The Flight

So here I am, I said goodbye to my friends, family, and the love of my life. I'll see them again in about five weeks. I'm disappointed that I couldn't share this journey with my fiancée. Maybe this journey is just something I had to do by myself. I've never been out of the country, and Paris is one of the greatest cities in the world.

I realized that I forgot a few things; a passport photo for the city I am traveling to, a nice pair of slacks, and a belt.

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Arrived in Dallas/Ft. Worth's airport and what do I find but my good friend Matt Meyer and his wife Jessie (Faith). They just got back from Seattle from visiting another good friend Alex Baumgarten and his wife Beth. Just when I felt like the world was so huge I'm reminded that it's nowhere near as big as I thought. I'll probably have to pick up the picture for the tram in france. I reserved a hotel for about $60 U.S. which is amazing.

Now I'm actually in TGIFridays... because this might be one of my last chances to eat real American food. There's nothing like waiting around for a flight. It's incredible how commercialized airports are. This is a full fledged mall for travelers. Now I'm getting curious about how the Charles De Gaulle Airport will look, whether it'll be as commercial or just an airport.

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My flight from Dallas/Ft. Worth was delayed twice, for a delay time of three hours. The first plane had mechanical problems, the next had no air conditioning, and the last one finally worked. There's nothing like flying coach for nearly 1o hours. I began to covet the business class seating. Their chairs actually kind of reclined. I'm generally a light sleeper so any light jerk or rattle will wake me up. This resulted in a night where I could not sleep very much. They also couldn't find the truck to supply the breakfast, but they promised to give us vouchers for real French croissants once we got off the plane. We never got those vouchers. Charles De Gaulle in fact did have some shops, but nowhere close to Dallas/Ft. Worth's shops. There ended my first experience with international travel... and there begins disorientation and confusion.