People, Places: Raison d’être

See you in Paris!

“See you in Paris” is one of my favorite phrases, and it’s what my friend said to me when she was in Boston a few weeks ago.  She now lives in London, so we only see each other once or twice a year.  Another friend has since decided to join us for the weekend, so I couldn’t be happier.

I’m beginning to lose track of how many times I’ve traveled across the pond for Thanksgiving.  It’s become a tradition. Certainly one I can live with.

I leave on Friday, and I’m in rapid execution of to-do list mode.  Work days leading up to vacation always seem to be more hectic than usual.  Tasks pop up during the week that throw off carefully planned time management. In the end, it all gets done.

I originally thought I’d practice French an hour a day leading up to the trip to retrain my ear.  That never happened, and there is no time now.  I thought about bringing my CD Walkman, so I can listen on the plane and during layovers.  Yes, I wrote CD Walkman.  My recently purchased iPhone is the only modern device I own.  My love of travel requires cuts in other areas. Don’t worry, I’m not going to bring it.

I will be sitting on a plane Friday night on route to Paris, and you can be sure I will have a smile from ear to ear. Well, at least until the person in front of me reclines their seat into my knees.

I made the same trip last year, and I was recently thinking about the guy that sat next to me on that trip. Whatever happened to him?  I flew Air France on an Airbus 340.  This plane has two seats, aisle, four in the middle aisle two seats.  However, my row, way back in the plane turned to three seats in the middle, and we were staggered between the seats in front of us instead of directly behind.

As a result of the set up, I had to lean to the left or right to view the personal TV screen on the back of the seat in front of me, and I had to straddle my feet around the base of that seat.  To keep things in perspective, I just reminded myself it was a direct flight, and I was on my way to Paris. No biggie.

I was in one aisle seat, there was a man in the middle seat next to me, but the aisle seat to his right was empty.  As the plan filled up, I commented that I thought we’d luck out with the empty seat.  Clearly, I expected him to move over into that empty aisle seat.  Who likes the middle seat?  Door closed, and he remained in the middle seat. Wow.  Just my luck.  It could have been a Seinfeld episode.  “Move over!” “What’s wrong with you?”  I could imagine Elaine saying.

I largely ignored him and watched movies, but during dinner service we talked a bit.  This is where it gets interesting.  The 50 or 60-something year old man was from the Cape.  He was on his way to Switzerland to meet his girlfriend.  I asked what she was doing there.  It turns out they met online and had been “skype-dating” up to that point. Really? Who does that?  Of course this piques my interest.  So, I commented, “so this will be the first time you meet in person? Your first date?”  Yep! Although, he hadn’t thought of it as the first date.

I asked if he had traveled internationally before.  He asked if Mexico and Hawaii counted, and he wasn’t joking.  I explained that off the mainland doesn’t count as International, but he gets credit for Mexico.  Now, I was thinking of Jay Leno interviewing people on the street.

Anyway, he had to get his passport last minute, booked that trip, and he already had booked tickets for her to visit the US during Christmas. Ambitious I thought. That was a turning point.  I found myself giving him travel advice. Explaining he should expect significant charges if he didn’t upgrade his cell phone calling plan before he left. I advised that he should text instead.  It’s cheaper. A middle class guy well beyond a mid-life crisis. What was he thinking? This was an expensive adventure for him.

I asked if his kids knew where he was going and why.  He said his son did.  Good, let him worry I thought.  I slowly realized that his guy probably didn’t move seats because he was an inexperienced traveler.  I suppose he thought he had to remain in his assigned seat. Also, he was nervous.

I hope it turned out well for him.  I’m hoping for an empty seat next to me this trip, but it not, I might get another interesting story to tell.

November 16, 2011 Posted by aburnis | Europe, Paris, Uncategorized | Leave a comment