As always, travel gives us a chance to try new things and see new places. As with last year’s vacation, we also learn new lessons.
- Keep the claustrophobia at bay. We were in the midst of huge crowds at every stop on the trip, not to mention long lines to catch the flight home at Charles de Gaulle Airport (see below). Much of this was a function of traveling during the holiday season. We gave up trying to see some of the light installations in Lyon because of the crowds. Our hotel rooms and rental apartment became refuges from the cacophony.
- Make use of the street markets and traiteurs for easy meals, so you don’t have to overbuy groceries.
- An occasional fish sauce or soy sauce fix is a good antidote to heavy French food. We found Asian food in every city on our trip.
- Finally, sometimes airlines will actually do right by passengers. We ran into snarls at Charles de Gaulle. The check-in line wasn’t onerous; however, the Border Control and security lines were hellacious. At the latter, Julian got pulled out for further frisking. (It’s always him, for some reason. Maybe it’s his past as a fireworks aficionado and high-energy physicist.) Luckily, Delta held the flight for us. We were the last passengers to board. And, miraculously, our luggage arrived in Seattle with us.
Recent Comments