Saturday, May 31, 2008

The day has finally arrived


The Journey

After a long week at work and last minute packing we finally began our journey. Here we are ready to begin our journey. Tom, Keith and Carol (what a motley crew).

We started in Halfmoon, NY and drove to Newark to catch the airplane. Boy that was fun. We had a heck of a time finding the parking lot where I had made reservations. E-Z Parking ain’t so E-Z to find. After a lot of wrong turns, and no yelling I might add, we made it.

So the flight was on Air India. We were fearful, after hearing stories about overrunning toilets, but all was fine. Unless you are flying first class you feel like a bunch of cattle anyways (oh they are sacred in India - well maybe chickens). After a short wait on the tarmat (1 hour is now defined as a short wait for a takeoff), we had an uneventful flight. Most of the other passengers were continuing on to Bombay (Mumbai).


Last Leg (it sure felt like we were on our's)

Once arriving in Paris, we took the train into the city. It was really easy, once we figured out how to get through the turn style with luggage. It only took three of us to figure out there was another shoot to send your luggage through. Carol and I both got caught mid- Turn Style (sounds like a song title). I’m sure it was funny to some of the natives. Good thing we don’t mind making fools of ourselves. It’s gonna be a fun trip, I can tell already.












Voilá

So, on the first day you are absolutely freaking tired. We couldn’t find the apartment (addresses are not always sequential here). With a call to Florence we finally found the place, and quickly got orientated. Then we set off to find Carols studio. She is staying in the same place as last year, so she knew exactly how to get there. After we both settled in it was out for dinner. The picture is Carol looking out her window, as we returned to her place. We split a litre of wine (I think I had most of it) and then went shopping in the Marche. I saw so many new interesting things to try. That is what I love most about traveling – Le difference- seeing new places, trying new food and learning new ways to look at the world. We picked up a lot of things and went home for a nap.

More adventure demain (tomorrow)!!!