MY EXTENDED TRAVEL DAY
Sunday and Monday seemed like one very long, long extended day to me since I got almost no sleep while flying. The day started with breakfast with Tom and Susie at the Cornerstone in Asheville and ended up eons later walking around Montmartre in the evening. I had waits in the Asheville airport with no delay over my slightly over size personal bag and then another long wait in Liberty Airport in Newark and a very uncomfortable night with no meals or looking at movies while trying to sleep with arthritis pain my real problem. And then I was in Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris, super modern and super clean. I was in no hurry so let everyone else off the plane before taking down my bag and trundling slowly out. When I got to the passport control hall there were at least 500 people ahead of me in a maze of long lines that filled the hall. As I was trying to find the end of the line I was guided by a young man on a straight shot pass all 500 to passport control where the flight crew and then I were guided through. A young smiling woman at a travel desk told me exactly how to buy an April Paris transportation ticket and a daily ticket which was cheaper because pollution was high and the metro ticket cheaper because it was an antipollution day ticket. At the ticket office a photo was necessary for the month long ticket. Everyone else had to go to a booth outside to get a photo made, but for me he xeroxed my passport photo and pasted it in. And then in the subway a little girl gave me her seat. All of this consideration was because of my white beard and exhausted appearance. Everyone spoke English. It was as easy and friendly as entrance to a new country could be.
While waiting for my room at the Hotel Tim in Montmartre to be cleaned I walked around an ate at an outdoor cafe. After being told how I would enjoy French food my Plat du Jour at an outdoor cafe was the toughest piece of gristle in a tasty gravy that I have ever tried to chew. My coffee was a thimble full. I was too tired to care. I was in Paris after all on a sunny afternoon in 70 degree weather. The photographs are of this first extended day.
A travel guide said April in Paris was the time to visit, before the tourists arrive. But, like me, they are already here, everywhere.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 