Michael and Ruthie's adventure in Paris
The Trip
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Monday January 12th
Ok- to all of you world travelers who are ever ready with your bags half full, we fully admit our folly, we are nervous travelers. We prefer to arrive at the airport a hour earlier than the two hours requested by the airlines. Our philosophy in a nutshell we'd rather be bored at the airport than nervous at home. Like a person who can't stop smoking no matter how much evidence to the contrary - we still have images of airline disasters - and when we leave we half expect never to return.
At SFO the familiar low level of confusion and awkwardness begin to descend on us like an LA smog. Of course there's just maneuvering with all of that stuff. Like Nomadic tribesmen we carry all our belongings with us. But we are not only the the tribesmen but we are also their beast of burden, grunting and sweating as we precariously balance our goods on the moving sidewalks and escalators impeding the lighter packed traveler behind us as the bulkier travelers with their three children strollers and enormous bags impede us. And almost everyone humorlessly set forward, eyes wearily looking around in an attempt to rein in the chaos that they brought with them for their flights. With mouth drawn tight across our face we march forward with our fellow refugees. We had pared down our belongings to two small suitcases and two carry-ons each. With two extra coats in preparation for the imagined Arctic conditions that lay ahead in Paris. Me my camera, computer and my two coats - Ruth Anne her purse, backpack and three coats. Our coats stuffed with gloves and earmuffs and hats.
We dropped off our bags at the Aer Lingus (Irish airlines) counter and finally stripped off our coats and dried our sweaty brows. After passing through security stripped down to our socks, pockets empty we repacked the few bits pulled rearranged the essentials and proceeded to the gate. We were off!! Off to the waiting area for the next two and half hours. There finding ourselves suddenly famished we dug into our tasty chicken and cheddar sandwiches that I had made that morning. A gaggle of stewardesses alit on the seats behind us chirping like a flock of birds. The Irish lilt to their English words making their mundane adventures in SF sound like poetry with that wonderful Irish cadence making those dull tales of their journeys of errands before the flight seem like an Irish epic.
The flight - surprising easy after an alright dinner - then drugged with Temazepam we both slept for about 4 hours on our 10 hour flight to Dublin. Arriving the next day at 8:40 am. Our plane flies over green fields and brown trees as we taxi into the airport in Dublin.