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Getting up was kind of hard today, knowing vacation was finally over. However, we couldn't dawdle too much, as we arranged for a car to take us to the airport. I hopped in the shower and then we had a few things to pack when the phone rang. The car was here about 30 minutes early. Crap!! We hustled and got our bags re-zipped and threw away some things we wouldn't use again to make sure everything fit. We missed our great breakfast at the hotel because we left an hour before it started (6:00am). The driver met us at the door because he had to park at the end of the street since the hotel sits on such a tiny road. YAY! A Mercedes E series. We didn't pay extra for it, but because we asked for a car with a credit card reader, we got one. The driver was a very nice Asian guy who maneuvered that car like a pro. We got there much faster than getting to the hotel from the airport. Actually, about 20 euro cheaper!
Finding out where to go was a little hard as their signs were confusing. The down arrow apparently means straight ahead, not downstairs. I guess it makes sense, but since it was right above the stairs, who knew?! I exchanged my foreign currency for USD (bad thing to do at an airport, but what choice did I have), and headed toward the AirFrance line. Before we could drop off our bags, we were checked by security, which is different than at any other airport we've been at. They checked our passports and asked us some questions in English after we stared at them with blank expressions when they spoke in French. With our checked luggage out of the way, we then had to go to passport control where they make sure we are who we say we are and can go where we want to go. Then a short train ride later, we went to the REAL security where they did a lot of the same stuff PLUS lose my wallet. I'll take some of the blame for it because I forgot I had it on me and wen't through the metal detector with it. The guy was very nice about it and sent it back through separately. I got patted down and that was that. I went to get my stuff from the x-ray machine and no wallet. I figured it was coming through in a second because it was put through so much later, but nothing. A young woman came and asked what I was waiting for then walked away. I figured she was going to look for my wallet but she just left. Uh...ok. Then a manager-looking guy asked the same thing. He seemed concerned about it until a more manager-looking guy told him to do something and he left. So who the heck is going to find my wallet?! Finally, the guy came back and opened another x-ray line. He just started shoving bins through it and I could see on the screen that my wallet was in the third stack. The poor guy had to take the bins apart, one by one until he found the right one. Phew. I was starting to get a little nervous about having to cancel my cards. Luckily, Kristi had everything written down separately, just in case this exact thing happened. Well not exact thing, I was thinking I would get pick pocketed, not security losing my wallet, but I digress.
We finally head toward the gate and pop out into a huge mall. It's all duty-free stuff like jewelry, alcohol, clothing, etc. We've seen things like this in other foreign airports, but this was crazy. There were brands here that I've never even seen in person. Not to mention the whole place smelled like expensive perfume and nearly gave us headaches. I was drawn to the watches, naturally, and some brands that I haven't seen in person. I found a $40,000 IWC watch that was pretty amazing. Can you even call that a watch? I bet there's some fine print that you may only refer to it as a timepiece, or something. I didn't think the Omega seemed all that expensive at only $1,800, but Kristi still said no. Since we didn't eat at the hotel, we grabbed some breakfast pastries at Starbucks and went for a walk. We actually got through everything pretty quickly so we ended up having extra time...even losing my wallet. They have so many cool chairs, water features, and the like, we just wandered around for a bit. We bought some French snacks for the flight, too.
Finally getting to the gate, nobody was around still. One thing that I've never seen before is that you can charge your phones for free at these little kiosks around the airport. You open a little PO box-looking door and select a charging wire. Plug your phone in, shut the door, and take the locker key with you. This is a pretty clever idea, but thanks to my moonstone, I didn't bother using it. Finally, people started showing up and, of course, had to go right to the line. This annoys me to no end. They didn't call you. They didn't call me. Why are you there?! When they wind up calling business and first class, those people have to fight through the crowd that can't listen to directions. It took forever for them to start calling because the flight crew was late and then there was a problem with the computers at the desk. Finally, the first group was called. We are in the second grouping due to our Delta American Express and its priority boarding feature. Obviously, we had to push through all of those other nimrods to get through but finally managed. Again, they checked our passports. I can't believe how thorough they are here. I don't mean it in a negative way, either. I'm all for security so check away, ladies.
We got the economy comfort seats again, but this time we were in the middle section of the plane, behind business and first class. Someday, I'd like to have a bed for a flight, but I don't think it'll be anytime soon. It wasn't long before we took off and I was able to turn a movie on. I watched The Monuments Men while eating my very bleu cheesy chicken salad. Once that was over, I watched Lone Survivor with Mark Wahlberg. I think I dozed off for a little while before finishing Argo from our first flight over the ocean. I started Rise of the Guardians, but it wasn't really my thing. I resorted to some blogging and playing games until we landed in Detroit.
The second flight wasn't nearly as comfy, but it was a bit shorter. It was weird getting back to Elmira, as we had been in such huge airports for our trip. Thankfully, Terry was there to greet us and welcome us home. Even though we love to travel, it's still great to get home to see our family (both the furry kind and the human ones).
This trip was so awesome. I don't really know how else to put it. Kristi did an incredible job of planning it and keeping me going when I thought my feet might fall off. Hopefully, this will be just one of many more trips to Europe, and even beyond.
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