Makkelijk, eh? Easy, right? Well maybe but it is going to take some time.
Things to keep in mind:
-We will be there for both warm and cold weather
-The boys will inevitably grow
-Clothing in Europe is expensive
-Our income will still be in U.S. dollars
IcelandAir allows each ticketed passenger two 50 lbs checked-bags and one 22 lbs carry-on. Infants can have one 50 lb bag and a car seat or stroller. Pretty generous I think. In my estimation this is what we need for each person: a weeks worth of warm-weather clothes, a weeks worth of cold weather clothes, 2 pairs of pajamas, 2 sweaters or sweatshirts, a swim suit, a raincoat, and 2 pairs of shoes. For the boys only: a winter coat (Kurt and I will just layer) and 3 days worth of diapers. We will reserve one suitcase for toys and any other non-clothing items that we are bringing but that don't need to be in the carry-on.
Other things to keep in mind:
- We are going to take the train from the airport to Leiden
- We can walk from the train station to our Leiden apartment
- Leif and Klaus cannot carry their own bags and, in fact, are more like baggage themselves
You might say "Why not take a cab or rent a car to mitigate these factors? " Perhaps we will but it doesn't seem in the European spirit. Public transport is so good there that we want to show our support from the outset. (Also it makes this post more interesting if there are more complicating factors plaguing our packing efforts.) The short of it is everything that we pack we need to be able to transport ourselves.
Ok so we are up to seven checked bags, 3 carry-ons, and a stroller. Add to that one pack n play, one two-seater bicycle trailer (packed in a box with a handle), and a small cooler filled with Kurt's medicine.
Here is our plan: Kurt and I still have backpacks from our previous European adventure. We have one large suitcase and we plan to buy 4 more. Kurt and I will each wear a backpack and a carry-on, and pull two suitcases piggy-backed one on top of the other. We have a double stroller- Klaus will ride in the front with the cooler on his little lap. Leif will give up his seat to the pack n play and a suitcase. In turn, Leif will pull a wheeled carry-on in his typical meandering way. I will push the stroller with my free hand and Kurt will struggle along with the boxed bicycle trailer. Perfect!
This is not going to work. Screw it. Let's rent a car.
