So It Begins, parts one, two, and three!

Friday, July 22, 2022

and Saturday, July 23, 2022

We're off to a great start!  The pest-control guy was on time (8:00-10:00 shudder!) and that gave me plenty of time to do all those pesky last-minute things!  I was at Betsy's before 1:30, my self-imposed deadline, and she and Roddy graciously deposited me at TPA around two for my 4:41 flight to Atlanta, leg one.  I had been fretting because when I printed my boarding passes I got two of the TPA-ATL flight, one of the CDG-TBL and none for the flight from Atlanta to Paris!!  Must just have been a computer glitch because the nice ticket agent (who loves everyone!) had no trouble printing the correct ones!

No problem with TSA. no problem finding my gate, lots of time to clean-up emails and eat a snack!

The short flight to Atlanta was uneventful.  In face, the lady next to me had a fur baby under the seat in front of her and I never even knew!!  She had just adopted her this afternoon and what a well behaved (or traumatizedd??) baby she was.  (There wasn't even a package of peanuts;  but I'd rather be on time than fed!)

My next flight leaves from the international terminal, of course, so I ride the plane train and find my new gate like a pro!  The sign says that it will be on time and I'm happy to take them at their word!!  More when I know more!  In the mean time, here's a couple of pictures of the enormous flamingo that is being constructed in the middle of TPA!!

Not quite seeeing eye to eye!

From this angle she looks like a velociraptor!!

Things are going swimmingly!  The flight to Atlanta was speedy and, although I had to change from a domestic terminal to the international one, the plane train got me there in plenty of time! The Atlanta to Paris leg of the trip was on Air France, a Delta partner and it was lovely. We all lined up according to zone number and that eliminated the jockeying for position that so often occurs. I had been able to secure another window seat near the front and settled in easily. 

It took a while, I'm ashamed to admit!  But I don't know what the silver bits are above 
the continents!

Such a gorgeous dress!

It was sunrise as we were taxiing.

Dinner came a couple of hours into the flight and the attendant distributed trays and drinks (red wine, thank you very much) and asked if we would like a glass of champagne!  Never one to turn down the bubbly, I certainly agreed. It's a nine-hour flight. Time for several movies and an attempt at a nap. On the playlist were: "An American Pickle" with Seth Rogan, Kenneth Branagh's "Belfast", and "Lady of the Manor", a cute ghost story.

That's chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli (?) in what might be red-pepper sauce and there is a salad with chickpeas and bulgur, roll, butter, cheddar cheese, chocolate chip cake, and water.  And, of course, the wines.

Breakfast was the typical French carb-heavy meal with a regular roll, a hot croissant, a blueberry muffin, butter, cream cheese, and strawberry jam. And it all came in the cutest little bag!

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In Charles DeGaulle airport we had to go through security, but it moved very quickly.  As we approached the line there was a woman giving out plastic bags for your liquids, in case you had forgotten.  And as I was lining up, one of the attendants ushered me to a much shorter line!

You can watch what's going on from the tail camera!

Paris loves us!  

Then began the trek to another terminal, but, again, there's a train and an attendant to make sure people knew where they were going, although the signage is very good.  I'm all settled at my last gate an hour and a half early and the sign says this last flight will also be on time!  I've been in touch with Ammar and he is pleased with the hotel, so that's a good thing!

I do have to admit that it took me a little while to find the Tbilisi flight on the display board.  I was a little panicked because all the times I saw were between 25 and 30 minutes and I knew I was earlier than that!!  After reading all the screen, like we taught our kids in the library, I realized that those numbers were travel time to the gate!!  Blush!  So far I've been up just five minutes shy of twenty-four hours!

More later!

You know it's an international airport when the ATMs give money
in pounds, dollars, and euros!

Glass walkways to the planes fight claustrophobia, but sure get hot!

Such a pretty building!

More carbs!!

Another sunset!

And it's later! The flight from Paris to Tbilisi was fairly uneventful.  I was in the middle seat of the exit row, so I had to stash by backpack.  And there were no screens.  I mostly closed my eyes and hoped for the ever illusive sleep fairy to do her magic, in vain as it turned out. The nice man who helped me stash my bag also retrieved it for me.  Then it was on to passport control where the policeman pointed me toward one of the "Georgian passports" lines!  It worked!  I guess that's how they keep the lines moving so quickly.  The lady of the stamp was surprised that this is my third visit to the country. (It's Ammar's fifth!)

On to baggage claim, a restroom stop, and out the archway to meet Ammar!  Yay!  He takes my bag and ushers me outside to our waiting taxi.  It figures that he's already made a taxi-driver friend.  Rati tells us when he will be on duty so we can call him.  Our hotel is catty corner from the opera, so it's easy to find. It's a family boutique hotel with the daughter "personning" the desk and mom cleaning the rooms. And it has a lift!  After Scotland I really appreciate lifts!!

The room is lovely with a balcony and a view of the ferris wheel and all the comforts you'd expect.  While I shower Ammar goes downstairs and arranges to have pizza and salad delivered.  I'm so excited about vegetables!!  Air France doesn't seem to believe in them! It's about eleven thirty here and I'm about played out!  Tomorrow is a brand new day!