Hating Air France

A quick run-down about my experience with Air France. I will be sending an "angry letter" to all divisions of Air France (Air Italia, Air France, and Delta) because of this experience. It's surprising how a huge company like Air France can continuously screw up without repercussion.

Flight from DTW to Atlanta: I go to check in, and I'm not in the system. I'm on the plane manifest, but I am not assigned a seat nor will a boarding pass print out for me. 20 minutes later, I'm told to check in at the gate and they will give me a seat-- away from my traveling companions, of course.

Flight from Atlanta to Dublin: Despite the 6 hour layover, nothing really happened on this flight that was Air France's fault. Don't worry, they make up for it later.

Flight from Dublin to London via Paris: Flight gets cancelled due to volcanic ash. This is the airports call, not Air France. We get to the Air France counter to check in/get reaassigned to a new flight, and we get put on a flight at about 4:50pm. We go back to the hotel and enjoy Dublin a little more. When we return to the airport at 4, we are told that we were *not* placed on the 4:50 flight but then reassigned to the 6:30pm flight.

Flight from London to Paris: Pam and Jason's information isn't showing up at the Air France terminal. We're forced to wait in the Air France line.

Flight from Paris to Rome: The stewardess through Air Italia were HOLY rude. You would have thought I asked for their first born child when, in response to *their* question, I said I wanted orange juice to drink.

Flight from Rome to Detroit via Paris: Here's where it gets dicey. I am first bumped from my original flight (and separated from the other 3 travelers). My new flight, I am told, will arrive about 90 minutes before the Detroit connection, so I'm ok with flying by myself. We sat on the tarmak in Rome for 1 hour 45 minutes, had the 2 hour flight, then run through the de Gal airport trying to make our connection (which was scheduled to leave 5 minutes prior). The flight attendants on that flight were not helpful at all- over 90 of us had connecting flights, and they had no information about the connecting flights nor would call and get information. In the case of the Detroit flight, we realize that we will be landing the same time it is scheduled to take off. We ask the flight attendant to request that the flight be held, make arrangements to get us to our next flight, etc. and they don't do anything. We keep getting told "sorry." We land in Paris and we are told that the flight left. I found out though that the other 3 were asking about me to the flight attendants and THOSE flight attendants had no problem calling the tower/the Air France desk at the airport to see what my flight status was. My friends were told that I was on my way to Atlanta. They were on the runway when they asked, which makes it better- I was in the airport, the flight was still on the runway. Plane couldn't be stopped, apparently.

So now I'm stuck with about 8 other passengers waiting for the next flight out of Paris, which is going to route me through Atlanta, give me a 90 minute layover, then home by midnight (I should have been home at 4:55pm). They give us all a coupon for a free sandwich and drink, but it doesn't help. I keep asking at the counter, "are you sure my luggage will get to Detroit?" and I'm told that its on the way.

I board the 9 hour 30 minute flight to Atlanta. Flight was uneventful, but we're left on the runway for an additional 20 minutes after we land. That part sucked.

We get to Atlanta and are told that because of customs, we have to get our luggage from baggage claim, go through customs, then recheck the bags. Of course, we wait- and none of our luggage is there. We now have 20 minutes before the Detroit flight leaves. The Delta agent keeps telling us to make the claim for luggage at the Detroit airport and to "run"- she neglected to tell us that we arrived in Terminal D and were taking off in Terminal B. We had to wait for a shuttle, run UP esclators, etc. We make it *literally* as they are closing the gate. We get on the plane and end up in Detroit.

My luggage is not in Detroit when I land. I am told that *it never left Paris* and that it should be in Detroit by 7pm Sunday. I am having them call me if it arrives by 5; if not, they will have to ship it to me. Too bad that I have my glasses, clothes, and some souvenirs in there.

I expected some hiccups on the flights- after all, we had 8 flights scheduled. But every flight? Absolutely ridiculous. I'm going to pull a Kevin Smith and (after I get a Twitter feed) bitch about it to everyone. GRR. It was almost enough to ruin the trip.

I'm still too angry about the flight situation to reflect on the trip. I'll do it later.

Last day in Rome

We started our day at 9am with another, final pastry and nutella filled breakfast. We then headed on the Appaian Way, which is the road the ancient Romans created to go between Rome and Naples (?). Jason wanted to walk the road a bit then head to "Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis?" where Jesus left his footprints. Of course, I lead everyone in the wrong direction off the bus and we walked about a quarter of a mile extra. Oops.

The church was tiny and nobody but us were in there. Jason said when he saw the church on TV, it was flooded with tourists. My response was that the church was near impossible to find- just like the church I tried to find yesterday. There's very minimal markings and signage, like they wanted to keep the location a secret.

