My Summer Vacation - Part Deux (transatlantic adventure)

On August 8, Philipp and I left for our much-anticipated trip to the States. It was a very ... long ... day. The alarms went off at 5:00. Time for showers, breakfast, throwing a few more things into the suitcases, and all those last-minute things like unplugging the TV and taking out the trash.

Philipp's parents took us to the train station for our 6:48 departure. It's about 2.5 hours to the airport by TGV. (Train à Grande Vitesse = high-speed train) We dozed a little, but it was FREEZING in the train, so I was happy when we arrived at Charles de Gaulle.

You know how the rest goes ... go to the check-in counter, answer questions about who packed your bag, whether you have any contraband inside, if you're a terrorist, etc. ... wait in the lengthy line for security ... find your gate and wait ... and wait ... And in my case, try to ignore the American tourists whose voices carry over the more discreet Europeans in the gate area. I like to play "guess the nationality" while waiting for international flights, and trying to spy the passport to see if I'm correct. I usually am.

I had to find ways to amuse myself that day, because - alas - Philipp and I didn't fly together. Security purposes, you know. (Actually, it's a complicated story of where our round-trip tickets originate, fluctuating airline prices, etc. Thanks for not asking.)

My first flight was delayed (always is) so when I arrived in Philadelphia with only 62 minutes until my next plane left, I knew the chances were slim that I'd be on it. (grr ...) I hurried to immigration, through customs, rechecking my bag and another security check, and dashed for the shuttle bus. There were two other women on the shuttle. One was a young French woman who'd been on my first flight. Her connection was supposed to have already left, but she was on the way to the gate, anyway. The driver asked us when our flights were leaving, and I responded with, "Mine's in ten minutes, and hers is leaving right now!" "Right now!?! Well, let's go!!" he responded, closed the door and we were off.

If I made this Paris - Cincinnati flight more often, the airport staff would surely start calling me "the girl who sprints through Terminal F". Because that's what I do every time. And I never make my connection. Once, I even watched them close the airplane door from my place in the shuttle bus. Aargh! Foiled again!

So, instead of arriving in Cincinnati at 7:30, I arrived at 11:40. I spent 4.5 hours sitting in the terminal trying to block out the sounds of CNN ... John Edwards had just admitted to his affair and apparently the entire news world came to an instant standstill except for this incredibly important "breaking news". Barf. I paid $8 for a flour tortilla wrapped around a piece of lukewarm chicken and some wilted lettuce. I treated myself to a bottle of water, since I knew USAirways had started charging for it. (The flight attendant did offer free ice, though. Pretty generous, after all, when you're only paying a cool grand for the ticket.) At least I wasn't on the flight to Milwaukee ... I heard them asking passengers to use the restroom before boarding because the plane's lavatory was out of order. Yikes!

This entry is making me sound like a disgruntled traveller, which I am really not. I am a bit disenfranchised with the airlines who charge extra if you check a bag (and those that charge extra if you don't!), or want $2 for a Dixie cup of water (but the ice is free!) But Air France still gives free wine, and you can catch up on lots of movies on USAirways, so it isn't all bad.


Anyway ... I digress.

I finally arrived in Cincinnati! Philipp (who had arrived at 10:30) and my parents greeted me with hugs, we got my suitcase (which had actually made the first connection and had been hanging out in Cincinnati waiting for me) and we headed home. Sophie was aloof, as always. We had a piece of Mom's famous Almond Cake (Philipp's favorite), opened some gifts from my parents, and eventually headed to bed. With the exception of the limited sleep we each got in the plane, we had been up for 26 hours or so. Bonne nuit!