Day 69 - Vomit Bags, 4am Wake-Ups and Our Arrival in Europe
We were up at a quarter past four to get ourselves sorted. Last bits of packing, taking rubbish out, organising breakfast, all of that quiet, half-asleep logistics you do when you know a big day is coming. Kia was still very much down and out. Nauseous, flat, and clearly not right. We’re pretty sure she copped food poisoning on top of coming off the back end of being sick, which was far from ideal. She did what she could, but mostly just hovered on the sidelines conserving energy.
The kids, on the other hand, were up and bouncing. They were excited, which helped lift the mood a bit. We’d organised a Grab to pick us up at 5:30, so we had just enough time to get everything done without rushing. We loaded up, jumped in the car, and headed off. The roads were eerily quiet. Barely any cars around, lots of cyclists out early, which was nice to see, but the pollution was still heavy in the air. I couldn’t help thinking how rough it would be breathing that in day after day while riding.
Once we got to the airport, things escalated quickly. We’d barely unloaded the bags onto the footpath when Kia said, “I think I’m going to be sick.” Cue instant chaos. We scrambled through bags, found a plastic bag just in time, and Kia vomited right there at the entrance to the international terminal. First thing in the morning. Not exactly the send-off we’d hoped for. At that point we all just looked at each other thinking, this is going to be a day.
After that, we pushed on. Check-in line was long but moved reasonably well, maybe half an hour. Kia spent most of that time squatting down, keeping herself together. The kids got a bit scrappy towards the end, but honestly, they did pretty well considering we were standing around in lines at stupid o’clock. We grabbed a baggage buggy, checked in, dropped bags, then it was security, customs, more lines, more waiting. It felt like line after line after line before we finally made it into the departure lounge.
Kia went ahead to find somewhere to sit while I went on a small mission. First priority: coffee redemption. The one at Train Street the day before had been awful, so I needed to end Vietnam on a high. I grabbed another salted coffee and, thankfully, it was actually good. Victory. I also grabbed water and some fruit for Kia so she could try to get something into her stomach. Airport prices were brutal, everything in US dollars with a rubbish exchange rate, but I still had a fair bit of Vietnamese cash left from a refund the day before. So I went hunting for something useful to spend it on and ended up buying a larger Vietnamese drip coffee setup and some chewing gum. That cleared my wallet completely, which felt oddly satisfying, even if it meant cramming the drip filter into an already full backpack.
By the time all that was done, we were basically boarding. We didn’t sit around for long at all. On the plane, Kia and Maddie were together on one side, Emmett and I on the other. The flight was fairly full but with a few empty seats scattered around. Two seats in front of Kia and Maddie were spare, so the lady next to them moved forward, which left Kia and Maddie with a full row to themselves. Perfect timing, because Kia really just wanted to lie down.
Emmett and I initially had an older lady from Tunisia beside us. There was a bit of drama when the person in front reclined their seat and she wasn’t happy about it. Long story short, she got moved, and Emmett and I ended up with the whole row as well. Win.
The Turkish Airlines flight was honestly incredible. Best international flight I’ve ever been on. The entertainment was next level. Movies, shows, games, and even live camera views from the front and underside of the plane. Drinks whenever you wanted, a meal within the first hour, downtime, then another meal before landing. Super comfortable. Perfect for the kids, and a massive help for Kia. She started eating again, got some colour back in her face, and slowly began to feel human again, which was a huge relief.
The flight from Hanoi to Istanbul was long, but the kids handled it unbelievably well. Emmett and I watched movies and played games, while Maddie and Kia slept most of the way. We landed in Istanbul, followed a guy calling out for Vienna passengers, went through another security check, and found somewhere to sit. Our next flight was delayed by about 40 minutes, but it went by quickly. What was meant to be a longer wait barely felt like one.
The Istanbul to Vienna flight was smaller but just as comfortable. Again, plenty of space. Kia and Maddie managed to spread out, Emmett and I had room beside us, meals came out quickly, and before we knew it, we were descending into Vienna.
Getting off the plane felt surreal. We exited from the back and walked across the tarmac to buses that took us into the terminal. It was cool but not freezing, around four degrees, damp from earlier rain. After customs, our bags were already on the carousel. We grabbed them and headed straight outside.
The taxi ride to our accommodation was short but eye-opening. About 15 kilometres cost us 50 euro, which works out to roughly $80 Australian. For comparison, our taxi ride in Hanoi the day before was over 20 kilometres and cost about $18 Australian. Quite the difference. You definitely know you’re in Europe when you’re paying those kinds of prices, but at that point we were happy to just get where we were going. It was a quick drive and dropped us right out the front of our accommodation.
By the time we arrived, local time was around 6 to 6:30 in the evening. We were absolutely cooked. There’s about a six-hour time difference from Vietnam, so it was close to midnight back there. The kids had fallen asleep in the taxi and earlier on the plane, so they were more than ready for bed. It was showers and straight to bed as soon as we got inside.
The apartment is great. The kids are set up on a fold-out couch bed in the living area, and Kia and I have our own room. It’s comfortable, warm, and exactly what we needed after a day like that.
So that was Day 69. A huge one. A messy one. But we made it. We’re in Europe now. Looking forward to waking up tomorrow and getting out to see what Vienna has to show us.