Paris: At The Louvre in Search of an Empress

27 08 2025

On Day Four of my Rick Steves Heart of France tour, we were to visit The Louvre – the museum housing the largest collection of art and historical artifacts on Earth. I’d been there before, and yes, I’d seen the Mona Lisa, which was underwhelming. This time, unlike the rest of my group, I was on a mission to see one exhibit only – one which I had learned held a painting of a famous distant cousin – a member of my Clan Kirkpatrick – the Famous Empress Eugenie de Montijo – born as María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick.

Prior to my visit to France, I’d been in touch with several guides. When I told them I was doing family research on the Kirkpatricks, they all said I must go to the Louvre because there is a painting of a Kirkpatrick clan member there! I couldn’t imagine. But that was when they told me about the Empress. She was wife to Napoleon III in the mid-19th Century, and was instrumental in French politics as well as fashion, art, and the re-shaping of the Paris landscape into what we see today. I had NO idea! They insisted I go to the Louvre and visit the Napoleon III Apartments. These apartments were built to house foreign diplomats when visiting Paris.

We met our local guide, Sylvie, who took us on a walk on the neighborhood near The Louvre, and then we wound up there. When I told her I was a Kirkpatrick she knew exactly what I was looking for. Then, once inside the museum, I asked some staff for directions. When I told them I was a Kirkpatrick I got a reaction I will never forget as long as I live. It was like a combination of respect, awe and wonder. It was as if I was in America and I was a relative of George Washington! They kind of snapped to. Before I could mention Napoleon II Apartments they knew exactly what I wanted to see and took me up there! Who, me? It was from this point on Paris was a different kind of place, for outside, on the streets, I knew the sights I saw were built by her and Napoleon III and their architect Haussmann. Holy cow. OK, these are images from the Napoleon III Apartments!

They even had some of her over-the-top royal gowns!

Here are pictures of the Grand Salon for the diplomats, and the official table at which they ate official meals!

I was pretty overwhelmed. Not just looking at these things, it was the times and the history! After the Louvre mission, I was done for my day. I headed back to my hotel in Montmartre and the nearby cafe. I called it a day!


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Paris: The Impressionist Collection at the D’Orsay Museum

16 08 2025

This morning, I joined my Rick Steves Europe group visiting Notre Dame Cathedral and nearby Sainte-Chapelle. Notre Dame has re-opened after its reconstruction following the 2019 fire. We did not go inside, for the crowds were huge. Still, the exterior is very impressive! Then we visited Sainte-Chapelle, with its famous windows. As with most French Catholic cathedrals, there are reliefs of what happens to those who follow the 10 Commandments, and those who don’t.

Sainte-Chapelle Windows
Long wait at Notre Dame
Eternal torture for sinners!

This day I had tickets for the D’Orsay Museum, housing the largest collection of Impressionist paintings. So I departed the group and walked up the Rive Gauche towards the museum. The Rive Gauche is famous for its being a beehive of artistic creativity. Artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse held lively conversations with writers like Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre. Once past the Notre Dame throng, this walk became a stroll, allowing for people watching and taking in the scenery. One of the most ornate dinner cruise barges chugged by. Adorned end-to-end with art deco. On its bow, a feather-headed woman stood on one foot peering ahead. Its fancy anchor.

For several blocks, the sidewalk is lined with stalls selling all sorts of things, including questionably “authentic” old magazines and cliche Paris images. All for the fun I say!

Like my previous walks, I glimpsed the relaxed bicycle pace. The live-aboard barges plying the Seine. Cafe after cafe with Parisians at their sidewalk tables enjoying casual conversation. It was getting towards mid-day, and I had just enough time for lunch. So, I picked out a cafe table and ordered a Croque Monsieur. I indicated to the server that instead of a leisurely lunch, I needed it quickly so I could make my 1:00 D’Orsay Museum time. He wondered if I wouldn’t enjoy my meal? I just said no, I had to eat and dash. Typical American, no?

I wasn’t too enamored with my meal, in fact! Just not for me.

Topped up, I headed up to the museum. The D’Orsay Museum is a repurposed railroad station. So, on the inside, it is very open and airy. I think it is just fabulous. It has collections from various artistic genres. Passing through, I admired some before entering the Impressionist collection at the far end.

