Travel can be glamourous or exasperating. More and more, with all the cutbacks and nickel-and-diming of various carriers, most of the fun has been completely sucked out of what can and should be an exciting adventure, getting from one place to another. And airports are part of the equation. They should be places that exalt the process of a voyage, but often they too destroy all the life and fun of it with their ugly furniture, dark hallways, cramped lounges and musty corners. CDG in Paris is different, and even as they have added a multitude of terminals over the years, it has always kept its airy, open, futuristic feel. It makes one not only want to travel and dream of distant voyages, it also manages another equally important function: It calms and reassures one before a long trip. The collection of beautiful, soaring spaces and lounges is for me a welcome antidote to most airports which are crowded angry spaces that are overflowing with people in badly designed departure areas. While the airport is quite spread out, it is very easy to get from one terminal to another and one never feels rushed or pushed. As I sit here in my departure lounge, waiting to board a long flight back to NYC, I am at peace. (Except for the screaming child-monster 10 feet away from me whose mother seems to be completely deaf.)
This cracks me up. Arriving at the Hamburg airport, I pass this charming little glass smoke house reserved for all those that just HAVE TO smoke. Olaf tells me that especially in the mornings, there are a fair amount of people shoehorned into this tiny, smoky, smelly room, and they come out of there looking rather unhappy.
Josh and I are at the airport, awaiting our flight out to NYC. We spent the last day of our trip in Rio, enoying the beach and the gawking for one more day. The drive back was very easy (Gabe) and returning the car and checking in at the airport was a breeze (Gabe).
I have some mixed feelings about our trip back to NYC. On the one hand, I am excited to be moving to New York, and looking forward to the thrill and challenges that await. Not exactly in opposition to these feelings, I am also a little wistful about ending this part of the amazing journey I have been so fortunate to have been on these past 27 months. This is really the end of a particular chapter in my life and the beginning of another. It was especially nice sharing the last couple of weeks with my cousin Josh, acting as a kind of bridge between these two worlds.
I am at the airport, awaiting my flight out to Cancun. Security at the checkpoints seemed pretty lax, or at least it was for me. I could be wrong, but it seemed like the whiter people were having a much easier time getting through, while the locals were being checked more thoroughly. Because of this, I get to my gate much earlier than expected and I decide to crack open the laptop and look for WiFi. Security is pretty lax here too. It is supposed to cost $9.95 for a 24hr WiFi pass, but I got around this pretty easily and am happily surfing for free.
See you in the Yucatan…
