It was touch & go but after a two hour delay, Delta took off. Funny thing was I had been reading about how “on-time” they boasted. 100% of their flights arrived as proclaimed, except for today. What I am unsure of is, will we make our connection from Seattle to Paris?!?! After the electrical malfunction was declared fixed, we lifted off 1-1/2 hours late. We now have a tight 30 minute connection, so let’s see how those cortisone shots worked on our aging knees. Stay tuned…

As proclaimed, Delta made it happen. We landed in Seattle, and George and I sprinted across the airport. Yep, you read that right! Across the corridor, down and up countless flights of stairs and escalators from one terminal, to a train and up to another terminal. We actually arrived with 15 minutes to spare and a bit out of breath! Whether our bags make it, well that’s a wait and see game but we are on our final leg to Paris.

I haven’t flown on Delta much. But I’m sure I’ll be flying again. Pillows, blankets and drinks were promptly provided. No delays from Seattle and we were on our way. We are flying a big Air Bus-330, hopefully not the same plane that the doors came off! We have plenty of leg room in Business Class, which after last years cramped quarters, I splurged and went big. More space, which in the end didn’t cost much extra, being you get one bag checked for free. All I carried on was a shoulder bag, and George had his man purse. Thank goodness, as we had little to slow us down on our unexpected afternoon sprints.

I watched three movies, had two glasses of wine, dinner and breakfast and slept for 30 minutes tops! Flying and sleeping don’t really go hand in hand! But the Flight Attendants were accommodating and we were well taken care of.

We arrived in Paris at 1:30pm, a bit early with sunshine and a few scattered clouds. Customs was a breeze, we picked up our luggage, yes it made it and found our way to the Train Station. That was another bit of a walk, but after sitting for 12 hours on planes, it was welcomed.

Paris feels safe with the extra Police lurking around everywhere. They helped us in finding the right train, the gal at the Train Kiosk assisted with purchasing the correct tickets for our train excursion, and we were well on our way.

The Train was more of a Metro, but clean enough with many people getting off and on. We had one connection to make, which was pretty seamless. As we walked to our next and final train, it had just arrived. We found a seat and we were off to our final stop. The transportation in France, and Europe for that matter, is pretty darn efficient.

We popped up like a mole from underground, around 3:30pm, and walked a mile to our lovely home for the next week. The local market, had our keys, talked with the owner who was quite friendly and made our way to Franck’s Apartment. Thank goodness for lifts, being we are on the 7th Floor. It’s quite the view from up here! I picked this Apartment for a couple of reasons. The outdoor patio, the location and all the five-star reviews! It’s nice having a flat in Paris for a few days and taking in the sights of the city. We have arrived!

The 17th Arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 Arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as le dix-septième. The arrondissement, known as Batignolles-Monceau, is situated on the right bank of the River Seine. This s is where we are.

In 2019, it had a population of 166,543. It borders the inner suburbs of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Levallois-Perret and Clichy in Hauts-de-Seine to the northwest, as well as Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine in Seine-Saint-Denis to the northeast. It’s all foreign to me but I’m sure in the next couple of days, I’ll have the lay of the land, just before we leave. I can tell you one thing, we can see the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Norte Dame from our deck. I think we’ll stay for awhile!

Thank you Lord for protecting us, directing our plane safely and landing us in this incredible city. Bless the people who helped us along the way, and our steps as we travel through.