I was introduced to Impressionism by one of my French Language teachers. From there, I checked out some library books on Impressionism. I’d seen a number of original works in New York, Boston, Washington D.C., and London. I have prints of two of Pierre Auguste Renoir’s paintings in my office. So with this, combined with the fact that I’d just been to the Opera Garnier two days prior, held me in rapt anticipation. I did not realize, until I saw some of these paintings, how important it was I’d seen the Opera Garnier first. For some of these very masterpieces depicted events at the Opera!

Entering the collection, I immediately recognized paintings I’d studied. What I was unprepared for was that there were SO many! And I could walk right up and examine every brush stroke. I was so overwhelmed I teared up several times, as one masterpiece after the other revealed themselves. The thing about Impressionism that is so meaningful to me is that these are illustrations of ordinary life in a specific time period in a specific country. They capture the style, the joy, the intimate details of the lives of French in the late 19th Century. Everything from picnics, to dancing, to walking a field, to sunset on a cathedral, to collecting flowers in a field. Some of the paintings are so iconic that they could be said to represent the entire genre all by themselves. These three depict life at the Palais Garnier.

Degas – The Orchestra at the Opera
Degas – The Dance Class (at Opera Garnier)
Henri Gervex – Le Bal de L’Opera

Works by Pierre Auguste Renoir were prominently shown. I love Renoir, because his efforts candidly display Parisians enjoying life. Dancing, socializing, or simply learning to play a musical instrument.

Renoir – Dance at Bougival
Renoir – Bal du Moulin de la Galette
Renoir – Young Girls at the Piano

The museum has thoughfully prepared a background for Bal du Moulin de La Galette. And who does not love Vincent Van Gogh! No introduction needed. Just look at these!

Van Gogh – Starry Night Over the Rhone
Self Portrait

More information on “Starry Night” by the Museum. It’s really interesting!

And do you think I’m done here? Oh no. Now here comes Monet. With I think, for me, the absolute most iconic Impressionist paining of all. The humbly titled “Woman with a Parasol Left Side.”

What sets this image apart is not only the beautiful day and the style, but the perspective. It is from the ground up. Making this woman, with the sun shining through her parasol and the breeze blowing her dress and scarf, stand so high in the way it shows off the times in which it was painted.

I had to take a selfie with it!

Lastly one of my favorite painters who was of the “pointilists” wing of the Impressionists.

I’ve always enjoyed the works by Georges Seurat.

In the D’Orsay Museum, they have one of his iconic paintings, “Circus Side Show.” The Pointilists were known for how they rendered images. They used single “points” of paint, thousands of them, like pixels on a video screen, to make an image. Up close you see just dots. Stand back and the image comes to life.

After viewing all this I was pretty taken aback. Wow. I returned to the hotel to take a nap, for my day was far from done. I had dinner with a friend from college, Jeff Russell! We had not seen each other in decades. So much to cover! It could have taken three such dinners! It was great to see him!


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Paris: Monet’s Water Lillies at the Orangerie and Strolling the Seine

7 08 2025

The day’s agenda was to see Monet’s city-block-long water lillies paintings at the Orangerie Museum and take in the city the slow way, on foot. I had an 11:00 entrance ticket, so, after breakfast, I set off from the B Montmartre Hotel – it would be a little over 30 minute walk.

Taking my time, I strolled down Rue D’Amsterdam, allowing the city to unfold before me. Along the way, I observed with pleasure the style of Parisian women. They have this knack for dressing a certain way. Never shabby and never too formal. Just so. And, often on bikes, pedaling casually with no helmets. That would never do!

Paris largely consists of a myriad of smaller, walkable streets punctuated with large avenues every so often. This creates an infinity of small neighborhoods with individual personalities. Paris is also known for its grand buildings – and I was now in the 8th Arrondissment, which is chock full of such examples. Before long, I arrived at Place de la Madeline, with its Acropolis-like Madeleine Church.

The Paris I witnessed this 21st Century is a product of redevelopment during the reign of Napoleon III – whose Empress was my distant Kirkpatrick Clan relative, Eugenie de Montijo. The renowned Foreman of this project was the famed Georges-Eugene Haussmann. He was instructed to bring “light and air” to Paris, which had fallen into visual and sanitary disrepair – much of it unimproved since the middle ages. His work was praised and criticized. While he brought beautiful boulevards, dozens of parks, and buildings to the city, he also demolished entire neighborhoods in the process. One such park I was to witness this day, Parc Monceau, was renovated by him. A goal was to have a park within 10 minutes’ walk from anywhere in Paris. The parks project was a success and popular with everyone.

