Alas the time came to return to reality. Although we all agree we have had enough of hotel living we all do not want to go home. A little melancholy but the end of one trip means it is time to plan the next…
Being Saturday the drive to De Gaulle Airport was quick, however our driver mentioned that this was the beginning of vacation for many locals and the airport would be crowded, especially our terminal. And as we exited the Autoroute it was obvious he was correct, traffic turned bad (bouchon would be the correct term in French I believe). But it was quickly obvious that our our experienced driver had the answer in hand as well taking what appeared to be a circuitous route thru De Gaulle he managed to bypass the majority of the traffic easily and earned himself a larger tip. And credit to the Air France and CDG staffs working the airport on this Saturday, the crowded terminal was handled quite efficiently and we advanced thru the (busy) departure process quickly.
Again an easy crossing, an 11+ hour flight went by in a snap. We (and I mean we) do not understand why these long haul flights seem to get easier as time goes on, Syd said the return flight was shorter than the outbound flight but in fact the opposite was true. Our flight was the first of two daily Air France flights between CDG and SFO (I believe it is two) meaning early day activities for all in Paris but it also means afternoon arrival at home, enough time to unpack and relax in a semi civilized manner. Coincidentally upon arriving home the 1960s movie classic ‘The Longest Day‘ was on HDNM reminding us that not everyone who visited the parts of France we did had the same experience we did, albeit via Hollywood.
And the cats are pissed. Good, means we have been away.
Our trips would not be what they are without the support of Nancy and Les Burger and their crew at Ladera Travel in Menlo Park. Knowledgeable and patient, they respond to our every question quickly. Thanks Nancy, Les and crew, you turn our questions into destinations. Next year west of San Francisco perhaps? 🙂