After visiting the church and getting on the right bus, we went to the Vatican for the Vatican Museum tour. This is what I have been waiting for through our whole time in Rome. I wanted to see the Vatican treasurers and view the Sistine Chapel. We waited in line for about 45 minutes (which I was totally fine with), wareded off tour group offers ("You join our tour. 45€. Skip line!") and made it in. The Vatican Museum is huge- it takes up over 4 miles worth of exhibits. We of course didn't get to see them all, and we finally made our way to the chapel. You go down this long, chunked up staircase, crammed into the stairwell for a bunch of flights, then BOOM! You walk into a sea of people craning their necks upwards. It was beautiful. I would love to see it less crowded, but I understand why everyone was there- it was worth the wait. You weren't supposed to take pictures or flim of the ceiling, as some Japanese business owner owns the rights (?!), but people were snapping away anyway. I would have loved to spend more time there, but it was hot and crowded and, by now, we hadn't eaten in about 6 hours.

As we left, we passed (I kid you not) 6 gift shops. I know the Catholic Church is hurting for money, but.... really? And, you have to walk through all of them in order to get out of the museum. Creative, yet a little annoying.

The restaurant across from the Vatican (with the green awning) was the WORST dining experience I've had here. Not only was the food crappy and tasting like canned Italian food, but it was overpriced and, when we were figuring out the bill, the hostess (restaurant owner?) hovered over us like we were going to dine and dash. There was no rush to get us out of the restaurant, there was no line to get in, but we were hurried out. Horrible.

Jason and Pam bought some glass necklaces for friends, then we headed back to the hotel. We all have to pack, clean up, etc. and get ready for our long trip home tomorrow. I'm already packed (I unpack when I get to the hotel then as stuff gets dirty, pack it back up), so I went for a walk around the hotel. For the last few nights, people have been flooding into the gelateria (gelato!!) about 6 blocks down from the Roma Globus. I went in to try it for myself, despite the knowledge that we were having an early dinner. I had a small cone-- and THIS is the perfect gelato. Light, fluffy, and like a chocolate cloud. I now believe in the addeage that a long line means good food.

We had our last dinner in Rome in a seafood restaurant- of course, if we knew Italian, we would have known that walking in. Only Jason ordered seafood- I went with a spicy pasta dish, and Pam and Justin went with Pork and French Fries (note: everywhere in Paris and Rome serve french fries -- with *everyting*! I don't get it- are they trying to kill people with carbs??). We talked about going back to Valentino's for that really good gelato by the Trevini fountain, but it was late and we were leaving early the next morning, so we went to my gelato shop from earlier. Perfect- minus the rain. I'll take it though- rain in Rome is better than not being in Rome at all.

Day 3 in Rome allll to myself

The other 3 took off for Pompeii this morning, leaving me to sleep in and take a "wind down" day. I started out my morning with more pastries for breakfast, then took the Metro to the Termini. At the Termini, I got on a bus crammed with people (I understand the smell in Rome now- its because we are all crammed on public transportation and, with everyone being packed in so tight, it gets hot- FAST.) and headed to the Campo di Fiori, a Roman farmers market. Of course, I got turned around. After asking for directions, I found a leather shop where everything is made there and grabbed something for a friend- if I had an extra €50, I would have gotten this beautiful hand stitched lime green wallet... mmm hmm.

When I finally walked into the Campo area I stopped to take it all in. People had fresh fruits and vegetables everywhere, local olive oils and sauces, dried vegetables, homemade pasta noodles...there were a few touristy booths, but it was still just wonderful. I wandered around the market, picked up a few things, bought some fresh fruit to snack on and just enjoyed being a local.

I had lunch on the Republicca after trying to find a church with a Bernini statute in it (Escatcy of St. Theresa). A tomato basil and mozzarella panini and pastry? 4€. YES. Cheap and absolutely delicious! After a break (since the churches are closed until 3:30), I went back to the church to see the magnificent statute and, of course, see the 10 other tourists who could find the church. It wasn't hidden, but it wasn't marked. Very incognito. However, I have a problem with people taking pictures within a church unless there are signs saying it's ok- people were taking pictures left and right, and the poor people who were there to worship seemed distracted. It seemed rude, yet I partially understand *why* they are taking the pictures. Oh well- my camera stayed in my pocket out of respect.

Another thing I noticed was the Italian men (of course). Most were very well dressed, but a good number dressed like the typical American. Regardless of the dress, they all had the very "manly" attitude- a little cocky, a little loud- but all that were with a woman treated her like gold. It was amazing to watch- holding doors open, holding purses if asked (!!), walking along side them and steering them through traffic... it was refreshing. Why men in the US don't necessarily do that is beyond me. I noticed that in Paris, too. No matter how the man acted towards other people, they were huge softies and romantics with their women. Aww. Though, I could have done without the constant making out. People were sucking face everywhere!

Side note: I passed a priest on a vespa with a pink helmet and a monk (or someone in the long monk-like robe) sporting jeans under the robe and an ipod. Weird.

I then wandered back down to the Colosseum area to stroll and find shotglasses for people. I sat on the lawn outside of the Colosseum and people watched for a good hour before I lost feeling in my feet and came back to the hotel for a good soaking.

For dinner, we decided to stay local. The hotel recommended a restaurant a few blocks down from the hotel. It was gooood, but you would have think that we had learned to NOT order an appetizer, a first course and a second course. No matter how much time you have between courses, you're still stuffed. But it was so, SO good. Plus, we all got champagne when we sat down (as part of our table fee!), and the other three all ordered LITERS of Coke. Not just a standard bottle, but a GLASS LITER EACH. The bottles were as big as their heads! We closed out the restaurant and headed to bed, after deciding to sleep in a bit tomorrow.