My walk continued. Crossing the street, the world famous Place de La Concorde, with its magnificent gold-topped Egyptian Obelisk, rose front and center a few blocks distant. But that was not all, for now I was on the Rue Royale, which is the epicenter of Paris fashion! Suddenly, Ralph Lauren, Canada Goose, Gucci, Piaget and Rolex, Breitling, all the big names had stores here! And at the far end a famous restaurant – Maxime’s.

Taking the pedestrian mode allows the symphony of Paris’ stunning and subtle experiences to reveal themselves. Narrow, meandering streets with corner cafes open up to busy boulevards dominated by golden angels, marbled arches, elegant parks, magnificent palaces and more. The parks are frequented by Parisians socializing, reading newspapers, people-watching, jogging, or practicing group Qigong.

Paris is laid out like none other. From many of the important plazas, one can see other prominent plazas. For example from the Place de La Concorde, I could see the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Place de la Madeleine, the Grand Palais, and the Palais Bourbon (Paris National Assembly).

Just across from the obelisk is the Tuileries Garden, and on the corner is the Orangerie Museum. I was early, so, I staked out a shaded park bench and set about people watching. There was no shortage. Bikers, joggers, groups doing yoga, and more to glimpse at. And yes, lovers hand in hand enjoying conversation. It was early April, and just fantastic weather – sunny and daily highs in the 70’s F.

The Musee D’Orangerie is best known for its full-length, around-the-room water lilies paintings by Claude Monet. The paintings are images of the water lilies in Monets Giverny Gardens out in Normandy. The “roundhouse” paintings capture the images of the lilies at different times of day – dawn, mid day, mid afternoon, and dusk. They are, in one word, arresting. I could not just pass them by. They require both intimate examination by brush stroke and visually taking them in all in their entirety. To do these images justice, click on each one separately.

After the mind blowing over the top water lilies exhibit, I was in for more stunning images walking along the Seine. From the museum, I walked downstream, crossing the bridges back and forth from time to time. Each bridge has its own theme of sorts. Along the river I checked out the many barges moored as well as moving goods, and some were floating restaurants. All along, people like me strolled. The Eiffel Tower stood in the distance the whole way.

Some bridges were intricately adorned with art. Others seemed to celebrate French victories. One had many padlocks symbolizing love. There was a pedestrian only bridge.

Traffic never seemed hurried. Bicyclists pedaled in a leisurely fashion. Pausing to take in everything, I was filled with some kind of satisfied happiness. Finally, I turned away from the Seine, and headed toward the Arc de Triomphe. My route took me along both main avenues and quiet side street. Finally reaching it, I was surprised at the size. It’s very ornately decorated with sculptures commemorating Napoleon I’s many victories.

Then I began my walk back to Montmartre.

On one of the back streets, I stumbled upon an open air market. There, all sorts of fresh food was on offer. There was fresh butchered meat. There was seafood, including crab, lobster, crayfish, scallops, salmon, and oysters. Lots of freshly baked bread. Cheeses of all varieties. Fruits and vegetables. Everything needed for a meal of fresh ingredients.

And then I passed by a scene right out of a Renoir or Monet painting. It was the Parc Monceau! There, Parisians were enjoying the park just as they did in 1887. Even in 2025, they were sitting on blankets enjoying a picnic with fresh nibbles and a glass of wine. I thought, nothing has changed! And with that, Paris was alive for me! These people know how to live!

I walked more than 8 miles that day. Near the hotel I passed by my home Cafe, Brasserie Le Moncet, and my new friends were there, and I joined them for a drink. Then a nap it was time to meet my Rick Steves Europe tour group and my guide Arnaud Servignat!


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Paris: Montmartre, Le Moulin de la Galette, Opera Garnier and Establishing My Home Cafe

16 07 2025
The Palais Garnier, or Opera Garnier, is a focal point of Paris.

Visiting France was far overdue! I’d visited in college for part of a big Europe tour, but it was a whirlwind and I only spent two days in Paris. I completed 7 years of French in school, and my teachers had special classes introducing us to French cuisine, history, the chateaus, Impressionism, the cathedrals, and even Rossignol skis. I read Stendhal’s “Le Rouge et Le Noir,” and Zola’s “Germinal,” in French. I’d spoken French in Morocco. But being crowd-averse, I’d been traveling to less busy places such as small sailboat cruising in the Greek Islands, Scottish trekking, El Nido in The Philippines, or British Columbia ski resorts. I seemed to think, “Oh I’ll get to France someday.” Well, I awoke to my mortality now that I’m 63, and decided I’d better see some of France! And I sure made the most of it. I allowed myself to be part of a Rick Steves tour (by far the largest group of any I’ve undertaken), because it had Mont St. Michel on the itinerary. It was a lot of fun. Rick picks smaller hotels which is generally nice. Our tour guide, Arnaud, is a veteran and took great care of us.

