07-12 Back to the USA; Paris to LA

Up early today (5am) to catch our Magic Shuttle from the Sequoia Lodge to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport. We are out of the room at 6:45 and ride the 7:00 shuttle to CGD. We have our boarding passes and our bags are checked by 8:35. Now over to the Tax Refund Company (there's a line). We show them all the paperwork and they stamp each one approved. But then to actually get the cash you have to go to another line, a short walk away. We are only behind one person but the people currently at the windows take a while. We got back $4.00 cash. Three of the biggest receipts had to be dropped into the box for a refund to be mailed to us. Those receipts were from Norway. We'll see how that works out.

Now on to the security line. Just as we arrived in this area the police started blowing whistles, lots of whistles. Some unchecked bag is causing security issues and they shut down this security area. We have not moved and we can't see if we are in a security line, in a priority line or we are not really to the line yet and can't see if it's not really a line. Finally we moved and now we are in a security line to get our bags and bodies scanned. There is a passport check and then through the scanners we go.

There is now no time to visit the First Class Lounge or even time to buy a water bottle. They are boarding our plane already when we arrive at the gate. There's no option other than to smile and keep moving.

Then we wait an entire hour on the plane for people stuck in the security line. Great for them, but really bad for everybody on the plane that has a connecting flight in Boston – including us. We have a two hour layover scheduled in Boston and needed to do customs there as well. At least we have "comfortable" seats.

They finally close the doors at 11:34 and we take off at 11:57. It's a 7:45 minute flight. We are an hour late leaving.  

Arrived in Boston at 1:45pm.  Over to the baggage claim. We wait for our two bags, then we head for Customs. By now it's 2:10 and we have a 2:45 flight. We are at the re-check baggage check for Delta. The agent is so busy not paying attention to us, but helping her coworker do her client, and then told us we couldn't make the flight. So we ended up on a new flight, of course, in different seats, but still First Class. With a little help and a flight delay of 10 -15 minutes, I think we could have made it. But now we get to sit in the Sky Lounge for four hours. Woohoo.

At the boarding time we went down to our gate only to find out our plane had just landed and people were disembarking. Now there's a weather issue delaying us further.

We finally take off about 50 minutes late at 6:55 pm.

Tried to sleep, but these seats, even though they are first class, are very uncomfortable to try to sleep in. The center arm rest is very hard and you’re too far away from the window to lean on them.

Down to baggage claim to get our luggage. Into our Execu-Car at 10:05. Not clean and smells. Arrive hotel at 10:50. Check in at the Clarion Hotel and in our room at 10:55.

Fortunately, we don't have many 27 hour days on our itinerary.