Paris to Home

day twenty eight!

Last night was ridiculous. In the process of trying to figure out what items we wanted in which bag (carry-on vs checked, soft vs hard shell) I started wondering if we could somehow squeeze everything into our original two bags and not have to check anything. I LOVE puzzles so this was a fun challenge. Mom was very doubtful at the start. There was a lot of reorganizing but we finally managed it! Mostly…

This morning there was a bit more reshuffling as we had to find room for the toiletries and pajamas we’d still needed. We layered up to be ready for nasty weather at home and to get some of the bulkier clothing out of our bags. My mask, in it’s super bubble wrapping, took up almost my entire little backpack. My Osprey pack was awesome though because we could stuff it full, zip it up, and then use the compression straps to make it even smaller. It definitely gained a few pounds since the beginning of our trip.

We finally headed out the door close to 8 am, as the sky was just starting to lighten up. Thankfully, the patisserie down the block was open so we got another couple quiches for an easy, delicious breakfast. It was bittersweet getting on the metro and leaving Paris. I was looking forward to going home and curling up in my very well known comfort zone, but I was also going to miss the excitement of traveling. I felt a little like we were sneaking away because it was so quiet at that hour.

The metros were all pretty quiet and uncrowded until we got to Gare du Nord and caught the RER B line that went out to the airport. The cars looked packed when they arrived at the platform but somehow we all managed to squeeze in with our bags. This was one of the few times I felt bad for having a backpack… I basically took up the space of two people. A few people would get off at each stop, but it didn’t balance the number of people getting on. I felt like a sardine in a tin can. At least it didn’t smell like sardines, or any other strong odors! The hardest part about the ride was staying upright and not crashing into anyone when the train changed speed. The seats were packed and everyone else had to find something to hold on to or lean on. I think mom ended up with someone’s armpit in her face since they were hanging on to the same bar. Another downside of being vertically impaired haha.

Once we got the the airport, everyone flooded out the doors and dispersed. We had to take another short transport to get to the right terminal and then follow the maze of signs to the check in counter. This was when our creative packing was put to the test. The airline attendant had us put our bags in the little carry-on size basket thing to make sure they were within the limits. Mom’s bag wouldn’t fit at first so we quickly pulled out the folder of papers (tickets, maps, etc) which was just enough to make it fit. PHEW. We made it!

Through more of the maze and then on to our gate. We had a while to wait yet so we did a few laps up and down the terminal, grabbed some sandwiches for lunch, and took advantage of the toilet.

During the flight, I binge-watched the last season of Game of Thrones. Made the flight go by real fast! Mom started watching the Graham Norton show and thought it was HILARIOUS. I could hear her reactions and laughing through my headphones and she kept poking me and pointing at the screen. It’s dangerous sometimes to get into a show and listening on headphones cause you kinda fall into this false sense that no one else can hear you…they can. I felt bad for the people around us that were trying to sleep, or enjoy their own show. I partially blame the wine. And the funny Irish guy sitting next to me who offered to get her more… In our conversation about traveling, he said his favorite place in Italy was the island of Capri. Might have to put that on the list for next time.

UPDATE!

For those of you paying too close attention to this blog… Mom and I arrived home late last night. Smooth sailing the whole way but we were zombies by the time we got home since we essentially stayed up all night. And then we both woke up around 4:30 am this morning. 🤪

It’s already surreal that we were gone for a month and did everything we did. I’m proud of myself for mostly keeping up on this blog because it’s my reminder of our experiences, especially when my memory fails me. Hopefully we’ll eventually turn this into a photo book but that’s a very time consuming project. It feels good to be home but it’s trippy because nothing’s really changed here since we left. Hopefully tonight mom and I will sleep better and get back into our routines tomorrow.

Until next time…