I should note that I’ve been on a genealogy quest of late. And, it’s taken me to France! I’m part of the Scottish Kirkpatrick Clan, and I came to dig up that one of our Kirkpatricks became Empress of France! She was Eugenie de Montijo – Maria Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick – Empress to Napoleon III of the Second Empire! Together, they hired Haussmann, the architect of the Paris we know today. I reached out to several Paris guides before my trip, and they all knew about her and the Kirkpatrick connection. They told me she had input into the Palais Garnier, oversaw the opening of the Suez Canal, and gave Luis Vuitton his first gig. They also told me there is a painting of her in the Louvre! SO, I had quite a bucket list for Paris!

I wanted to take a guided tour of the Palais Garnier, and the only ticket I could get was on the same day I arrived in Paris. It began at 6:30 p.m., so I knew I had a very long day coming. I did quite a bit of reading up on the city prior to arrival. Although Paris is famous for its Metro, it is very much a walking city brimming with small, twisty streets and neighborhoods sporting unique personalities. My hotel was the Hotel B. Montmartre – not terribly far from the famous Basilica Sacre Coeur. Little did I know on that first day I would be immediately immersed in the culture and history of Paris – quite by dumb luck!

An iconic Deux Cheveux

I arrived at my hotel at 11:00 a.m. but my room would not be ready until 2:30 p.m. or so. The concierge held my luggage and suggested I stroll up to the artistically significant Montmartre neighborhood and see the Basilica Sacre Coeur – that would be an interesting few hours. And so I headed out. I was hungry after the 10-hour flight, so I picked out a sidewalk cafe table and had lunch. Thus settled and satiated, I could people watch. Turns out this is a Parisian thing. Cafes are ubiquitous, and you can have a table for hours if you like. The staff isn’t in some “turn the table over” hurry. Enjoying time-out is expected. As is conversation with a friend at your table.

After lunch I wended my way over to Montmartre. Once off the main avenue I strolled up the cobblestoned Rue Lepic. Immediately Paris history and culture were in full view. I chanced upon middle-of-the-afternoon diners sitting at candle-lit tables sipping fine wine with cheeses. Apartments several hundred years old and flower boxes in windows. And then, without notice, I stumbled upon a famous sight I learned about in school – in fact I have a Renoir painting of it in my office! It was the Moulin de la Galette restaurant! OMG I had only been in France two hours! It has a windmill outside and a gate. I had to double check but sure enough there was a little paragraph on the outside saying YES, this is the place Renoir and Van Gogh would gather for lunch and they painted images of it! What’s next I wondered?

I continued and discovered a very busy square with lots of restaurants, plus shops and artists sketching scenes – the Square of Montmartre. Although I’m sure there were many tourists like myself, it was clear this was a very Parisian atmosphere going on. Waiters and waitresses clad in white shirts with black aprons taking orders. Guests immersed in conversation – and the weather – blue bird skies in early April! A truly merry atmosphere for sure.

I had just arrived in France, and was immediately immersed in how the French just “know how to live.” In cafes, it’s completely normal to “sit and watch the world go by,” and enjoy in an unhurried fashion. This was all on display in Montmartre. Upon reaching the Sacre Coeur I was amazed at its size. I had no idea.

It sits on a hill from which most of Paris can be seen, including Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. I drank in the view and then strolled, all downhill, back to the hotel. Once settled in, I set out for the Palais Garnier. I tried to use the Metro, but my credit card would not work in the ticket machine. So instead, I opted to walk, which turned out to be an eye opening experience! I walked along many small streets, passing by all sorts of shops, boutiques, cafes and a bakery. Nobody seemed in a hurry. The women seem to have a certain Parisian style – not shabby, but not formal either. It’s some kind of perfect in between. It’s definitely put together in a certain snappy style. And I like! A LOT. Bikes leisurely pedal by, and almost nobody wears a helmet.

