So… remember when I said this trip was going to be an adventure? Well, so far it has been, but not quite the kind I had in mind.
The first part of the trip went according to plan: we drove up to Lyon Sunday evening and flew up to Paris the next morning. Our flight to San Francisco was supposed to leave a couple of hours later, but technical issues caused delays and ultimately it was postponed until the next morning. Of course this was after we’d (finally) boarded the plane. At least we didn’t have to spend the night in the airport: the airline put us up in a hotel, dinner and breakfast included.
Next morning, take 2: the flight was slightly delayed, but we did eventually make it to San Francisco in one piece. We cleared immigration with no problems, and got to baggage claim only to discover that several suitcases, including my mom’s and mine, had somehow stayed behind in Paris. Argh. So, when we stopped for dinner on our way to Sandrine’s, we also made a quick Wal-Mart run and grabbed a few essentials. We finally arrived at midnight, by which point I had been awake for over 24 hours (I dozed a little on the plane and in the car, but not enough to really qualify as sleep). It took another day to more or less get over jet lag – the 9-hour time difference is pretty brutal.
The last couple of days have been spent meeting most of Sandrine’s friends and teachers, participating in some of the last-days-of-school activities (which I will describe in more detail in my next posts), doing a little sightseeing, and helping her pack. And waiting on the suitcases, which finally arrived yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, we’re all hoping this was the extent of the insanity for this trip.
A few pictures from the drive up from San Francisco:
After crossing the bridge, we stopped at Vista Point where I was able to get a few shots that were not from the back seat of a moving car:
Our final destination:
No relation to the sci-fi town of the same name, however. 😉
Faith Rider 