When in Rome...

Today was the day of sightseeing. We activated our 3 day Roma Passes, jumped on the Metro and headed to the Colosseum first thing after a pastry filled breakfast (I had Nutella on toast, a chocolate puff pastry, *some* eggs, and some other chocolate pastry. Mmmm hmm). With the Roma Pass, we jumped to the front of the line and walked right into the Colossuem. WOW. It was ginormius! Again, I had my Rick Steves Audio Guide walking me through the Colosseum- I walked by the emperor' box, saw where the vestial virgins sat, and could even look down into the "under" part of the Colosseum, where gladiators and animals would come up from under the floor. After dodging tour group, we left and went to Palentine Hill and the Roman Forum. We walked through fallen homes, huge landscapes, and saw the elliptical shaped forum. It was a gorgeous walk- the sun was out, birds were everywhere, and it wasn't covered with tourists.

For lunch, we stopped at the Rosa Red (isn't that "Red Red?"). It had a cheap "fixed price" menu for the courses but we quickly learned that you get what you pay for. I had pasta, which *really* needed seasoning, and a chicken breast- disappointing, to say the least. To make up for it, I suggested that we get gelato. While this place was good, it wasn't as good as the gelato from last night!

And, what's with everywhere in Rome making you pay for water? I just want a glass of tap water, not mineral water. This is nuts!

After lunch, we made our way to the Hard Rock (Justin and Jason were getting the pins for someone back home) then to a catacomb. I was so creeped out- they had an entire room of hip bones. The catacomb was made up of about 300 monks from about 200 years ago. There was a sign in the last room that read, "What you are, we once were. What we are, you will be." I was really amazed at the art work (if you can call it art...?) but thoroughly creeped out.

We then went to the National Museum, where I looked at a few busts of people and sat down on the steps-- and fell asleep. Obviously, I wasn't too thrilled by the museum.

We came back to the hotel to clean up and ask for a different place to have dinner. It was suggested that we try the Travestere area for some good, inexpensive dinner. We found a little restaurant after a crazy cab ride (Pam doesn't do well on public transportation, as we tried to take the bus, but that idea was vetoed about 4 stops in) that looked empty and smelled good. For €22 I got bread, a liter of water, homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli, and a caprecio pizza. I couldn't finish my pizza, I was so full! And it was GOOD FOOD! Finally! A Roman restaurant comes through! We, of couse, closed the evening with more gelato and headed back to the hotel via another crazy cab driver. What the hell- nobody uses their blinkers, people make their own lanes, and I swear we almost hit a bus last night! There's no way I could ever drive in Rome!

Roman holiday

It's our first day in Rome, and, after a 2 hour flight and having to get up at 4am to catch said flight, we are exhausted. After dropping off our bags at the most Americanized hotel possible (The Best Western Roma Globus- its by the university here), we went to lunch and to St. Peter's Basilica for our 2pm scavi tour.

Lunch was our first pizza in Rome. While mine was good and basic (I had just a Margharita pizza), Justin and Jason ordered pizza with sausage, mozzarella and french fries on it. Yes, french fries. It was wild. We made it to St. Peter's Basilica and while Pam was trying to figure out how we get to bag check before the tour, I just kept looking around. I was in awe- I was standing in the middle of St. Peter's Square. I was staring at the Basilica and couldn't stop gaping at the sheer size of the church. We finally got through security, checked our bags and made it to the tour on time.

The scavi tour was a tour of the Necropolis under the Basilica and to view the bones of St. Peter. It was extremely small and hot on the scavi tour, but completely awe inspiring. As we made our way around the Necropolis, you got to see the different tomb markings, the indications that Peter was buried there, and hear a bit of the story of how the Vatican came to be. Our guide, who is in his last year of seminary (who was from Atlanta GA randomly enough) was phenomenal and engaging. We finally saw the famous "Graffiti Wall" and saw where the 14 bones of St. Peter lie. After a moment of silence, we went back up through the Basilica and took it in. Again, the tour groups were getting overwhelming and tried to ruin the experience for me. Didn't happen. I even went up and "kissed" St. Peter's toe for a blessing(I kissed my fingers then touched the fingers to the toe). We decided to come back to the Vatican on Friday to check out St. Peter's again, do the dome climb, and to do the Vatican Museum (and Sistine Chapel), as it was getting ready to close.

We headed back to the hotel to settle in and nap a bit- this hotel isn't Roman AT ALL but that's fine with me! 2 full size beds in each room, air conditioning, cable with an English speaking channel, a huge bathtub- its great. We have a bidet in the bathroom too, which sparked some laughter (especialy since the hotel provides you with lube for it as well).