And then I glimpse an enormous building with statues on its roof – the Palais Garnier! I arrive on its side. Entering, I join a group which embarks on a tour specializing in a Phantom of the Opera spiced up fashion. It turns out that the Phantom of the Opera was set in this very opera house. We viewed the marbled, multi-staircased entrance, the Hall where guests gathered for refreshments, and the theater itself. Its ceiling was painted by Chagall in the mid 20th Century. Until a 2nd Opera House was built in Paris, this was the largest opera house in the world. Empress Eugenie de Montijo was a regular attendee. In those days, the upper class went to the Opera Garnier not to see the performance, but to see and be seen.

At the conclusion of the tour, I walked back to the hotel. It was supper time. And I remembered that, in one of the Rick Steves Europe audio interviews, a guide recommended that to get to know Paris, one should find a cafe and make it your “home,” so I did just that. The idea is that you can get to know some Parisians that way. I wanted Escargot. It just so happened that a cafe right around the corner from my hotel, Brasserie Le Moncey, had escargot. So I staked out a sidewalk table, ordered escargot, white wine and a cheese plate (it came with bread and a salad), and watched the world go by. Within 20 minutes the guests at the neighboring tables introduced themselves and I, in my broken French, introduced myself and spoke a bit about my day. And with that, Paris became real to me! They told me about their jobs, families, and even told me to meet them at the cafe for coffee and croissants the next morning. The fact that I spoke some French made me more than welcome. Every time I said something correctly it was like a 4th of July firework went off – they were so pleased I tried so hard to fit in! And this happened all over France. So the French reputation for being rude and distant was, for me, completely washed away. They do expect some formality when meeting a stranger but quickly become warm and friendly once some familiarity is established!

Tomorrow I’ll do some more walking around Paris. I’m headed to the Musee D’Orangerie, where Monet’s Water Lillies span a city block, and will take in the Seine and some park-time!


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Morocco Coronavirus: Last Seat Out to France

20 03 2020

Air France Boarding Pass

Last seat to France out of Morocco

I just returned from a wonderful trip to Morocco. I managed to land in Portland, Oregon, 15 March about 10:15 a.m. Normally, I would begin blog posts about a trip abroad starting from the beginning. But this time, due to unprecedented times, and because of the immediate international travel lock-down sweeping the globe, I am writing about my miraculous exit from Morocco just as the country shut down travel to France.

I was on an Intrepid Travel “Best of Morocco” tour, which began on 1 March 2020. I flew into Casablanca. The trip ended in Marrakesh. For economies of money and time, I decided to purchase a round trip from Portland, Oregon to Casablanca instead of two one way flights. My flight home was scheduled to depart Casablanca March 16, transit through Paris on the way back to the USA.

The Coronavirus pandemic began sweeping around the globe before I left home, but there were not many international travel restrictions at that time. I met my tour group, composed of Americans, English and Australians, and we explored Morocco’s coasts, cities, deserts, kasbahs, medinas and ruins together. As we enjoyed ourselves the virus was spreading and governments were working overtime to enact plans to contain it. These plans included restricting travel. Airlines would be affected.

We were on the coast, in Essaouira, when I first got an idea that things were doing downhill. First, my original Air France flight from Paris to Seattle was re-routed to Atlanta due to “operational constraints.” I did nothing. The USA had temporarily banned Europeans from traveling to the USA. US citizens could come home. Then, on the way to Marrakesh, on March 13, Air France sent an e-mail that my Paris-Atlanta flight was “canceled due to operational constraints.” With this, I began to worry. Still, I figured I could re-book another flight to the USA – I had time. Maybe I could book a flight around the European Union or a non stop from Morocco to the USA.

It is nothing short of a miracle that I am here right now and I will tell you why. Well, it is a combination of my own intuition, French language, travel experience, flexibility, and tenacity, with a good dose of luck that got me home.

I had a good data connection on the bus, and I tried to use the links on the e-mail to see or change my flight. None of them worked. At the hotel in Marrakesh, before the dinner, I tried the same, no luck. Some intuition told me that I must continue to try to reach Air France or Delta (Air France’s partner) to get a lock on a flight from Paris to USA – that became my #1 priority, instead of going to dinner or doing my tour of Marrakesh the following day. Something told me I needed to lock that flight down.

