I type this post while sitting at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at the end of a 10 day trip that has taken me cross-country (twice), Trans-Atlantic (twice), under the English Channel, to 3 countries, 2 continents, and ridden on 3 planes, 1 ship, 2 taxis, 1 bus, 1 train, a crazy van, a river barge, and countless subway trains… It’s been one heck of a trip! Some what follows is my usual rambling notes from the experience-

  • So I decide to try out an “off-airport” parking lot this trip. Their normal rates are actually more expensive than the airport lots, however this place bombards us with coupons which make them very reasonable so I decide to try them out. I then spend a half hour circling their garage trying to find a spot and end up giving up in frustration. I stop at the exit to ask if there are any spaces – Nope, but they would be happy to valet my car AND NOT offer me a discount! Amazingly enough, I didn’t have a problem getting a spot at the airport’s garage….
  • Ever heard of Song? It was Delta’s attempt to compete with JetBlue, it didn’t do so well and as a result the planes that used to fly for Song are now back in service with Delta, however many of them still have the Song markings on the outside. The plane I flew from San Francisco to New York was just one of those planes… As we taxied around JFK after landing we passed a parked jet with Song markings. Heard from the seat behind me “Ooooh Song, I’ve never seen them before and wonder who flies them?”
  • Speaking of JFK, my flight landed 15 minutes early, but we got to the gate right on time – why? Because we missed our turn to the terminal. Yes, we had to circle around because we couldn’t take the turn we needed – there was a plane in the alleyway we were supposed to go down.
  • Also speaking of JFK, as cramped and difficult that airport can be, I really like it. I’ve always found the old TWA terminal (soon to be part of the JetBlue Terminal) and the old PanAm (now Delta) terminal to be really cool looking. Plus lots of airlines go there and I like looking at the unique paint schemes… Aeroflot’s silver scheme with the Russian flag draped on the tail is quite cool…
  • So if you have a balance problem or a hip problem and as a result need a cane to help you when you walk…. is it really a good idea for you to be wearing heels… on a ship!!!!
  • Yo!Sushi= Too cool for words. The website doesn’t give you a real idea of this place. But in a nutshell you sit at a “bar” which has a conveyer belt imbedded in it. Various sushi rolls, tempura, rice, salad, and soups make their way around the belt. See something you like – just pluck it off the belt. The color of the plate determines the price of the item. Everything is made fresh right in front of you and nothing is on the belt for more than two hours. Plus you can order hot foods and items that aren’t on the belt. These are cooked fresh right in front of you too.
  • Eurostar = freakin’ awesome! What a ride- 200+ MPH and very smooth. Traveling the train in the US can be very jarring, the rails just aren’t very smooth so there’s lots of bouncing and rocking. Not on Eurostar. Your ears may pop in some of the tunnels though. Plus in the US it’s pretty common for trains to be late – very late, like 4 to 6 hours late. We were 10 minutes late, and the staff was extremely apologetic about the delay. In addition, the service was just outstanding.
  • Given the reputation that the French have of being “cheese loving surrender monkeys” (according to Jeremy Clarkson) just whose military victories does the Arc de Triumph celebrate?
  • Possible failed French defensive strategy- Putting circular staircases in lots of buildings and the deep Metro stations. The thought being that if the climb itself didn’t kill off a few people, the circular staircase might make them get dizzy lose their balance and fall down the steps and break their neck…The Arc de Triumph is 264 circular steps up – with a matching set for the trip down.

This is the way DOWN the Arc de Triumph. There's a matching set UP!

  • Speaking of steps, we’ve decided that Montmartre is a French synonym for “up stairs”

  • As we wondered through Montmartre there were parts of it that felt like they could have come right from the France area at EPCOT in Orlando. Quickly followed by the realization that there were really parts of the France area at EPCOT that could have come right from Montmartre (just without the steps!).
  • Paris is a truly unique city – it’s the only place I’ve been where there was a designeresque shoe store IN a subway station!
  • Paris was hosting the Rugby World Cup while we were there has setup huge video screens by the Eiffel Tower where visitors could watch the games, and lots of people gathered there. So there were porta-potties in place to accommodate the visitors… Part of those accommodations were open air urinals… No screens, nothin’ guys could walk up and relive themselves right out in the open.
  • For a town that is so style conscious (and that stereotype of Parisians is definitely true) Parisians seem to be attracted to some seriously butt ugly cars.

What is up with the rear end on this Renault?

  • I’ve always heard that Parisian’s are crazy drivers – and from watching them zip around I can definitely see where they have gotten that reputation. But here’s the thing – very few cars had any kind of damage on them. With darting and weaving that was going on, you would expect that quite a few cars would be sporting some battle damage. The majority of cars however were just dirty…
  • I had always heard that Parisians tended to be pretty rude and surly, and as a result we were bracing ourselves for the worst. What we experienced however was the opposite. While I would hardly call them “friendly,” never once were we made to feel unwelcome. As we wandered about looking for a store (that we found out had moved) a French woman actually stopped (without being asked) and pointed us in the right direction. Granted it didn’t stop us from circling the same massive church three times – but still… Plus, while we never did or wore anything that screamed out that we were Americans (although it was probably obvious we were tourists) most places we went to folks would either start speaking to us in English or switch to English without being asked. Even when we tried to speak with our crummy French folks didn’t seem to be upset with conversing with us in English.
  • In France it is apparently acceptable (or at least not unusual) to hold up a line because you are sending a text message on your mobile phone.
  • It’s also apparently acceptable to have a conversation on your mobile phone while riding on a Metro train or dining at a café. This might be because unlike in the US, the French don’t appear to have the same tendency to yell into their phones.