After the unpacking period, we went to find a place for dinner by the Trevini Fountain. We, of course, got turned around and ended up at the Spanish Steps first (amazing). After playing on the steps for a bit, we walked over to the fountain, following some French tourists that were lost too. We made it to the fountain around sunset- the fountain was crowded but lit up and just beautiful. We all threw in our two coins (right hand over left shoulder) to ensure our return to Rome and for luck in love. We then went to a little cafe for dinner and sat outside-- in an alley. Dinner wasn't what we expected. It was kind of plain tasting. We left a little disappointed, then found a gelato shop which was the best gelato on the planet. I swear, it was amazing. By far the best I've ever had. And to be eating it as we walked by the Trevini fountain at night? I was in Rome. I finally believed it.

Since we couldn't find a Metro station (we were lost again!) we cabbed it back to the hotel. It was extremely cheap- like 3€ a person kind of cheap. We went to bed around midnight and decided to sleep in until 9 the next morning before hitting some of Rome's larger sites.

Last day in Paris. C'est la vie.

And now, the grand Parisian finale. We hit all of the big sites, enjoy some crack laced hot chocolate, and even get a mugging!

Our morning started with a walk to the Paris Visitor's center on Rue de Clair while eating our morning pan du chocolate (and coke light for the other 3). Since I washed Pam's pass the evening before and it was still *kind* of readable, we thought we'd see if we could trade it out for a new pass. We get to the shop and I got distraced by Pashmina scarves. While I browsed, the other 3 headed to another visitor's center for help. I finally met up with the 3 about 5 blocks down where I am informed that, not only did the pass *not* get replaced, but Jason had his Coke Light stolen. I wasn't there, so please bear with my story telling. Apparently some large man came up to Jason and kept pointing at his Coke Light saying "check me? You have Coke Light?" The other 2 kept walking, but Jason was confused and *couldn't* move foward. Jason held his pop out and said, "Yes, Coke Light"- and the guy grabbed it and sauntered off. Granted Jason had already drank out of it... weird.

We went to the Arc de Triumph early this morning in hopes to beat the line. Paris Museum Pass- we love you. We got to jump to the front of the line with the pass and climb the steps to the top (Pam stayed at the bottom with our bags- she's not a stairs person). We got to the top, and what a gorgeous view! Its neat how there are "spokes" (roads) that come out of the Arc area and stretch across the city.

Justin, Jason and I made our way down and the four of us headed to our date with the Eiffel Tower. On the way, Pam stopped to use one of the public toilets by the tower- it's one stall, and it cleans itself after every use. Pam was in line while a guy was in the bathroom. There was a woman off to the side, looking at souvineirs. When he got out, the woman tried to cut Pam off and get in the bathroom. Pam was yelling in English, the woman in French, and the guy kept saying "she is with me! she was in line!"-- which she wasn't. The lady then went in before Pam, and we continued to wait- and learn "bad words" in French in case something like this happened again. We finally left and went to the Tower It was almost too crowded to enjoy, but we made the best of it. We started on the 2nd floor and grabbed tickets for the top floor- the sign on the ground level said that the top was closed, but that was apparently false. We got into a 2nd elevator and made it to the top- WOW. What a view! It was cold and windy (good thing I stopped for those scarves earlier!), but the view was amazing. About an hour later, we finally made it down from the tower and were bombarded by people trying to sell us Eiffel Tower keychains. Funny note- Maureen gave me one of those keychains a few years ago and I have it on my flash drive. I thought I was special, but those things were 10 for 1€! It's the thought that counts- plus she got me a shot glass and a pashmina scarf, but I digress...

The 4 of u went to lunch where I had my first Monsieur Croquet- its a ham and cheese sandwich, grilled with cheese on the top AND with a fried egg. I will be having one of these sandwiches daily now! After stuffing ourselves, we hit the Louvre. Holy. Overwheming. Again, I'm not much of an art person, but I did enjoy it, thanks to the Rick Steves tour. I saw all of the highlights- the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc- and really enjoyed it. I only made it through 1 wing(there are 3), so it looks like I will have to come back and see the other 2 soon.

After the Louvre, I stopped for a hot chocolate at Angelina's per Maureen's request. It was like the melted heaven and poured it in a cup. It was a splurge (4€ for a small cup), but it was worth it. The boys didn't care for it, and Pam thought it tasted like a melted Hershey's Dark bar, but I loved it.

By this point, we were all ready for a nap and dinner. We went to a local restaurant where I learned that "chicken" and "scallops", while completely different foods, looks alarmingly similar on a french menu. They weren't half bad- it was the first time I had scallops. As we were finishing up our meal, the bartender came up to check on us and saw Pam quietly trying to stab Justin with a fork under the table. He told her "No stabbing friends with forks!" then came back to the table with a knife for Justin. As we were leaving, he asked what time it was. I told him 10pm. He said "It's shooter time!" and invited the 4 of us to have a shot (on the house) with him. It was a great way to end the evening.

While Pam went to bed, the boys and I jumped on the Metro and quickly saw the Moulin Rouge and the Pompideau Museum (it i contructed from the inside out- the piping is on the outside). We stopped for crepes from a street vendor and - oops - I ordered a Grand Mariner (I of course pronounced it as mar-i-ner, not the correct way), so I had a crepe with sugar and alcohol. At least it knocked me out when I got back to the hotel!

Some final observations of Paris: Everyone still smokes, which baffles me (like London). Not as many people drink wine as I would have expected. And EVEERYONE carries around baguettes and pastries, just like the movies. It's now onto Rome...!