That evening, I tried every known method of contacting Air France or Delta Airlines. I tried both Delta and Air France Websites via my phone, and they were locked up. I tried Air France online chat, which, once I logged in, just sat there, nobody answering. I tried Delta telephone customer service which said it had a 6-hour wait. I called Air France telephone customer service and waited 90 minutes before it hung up. E-mails went without response as did texts. The Apps for these airlines did not work. It felt like I was chasing my tail.

So I resolved that I MUST speak face to face with an Air France agent, so the following morning, after breakfast, I took a taxi to the airport. I arrived about 9:30 a.m.  NOBODY knew what was about to happen in Morocco.

What occurred next was 100% unexpected and a miracle which in a way never could have happened unless I took action. I arrived at the airport, and the Air France line was long – normal because there was a flight going out. I learned Air France did not have an office in the airport nor in Marrakesh. The only way to speak face to face was to wait in the line patiently. What happened next was simply incredible.

I reached the Air France agent at about 10:40 a.m. I told him that I was trying to change flights for two days coming up due to a canceled flight. He looked at my reservation and his face became a bit panicked and contorted, not sure what to do to help me. That is when he told me that the government of Morocco had banned all flights to France as of 12:00 p.m. THAT DAY! He told me to go back to my hotel, get luggage, and return immediately, so that I could get on a waiting list on this flight.

So, with that information, I knew my “Best of Morocco” trip was over. I ran outside the airport and bargained with taxi drivers for a round trip taxi ride including waiting at the Les Trois Palmiers Hotel for me to throw my luggage together! I even got the driver to understand that this was an emergency and he kicked out existing passengers in his car so he could get my drive done quickly. Once in the car this became a scene worthy of Hollywood, with the taxi passing other cars, swerving in and out to get my round trip done. Back at the hotel I was an emotional mess, remembering how much fun the trip was and realizing I was alone and couldn’t say goodbye to people I met. I rifled through my money to get a tip to our guide Mohamed. I left a note for my roommate Michael to deliver it. With that done, I ran out to the taxi.

More miracles to come. At the airport I waved to my agent and he put me past the line to get me in standby. There were probably 20 of us on standby. The flight was due to leave about 12:30 and gates closed at 12:15 or so. Somewhere during this time I saw tour mates Penny, Craig and Michael who all had decided, like me, to drop everything and go home. Royal Air Maroc, the next counter to Air France, told them that “there was nothing it could do” to help them. After a few minutes, another agent announced (in French of course) that NO STANDBY SEATS WILL GO. He said, in French, that he didn’t know what to do and that the computer showed next flights are March 28. That resulted in 100% pandemonium amongst the French citizens trying to go home. There was crying, there was yelling, there was anger, there was disbelief.

Keep in mind that nobody in Morocco outside the airport was aware of this 12:00 p.m. shut down. I could only imagine the tourists enjoying their day unaware!

I decided to stick to my plan, and not leave that counter. I could still succeed if I could get a flight plan around the European Union back to the USA. When the crowd paused a little, I kindly spoke to the agent about my situation, and he listened. Whilst this was going on, for some completely unexplained reason, the Royal Air Maroc agent one meter away also heard my situation, and said to me, “May I please see your itinerary?” And then a MIRACLE happened. She produced a boarding pass! She quickly grabbed my luggage, tagged it and said RUN to the gate. And so I did. With very sweaty palms got through passport control in a rush.

Luck stuck with me because it was already 12:16. My flight was delayed! Once through passport control and running to the A5 gate, I saw my original Air France agent standing there, with no other passengers, looking at me like he was hallucinating, but I was there! I had a boarding pass. He cheered and ushered me onto the plane, which I thought was an Air Maroc flight. But it was that Air France flight! The passengers and crew cheered me as I got the very last flight! THE very very LAST seat!

Wheels up!

Doors closed, wheels up and I was gone. The entire plane cheered. And I was only trying to get a flight changed for March 16!

I had a one-segment boarding pass, so my luggage was checked to Charles de Gaulle Paris and no further. Once in the airport I visited the Air France customer service desk. The agent was able to get me on a flight to Los Angeles, departing within the hour. I took it. There was no time to get my bag, or go back and forth through passport control and security. So the agent put an electronic tag on it in the baggage software system. And I was off.

Well deserved!

With my connection in the USA, I was home at just after 10 a.m.

I filed a lost baggage claim with the airline, and it followed me the next day.

All my luggage arrived the next morning in perfect shape!

Here I am at home. The world going crazy. Events are happening so fast and not predictable. God Speed to travelers everywhere during this crisis!

 


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