there was that little bit of vomiting Ailyn did as we were within a minute of touchdown in Munich – but that was just the very strong winds jolting the plane as we were landing. Besides, most of it went into the barf bag and nothing smelled too bad – her stomach had been pretty empty anyway.

Our layover in Munich was unremarkable. We had some forgettable snacks in a clean, sterile airport, walked around, charged our devices, waited for our flight. And in true German fashion – we departed and arrived right on time. Thank you, Lufthansa.

One holiday miracle was that Sennen, who had been sick for the two days prior to leaving, ended up feeling great throughout the trip. It was Ailyn who battled motion sickness while Sennen was happy go-lucky until the end-of-night meltdown.

"So Daddy, what are we going to do in France?" Ailyn said as we pulled out of the Nice airport headed for Cannes – as if we had showed up on a last minute whim and had never discussed a thing prior. This triggered us going through all the things we had talked about for months. Then as I put Sennen to bed (the first time) he asked, "Daddy, what are we going to do tomorrow?" That's when I came to realize maybe it's all just so imagined and surreal to them yet – they can't quite visualize what France is and will be like.

"Well, we can do whatever we want, tomorrow. I thought it might make sense for us to start by walking around and seeing Cannes. Maybe we check out some of the Christmas markets too – or even the Ile St Lerins where the Man in the Iron Mask was held if we really want. But we can just see what we feel like for a first day."

"The Christmas Markets are already open?!" said like a true Jewish child who has spent most of his Winter Breaks in Southeast Asia with little concept of the span of the Christmas season and that December 22nd is primetime Christmas.

"Yes, they are, Sennen. You want to go?"

"Yeah! Let's do that."

And then he went back to crying about how tired he was.