Un pan du chocolate? €1.10

I swear, I'm going to miss having one of these pastries every morning. Today, we ALL got a pastry from the pasteria by the hotel before heading out to Versailles for the morning. We also got to large baguettes- we decided to find a fromagerie (cheese shop) and a market and picnic after visiting the palace.

The palace was huge- I kept saying that Louis must have had a LOT of money because it seemed that every room was decorated in gold. It was overwhelming. I would have liked to go into the gardens, but it was extra € and we were tired- walking that palace is a big job!

Side note- I've become quickly disenchanted with tour groups. I'm all about organizaton, but there is NO WAY POSSIBLE that you can take 30 people through a small room, among *other* tourists and expect them to be orderly. The worst? Asian tour groups. I know that sounds horrible, but honestly- they take pictures everywhere (even when the sign says in 10 languages not to), bump people around everywhere, and stand in ALL of my pictures. I don't get it- maybe it's a culture thing? Either way, tour groups have now become the bane of my existence.

Our picnic lunch was great- I may have liked it more than the others though. We got cheese from the local fromagerie- Pam successfully ordered a "recommended" cheese from the shop owner and it was AWESOME. I'm never eating Kraft Singles again. We then got turkey, ham, chips, and pasteries (from the pasteria across the street from the market, of course) to top off our lunch. Nothing beats the fresh bread and cheese. Nothing.

After Versailles, we went back towards Paris and tourned the Panthenon. It wasn't as great as I had expected. We then went to the Orsay Museum. Thank goodness Rick Steves had a guide of the museum, or I would have been stuck in there, far away from the pieces I wanted to see. There were a LOT of sculputres in the Orsay, which isn't really my "artistic" cup of tea. After battling the crowds for a bit, we headed back to the hotel for "le nap" before dinner.

Another side note- what people say about smelly people in Paris isn't false. At all. Honestly, take a shower. Use some deoderant. The Metro is already small and crowded, but when you have to lift your arm up towards the bar and your pit is in my face... you hygene becomes my problem. Ugh. And, people here are kind of pushy. Not in a "I'm in a hurry" kind of way, but when it comes to the Metro, they will shove you onto the 3rd rail so they can get onto the train in time. I will be learning to shove back :)

While the other 3 relaxed, I went to the laundromat to wash my filthy pairs of jeans and a hoodie. This was the most "townie" experience I've had in Paris thus far. I sat in the laundromat, pitifully reading the French (and later realizing that the directions were in English RIGHT underneath the machines), dong a puzzle and eating a half of baguette. It was calming- though I was underdressed. Since I was washing my jeans, I had to wear sweatpants to the laundromat (I know, Maureen, I know!). People were coming in there with their clothes already wet (??) just to dry clothes, and were wearing dress pants, heels, etc. What the heck!? I just avoided eye contact and stared at my puzzle... since I was washing some of my stuff, I offered to thow in some of Pam's jeans. She forgot to clean out the pockets and realized, after I returned, that I had washed her 3 day Metro pass and her Paris Museum Pass (our pre-paid pass to get into our Paris sites). I felt really bad- I always check my pockets, but didn't even think to check hers. Oops.

Dinner was nice- we stayed local, since we were all still a little whooped from the day prior. We found a little restaurant where the staff barely spoke English and where there was a singer performing. I felt like I was in a movie-- until the cook came out and told Pam she couldn't have dessert because she didn't finish her dinner. They all got sweets (the chef relented and let Pam order her chocolate lava cake) and I got the cheese plate. There should have been a warning that the cheese plate was for multiple people- awesome cheese, fresh bread, but holy hell, too much cheese! That's a phrase I never thought I would say...!

Day 3 is the big Paris day- the Arc de Triumph, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre. Wish me luck!

Paris- Day 1

We finally made it to Paris! The ride in from the airport was a little anticlimatic, as I expected to see the Eiffel Tower or *something* Parisian while driving in. Instead, we saw crazy drivers and closed our eyes, as our cab driver was nearly hitting people, cars, and other inanimated objects.

The hotel is gorgeous- then again, anything is better than the Nayland in London! The room was a decent size and we are close to a Metro stop- big plus, seeing that we're a little outside of the city. And I am really liking having a pasteria on every corner...

We ventured to the Eiffel Tower after dropping our bags off, to see what the ticket situation was. Holy tourist hell- people were everywhere! Apparently it was a holiday in Paris and most places were closed- except for the tower, which was open. Maureen was right about the people trying to sell you stuff everywhere- we kept saying no, and they kept coming back. And back again. And again. The line was ridiculously long, so we decided to just order tickets online through the hotel and have lunch.

We ate near the Tower, which wasn't bad, but probably a little pricier than it should have been. I ordered what I *thought* was a grilled cheese sandwich with lettuce and tomato. Uh, no. It was shredded cheese in a baguette with lettuce and tomato. While I mocked it, I bit into it- and it was amazing. I am surprised how having fresh bread and cheese on a sandwich can transform even the simplest of things into a delight for the tongue.

