Approximately seven hours and twenty minutes after our departure from Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, DC - we were there.. there being a city over 3,000 miles from home.
After hassles of undressing in the airport, stripping off our shoes, unloading all electronics, having our passports checked, checked and rechecked, we were cleared for our flight which was due to leave at 9:50 pm.
So with tickets and passports in hand, we anxiously waited for our boarding call.
In the meantime we ventured up and down the terminal, laughing at the shopping choices and munching on Chipotle and Five Guys. A week without American fast food.
The best part of my ticket? The gluten free meal and window seat it entailed. Over all, for a seven hour flight, the experience wasn't bad. I dined on hand made gluten free rolls & madeleines, watching "Going the Distance" and flipped through Post Secret - managing to catch a few hours of sleep, too.
Besides, the flight seems to go by quickly when you're traveling 631 mph through the -81 degree weather outside.
Soon enough - we were in Paris and we even had the Eiffel Tower to say "bienvenue."
We were welcomed to the city by our driver, yielding a sign declaring "Celestial Voyagers." We then loaded onto the van and ventured through the Parisian traffic toward our hotel on the Rue Montmartre. In this case "ventured through traffic" really translates to "watching enraged drivers esentially run one another off the road." I understand now why the metro is so popular.
Did you know that the metro covers so much track each day that if you lined up all its trips end to end, you could span the world 3 times in that one day?
But despite the traffic, we did make it to our hotel in great time - fitting in an afternoon scenic bus ride around the city through Parisvision. We won't tell you that an hour and a half bus ride with droning french music is "facile" after a sleepless fight - the tour did offer great souvenirs such as lime green headphones and all of the photos to come:
[Disclaimer: The following photos were taken from behind the tinted windows of a tour bus - my apologies]
Bon Nuit from France - it's 11:21 here in the City of Lights and time for some sleep.
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