7:00 AM – Woke to TV alarm and opened my blackout curtains to see the beautiful city of Paris for the last time, as the sun rose on a clear sky. Going to be nice here today – too bad I’m leaving in a way, but looking forward to getting home.
7:35 AM – went for last buffet breakfast, then up to my room to finish packing. They have the exact same items in the exact same places every day on the buffet, but it was always enough choices to make it a bit different every day.
I grabbed some of the fruit from the fruit basket I found in my hotel room last night - a thank you from the hotel. Some of it I left behind, but took a peach, some grapes, an
8:31 AM – Just checked out quickly – and was happy to see that the Air France bus to Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport hadn’t left yet – leaves on the ½ hour and hour from Concorde. Baggage handler said I’m going to be first stop, at Terminal 2A for international flights. Concorde is the last pick-up before the airport.
We were soon cruising along the empty freeway on this Sunday morning, seatbelts fastened (wish they had those in Canada). Feeling a bit of a cold coming on – hope I can fight it at home before work Tuesday. Don’t want a repeat of being sick after Sydney.
8:36 AM – We just drove through the tunnel where Princess Diana’s car crashed and was killed, along with Dodi Al-Fayed, the son of the Harrod's Department Store owner in London. The tour guide had told us about it last night on the way into the city.
I also just realized we are on the Peripherique – the crazy busy freeway (during the week anyway) – and this isn’t where the first cabbie took me. Fair warning – do NOT hail a cab in Paris for any reason, or to go anywhere. They are crooks and will rip you off, drive around in circles or take the long way where you want to go, smoke while they drive, be rude and don’t take credit cards. Take the RER train to/from airport (for 13€ one way I think) or better yet, stay at a hotel on the Air France bus route (it’s 15€ one way).
8:56 AM – we're here at Terminal 2A already!
8:59 AM – would have walked forever around outside. There are no automatic doors here – you have to push a button to get doors to open. Kinda dumb when you have your hands full of suitcase handles.
9:06 AM – It took 10 minutes to walk 1 block through the terminal. The exit at International arrivals was so full that people trying to go to and from check-in on the Air Canada side couldn’t walk through. Luckily I got a luggage cart earlier to push through – dragging luggage through that would have been impossible. I just started pushing people out of the way after awhile - I lose patience fast with ignorant people.
Arrived at check-in area #5 for Air Canada and saw that there was a big line for it, but a special line-up for Toronto flight 881 and Montreal flight 885 was set up. At first I thought it was silly to state that – wouldn’t all French flights arrive at one or the other city? It dawned on me at the time that maybe it was just good customer service to have the flight numbers. But that still wouldn’t explain where else Air Canada would be flying from Paris?
A customer service guy on happy pills (he was chuckling with everyone but I don’t think anyone really knew why) asked for my passport and boarding pass. He saw Montreal and put a red dot sticker on top right corner of the outside. The lady at the ticket corner lady later said the color was irrelevant - it just meant that I had been pre-screened (i.e. was in the right line for those special jumbo jet flights to Canada).
9:21 AM – Security line was incredibly huge again. More obnoxious staff, but happy to be free of them at last, so didn’t care too much – at least I had the satisfaction of knowing I wasn’t being singled out for bad treatment.
I had my camera out before we even got close to security, and the only guy checking passports took time to get out of his booth and tell me to put it away – it wasn’t even remotely connected to him or pointing in his direction. Odder still was the fact the camera was already back in my back before he demanded it – and he held up the whole line to do so. Yet another poor loser on a power trip - this city seems to be full of them - with yet another suit that didn’t fit. It's a bit ironic that airport staff to seem to know where to find a measuring tape in the international city of fashion?
9:29 AM – Pierre the Grouch (I don’t know his name, but that’s what we’ll call him) grabbed my passport, didn’t even look it except to find a blank page, and stamped it. Why on earth jam, or even create, a whole stupid line just for that? I appreciated being able to collect a second passport stamp though.
Security scan was much more thorough here than everywhere else. I didn’t get any special treatment because I didn’t beep, but if you do they even roll your shirt sleeves and pant legs up and down, and pat your stomach. They also scan everyone’s boarding passes to (I assume) ensure it’s authentic or or you're going through on the right day, etc. – in other words, that you have a valid reason to be here. Maybe connected with the gates too so they know you have checked in and are on the way to them, in case you are running late. I don’t have to board until 10:50, so no rush at all.
9:41 AM – only in Paris airport could you find a Hugo Boss and Hermes store!
