Gran Canaria to France in one easy step

So how do you travel from Gran Canaria to France with your husband, three month old baby, cat, a guitar and far too much luggage? Well I'm glad you asked, here's how we did it.

Our day started at 3.45 am with Baby C waking us up 15 minutes before the alarm was set. Clever girl.
On arriving at the airport a good hour and a half before our boarding time we were pleased to be the only people checking in. That was the last good thing at the airport.

The lady couldn't find our booking and by the time she did all the other passengers had turned up and the queue behind us reached across the check-in hall. Finally the booking was found but we had baggage issues, we had too much.
Our largest case was too heavy so I rummaged around and took out Mr. C's disembowled computer and screen to be taken as hand luggage.

Once our baggage was under the top weight we checked it in but then had to visit the airline counter to pay the excess and to pay for the cat. From there a visit to the customer service to tell them we were taking the cat in the cabin. Once that was all paid we took the guitar to a second check-in counter and waved that off onto the plane. Back to the original counter and the back of the enormous queue we had created. Well Mr. C qued and I fed the baby.

Once at the front of the queue we were given our tickets, just in time for boarding.

At security we had to unpack the laptop and all Mr. C's computer's guts to go through the x-ray, along with coats, pushchair and car seat, my handbag and the changing bag. I carried the baby through but had forgotten to take my watch off so had to be patted down while holding the baby. The security staff loved us.

Rush to boarding to find that as we have Baby C we get to queue jump - yay. I arrive at the side of the plane and start wondering where Mr. C has got to. The cat had made a break for freedom and he had to catch her.

We finally get on the plane. The crew are very good and allow us to keep the baby in the car seat until it is time to fasten seat-belts and then she is on my lap.

Throughout the flight Baby C behaved very well, very little crying so at least we weren't the people with the crying baby. No, we were the people with the mewling cat who peed in her box. Mr. C took the box back to the loo to change the newspaper and again the cat made a bid for freedom, fortunately the door was locked so we weren't the people with the mad escaped moggy.

On arrival at Barcelona Baby C and I lost Mr. C as he went off down the escalator while I waited for a lift. I trundled off to the baggage claim and Mr. C was waiting at the wrong lift.

Baggage claim went well, one of the good things about being last on the check-in being that your baggage is first off the plane. So four bags and a guitar later and Mr. C and the cat turn up. Off we go to meet the French-in-laws who have the news that our life that we shipped the previous week had not arrived. I wasn't so surprised at this news.

We all bundle into the car and off we go to France - yay.

Through the border and halfway across France and I suddenly realise that I forgot to pick up Mr. C's briefcase from the baggage claim - well I wasn't expecting him to check it in.

Ah well we don't worry too much about it as Mr. C will have to drive back over to collect the rest of our life.

Eventually we arrive in the Alps at 8 pm. A very long day.