Travel in the Time of Covid

 Bon jour, mes amis!

Je suis ici--Paris!  I hope this is coherent.  I am jet lagged out of my mind, but I had a fairly smooth trip,  I'm having apero and listening to the end of a bike race.  I am blogging because of very kind and encouraging popular demand, but I cannot promise an exciting trip.  I want to avoid the metro as much as possible, and I am unlikely to take day trips.  I'll report what I find and do and will try to make it interesting, so you can share the journey with me.

The truth is I was Very Anxious about this trip.  France is riddled with Covid, and apart from that I had spent months during the Pandemic only venturing out once a week to get groceries.  The fact that one of my neighbors turned out to be a semi stalkery creep didn't help with the fact that each time I left home I had to work through the anxiety.  Going back to sub at school helped as I got used to going out and being around people.  But a Big International Trip?  Yes.  I felt very uneasy.

See I used to have a system, and could prepare quickly and efficiently for travel.  Now--that's all gone, and my trip prep was a mess.  For example, I forgot about my camera until the last minute but was able to charge it.  It didn't help that my cable and internet went out yesterday morning.  Fortunately I'd reserved my ride and stopped mail delivery the day before.

My ride came right on time and it was a quick trip to LAX,  I checked in quickly and hiked to the gate.  Usually when boarding one has to show one's boarding pass and passport five or six times.  Air France just took my picture, and I was good to go.  Also Air France cares nothing for what any federal judge in Florida has to say.  Masks were required on board.  The flight was fine.  We had a tail wind so it was fast.  I warned my pleasant seat mate that I'm a temperature sneezer. It's just a reflex to increased body temp--after a meal for example--and I sneeze. 

And these days I travel Premium Economy.  I am the size of a twelve year old, and I'm still cramped in economy seats.  Air France Premium Economy has comfortable seats and room--for me at least--and a nice pillow and blanket.  I received an amenity kit.  The food was just ok.

Charles de Gaulle is a real experience.  It's huge.  I had to take the monorail to get my luggage and then wait in line FOREVER to get my ticket into central Paris.  I'm staying in the First Arondissement and it was a straight shot on the RER to Chatelet Les Halles, which is a huge transportation hub cum Gigantic Shopping Mall.  The train was packed.  Most people wore masks.  They are required on public transportation. Les Halles has had a make over since I was last here, and it's a much nicer place, but very bewildering to a jet lagged foreigner.

The staff here was lovely and welcoming.  Because I am staying a long time they left a bunch of snacks in my room.   I also went to the grocery store, but since I am jet lagged I got lost going and coming, and I had to bother the store staff to help me use the automatic check out.  I am in a charming area and can walk to a lot of things, so that's good and worth the buckola I'm splashing around.

Now I need to settle in.  I sure could use a shower!

A demain