Leading Me Home: Our Paris Vacation

Our Paris Vacation - Day 1

This June Michael and I joined my mom and sister on a vacation to Paris, France! We've been looking forward to this trip for a long time, but things started out a little bumpy. Less than 24 hours before we were supposed to leave, Michael received an email saying that our flight to Paris

had been canceled. (!!!!)

After several hours on the phone with United, we learned something about the French. Apparently, they love to strike. And they publicly schedule their strikes -- more as a campaign than to change anything. Lucky us, the French air traffic controllers decided to go on a three day strike the day we were supposed to be flying into Paris. They told the major airlines to cancel 50% of their flights, and ours was one of the flights that got the boot. So instead of flying from Kansas City to Chicago to Paris, we had to fly from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany where we had a 12 HOUR LAYOVER. TWELVE HOURS.

So, in essence, what was supposed to be our first day in Paris was spent in the Frankfurt airport. Not a whole lot going on there, let me tell you.

On our way to Chicago!

First layover in Chicago

After we made it to Germany, we decided that since we were stuck in the airport, we might as well go walk around Frankfurt. One thing I love about Europe is their public transportation! We hopped on the train from the airport and were in downtown Frankfurt in no time flat!

Walking through the Frankfurt train station

Frankfurt train station

We walked around the city and stopped for lunch at a little street deli/cafe. We were in Germany, so what else should we eat except a sausage?!

Not too long after the sausage picture, Michael took the next picture.

The German sausage did NOT agree with my stomach! We spent the last 15 minutes of our hour walk around Frankfurt (not a whole lot to see in that city) desperately searching for a bathroom! I ended up running into some office building, scouring the hallways when a German woman approached me.

She said something to me in German to which I responded, "BATHROOM?!"

German Woman: Blank stare. (She didn't speak English.)

Me: "RESTROOM?!"

German Woman: Blank stare.

Me: "WATER CLOSET?!"

There must have been something about the panic in my eyes/voice that she figured out what I needed and quickly ushered me to a bathroom. Thank you, German woman!! I owe you BIG TIME!

(As I was frantically searching the streets of Frankfurt for a bathroom, I kept replaying in my head the K-Mart commercial "I shipped my pants" and was really hoping I could avoid doing that in the middle of downtown Frankfurt!)

So, after my trip to the random German bathroom, we headed back to the airport to sit and wait for another 10 hours. UGH!!!!

Finally, it was time for our flight to PARIS!!!