Tuesday, October 24, 2017:
Our time in Italy and France was finally over after two incredible weeks of traveling, sight seeing and memory building with great friends.
Only one thing left to do on the agenda, catch our flights home to Los Angeles.
We did have one small problem, Loren and Sandy were leaving from the gigantic Charles de Gaulle Airport for London's Heathrow Airport via a British Air flight at about 7:30 a.m.
Laurie and I were also heading to Heathrow via British Air but on an 8:05 a.m. flight out of Paris' smaller Orly Airport.
Once at Heathrow, we would once again re-unite for our flight to LAX on a British Air A380 Airbus. We were going to even sit together on in row 27's middle four seats.
It would be a fun way to pass the final ten hours of our European vacation.
But first, we had to find two taxis to get us to our respective airports.
Out the door into the mean streets
of Paris at 4:15 a.m.
I walked Loren and Sandy down to the taxi stand two blocks away from our apartment to make sure that they got a taxi to Charles de Gaulle Airport at a solid price.
This guy snuck up on us just
before we got to the taxi stand
Thankfully, he was not a mugger.
This is Loren's look at 4:15 a.m.
Mine was no better at this ungodly hour.
They were off in plenty of time to catch their flight.
I felt a little as if I had just sent off our two kids to college for the first time.
Laurie and I were now empty nesters.
I walked back to the apartment to pick up Laurie and return to the same taxi stand to get our ride to Orly Airport about 15 minutes after saying au revoir to the Bruckers.
Laurie led the way
We found our taxi easily enough and were off for the traffic free, 20 minute ride to Orly. Things were going great!
Only two people were in line at check-in at Orly but we did hit a minor bump. It was 5:20 a.m. and the Security Gates did not open until 6:00 a.m.
Only one thing to do . . .
EAT!
A delicious petit déjeuner
The ads for this movie were
all over Paris . . . interesting
Going through Security was a breeze, whoosh . . .
. . . We were off!
We did enjoy the flight to Heathrow
Now it was time for
the flight to LAX
But where were Loren and Sandy who should have arrived at Heathrow at least 40 minutes before us?
You leave the kids alone just for a minute or two . . .
As it turned out, their flight from Paris was delayed due to a tire problem. Thus, they missed our shared flight but did get aboard the 2:00 p.m. flight out of Heathrow to LAX.
A bump in the road to be sure that they were able to overcome like the seasoned travelers that they had become.
Laurie and I flying our version of
the Missing Man Formation
We spread out to take full advantage of our now half empty row.
BACK IN THE USA!
A thank you to Koreen FitzGerald is in order for picking us up at LAX where the temperature was 38°C/100°F on October 24th!
Global warming is a myth, right?
Laurie and I can not say MERCI enough to Mark and Susie Johnson for organizing this great trip!
We also had so much fun showing off Lyon, Rome and Paris to Loren and Sandy, our college roommates, who were first time visitors to the Continent.
The highlight of our travels had to be seeing Sandy's face when we toured the small, hilltop village of Mombarruzo, Italy where her grandparents were born.
Magical.
GREAT TIMES INDEED!
Finally, here are a few more photos of our trip that came from the cameras of Sandy and Laurie that I thought you might like.
Sandy's Photos from Normandy
With Mark
The Emotions of Mark's
Dad surviving D-Day at nearby
Omaha Beach got to Mark
At Utah Beach where
Loren's Dad landed on D-Day
Loren and . . .
. . . Mark pointing to . . .
. . . the wonderful tributes to their
Dads that the owner of the
Le Roosevelt cafe/bar just 100 meters
from Utah Beach insisted that
they leave behind
Laurie's Photos of the Trip
Our Airbnb room in a 700 year
old home in Mombarruzo, Italy
With Sandy's new found
Cousin Luigi in Mombarruzo
St. Catharine in Roma
near Castel Sant'Angelo
Papal Mass on
St. Peter's Square
Find shade where you can
on a hot Roman Sunday
Waving to Pope Francis
as he enters the Square after
Mass was over
Bernini's Canopy over the Main
Altar in St. Peter's Basilica
Pope Gregory XIII
She took this illegal photo
of Pope John XXIII reposing
in St. Peter's Basilica
Sandy studying St. Peter's
Basilica's Door
Swiss Guards on duty
at the Vatican
The iconic Roman Colosseum
Cobble Stones
Great to set the atmosphere in Rome and Paris but hard on the feet when strolling.
Da Vinci's masterpiece
The Pieta
Chiara, Thiago and happy
Dad Bart Iaccarino
at our final dinner in Roma
Also at our dinner in Roma
The Paris Metro Map
We referred to these huge maps throughout the City of Lights on more than one occasion.
The iconic Eiffel Tower
An iconic Parisian Carousel
Two icons together
Notre Dame Cathedral
How many iconic structures does Paris have?
Lots.
Cherry Beer is right up
Laurie's alley
Cruising the River Seine
Near the Pont Neuf
N is for Napoleon
Looking down the spiral
staircase at our Paris
Airbnb apartment
We did laundry here twice in
Paris just around the corner
from our apartment
The Arc de Triumph
The French Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier at the
Arc de Triomphe
At the Sacré-Cœur Basilica
in Montmartre
Sandy and Loren were respectful as I sent photos of the day to their families back in California.
Place de la Concorde
fountain
The Eiffel Tower
at dusk . . .
. . . and at night
More wine in the evening
The Bastille Metro Stop
Crown at the Louvre
Such detail
I told Laurie that I would give
her these on our
100th wedding anniversary
The good Lord willing . . .
Nike
Winged Victory
Leonardo Da Vinci's
The Virgin of the Rocks
We checked the back of it for any remaining "Da Vinci Code" clues but it had been wiped clean.
The Mona Lisa
Probably Da Vinci's most famous painting.
At the Louvre you will often see
cultured critics like these two at
the lower right in heated discussions
over the relative merits of a
particular work of art
Vegetable Art
by Giuseppe Arcimboldo
What, more wine?
A steamer trunk can have many
uses in a Parisian apartment
The start of the stairway
in our Paris Apartment
Breakfast discussions with
Dan Spriesterbach were fun
Fireplaces in kitchens
are a must in Paris
As are cane baby chairs
Mini-Statue of Liberty
in the d'Orsay Museum
After all, the one standing tall and proud in New York's harbor was a gift from the people of France in 1886.
Amazing . . .
. . . truly amazing
I need to wear some grapes
in my hair too
Perfection
Whoa!
Teamwork
Gritty
Well isn't he just dandy!
Guardian Angel
The French tricolor dazzling
in the morning sunlight
Sainte-Chapelle Rose Window
Gate in front of . . .
. . . the French Supreme
Court building
Chain, chain, chain . . .
The Galeries Lafayette's
fabulous dome . . .
. . . above its many stories . . .
Looking down into the
Galeries Lafayette
Sometimes this was the best
spot for wifi reception in our
Paris apartment
A lamp
Our room in Paris
had a name
So did Loren and Sandy's
Desserts EVERYWHERE!
Chandeliers for sale at an
outdoor street market . . .
. . . Indoors too
Susie and Laurie
hard at work on another
bottle of wine
LIFE IS GOOD!
And I even lost 1.5 kilos/3.3 lbs. on this wonderful two week adventure to boot!