After lunch, we took the boat tour that Maureen recommended. We probably should have done that after taking a nap- 3 out of 4 of us slept through most of it. Oops. We then went to the hotel, checked in, and took a 2 hour nap. I'm not really a napper, or at least I wasn't until this trip. But everything seems to slow down or shut down for a chunk of time, so why not nap a little?

After our nap, we went to Socer Coeur and Montmarte. What an amazing view! I was a little surprised about how there seemed to be litter everywhere (Maureen later explained that it was because it was a holiday- normally there would be people continuously cleaning up). There, in Montmarte, we found the greatest little restaurant EVER and ate like kings and queens for a meal. We shared a bottle of wine (that I picked out), I had a goat cheese tartar, followed by Indian chicken, with Creme Brulee to finish it off. The food was the best on the trip so far- and the servers were great. Tip is included in the prices for this place, but we tipped extra- the experience was *that* good.

I found a pasteria right by our hotel and stopped in- and that became my downfall. I bought 2 pan du chocolat (a croissant with chocolate in the middle) and ate both before going to bed for the night. I wanted to go back for more, but was reminded that I could have them for breakfast- freshly made- if I was patient and waited a few hours. I swear, they must think that all I do is eat...

Versailles is tomorrow- its a little outside of Paris, but it will be a great half-day trip!

Kensington on crack and other London nonsense

It's election day in London- I'm such a geek. I LOVE being in London for the elections- and I love being able to read about it and understand it!

Apparently I/we am directionally challenged, as we turned out of the Underground station the wrong way EVERY time on our last day out in London. The people here are great- I really like London. Though, I think someone should tell them that smoking is bad for them. EVERYONE smokes in London. Weird.

What. The. Hell. Kensington Palace was turned into some wonderland kid's nightmare kind of thing. We walked in there, expecting beautiful rooms and gowns, a little bit of history on the princesses who lived there.. but NO. They are undertaking some huge renovation and have decided in the interim to let some artisian group wreck the palace. It was a good thing it was free with our London pass, because it was NOT worth the 13 euro.

We did, however, have a few good things going for us in London. We went to the top of the Wellington Arch, overlooking what used to be the city center. It was pretty amazing up there. We visited the Globe reconstruction and, while a little disappointing (and our tour guide couldn't quit spitting on us!), it was worth the stop. We also visited St. Paul's Cathedral- of course, we go there so early, we didn't get to go to the top of the dome. But that's ok with us-- we climbed every other staircase in London! We had dinner at a recommended restaurant called the Punch Taver (or as we called it, the Punch-you-in-the-face Tavern)- decent food, relaxing- it was a good way to end our time in London.

I need to vent about our hotel. The Nayland looked great on the website. Even looked great when we walked up to it. But the rooms... I knew that they would be small, but it fit 2 twin beds and that was IT. Pam and I were smooshed together, and I continuously whacked my leg against the radiator while trying to open the window that was broken. We had screwy hot water, the staff was alright- but the manager was a bit of a jerk. I would find somewhere else to stay next time I go to London.

Random side note: I discovered a show on tv called "Heads or Tails"- the ENTIRE show was based on the host flipping a coin and someone calling heads or tails (clever show name) and winning or losing money. Seriously?

The British have feet of STEEL

... at least, that's all I can come up with. Between walking everywhere, up and stown steps at the Underground, and their hot-ass shoes, how can they still be standing?! My feet hurt and I was wearing good tennis shoes all day!

I had a HUGE tourist day today. We started with the London Eye, where I nearly had a panic attack. Small pods + WAY up high + no airflow = me sitting down on the bench, trying to breathe. Awesome-- at least I got some good pictures :)

We then took the City Boat Tour (free with our London pass) to the Tower of London, crossed under the London Bridge, saw the Tower Bridge (which everyone *thinks* is the London Bridge), and toured around the Tower itself. In the tower, I got to see the Crown Jewels-- I'm not a jewerly person by any means, but HOLY CRAP those things were gorgeous! Though, the "Royal Spoon" or whatever it is called for anointing the new Queen/King was a little ridiculous.

After the Tower, we had fish n' chips from a local walk-up stand. mmm hmm. It's hard to believe that Londoners stay so thin with all of that deep fried goodness-- but then you see how much they walk, and it makes sense. You burn off that haddock *quick.* We then headed to King's Cross station, on the way to Harrods. Yes, we weaved in and out of lines *during rush hour* to get our pictures taken at Platform 9 3/4 a'la Harry Potter. Good thing they set that "platform" off to the side, because the tourists- and myself - looked crazy!

Harrods-- I don't think I'll ever have enough money for that place. Holy ridiculous-- they have an entire section dedicated to pets! Not just to *buy* pets (which you can), but clothes, food, treats, toys-- it was a coture PetSmart in there. After lauging about the "Juicy" jogging suits for dogs, we left.

We had dinner with a friend of Justin's, Tonny, who moved here from the US a few years ago. AWESOME guy. He answered a lot of our silly tourist questions, showed us to a good restaurant, and took us to a great cupcake place-- INSIDE of a department store. Wild.

We then found a suitcase shop-- Pam's suitcase broke on DAY ONE of the trip. We got her a bag at "Glamour Luggage"-- at a discount, of course, and she can now wheel along with the rest of us.

