The flight from Atlanta was relatively uneventful (just the way I like it!). My seat companion was a businessman from Minneapolis who sells the equipment and buildings they use to test jet engines. He was headed to Paris, Madrid, Morocco, Algiers, Milan, and a few other places to meet with Air France, AlItalia, British Airways, and other major world airlines to sell their equipment. I learned a lot about this gentleman, but his name? I never got it.
I tried (unsuccessfully) to catch a few more minutes of sleep. I was slightly more prepared and managed to snag myself two flight pillows and three blankets to help buffer myself from the cold, in addition to my fleece, my winter coat, and my own pillow--it helped a bit. At least I managed to just stay around the "mildly uncomfortably cold" mark instead of delving into the "straight up miserable."
We landed bright and early (okay, before bright...) in Paris and had a heck of a wait in line for customs. I stood in line with a lovely couple from Atlanta--a retired scientist and his wife--who have children in Seattle and Portland, who were on holiday in France. Again, no names, but they had a great sense of humor--necessary at 0-dark-30 whilst standing in a HUGE line! We three lucked out and got the nice customs agent--the other guy (yes, there were only 2 agents working border patrol for about 5 huge flights of non-EU citizens) was hassling anyone with a US passport. Getting out particular agent felt a little like winning the lottery.
On a side note: is there some sort of unwritten rule I don't know about that says anyone who works at an airport is required to be grumpy? Just checking.
I realized right away that my cell phone didn't work in Europe. I knew I couldn't make calls from it, but I had thought the clock would at least work, so I'd have an alarm and be able to tell time. NOT SO MUCH. Luckily I had taken the time to figure out how to set the clock on my new camera before I left Portland, so with a little basic math, I could figure out the time if I looked at my camera's menu. Challenge number 1.
I took a pit stop in a bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth, and braid my hair. Feeling slightly more human, I went immediately to the ATM to take out some Euros--little did I know I should have gotten more than the 140 I took out! I then wandered through Charles de Gaulle airport--it is HUGE and VERY confusing--trying to find the metro/train platforms and ticket windows. Challenge number 2.
I finally made it to the ticket window and attempted to buy a ticket to Avignon, only to discover that suddenly my debit card was no longer working. *sigh* I forked over my hundred Euros to buy the ticket, and tried to decide what to do. I tried several ATMs and tried to figure out how to call my family to let them know I made it and to get some help with my bank, all to no avail. I sat down and thought through it for a bit, and took a deep breath. Challenge number 3.
I was feeling a bit anxious about being abroad, and knew I just needed to dive in and have a little adventure so I could remember how the whole "Europe" thing worked (you know, navigating a foreign country in a foreign language by yourself...that kind of thing). I decided to just catch the metro into Paris instead of waiting around for 4 1/2 hours for my train and have a little adventure, then I could figure out calling my family and fixing my bank account when I arrived in Avignon. I knew once I made it to Avignon, Debi would be there and she could help me get things sorted. So I bought a Metro ticket and headed out.
I got off at the stop that should have put me next to Notre Dame Cathedral, intending to go to nearby La Saint-Chapelle. Apparently I picked the wrong exit, because even though I WAS, in fact, right next to Notre Dame, I couldn't see it. Challenge number 4.
I wandered aimlessly for about 45 minutes before I finally stumbled across it, and it was REMARKABLE.
Notre Dame must be one of those places that never grows old. It is enormous and old and absolutely gorgeous. I took a few photos outside and had a run-in with some of the women who try to trick tourists out of their money (they were literally screaming, "LADY!! DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?!!!???" as I completely ignored them). By the time I made it there, I didn't have time to find and explore La Saint-Chapelle, so I decided to take a run through Notre Dame. I've been in it before with Debi, but I had forgotten how truly awesome it is inside.
I took some beautiful photos, then ran back to find the Metro station to head back to the airport, so as not to miss my train. I tried out my rusty (okay...almost non-existent) French, and regained my confidence as a traveler, so mission accomplished.
The train ride to Avignon was GORGEOUS, with the French Alps in the distance and beautiful French wine country going by, but it was a desperate fight to stay awake. By the time I got to Avignon, my excitement to see Debi kicked in and I got my second wind.
*To see more photos with descriptions of my France trip leading up to the wedding, click HERE.
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