Too bad the flight was intolerable. The pitch between seats was below the minimum. And why was it so cheap? Because you get nothing: pay extra for meals, drinks, pillows and even headsets.
Fortunately, I fell asleep for most of the 5 hours.
Then Customs in that place. Sure, the stews were mostly blondes, and quite attractive, but in the short time wandering around the airport, I was convinced of having no intention to ever visit that hell-hole.
The 2nd leg was a little better, but not much!
Arrival in CDG was on time @ 1:05 p.m. I had pre-arranged a private limo thru the lady (Eva) whose apartment I was renting. She used this service often and they knew exactly the location. The only negative was the hit - 78 Euros.
But it was a Merc -and the ride was smooth albeit a little slow, due to traffic.
And we were there, being greeted by Sam the apartment mgr. We got into what must have been the world's smallest elevator. I am talking no more than 18" wide X 60" long. It was a late addition to this classic Art Nouveau style building constructed in 1903. But for the 7th floor, it was a god-send. He made 2 trips for the luggage and then I forked over 17 Euros for all the food & drinks he had pre-purchased on my behalf.
So how much? Well the going rate for this 50+ sq. m. loft was 1,500 Euros a week. However, one of my interns last summer told me about this place owned by his mother. I contacted her, introduced myself, and asked for a better rate. We settled at 1,050 for the week. All the loot had to be bank-wired in advance, in 2 payments.
It was now time to purchase a phone card (15 E.); and stock up on champagne, wine, and other supplies. I popped in to a snack joint and picked up a pair of shwarmas to go (1 chicken; 1 beef). They hit the spot. That, plus some wine, plus minimal sleep, proved to be an insurmountable toll on my head, and it was lights out, early.
Dr. J.