Aug 17 - what day is it anyway ?

Which day am I blogging for ? I'm confused. Anyway, we are now in Paris. The flight went very well -- we're very, very impressed with Air Transat. From the check-in experience to landing, everything went like clockwork. Heck, we even have all of our luggage !

The first bag out was the bike, on the special/oversized rollers. The other three seemed to take forever, but baggage was coming in dribs and drabs. The Immigration and Customs experience was so different from what we're used to -- a guy was stamping passports without even comparing you to your picture. At customs, after luggage collection, there was no-one. They were in another room and ignoring the stream of passengers.

We landed at 12:10 and we got to the hotel around 3:30 -- everything takes time. It was well after 1pm by the time we had our luggage. We walked endlessly, it seemed, to where we got the shuttle train to Terminal 1 (Terminal 3 is a satellite). The car rental was efficient and the cars were parked at the in-terminal parking -- bonus, no bus ! -- and then I got the bike NAV loaded with the Europe data card, input the destination and then Sandy read off the turns on the highways all the way to St. Quentin en Yvelines and our hotel.

Along the way we discovered that our car, a Mercedes Class A, has a NAV. Another bonus ! It took some help to figure out how the back seats flipped forward so that the backs could flip down and then all the luggage could be loaded. It's a neat little car, the first diesel that I've driven apart from construction equipment. When this one is turned in after the ride, we switch for a VW Golf diesel -- another 5 door, with a manual transmission -- for the next phase in our adventure.

The restaurant was closing but the charming English girl managed to make us a sandwich. Lunch turned heavy with the cheese and bread buffet, glass of wine/beer. I know, it wasn't 5pm yet, but we were due. I had wanted to have a beer at the Montreal airport but turned down the $8 offering.

Getting our luggage into the room and the bike box into a room reserved for such on the main level, Sandy started her snooze while I tended to the bike. All together, not looking any worse for wear, I had a shower and then a snooze. It's 7:45 p.m. local time now and Sandy is in the shower; we'll head down for some dinner soon.

Tomorrow ... test ride with the bike ... perhaps go to Versailles. This hotel is full of cyclists, it seems, even though it's on a golf course. Having said that, I only saw one person I know. I expect that may change soon, even as soon as dinner.

Onward !