We are on our way

 I received a text message bright and early Friday morning saying our flight from Seattle to Charles de Gaulle was delayed.  That made our connection in Charles de Gaulle very tight.  I called Delta to see if this was a problem.  They told me that we did have a possibility of going on a later flight which would go through Mumbai on our way to Chennai.  We opted to risk staying with our current schedule.  After all we had 46 minute in Paris.  

Nathan picked us up at 7 am and got us to the airport.  Traffic was not bad so we got to the airport in plenty of time.  

We decided to do carry-on so that there would not be a chance of losing our luggage somewhere.  The ticket agent assured us that 46 minutes was plenty of time in Paris.

I had TSAPre✓.  So I got through security with plenty of time to get my coffee, even though someone else got my order and they had to redo my order.  George had more trouble because they had to open and search his suitcase.  I guess they were questioning all the stuff George was taking for Rebecca.  

Portland airport

We took off on time.

Typical Portland weather

It was not a full flight and it was a small plane so George and I could each have a window & aisle seat. 1 hour and 10 minute flight.

The weather was clearing as we neared Seattle

Fly-by downtown Seattle.

Seattle airport

When we landed in Seattle I got a message from Delta indicating that they were automatically trying to reschedule our Paris - Chennai flight.  That concerned me so I walked down to the help desk.  They assured me that they were not trying to reschedule our flight.  They suggested that we wait until we get to Paris and if we do in fact miss our flight then there is another flight that will get us to Chennai at 8:55 am instead of 12:20 am. 

Very helpful help desk

We had lunch while we waited (4 hours)

We split the Garden Plate.  We did not want a big meal because we knew that food was waiting for us on the flight.

We had a nice flight.  We each got a pillow and blanket.  It was a 9 hour and 28 minutes flight.  I watched 3 1/2 movies: A Simple Wish, Kubo and the 2 Strings, Cinderella, and part of Mississippi Masala.  It just did not grab me.  

Dinner was butter chicken for me and mushroom risotto for George

It was quite tasty.

Not so tasty. For breakfast.

On the plane I got the message again that they were automatically rebooking us.  When we got off the plane there was a ticket agent standing with a sign for all Chennai, Mumbai,  and Dubai passengers.  Now we had no choice.  Because of the delay we missed our flight going directly to Chennai, so they put us on a flight to Mumbai and then a connection to Chennai.  We get in about 8 hours later than we were supposed to. But at least we had a reservation.  The agent snuck us through a back door for a shortcut to our gate.  She gave us a food voucher but we had no time to enjoy it.  Besides we were both full.  

Charles de Gaulle airport vertical garden.  No time for Lauderee macarons. 

We got on our flight to Mumbai.  It was an Air France flight.  The food was not as good as the Delta, which was surprising.  We had 2 meals but I did not take pictures.  Both flights they did push the wine.  This was listed as a 7 hour and 37 minute flight. I watched An American in Paris with Gene Kelly. Great dancing, but not a very gripping story. Not very many movie choices. George enjoyed hearing all the French.

I started playing Angry Birds

Then George played as well.  

The flight was a little longer than the 7 hours because we had to circle over Mumbai a while.  I might have dozed a tiny bit.

We finally landed at 11:48 pm so I had a chance to quickly play a game of Wordle.  It was the first chance I had for March 2.

Mumbai is huge, clean and very quiet at midnight

Everything went pretty smoothly

But then we got to the line for going through security for our flight to Chennai.  Ugh.  It moved very slowly.  No Global Entry line for faster service.  After being in that line for about 45 minutes an official came by calling for people connecting on a domestic flight.  That was us.  There were several people who followed him to stand in another line, it was actually a line for first class but since no one was in that line we were the lucky ones.  We were there about 15 minutes.  We had to take almost everything out of our suitcase.  They took my nail clippers, tweezers, and folding collapsible scissors (which do not have a pointy tip and are not sharp).  Oh well.

We found a place to sit and hang out.  We had about 5 hours to wait for our next flight.  I called the hotel to change our shuttle time.  I had tried to cancel the hotel earlier but it was too late so we decided to go there so that we can shower and have a good breakfast before heading to the beach resort.  The earlier plan had been to go there and get some sleep.  We will have our same shuttle to the beach.  So we will get there the same time as before only with no chance to try to sleep.

I saw a sign for filter coffee which I HAD TO HAVE. Ah this is the life: filter coffee and blogging. 

So far 17.75 hours of actual flight time.

