Paris Departure & Arrival

It was a gorgeous Thursday morning in Providence when we finished packing the packing the car. After locking up we climbed in the Mini and headed for I-95 south and JFK airport. Traffic was light, and we ran into virtually no delays in the Greater NYC area. So far our timing was impeccable. (photo: view from outside our window, across rue General Renault. think Jimmy Stewart and Rear Window.)

After parking in the long-term lot – which seemed like it was at the eastern end of Long Island – we took the air Train to the Delta terminal. Since we had already checked in online, including our bags, it was only a short wait in line before we were strolling over to security. A few minutes later and we zipped through the checkpoint – funny how we’ve turned the Cold War on ourselves isn’t it? – and then spent the next couple of hours waiting for our 5:00 pm departure.

We boarded on time and promptly sat on the tarmac for an hour while a group of baggage handlers rummaged around in the hold for one piece of luggage. It seemed someone had missed the plane but their bag was still on and for security reasons it had to be removed.

Coincidentally, after the plane had been loaded with its human cargo, two Delta staff came to our section and asked a young man to produce his passport. After examining it they told him to grab his bag and come with them. That was the last we saw of him. It was after that incident that the folks in the cockpit announced that a bag had to be retrieved from the hold before we could leave.

The bag was found (apparently) and we started to back out when we had to wait until two planes behind us could move – then we taxied for what seemed to be a couple of hours making several loops around Manhattan before finally being cleared for takeoff and so we did.

The flight was uneventful and the food dull – we had opted for Asian vegetarian. Susie and I had the last two seats on the left side of the plane – a 767 it was configured 2-3-2 – and that was a blessing to be sure. We both dozed off and on throughout the flight until near the end. For the last hour or so before beginning our glide path into Paris the flight was extremely bumpy – the slamming kind of bumps and the side-to-side kind of bumps that got so bad the cockpit folks ordered breakfast service halted so the staff could sit down and throw up. So that portion was a bit unpleasant.

It was overcast in Paris but that didn’t prevent us from getting off the plane. A short while later and we had our bags and then waited for the BluVan shuttle outside of Terminal 2E.

We have used Bluvan several times before and it one of the most efficient and cost-effective means of getting into and out of Paris. If you have lots of bags it would be wise to steer clear of the RER/Metro system. Lots of schlepping up and down stairs and on and off trains. BluVan costs less than a taxi – 34 euros for the two of us one-way – and is door-to-door.

We soon found ourselves standing in front of 4 rue General Renault in the 11th arrondissement. After punching in the digicode we pushed the two-ton doors open and walked inside.