Tomorrow we have WAY too much to do- we're starting at 8am at St. Paul's Cathedral. I *really* wish some of these tourist sites stayed open past 6pm...

All You Need is Love

... Sorry about the 3 posts in a row. I'm keeping my posts/ thoughts separate. More for me, less for you!

I had my day alone in London today. I am having a BLAST with Pam, Jason and Justin, but it was kind of nice to go and do things at my own speed-- which started with me sleeping in until 8am. Woke up, rolled out of bed, dragged a comb across my head...

I LOVE the Undeground. It made my day SO much easier! I hopped on and went to Westminster area to walk around-- I didn't want to *do* much, because we're hitting everything tomorrow and Thursday as a group. I walked to the London Eye, to Big Ben (heard it ring a few times, too!), around Westminster Abbey, down to #10 Downing street (which was, of course, blocked off-- and had extra security since British elections are this week) and just wandered! I LOVE IT.

I visited the *free* National Portrait Museum and National Art Gallery-- thanks to Rick Steves, I got a good taste of some British art and history. I then had my *townie* moment. Maureen suggested that I buy food for lunch from the grocery store (if I can find one) and make myself a lunch- most sell fresh bread, sandwiches, salad, etc. MUCH cheaper than a regular restaurant. So I did. I took my £3 lunch (drink, sandwich, "digestives" and apple) to Trafalgar Square in front of the museums and had lunch there. No ipod, no book, just me and my food. I watched everyone walk arond-- LOTS of French tourists, lots of Londonites-- and just enjoyed my lunch in peace.

I then side tripped to Buckingham Palace (though we'll probably be seeing this tomorrow too) and picked out my sitting room-- since I'll be sharing a bedroom with Prince William soon :)

I was then adventurous and took the Underground to St. John's Wood-- where Abbey Road was!! Again, probably doing this tomorrow too, but I know that I would have been crushed if we would have had to cut this stop out of our tour. It was SO cool-- a shame that the gate in front of Abbey Road Studios is covered in grafitti, but it was cool to walk on the crosswalk and imagine the Abbey Road cover. It was also pretty funny to watch the Asian tourists try and take the Beatles' picture- one tried to stop traffic (HA!), one had a tripod set up, and the 3rd attempted to cross without getting ran over. Then they rotated. Awesome.

TSA Rant

Side rant about TSA and how they have it out for me-- When I get to DTW, I had a problem getting my ticket. OK, that was Delta/AirFrance's fault, but go with me here. When we got on our connecting flight from Atlanta, I got pulled aside before boarding and "randomly swabbed"- they ran a piece of gauze across my fingers and analyzed it. When we *arrived* to ATL, I found that TSA in Detroit IGNORED my TSA approved luggage locked, broke into the luggage, and had a look around-- they left me a little note. How nice!

When I was leaving Dublin, I forgot to put my jar of peanut butter in my big suitcase and left it in my carryon. I got pulled aside, NOT for my CPAP machine, but for the peanut butter. Although it doesn't classify as a liquid or a gel, I still couldn't bring it in.

If Heathrow tries to take anything from me later this week, I... wel.. I guess I've got to just shut up and take it!

Hating on planes-- or rather, volcaons

So here's the rundown of what happened with the Dublin to London mess. We were originally supposed to leave Tuesday morning for London at 9am. Our flight was to leave Dublin, fly *through* Paris, have an hour layover, then fly us to Heathrow (thanks, AirFrance). Then, that stupid unpronouncable volcano started spewing ash every where and Ireland's airspace was shut down. Our flight was cancelled. After some panicked calls and emails to Maureen's mom (and Maureen-- and MY mom), we as a group decided to go to the airport right away (10pm) to see what was going on. As Maureen's mom predicted, nobody from AirFrance was there.

We came back the next morning at 9am. We left our luggage at the hotel, knowing we weren't leaving Dublin yet. AirFrance put the 4 of us on the 5:20pm flight out of Dublin, straight to London City Airport (not Heathrow, and no layover)- said we were all set. Great! We went back to Dublin proper and saw Killeman Gail, St. Patrick's, Temple Bar area, and walked a LOT around downtown. We went back to the airport *really* pressed for time, due to slow busses, and when we checked in, the original AirFrance lady didn't fully transfer us over somehow- my 9am flight was still showing up. Awesome. So the NEW AirFrance lady put the 4 of us on the 7pm flight to London City Airport. We killed 15 minutes waiting for the ticketing to happen, then got checked in and all set.

We then are told to board the plane. We had to WALK ON THE TARMAC, which I have never done. I had to take stairs RIGHT into the plane. Holy freaked out! I somehow lucked out though and got "first class" on the little flight, which meant I got to stretch my legs out.

We then arrived at the Nayland Hotel in London that night :) Holy hell, people weren't kidding about the tiny rooms in Europe-- our room with 2 beds is really 2 twin beds pushed together, NO room for luggage, barely room to shower.. it should be a fun 3 days. But since we're not going to be in the room much, I'm ok with that!

Dublin, Part 2-- maybe Day 2?

