San Diego To Paris!

Our apartment building on Rue Remy Dumoncel in the 14th Arrondisement

We made it! San Diego – Washington D.C. – Paris on United. The first leg was the flight from hell but the frustration started before takeoff thanks to the good ol’TSA! First the usual screening with full-body scan – and everything out of pockets including paper – they mean EVERYTHING! Belts off! I haven’t flown in 6 months so maybe this is new – or I just look suspicious.

We arrived at the gate in time to see a gaggle of TSA officers arrive. They set up a table beside the gate – oh no – say it isn’t so! It looked like the time I flew 5 days after 9/11. Of course, I won the TSA lottery and was one of those pulled aside for more screening. Everything out of pockets again, belt, shoes, etc. This time it was full-body groping including running a gloved hand around the waistband of my underwear – (thanks to the underwear bomber!). Then everything I had taken off was tested for bomb making residue. With belt draped around my neck, I finally got to my seat!

I am now probably on the do-not-fly list after my comment to the TSA agent. He told me these were extra precautions to keep everyone safe – my response – “This makes me feel less safe since you apparently have no confidence in the full-body scanning and groping at the first security check.”

Is the extra screening at the gate for SHOW – a way to give us a sense (false?) of security? Why not do this extra screening along with the first security check – how could anyone become less safe between the first check and the gate? I just read that the TSA has not yet implemented 100% screening of cargo on passenger planes. It is supposed to be in effect by the end of the year BUT only for cargo loaded in the U.S. But – not to worry - the world is safe from my underwear. Glad I followed mom’s advice – yes it was clean!

Now for the bad part – the flight to Dulles was the flight from hell. Kids to the right of us – kids to the left of us – kids behind us. The four year old behind me was practicing for soccer – he didn’t need to practice – he kicks fine! The other kids were up and down constantly – never happy – “I’m bored!” “I don’t like this food!” Yelling, complaining, disrupting – and the parents you ask? Oblivious and enabling.

The flight attendant made several attempts to quiet them but to no avail. We never said anything - just put up with it since the flight attendant was already trying. At the end of the flight, a woman sitting behind the kids complimented the parents on their well-behaved kids. I looked at her and said, “You wouldn’t have said that if you had been sitting in my seat!” Maybe she was on another flight. What was very nice and unexpected was that the flight attendant handed each of us a card with an apology from United - and a website to fill out a form and receive a gift! Interesting. We both ended up selecting 3,000 miles to our United Mileage Plus account.

I know – Doug the Curmudgeon! I should break into a verse of “What’s the Matter with Kids Today?” Dating myself again – (for the young set – it’s from Bye Bye Birdie. But maybe you know the Simpsons’ parody of the song?) Please don’t say “What’s Bye Bye Birdie!” Philip flew to Europe for the first time at age 3 months – and many times after that! He never would have acted this way! The first time we flew with him to San Francisco when he was about 5 we got on the plane and he asked what the movie would be? No movie? What’s for dinner? No dinner? What kind of flight IS this? Any flight under 12 hours is nothing.

Washington Dulles to Paris was a dream. On time – quiet – 777 – watched Midnight in Paris again. Food was inedible but airline food is an oxymoron. We splurged for Economy Plus – those extra inches of legroom make the difference. Arrived Paris early and made it to the apartment by 8:45am. The “gardien” of the building (who had the key) thought we were coming at 10am so we had an hour to wait on the steps.

The apartment is in the 14th arrondisement near the metro stop Alesia. The apartment is great – not large but it has everything we need - kitchen is tiny but has a four burner ceramic top stove – full-sized oven, microwave, clothes washer, toaster, coffee maker, frig, etc. One cook at a time, please! Bedroom is large – comfy chair in a reading corner by the window – computer and phone with free calls to France and the U.S. Living/dining room is a good size – with an HD TV that is better than the one we have at home – cable with everything. Many channels (100+) from local French TV to BBC World, CNN, Bloomberg, CNBC (so we can watch our stocks tumble), Aljazeera in English and France 24 in French, English, and Arabic!

The best part, however, is the neighborhood. We have everything close by – our French bank has a branch downstairs in our building with an ATM. There are all kinds of stores nearby – great bus and metro connections within a block. The “shopping street” rue Daguerre is 5 minutes. This is a pedestrian zone street with every kind of specialty shop – butchers (horse and regular); cheese; vegetables and fruit,; fresh pasta store; fish shop; Greek and Italian ready to heat, olives and olive oil store; wine, etc. You name it – they have it. Paris is still Paris and we love it! More later….

Cheese anyone? Dessert? Fruit? Fresh Pasta?