Air France is a wonderful airline. We flew a large Airbus 380, a double decker, and one of the biggest planes I've ever been in. The Flight Attendants were multi-lingual, and the food was interesting (I had the salmon shepherds pie.) Wine was served, if not encouraged, and cognac was definitely encouraged. I sat next to two men from Budapest who were designing new software for the iPhone and iPad. There was a camera on the tail of the plane so that we could see what was in front of us, and actually watch the take-off and landing. When we landed, the passengers all clapped, as if they were surprised or expecting something else.
The train trip to Paris, however, was not as comfortable. The first train was late, so that there were more people available to fit into it. We filled it to the brim, with standing room only. At the next stop, at least a dozen more people squeezed in. There was a lot of closeness going on. At the next stop, about 6 more people got on, and no one left. A smaller person's feet may not even be touching the floor, as the human wedge pressure held them up. One more stop where no one left the train, and 4 more got in. We weren't sure that the doors could close. The Iowa hula hoop of personal space had been crushed at the first stop. Now the personal space seemed to be less than the thickness of denim, and that denim was being pressed to the thickness of silk. I would have taken a picture of this, but I couldn't move. Anyway, it reminded me of the Who concert. But we all survived. After over 2 hours, and one transfer, I made it to the Bastille. My hotel was only a 15 minute walk.
No comments:
Post a Comment