9:44 AM – I walked to the end of the terminal and still didn’t get to A51. You had to walk up stairs, past a little cafeteria, and then back down some stairs to get to the terminal area for gates 47-51. What's that all about?
10:13 AM – yet another airport without free Internet. They have Free Wifi, but that’s pretty useless if the only thing you can connect to is the airport website. Canadians complain about how slow the internet speed in Canada is, and I just don’t get it – mine at home is about 3 times faster for downloading than the fastest I ever had in France. We’re lucky, believe me.
10:30 AM – Bought a drink, gum, and a few souvenirs at the airport Relay newsstand, and they asked for my boarding pass, scanned it into their computer, and it instantly took a percentage off which would represent tax (because they build taxes into all prices). Very cool. They then wrap it and seal it until you get on the plane.
This seating area is pathetically small – big enough for about 50 people, and this is a 767 back to Montreal. Who planned that?
10:34 AM – they just made a pre-boarding announcement for AC887 to Montreal – so I see now why our big flight had a special check-in – it’s a much smaller plane that also goes to Montreal. The two Montreal flights are stupidly boarding at the same time at gates side-by-side, if you can imagine – that should bring some people on the wrong line-ups for sure.
Looked out the window, and saw that my plane was ready to go (see picture left, click for larger) - I wish (haha). Saw lots of airlines here I've never heard of before.
The girls at the check-in counter were extremely well-dressed with nice scarves . I think I’ve seen that before, but can’t remember where. Once checked through, I walked to the plane, and they stopped me halfway down the hall yet again to check my boarding pass yet again – that’s 5 times it’s been checked and twice scanned, yet customs only stamps it without looking at your passport. Yah, that makes sense.
10:52 AM – I had to go down some stairs and onto the runway again - to another bus! I see the problem now – the terminal had a big section ripped right out (picture right, click for larger)– crumbled concrete in piles everywhere. That must be at the place I had to go up and then down again, and why there was limited seating right now.The bus soon was full and took off, getting part way to the plane and had to stop – a little Toyota Yaris with a security guy in it was blocking our drive down the marked lane to our plane. Even airports here have to wait for planes to go by, so must be controlled from the tower somehow as well!
Finally arrived at the plane (picture left, click for larger), and the people at the plane told the driver he couldn’t park there. Everyone on the bus laughed as he was forced to turn around and park by the nose of the plane instead of by the plane steps up to the door – is this his first day or something? Kinda funny.Got on the plane – same type exactly as the one we previously flew here on, and I checked and all equipment is working. Sitting next to a big guy with tattoos who shoved an impossibly big suitcase under his seat front and then had his leg in my area. Ugh - it's going to be a loooooooooooong day.
11:44 AM (all times now will be Vancouver) - arrived in Montreal and had to clear security twice (once through customs, and then again to get on the other flight) which seemed stupid to me. It was the same flipping plane! The plane is leaving 15 minutes late due to someone on a wheelchair being late coming. While they did video safety demonstration just now all the screens shut off and haven't come back 5 minutes later. Oh well, I have lots of TV on my iPhone to watch. Fortunately it started up again soon after.
4:23 PM - flight was forgettable, but weirdo I shared the seat area with for 12 hours won't be forgotten for awhile. So nasty - he must have had at least a dozen scars across his left arm all the way up, clearly self-inflicted. I was so sick of snorting and horking and nodding his head to his iPod all the time - did he just crawl out if a cave? And the bald French guy in front of me that had his seat back so far almost all the way here he was on my lap - ugh. Every time I'd bend over to get something from my bag, he'd turn around and looking at me like I was invading HIS domain. Idiot.
4:39 PM - final descent into Vancouver, and I'm glad. We were told of thunderstorms in Vancouver when we were in Montreal but didn't impact flight other than some turbulence.
4:46 PM - touchdown - and it's raining. No place like home.
5:19 PM - Got a bit worried, over 1/2 hour and still my bags didn't show, though about 60 other people in same boat. What's the hold-up - half an hour? Can't remember it ever taking that long before - not a thing has come down in over 10 minutes.
5:32 PM - Finally bags arrived and I was in a cab before I knew it. It's only sprinkling outside now, and nice to be home. As I left they announced a 2nd plane from Paris/Montreal had a bag stuck in the system and would take awhile to get it free - so glad I'm out if there!
6:00 PM - Finally home, and I'll sign off on my my adventures now. Thanks for following along in my blog. Until my next trip, so long!
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