That fking volcano is *still* spewing ash, and now it's blowing over Irish/Scottish airspace. Our flight from Dublin to London has been cancelled, and of course, nobody is answering at Air France, nobody is at the airport for Air France... if you know me at all, you know I'm an anxiety ridden mess. I was prepared for pretty much anything, but didn't see this one (really) coming.

After reading my traveler's insurance, though, it looks like I'm covered for any expenses incurred due to my cancellation for more than 5 hours. Flight was cancelled an hour ago, set to take off at 9am. They are not opening Irish airspace until at LEAST 1pm. Win...?

It's almost midnight here- we're all exhausted, and I'm the only one still up-- for now. I'll hopefully fall asleep for a few minutes; they're releasing an "air quality" update at 1am.

At least the day in Dublin was fun... I'm a certified Guinness Beer Puller :) More on that after the flight "crisis"!

Dublin- part 1

We made it! It's COLD in Dublin- a little bit of sun, not much wind, but just enough to keep us chilled. We haven't had time to do a lot here, and most things close today at 5 (it's a bank holiday), so this is just a quick "I made it!" post.

I have yet to see a leprechaun, but I plan on continuing the search! I did find someone who sounds like my Papa-- ok, I found a LOT of people here who sound like him, but MAN, when he said something about chasing the rainbow, I nearly choked on my (HOLY STRONG!) coffee.

I'll try to post after the Guinness Storehouse-- !!

Hotlanta!

They're not kidding with that nickname. Betweek the 83 degree weather outside and the *cute* Army boys in fatigues everywhere, its HOT here. The airport itself is a little disappointing, despite there being a Qdoba in the food court :) To get to the *only* pharmacy in the airport, we would have to go through security again. And, our excursion to get a Nestle cookie was disappointing.

Our flight is *finally* showing up on the Arrivals board- 2 hours until takeoff. Time to get in my sweatpantsn take out the contacts, and flip off the crackberry. I'll post again sometime when I get there!!

DTW- Hiccup #1

So, Delta- our Air France connecting flight- couldn't find my seat for the first flight. I was *in* the system, but not *in* the system. Right. Either way, I finally got a boarding pass, and my traveling companions (LOVE them!) Flipped around a seat or two so I didn't have to sit alone. As of now, I'm sitting about 15 rows from the other 3 on our overnight flight. Since I plan on being passed out, its ok- but I'd like to be sitting a little closer. We'll see... See you in HotLanta!

Metro lines -- 19 hours to go...!

As of now, my flight to ATL is on time. So is the flight to Dublin. Of course, there is a lot that can go wrong in the next 19 hours. Really though, if the first flight is late-- who cares? We're in ATL for 6 HOURS. I am ok with a delay. Now, a delay to Dublin? That would blow.

We started talking today about modes of transportation to/from our various airports. Since some of our flights are *so* flipping early in the morning, the metro/bus lines won't be running. My line of thinking is that, we should take the metro when we can (usually to the hotel), and spring for a taxi when the metro isn't running (on the way back to the airport). It's starting to add up..!

My biggest worry? Getting lost in Rome. We can take the Leonardo da Vinci metro (high speed) to the main Tremini station, where we can then take a taxi to our hotel or walk the 1.5 km. 1.5 km is a piece of cake- it's like a mile. Problem is, our arrival in Rome marks our last stop on this trip, and we will all be tired and lugging around bags half of our body weight. I'm all for taking the metro + taxi in this situation.

I'm wiped out. I couldn't sleep last night due to my building excitement. Tonight isn't going to be much better, unless I can get my hands on some Tylenol PM..!

Side note: after a great lunch with Dave, I got to my sister's house to see Daisy and Griffin (sister's dog). Used my key, entered the house... BAM! Alarm starts going off. Apparently my brother in law set the alarm and forgot I was coming over-- and then didn't realize I didn't know the code. After a panicked call to my sister (who didn't answer), to my mom (who didn't answer and was *with* my sister), I tried Adam. He answered but I couldn't hear him at all. Finally, about 2-3 minutes later, I got the code from Adam and shut the alarm off. At that EXACT moment, the alarm company reached my sister and advised her that the police were on their way-- no, wait, the alarm was shut off, we'll cancel the dispatch. UGH. NOT the relaxing start to the vacation that I was hoping for..!

Little bit of panic, little bit of tears

I had my first "tear up" after saying goodbye to a friend tonight. Dammit, I'm not *moving* overseas-- I'll be back in 2 weeks! I've been saying goodbye to people all day and haven't gotten teary eyed- until about 30 minutes ago. I think it's just finally starting to hit- I leave in 36ish hours. I've gotten hugs all day from people telling me to "Be safe" and "have fun" and, my favorite, "Don't forget my Pope on a Rope!"

I had a little moment of panic today, too. This travel purse I'm borrowing from Andrea is 2 sided. I was looking for my passport and didn't realize it HAD another side- and that I had hidden my passport there. Awesome. That, and I realized I didn't have enough pairs of socks nor did I have any bubble wrap to bring home fragile items in. That involved a quick Target run before this evening's festivities.

I'm packed, I'm double checked-- and now I'm a little sad and scared. I need to knock myself out and get some sleep!