I left home before dawn this morning, heading for France. Since I was using frequent flier miles to cover the trip, I ended up with a more involved route than I like. American and United have the best connections out of my home airport in Fresno, so I try to fly to one of their nearest hubs -- Los Angeles, San Francisco or Dallas -- then direct from the hub to Europe. Given a choice of one long flight versus changing planes en route, I'll take the long flight any day. Overall travel time is less and, once I'm settled in my seat, I sleep most of the way.

This time out I flew United, with stop overs in Los Angeles and Chicago before reaching Paris. I couldn't argue with the cost, though, and all legs of the flights went smoothly. On time departures and arrivals, and only some minor turbulence. As a pilot once told me, any time take-offs = landings, it's a successful trip.

I arrived in Paris to a beautiful, sunny day. As the plane came in to land, we were treated to views of central Paris, the Seine River winding through, and the Eiffel Tower standing proudly above it all. I have a group arriving tomorrow morning so, despite the enticing views, I opted to stay at a hotel at the airport rather than going into the city today. The hotel didn't have a room ready for me yet at 9:30 when I arrived, and I spent the next several hours in the lobby, working at my laptop. Fortunately they do have wi-fi.

By 12:30 a room was ready, just as my laptop's battery was giving out. The rest of the day has been spent enjoying the lovely view shown here, reconfirming some details for my upcoming tour, and reading up to refresh my memory of the places we'll be touring. Ahhhh, the romantic life of a tour guide.

Tags: Paris

To feel at home, stay at home. A foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.

-- Clifton Fadiman, American Essayist

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"Four hoarse blasts of a ship's whistle still raise the hair on my neck and set my feet to tapping. The sound of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping of shod hooves on pavement brings on the ancient shudder, the dry mouth and vacant eye, the hot palms and the churn of stomach high up under the rib cage."

-- John Steinbeck, American novelist, Travels with Charley

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La Dolça Herminia
Magdalenes 27, Barcelona
Tel. 933-170-676
www.ladolcaherminia.com
Hours: 13:00 to 15:30 & 20:30 to 23:30
Open Daily
Average Price: €20 per person

Excellent Mediterranean food at reasonable prices, in a very nice setting. Popular with locals but not a lot of tourists have found it yet. Located between the cathedral and Palau de la Musica Catalana. An outstanding value at lunch, when they have a fixed price menu for around €10.
No reservations accepted, and it’s always packed, so arrive early.

Tags: Barcelona

If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then where ever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.

-- Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Tags: Paris