complete with four hour delay in an airport with only three shops. I am eternally grateful to the man behind the bar who had the Tour on TV, as were all the other cycling fans in the terminal (ie most of the passengers…)

I hate them like poison

when you have small kids to drag along who 1) you have to carry, and 2) who cannot carry their own stuff and 3) come with all the extra kiddie paraphernalia (car seats, strollers) it makes it effectively impossible not to have to check your stuff.

Trying to avoid checking my stuff for the TdG this year put a crick in my back that I regretted for the entire week. But I’d probably do the same, next time – nothing says Fast Cash Now like a checked case full of flashes and lenses.

~

But in case I’ve been too obnoxious on this thread, I’ll share this bit of schadenfreude-inducing information. The last time I checked luggage was in December, and we were on our way to Peru (summer!) to go hiking. So all equipment and clothing checked. Changed our plans at the last minute (I will always curse my newborn nephew for this) to go to Prague (winter!!!). Arrived in Prague to find out that our luggage was . . . well, not even on the same continent. Three days in Prague with just the clothes on your back (originally selected for the weather in Lima)? Really.fucking.cold.