The journey over the pond

Hartford to DC
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 4:30 or so.  This means that we have to be at the airport at2:30 or so.  Lots of time to sleep in and what not.  Well Marlo got a call to work at 10:30 for a bit and we both thought that was fine, but we did have to get up at 8;30…  not terrible.  I actually woke up at 8:00 thinking of last minute things that I wanted to do.  Print out the boarding passes, grab my trimmer, and charge the mp3 player.  I was working on printing the boarding passes and there was some options for our seating.  Such things as this are far more important to Marlo then they are to me so I let her select the seats.  I had to help her with the site a bit first though…  and I ended up finishing up and printing them.  I got my trimmer, and the mp3 player.  I took a moment to look into ground transportation for when we get t oParis, but it was complicated.  Plus the hotel people told me that Air Paris has shuttles that run every hour and they stop right across from our hotel.  This will be our first adventure after we land.
We drop the car at RonCarre because they forgot to take care of Marlo’s car properly last time, so we brought it back.  We were riding with a family that apparently was going skiing.  Well the mother was completely neurotic!  She had to keep track of every bag at all times.  She had to keep track of every person, and every scrap of paper.  We talked to the boy later and expected that this was their first trip.  It turn out they they travel quite a bit…  hello, she needs to take a pill.  Both kids realized that she was nuts.  I asked the boy if he pulls her chain much.  He laughed and said that it amusing, but it gets him into trouble :>
So, Marlo and I had a chat about the buddy system when we travel.  I equated it to scuba diving where you are to keep you buddy in site at all time and not let them get out of your site.  Well, Marlo forgets this sometimes.  Even after our chat, as soon as we hit the airport, she was off like a big tail bird.  She took off and never looked back.  I was not worried.  I knew exactly where I had to be AND I had both boarding passes and passports.  I got stuck behind a bunch of people in uniform and watched her cross the whole terminal without me.  I do have to admit that as soon as she enters this zone.  I tend to stay out of her direct line of site and see exactly how far she will get before remembering that she has a travel companion.  She was only 100-150 feet away almost in line for security by the time she remembered…. Hmmmm
There was a long line for security and Marlo expressed her extreme double that we would get through in a hour and a half.  The line was moving fast and I was not overly concerned…
It took us about 20 minutes AND Marlo looked back for me from then on.  So much so that when we got separated in line she told some very large man (6’7”) that I was her buddy and the we were together…  her buddy…. Hmmmm…  that’s ok, she has called me worse.  I remember months ago as she was wimping on my car…  accelerating very fast, sliding around corners, braking hard, etc…  no, really… she was having a ball.  When she finally came out of her zone she looks at me and says, “ooops, sorry pal.”  So I guess buddy is no worse then pal…
We cruse through in plenty of time.  I get my diet dew and some gum and then head to the bathroom.  I clearly state my intentions and tell her where I will meet  her… like a good travel buddy…  I leave the bathroom and walk to where I was going to meet her.  She is not there, but no biggy.  She had no idea how long I would be and we had a meeting point.  I found her up the other way at the dunkin donuts getting coffee.  She turns to walk towards me a couple of people tell her she dropped something…  it was her boarding pass, ooops, who needs that :>
We get on our flight and I had overheard a young woman tell the people at the desk that she had the  seat in between us…  bummer.  But she did not sit there at first.  Her and her 20 something friends were giggling up a storm in the row behind us.  They had convinced on guy to trade for a window seat and were sitting in a guys isle seat.  He was having no part in the seat swap, so she ended up between us.  It turned out to be a good thing because the distance ceased the incessant giggling…
The flight was very short and uneventful…  off at DC.  We got out at D23 and needed to be at C12, no worries…
We sat in an uncrowded area and I broke the computer out, just to see if I could get wireless…  it was an AT&T hotspot so I was in.  I emailed mom and checked Facebook.  Marlo updated her status.  A woman across the way was admiring our cute little laptop and I explained the finer points to her.
It was time to board our plane so we hovered over by the line.  We were in boarding party 3 so we hovered until after the 2’s were on their way.  A man and a woman were in front of us and the woman had gotten a water and returned to her buddy…  Marlo had some off-handed remark on how they had cut us off and we had been behind a guy with a blue plaid short…  well they guy heard the comment and couldn’t quite let it go.  Her turns and says that they have been waiting behind the people the whole time…  the line was not moving at all…  finally the line moved and the people in front of us did not.  It turns out that they were in group 4 and just in our way…  Marlo expressed her displeasure somewhat under her breath, but they heard that and huffed some more…  oh well…..
We board the plane and I go to the left because that’s where our seats were. And stow my bag.  Marlo works her way from the right side.  We were hoping for an empty row.  No such luck…  Marlo ended up sitting next to a child, and was not all that happy.  Then this young woman would not switch with Marlo so that we could sit together.  She would switch, but only for the aisle seat…  butt head…  I did purposely talk over and around  her many times.  She did not seem to mind…  Marlo did not seem to mind sitting over there either, so I just sat in my aisle seat and watched the move, typed this, read my book, etc…
Now, I may be strange, but I think that the airplane food is fun.  It is in all the little compartments and all arranged just so.  I had the chicken.  I thought it was good…  the girl got the pasta and did not eat much…
She is off to Paris to meet up with her boyfriend…  who can afford a boyfriend on another continent at 20 something.  I wanted to ask who was paying for this trip, but I don’t like to be rude….  She did separate Marlo and I and I was not happy about that, so maybe I will…
More later…

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