Upon arrival

Yes, our plane did make it to O’Hare, and we found ourselves with time on our hands.  As planned we paid for a one-day pass to the Admiral’s Club and settled in.  Mostly we watched DVDs on our computer, and the time passed pretty quickly.

The flight to France usually takes about 7 hours, which is plenty long, especially in economy.  To my dismay, this plane did not have the seats we had booked that offer more leg room, and I didn’t get the sleep that I had hoped for.  

When the French flight attendant asked one of the passengers whether she preferred the chicken or the pasta for dinner, the passenger asked how the chicken was prepared.  The attendant replied, “Honey, it’s airplane food.”  Another flight attendant described the plane as a “bag of bolts,” but added that it’s still flying fine.  Time for a small prayer.

We traveled during the night and watched the sunrise welcome us to Europe.  We landed during what I call the early morning, 7:00-8:00 a.m. French time.  Blessedly, our luggage arrived with us.  Bob called the Paris Shuttle, for which we had reservations, and we waited in the lovely weather outside.

Four American couples were pretty much stuffed into the van and were quiet and sleepy, except for one southern woman who commented on everything she saw.  When we came to the Arc de Triomphe, she said, “What a cluster#$%*!”  H-m-m-m, never thought of it that way.

Our hotel, the Radisson Blu Hotel Champs Elysees was only a block away on Avenue Marceau, one of the 12 great boulevards that emanate from the Arc, so we were spared any more of the lady’s descriptions.  Being the former Louis Vuitton headquarters, this boutique hotel turned out to be charming.  Our room had hardwood floors, a large tub, free wi-fi, good reading lights, and a French balcony with windows we could open to enjoy people-watching below.  We were ready for a long nap.

Bob awakened and wanted to explore, but my head still felt like it was traveling at mach speed.  Just a block away, he found my new favorite place, Publicis drugstore.  It offers a pharmacy, restaurant, gifts, fancy Paris chocolates, macarons (Paris’ cookies, they can’t be described), books, a grocery, and food to go (including delicious pastries and breads).  Bob brought us back a dinner of baguette and cheese.  Ah, Paris. 

Now some more sleep.