• Flying home
• Mon. Mar, 21^st 2011

Our trip outside of 関東 started on Wednesday for what should only be a few days in 京都 to see how things were going on before taking further actions.

Preparations started the day before with hunt for diapers in the emptied stores and 新幹線 tickets purchase but the trip started with an unexpected guest. A nice high-fever killing me in the train. Train packed with wives and children sent away of the region. That's where I realise that if Japanese salarymen are still in the city, it is not exactely the same for the rest of the family...

Arrived in 京都 we got welcomed by snow and cold. Personally speaking I also got welcome by 山本先生 who helped me with my fever. We feared an influenza but that only appeared to be a bad throat inflammation, sorted out by a little antibiotics. The rest of the day is quite blurry for me, I have to admit.

The day after stuck at the hotel, we found out that the hotel, like many others in the area were packed with 関東 people and the water rush also extended to 京都, making pet bottles uneasy to find here too (but from our experience, still much easier than in 東京)... That day is also when we decided to use the plane that the minister of Foreign affairs was providing to head back to France until everything gets patched up properly in 福島.

The trip started with a 5am wake up call to go to the station for a 8am meeting at the 関西空港 under the TV crew cameramen. I never felt so alien than that day! Like being at the zoo but on the other side of the cage... Well, hundreds of people there. Most likely much more than expected as the staff got -and this is no surprise- a bit overwhelmed. Luckily having a 7months pregnant wife and a 2 years old kid allowed us to skip most of the waiting time and made the experience not bad at all at the end of the day. The trip to Paris was not direct and I made my first landing in Korea ever...

I didn't see much of it but could appreciate the way the locals just ignore you in queues or push you to get seats in the train, although your wife is pregnant... A bit limited experience that would require further investigation to confirm those behaviours...

The following day was the actual trip to France and again we could enjoy the priority given to pregnant women.

We are now settled down here and keeping an eye on the news. But feeling so much better not to over-worry over what is going on over there. Just 2 weeks to go and then... Who knows...