Airport Adventures

Air travel. Worse than WalMart on Black Friday, and barely better than a ten minute radio commercial.


First off, there was the stress of knowing my bags were overweight, but hoping desperately that the baggage checkers would overlook it. Then came the last minute reorganizing, stuffing bags of Reces Pieces into my coat pockets in an attempt to reduce weight without departing with too many gifts. Once my bags were on their way I had to say goodbye to my dad at security, while trying desperately not to cry. (For me, there are very few things in this life as unbearable as crying in public.) Afterwards came the security safari. Then the careful walk to D6. I was two hours early. So, naturally, the plane was two hours late. There was a Utah blizzard, so planes were having trouble landing. When they couldn't land on time, they couldn't be cleaned on time, they couldn't board on time, et cetera. The domino effect meant that I read most of Speak, the novel my sister bought me for Christmas, before even stepping on the plane.

Salt Lake City Airport 12/29/10

Once on the plane, I had to find a place for my overstuffed carry-on: hence Black Friday. By the time I squeezed squished my way to my seat -- 36A -- all the overhead spaces were taken. Luckily, I found an empty bin at the very back of the plane, with a "CREW" written on a scotch-tape label. I claimed the bin first, then double checked with the crew.

De-icing the plane was our next winter travel adventure. After a fifteen minute wait for the machines to be available, there was another fifteen minute wait while they de-iced us, and then another fifteen minutes after that we'd finally inched our way to the take-off ramp. Despite all the trouble getting there, I was still as excited as a five year old. Nothing compares to the exhilaration of take-off. The moment the wheels free themselves from the pavement marks the beginning of something incredible. Whether it is adventure, romance, or discovery, you don't know; but you do know it will be grand. You can tell from gravity's tug, the catch in your breath, and the not-quite painful race of your heart.

Delta flight 170

As you can see, we didn't have individual television screens for the ten hour flight to Paris, and my seat didn't have that great of a view of the sparse ceiling screens, so I attempted to sleep after our dinner of chicken, stuffing, carrots, and spinach (plus a cafeteria brownie for dessert). Sleeping didn't work out as well as I'd hoped. The passenger in front of me, being blessed with an increased sense of airplane savoir-faire, figured out how to recline his seat in record time and had it leaning back to its max. I struggled with the many lit up buttons on my arm-rest, but the mystery evaded me. So, I was stuck with a painfully erect seat and no leg room whatsoever. I drifted somewhere in-between sleep  and reality while listening to my decently large iPod selection.

This Delta flight went directly from Salt Lake City to Paris. Talk about convenient! I kept track of our plane's progress between films and was surprised to find that we traveled as far north as Greenland. I wonder if that route is faster because of the Earth's curvature, or because of air currents? While passing over Greenland I saw a colorless aurora borealis. Though not quite as brilliant as its neon counterparts, it was still eerily elegant.

Try to sleep....... not happening.....

Nelly, no, The Police....

Sleep?

...

Guess not.

GaGa, ooh LaLaLa.

Oh, great, breakfast time.

Banana.

And an egg sandwich that makes 

McDonald's glow in comparison.

Are we there yet?

Nope.

England. So close...

Ah. Finally.

We were finally flying over France! I was hoping to capture some neat photos of the French countryside as we descended, but Paris was covered in a thick blanket of clouds. So instead, I got a picture of our plane's shadow. Not a horrible trade-off, but hopefully there will be clear skies on March 29th!

Then Customs: short line. Baggage claims: long wait. At least all my bags made it. (Unlike my previous trip to France, five years ago, when I had to survive suitcase-less for two weeks. My advice since said experience? Make sure to pack your essentials in your carry-on.)

Sylvain, a friend of the family, was waiting for me after the baggage claims. Unfortunately, he didn't find out that our plane had been delayed two hours until after he arrived at the airport. But, all went well in the end, we got my bags packed in his minuscule European vehicle, and I got my first taste of Paris traffic and French driving! (Trust me -- it's an experience you'll never forget... once you've lived through it.)