As is our custom we are going to Paris a day early to allow these “maturing” bodies to readjust our body clocks. It is not as easy as it was 20 years ago!  It will also give us an extra day to reacquaint ourselves with “the City of Light”. Surprisingly no one currently offers non-stops to Paris from Seattle so we are flying Lufthansa, via Frankfurt. A pleasant surprise is that the Seattle to Frankfurt segment is on one of my favorite airplanes- “the Queen of the Skies”- the 747. It is one of the few 747s still in service as most airlines have relegated them to retirement. I was working at Boeing when the first 747 was rolled out in 1969.  I remember watching it take off and seriously wondering how a plane weighing close to a million pounds was going to get off the ground! it has always been one sweet airplane and my favorite, now replaced on my favorite list by the 787.

Normally Seattle’s weather in May is not that good-cool and rainy. That is one of the reasons we decided to go to France now. This year has been totally different; there has been zero rain in May so far and the temperatures the next few days are expected to be in the 80s, setting records! So much for planning and trying to outguess Mother Nature. Our flight out should offer spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.

Our flight left about 30 minutes late but we have a 3 hour layover in Frankfurt so it is not a problem. I liked the business class seat layout on our 747-400. It is  2-3-2 but what makes it nice is that the window seats are slightly angled toward the window, not the normal “face the front of the plane” arrangement, giving you a little more privacy. The entertainment system is first-rate with lots of choices (>200 movies), an 18” monitor and Bose noise cancelling headsets!  I did avoid the temptation to watch movies, choosing to read and listen to music offered. A fascinating addition was the great mapping system they have, showing the flight of the plane with what looked like Google map views of the terrain below us. I had not seen this before. Our flight path took us northeast over Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, and  England before eventually landing in Frankfurt. We did see some awesome mountains as we crossed the Canadian Rockies.

Dinner was quite good (actually better than most) but our first choice (seafood) was already unavailable by the time they got to us. I had some good German Dr. Loosen Riesling wine to accompany my meal. For my food-loving friends who await my pictures I must apologize as I had inadvertently put my camera away before dinner and could not get to it to record the meal!

May 10:  Frankfurt, Germany. You have to admire German efficiency. Our plane landed in a remote location, but the stairs and buses were there waiting for us so unloading was quick and efficient. Because we were 30 minutes late in arriving there was even a car awaiting to transport several people directly to their connecting flight. When we entered the terminal there were people stationed to answer questions and guide us to our destination. I wish every country and airport operated this way.

When we got to the Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt I noticed that there were several rooms that had signs inferring they could be used to nap. I manage to sleep a few hours on these long flights but Yvonne always has trouble sleeping on planes so I asked if one of these rooms were available for her to grab a couple hours of sleep. Of course, they said and Yvonne got a private room with a lounging couch/bed while I sat in the lounge working on this blog. Lufthansa even has showers available in their lounge for travelers wishing to freshen up.

Our flight to Paris was only 50 minutes but Lufthansa managed to serve a decent cold plate lunch in that time. I cannot imagine US airlines doing that. Paris was cloudy with the threat of rain when we landed. I had arranged for a private transfer from the airport using a company called Suntransfers. Their prices are not much more than a standard cab ride and it is nice to be met by a driver with a sign having your name. Also their cars tend to be nicer than the typical cab. A humorous aspect of the ride was that the driver did not speak much English but communicated with us using his iPad and Goggle Translate. He would speak in French to it, and hand the iPad to us to hear the English translation. We would then answer in English and it would translate to French for him. It was a funny exchange of conversation, relying on high-tech. We were a bit concerned as he was also driving us through heavy Paris traffic while doing this, but we arrived safely at our hotel around 3 PM local time.

My brother, Gerry, and his wife , Sue, had arrived earlier in the day and left us their room number. We chatted with them and agreed to meet for dinner at 6:30 PM. They went sightseeing at the local mall while we grabbed another couple of hours of sleep.

It was raining by 6:30 but we decided to go to a small, local French restaurant, “ Le Ballon des Ternes” that was only a block away and had good reviews. You have to love google maps that show nearby places of interest along with patron reviews. It turned out to be a lovely neighborhood restaurant with colorful flowers and decor. Also there were mostly local, French-speaking people there so it is not a tourist trap that caters mostly to foreigners.  You could tell we were in Paris!  Luckily the waiters did speak some English and offered us English menus so our decision was easier to make. But now a problem existed-what do we chose from the menu?  Obviously a bottle of French wine along with French onion soup as a starter, followed by seafood (and veal for my meat-loving brother). The French onion soup was magnificent- a rich beef broth with lots of melted cheese. We shared a couple of bowls and everyone loved it.  Oh, I forgot to mention the “to die for”  basket of French bread that was so good they had to deliver us a second basket because we literally inhaled the first.   Prices of entrees (they are called plats in France) are running about 23-25 euros, which is not that bad as the Euro is now worth $1.12. I remember it being around $1.30 the last time we were in Europe, so our dollar goes further these days. The meal and experience was an excellent start of our trip.

Tomorrow morning we are taking a food tour in the Montmartre region of Paris.