Monday, March 19th. Riga-Vilnius. We left the apartment at 11am to catch our 12pm bus to Vilnius. Getting a taxi using the taxify app was super easy. It arrived in about 4 minutes. As usual, when the taxi arrived, I put down my bag next to the taxi and took out the car seat with Arthur in it and placed it in the back seat. Then I jumped in the back seat from the other side with the diaper bag. Sean took care of putting the two backpacks and the stroller in the boot.
When we arrived at the coach station, Sean got off the car, took out the stroller and set it up, then took out my backpack and his backpack. Meanwhile, I unbuckled Arthur’s seatbelt, got off the car with the diaper bag, put on my backpack, and took Arthur out from the car. We pretty much got this system in place. We no longer have the purse and we’ve reorganized the diaper bag so that it only contained the essentials.
In the diaper bag, we have one ziplock bag with two sets of change of clothes for Arthur (long-sleeve bodysuit and pants), a swaddle, a blanket, a set of mittens, and a set of socks. We’ve had a couple blowouts now, and since the cities we’ve traveled in have been cold, we decided to have two sets of change of clothes.
We also have the box of medicines in the diaper bag, along with the bag of charging components for all our electronics, the infant carrier, a ziplock bag with twenty diapers, wet wipes, and Desitin cream, and both the giraffe and the bunny toys. At the top pocket, we have the water-purifying tablets and tissues, while at the front pocket, we have the iPad and the portable bassinet.
Sean would carry the diaper bag and his backpack, and I would carry my backpack and push the stroller. Technically, Sean could put the diaper bag under the stroller, but he liked carrying it most of the time.
We got to the coach station quite early. It was only 11:20 and the bus was not yet in its bus platform. So we waited and waited and waited. Arthur was asleep so this was easy.
Around 11:45, the bus finally pulled up. I dropped off my bag and took out the car seat so that Sean could hand the backpack and the stroller to the bus conductor for them to be placed in the luggage compartment. We then got on the bus. The bus driver (different guy from the bus conductor) checked our passport against his list of names.
This time our bus had both economy and “lounge express” class. When we booked the bus tickets, we were looking to sit at the back of the bus for privacy. Since this bus had two classes and the back of the bus was meant for the lounge class, we ended up taking the three lounge seats. This meant bigger seats, more space, and they provided a headphone, a bottle of water, and a muesli snack bar.
Sean and I took the last row and I placed Arthur and the car seat in front of me.
Throughout the four-hour ride, Arthur slept in the car seat once, and we fed and changed his diaper him twice.
Arthur fell asleep again 20 minutes before we arrived.
Once we arrived in Vilnius coach station, we put on all our stuff again and called an uber. The ride to the apartment only took about 10 minutes. Once there, we were greeted by the owner and she showed us around the apartment. This apartment was a much better set up than the one in Riga. It was much more spacious, modern, and cozy.
Right after checking in, we went out to the grocery store, which was only a 5-minute walk from the apartment. Arthur was still asleep so we wanted to take the opportunity to run errands.
The supermarket was on the basement level with no elevator, so we had to carry the stroller/car seat combo down the stairs. Sean took the front and I had the back.
After getting the essentials, we went back to the apartment and settled in.
We spent the rest of the day unpacking, cooking, and getting Arthur ready for bed. When we had dinner, Arthur didn’t mind being in the car seat, watching us eat. This seemed to be the norm now. When we would have breakfast, he would also be sitting in his car seat, entertaining himself and watching us eat. And he would be patient until we finished eating. Or maybe we just eat fast in general.
Overall, we’ve gotten used to Arthur’s many needs and being able to predict and be prepared for them makes traveling easier. Just like when people say that there is no bad weather, only bad packing, our experience with traveling with a baby has been quite similar. With good prediction, preparation, and patience, traveling with a now-12-week-old is a breeze.
two backpacks and a diaper bag 