Paris Started Off With This. Will I Move Past This Travesty?
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So, we have made it to Paris. And I’m attempting to blog about the trip in real time as I did on our first travel blog. Doing it this way helps me to include all the details that I would otherwise forget.
However, I will still be going back and blogging all the rest of the days of our Italy trip. So don’t worry!
Compared to our experience with Air France when we went to Italy, this time was a dream. There was no one hiccup! I should probably knock on wood somewhere so that I didn’t just jinx myself for the way back, but I feel that it needs to be said. We had no issues with check-in, no delays, no meal problems.
However, there was a slight issue with our Paris travel that quite literally kept me up during the flight. It’s hard enough to sleep on planes as it is, but this added a whole new level of difficulty.
To Begin, Who Has Seen Flight Plan?
This movie, which was released in 2005, has gripped my brain ever since it came out. For those who aren’t familiar, Flight Plan is a gripping tale of a single mother who travels with her young daughter. During the flight, they see that there are empty rows of seats towards the back, and they decide to move over there to stretch out and sleep.
When the mom wakes up, she discovers her daughter is missing from her row of seats. Chaos ensues, it’s intense, and the whole plot creates a mental gymnastics routine in your brain.
Because of that movie, I can’t travel by air with my children and allow them to be exposed to the aisle. Since having children, I have to have a barrier between them and the rest of the plane population. Being that there are typically four of us traveling, we most often split up, and we each take a kid. Therefore, each kid is at a window, and we are on the other side of them.
This flight was no exception. Except that the seating assignment had me with both kids and the husband across the aisle. Kid One was at the window, Kid Two was in the center, and I was in the aisle.
Now that you understand the seating layout, I can continue telling you what happened to make the flight here so undesirable.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
As I said, I am typically just with one child. Therefore, I am not sitting in the aisle. I am in the center, with a stranger to my side. Therefore, when I drift off, I only have to concern myself with not drooling, not snoring too loud, and not using the stranger’s shoulder as a pillow (I have done this once, and it was equally uncomfortable for us both).
What I didn’t realize was how intrusive the flight would be with me in the aisle. Not only did I get my fair share of butts rubbing up against my shoulder as people made their way to the bathrooms, but I also had a guy plant his hand down on the top of my seat and pull my hair.
But that’s not even the worst of it.
You truly do not realize how commonplace walking farts are until you are in this precarious position.
Seriously, it’s like everyone bottled them up until they were walking past 21C while en route to Paris CDG.
Several times I was about to fall into a slumber, only to be rudely interrupted by a horrendous stench. And there wasn’t even any warning! These silent intruders would seep into my nasal cavity without hesitation, jolting me from my half-unconscious state.
And honestly, at the time, I was a bit upset. Where are the manners? Can’t people just hold it in place until they get to their seat or to an area of no people?
But I have to be reasonable. We’ve all been there. Some of us more than others. And we know that those suckers just sneak up on you. Especially when you’ve been sheltered in place for an extended period. Any movement of the body is going to shake something loose.
So I’m not mad at the walking fart receptacle. I’m just mourning the extra 32 minutes I could have probably had in sleep if not for the constant wake-ups due to flatulence.
With That Being Said
Thus far, the Paris trip is going great! We did have to adjust our first day. If I have learned anything about traveling, it is to be flexible. And the fart parades were a key contributor to my lack of sleep, but the rest of the family didn’t do so well either.
Thankfully, we were able to check into our hotel something like five hours early and get a nap in. We told ourselves we were only going to sleep for a few hours. It ended up being five. Then we got pizza (Kid One practiced her French and asked for plates for us! So proud of her!) and picked up some snacks for the room.
Does anyone else have an obsession with foreign grocery stores? It’s the first thing on my list with every new land we go to. I love seeing all the different things they offer and what the packaging of familiar items looks like outside of the USA.
We left the local FranPrix in Rueil Malmaison, Paris with:
- Nutella Biscuits (not unique, but the boy child couldn’t resist)
- Bonne Maman marbled bread (so good and soft!)
- Kinder Cards (kids seem to like them, girl kid chose them)
- St. Michel Doonuts
- Chocolate coated waffles
- Chocolate Brioche
- Bananas
- Grapes – seeded grapes. I didn’t realize they were seeded, as I didn’t know that was a thing. I have never had seeds appear in my grapes or seen them offered at the store. And I don’t find the experience enjoyable, if you wondered.
You may be thinking – Kristyn, that is a lot of chocolate. And I would agree with you. However, it seemed that all the snacks had chocolate incorporated in some fashion. And ultimately, I am fine with that.
We got a full night’s sleep after our extended nap and decided that we would wake up early to get exploring before the heat set in. Spoiler alert – that didn’t happen. I’ll tell you more about that later!
Comments
I look forward to your future articles.