Travel day travel night

 OK   -- so that seemed to work. Now why doesn't it like pictures?

So I got my Uber to the airport and all was well, except the driver seemed to take the long way. Thankfully they get paid by the ride, not the time. And thank goodness for NEXUS. I arrived at the airport and saw the massive line for the international flights and then the short line for trusted travelers. Thankfully I'm a trusted traveler. 

But the lines were a disaster and they had us going all over the airport. Not to worry - I didn't have to wait one I got to the security. I swear I travel light, but this time I'm freaing myself out beccause I only have my backpack and I keep thinking I'm missing something. 

And I had forgotten how far it was to the international flight area. You have to walk forever. 

For whatever reason they had two large flights loading at gates side by side, so that waiting area was a bit of a mess. And after a one hour flight delay, we were ready to board. but not before I realized I was in the line to New Delhi. DH asked if I couldn' t tell I was in the wrong line by looking at who else was in the line. OK - so he was right!!!

But it's no wonder people get frustrated. NO ONE seems to have the right information. We loadd by ZONES people and five does not get loaded first. I wondere where people's heads are. They used to load by the sections in the plane, but now it seems to be by how much money you pay for your ticket and your status. People who had Zone 5 were going -- don't we get to load first? Sigh.......

It was worth it to fly in Premier Economy and now have the extra expense of Business. And of all the times, I finally get an interesting travel companion. She was wearing a pair of Tilley hiking pants. She was on her way for a solo trip around wine country for a ouple of weeks and will later meet a friend. How cool is that? 

We chatted for a bit and then reconnected on the train from the airport to Paris. 

After arriving, I bought a SIM card and managed to get my phone somewhat connected. It was a struggle yesterday for some things but let's see how it goes today. I can't seem to post new content on Facebook and no pictures in the blog. Sigh.......

I'm working with the support team to see how to fix that. 

I got off the train at Denfert Richereau and walked to the Montpernasse area where the train station is to catch my next ride. I ran my phone battery dead just as I was 250 meters from the place I was going, so I had to find another hotel. Lots of them along the street. And I also bought a block for recharging all my devices. 

Once I dumped my backpack, had a nap and reharged my phone, I spend the afternoon geocaching. I went on two small walking tours as part of that and it was loads of fun. I visited the Montparnesse Cemetary which is OLD and HUGE. But so many big crypts. I also felt like I was back in New Orleans. 

The last one was a bit tricky as it was completely in French and I had walked a couple of KM to get to the location and I was NOT leaving until I figured it out, which I did. Then it was 45 minute walk to the hotel. 

Let's just say that it's a tad HOT here. And I wore my long pants which I'm OK with. I was testing the waters so to speak, but I did NOT have the bakpack on. Only my small fanny back which is perfect for travelling. 

Let's say that the beer at dinner was well appreciated. 

But not before the train ticket issue. I swear I had purhased a train ticket for today, but it did not appear that I had actually made that happen. I had not received a confirmation which should have been my first clue and no charge on th VISA. So I went to the train station to buy a ticket. I could only get one for 4 PM and I wanted to get out of here at 10. NO!!!!  I bought one for 4 PM. Then I went for dinner. 

As I sat there, I checked tickets online and found one for 10 AM. Same darn train. So remember what I said the other day - if you have a problem, just throw money at it. But don't tell DH I said that! So I bought a ticket for the 10 AM train. Then I went back to the train station after dinner and got a refund for the 4 PM train. I wasn' t sure that would happen. Let's hope I get a seat on the train this morning. 

Ok -- almost time to get moving. This is such a crazy city. There are tons of e-scooters around and I swear if any of them crashes, they will be toast. Bikes everywhere, regular scooters, SMALL delivery trucks, small cars -- eerything on the streets is small. I LOVE it. And the city is pretty clean. 

I loe the city -- I have been here before so no need to see Eiffle Tower and all that. This was just a stop. 

On that note, I"m out of here. Hopefully today works out. 

Have a great day!! and I hope I didn't make too many mistakes

Ciao!!!