first day in France

The trip over was rather uneventful, which if you know about my previous experiences with flying overseas, is a huge relief. Things started out well - no lines at the ticket counter, and the kind man at the Delta counter in OKC let me re-arrange my belongings so I only had to pay excess baggage on one suitcase. Security was short as well, and then I spent time on the phone changing my auto insurance to a "non-owner policy" so my coverage won't lapse and result in higher rates once I return to the States. I had a very fancy birthday lunch at Sonic, and soon was on my way to Atlanta. On the flight to Paris, we had no electricity in my section of the plane, which meant no in-flight movie. I was a bit disappointed, but then realized this meant the plane would be darker and therefore easier to sleep.

We arrived at the new terminal of Charles de Gaulle airport, and had to take a bus to the main terminal - the one, Damien informed me later, that collapsed three years ago. Lovely. Customs was easy - the man didn't even look at my visa, and I really was tempted to show him, since it was so hard to get. My luggage arrived quickly, and soon I was on the other side of the glass wall, greeted by my chauffeur for the day.

In Paris, there is a program called "Caisse Commune," where you pay a small monthly fee to have the ability to pick up a rental car from one of many locations in the city, and then use it for the day. Gas and insurance are included. Damien and Kathy recently joined, and he was thrilled to drive me to my new home.

We found the house quite easily - it's right off a main road. After unloading the luggage and having a quick look around, we went to the centre ville for lunch at a brasserie (langue de boeuf for him and brochette de boeuf for me). Since we had a car, we went to the Champion grocery store to stock up on essentials. Many French groceries no longer provide plastic bags, so you have to bring your own. I forgot about this, so we had to put everything in the backseat of the car and unload items individually back at the house. Finally, we drove around trying to locate the school and the train station, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. We decided to abandon the search so I could get some rest. We said au revoir, and Damien headed back to Paris.