Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Never Ready

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Sunday, May 29 2016

After a restless night, it was difficult to arise at 5:30 AM, knowing what a long travel day we had ahead of us. We dressed sleepily and stowed our pajamas and toiletries away and were soon heading down the stairs to the lobby. We were too early even for coffee. We bid the usual tearful farewell to our son and set off for the airport. 

Au revoir for now!



Traffic was light, so we made good time to CDG. The lines were shorter than usual and it wasn't long before we were upstairs near our gate. We gravitated toward the coffee shop, which was just opening. I was more than ready for my first morning coffee! I chose a pain au chocolate to accompany it and joined Craig at a little table next to the window. After breakfast, I browsed in the duty-free shops and picked up some last-minute souvenirs.



As boarding time neared, I thought I heard my name on the loudspeakers. There was already a crowd forming at the gate and with some difficulty, I managed to squeeze through to inquire if I had been paged. I was told that no, I had not been. I returned to my seat, but after a short time, we decided to join the queue at the gate. Once again, I thought I heard my name! I wove my way through the crowd to the gate attendant, who immediately ushered me forward upon hearing my name. I told her that I was traveling with my husband, so he was allowed through the barrier with me. Imagine my dismay when I discovered that the reason I had been paged was because I had been selected for one of the random bag searches and additional pat-down! My carry-on and purse were both stuffed with the items I had just purchased in the duty-free shops. I actually felt sorry for the TSA agent who was gingerly but thoroughly examining every item. Craig just stood by, looking amused.

Finally, we were able to find our seats and settle in for the long flight. I immersed myself in a book to pass the time, as I can never sleep on the daytime crossings. Craig and I also played a few games of Scrabble on his laptop. My seatmate was a very sweet young French woman. We chatted off and on during the flight. 

Wanna race?

When we arrived in Chicago, the airport seemed more crowded than usual. It took some time to retrieve our luggage and trundle it through to Customs. That part wasn't bad when compared to the lengthy wait we faced at border control! I have never seen such a crowd. The room was teeming with people and the temperature in there was stifling. The lines crept forward at a snail's pace. When we finally broke free of the lines and were in the terminal, we bumped into our French friend, who was now accompanied by a German woman. They both seemed lost and confused, so we offered to show them to their gate. We enjoyed visiting with them as we walked, and we would have liked to join them for lunch, but we had to catch the tram for another terminal. 

The last leg of our journey was uneventful. I suppose I was glad to finally return home, but really, my heart was still in France. I'm already looking forward to our next visit.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Paris in the Rain

Pages From Jan's Travel Journal: Saturday, May 28 2016

It was our last morning in Orléans for a while. Our suitcases were open on the floor, waiting for those last-minute items to be tucked inside. We made one last walk to our favorite bakery, where I purchased a tasty chocolate-filled beignet and said goodbye to the sweet ladies at the counter. It was warm and cozy inside as we watched the raindrops roll down the window.

After breakfast, we finished the last few details of the new cabinets for Desmond's kitchen. When everything was in place, we patted ourselves on the back as we admired the finished pieces. With the countertop secured, the kitchen looked complete. It provided much more prep space and lots of storage.

Before long, the three of us were headed for the train station. We took the tram to Les Aubrais, where we caught the 11:00 train for Paris. We found seats together and sat back for the hour-long journey to Paris. It was raining lightly when we arrived, but that failed to dampen our spirits. Paris is lovely no matter the weather. Our taxi deposited us at the Hotel de l'Avre, a very charming and delightful place. We knew it would be too early for us to check in, but we were allowed to stow our bags until we returned at 3:00.


The Hotel de l'Avre in Paris, France

We began to explore. The hotel was a short distance from the Eiffel Tower, so we walked in that direction. The streets were bustling in spite of the rain. We found a cute little crêperie called Framboise, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch at a table near the window. The gallettes were wonderful. We finished with dessert crepes that were a perfect ending to the meal.


Lunch at Framboise in Paris, France

A refreshing crepe citron

We set out again toward the Eiffel Tower and soon arrived to find many huge tour buses parked along the side streets. Several areas were blocked off because of a marathon that had just taken place. The Champ de Mars was teeming with runners, locals, and tourists. All of us were sidestepping the puddles as we gaped at our surroundings. The rain had let up and there were vendors walking around offering selfie sticks for sale. They seemed to be a hot item. We saw many people using them to set up the perfect shot with the Eiffel Tower in the background. 

When we returned to the hotel, we were charmed by the lovely rooms that had been assigned to us. They were very cozy and were decorated with what looked like antiques. Many of the pieces were old clocks. The roomy bathrooms featured large bathtubs, which are a treat to find in a French hotel. The windows overlooked a sweet little graveled courtyard. Had the weather been nicer, I'm certain we would have enjoyed sitting in the garden, savoring a hot beverage. Instead, we found a neighborhood bar and warmed up over mugs of Irish coffee.


Just part of the lobby at Hotel de l'Avre, Paris

Our charming room at Hotel de l'Avre, Paris

Hotel de l'Avre had a sweet little courtyard.

For dinner that evening, Desmond had found an Italian restaurant called Chez Thomas, just a short walk from the hotel. The waitress was very sweet and animated; she actually kidded around with us a bit. My appetizer of bruschetta was fresh and delicious. Craig's antipasto was served on a bed of lettuce, which he left on the plate. The waitress good-naturedly chided him for not finishing his vegetables. His main course was also accompanied by a lot of greens, and when he had finished his meal, he quickly swapped plates with Desmond so that the server wouldn't notice he had not eaten his vegetables! She was onto his tricks and was soon standing beside him, hand on hip, tapping her foot and waggling her finger at him. We all burst out laughing as he was busted! 


Delicious bruschetta at Chez Thomas, Paris

I devoured my plateful of chicken and mushrooms in cream sauce, served over pasta. It wasn't exactly an Alfredo dish, but was lighter and very flavorful. Dessert was crème brûlée for me, and panna cotta for Craig and Des. It was such a fun evening that it was hard to feel sad that our wonderful vacation was ending. We walked back through the rain to our hotel, where I later had a nice, long soak in that huge tub.  


A rainy day in Paris is still better than a sunny day anywhere else.