So I am going to end this and put the last leg of our trip to Chennai on my next blog entry.

India Here We Come!!

On March 1, 2024, George and I are flying to Chennai, India to meet up with some of my high school classmates. Most of us will connect in Mahabalipuram (a beach resort south of Chennai). We will go to Kodaikanal (where we went to school) together where we will meet up with others in our class.  We will spend about a week in Kodai.  Then George and I will fly to Mumbai to meet up with Rebecca.  We will get to meet the people who are important to her and to see where she is living.  We will get to Miraj to see where my parents worked and died.  We will return on March 18th. I will plan to blog, but my first entry may not be until March 3rd when we actually arrive in India. 

Albuquerque to home

Debbie and I met Steve at the Range for breakfast at 7:30 am.  We had said our good-byes to Jennifer yesterday.  She was not going to join us for breakfast

Cute decor

I had the eggs Benedict.

We said goodbye to Steve.  There was a Starbucks close so we walked to it for a cup of coffee.  Then we drove back to Old Town.  Debbie wanted to look a a bracelet she had seen on Saturday.  

She couldn't decide between the black and the blue opals so she got them both.

A nice bright bunch of chilis

We dinked around in some other shops until lunchtime.  (You would think that all we have done on the trip is eat!! That is what it feels like to me, too!!)

We met Lynn for lunch at the Flying Star.  Finding parking was a real problem.  But we did finally find a place after circling around a few times.  

Tilework on the walls

California Melt with sweet potato fries.  Yummy.  I saved half the sandwich for the flight home. 

Next door was a bookstore.  We hung around there for a while.

Book store mural.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Lynn.  We headed off to buy gas before turning in the car at the rental place.  We got to the airport in time to have a glass of wine.

The snow has almost all melted.

Sculpture in the airport

Wine at the Watch.  

Nice sunset. 

The flight to Seattle was uneventful.

Debbie and I landed in Seattle on Concourse S.  We had to take the train to the other concourses.  That train was broken.  Finally, they hauled it away and another train came but it went the wrong way because of the previous train.  So once we got to the A Concourse, I just thought that I would walk to C.  But no!! Once you have gotten off the train then you have left security.  It was the right place for Debbie, though, so we said our goodbyes.  She has a 2-hour drive home.  I had to go through security again.  What a pain just to even find the TSA Pre-check line.  Whew.  I got through with no problem.  I got to my gate ok.  But then I had to wait.  My flight to Portland was delayed. As I was boarding I got a text from Debbie.  She had arrived at her home safely. My flight was a short one.  George met me. I got home at about 1 am.  It was a long day. 

Saturday in Albuquerque

 We went to bed early last night.  But unfortunately, I woke up extra early this morning.  

 The Embassy Suites are nice because they have a living room and a bedroom.  So when I got up early I could do my coffee and blog without disturbing Debbie.  Debbie gave me some Kuju pour-over coffee packets.  Very interesting.  It may end out being my new travel coffee system, at least for my India trip next year.

My coffee set up.  No muss no fuss!

We headed down for breakfast aroun 7 am.

Our hotel

After breakfast we headed to a close Starbucks.  It was 32 degrees out, but we decided to walk to Starbucks anyway.  it was only 3 blocks away.  It is the only Starbucks I have been to that had no chairs.  I guess it is in a bad neighborhood and they have had problems. We did not stay long.

We decided to head into Old Town to ramble around.  We poked in some shops and found a few fun things.  I had to download the Passport Parking App so that we could park the car.  

A purple tree in one of the stores.  

We may have to go back and spend more time there.  We had to head out to get to Steve and Jennifer's by 11:30 am for lunch.  

Steve drove us to The Indigo Crow for lunch.  It was about 1/2 hour away.  

Debbie had the Catalina salad.  Very interesting presentation.  It was quite yummy. I got a taste.

I had a delicious grilled chicken BLT and beet salad.  It was also very good.  Jennifer had the beet salad with salmon and Steve had the apple, walnut salad.  

Steve & Jennifer's place

After we got back to Steve & Jennifer's, Debbie and I headed back to hotel.  She had a chance to go down to the exercise room and I relaxed.  

Debbie had arranged to meet up with Lynn for dinner.  Lynn is Steve's ex-wife.  They were together at the time that Debbie came to live with them when our mom died. Debbie has kept up with her.  

Debbie and I went down to the lounge to wait for Lynn to arrive and to wait for the lounge to open up.  

Lynn and Debbie

Once the lounge opened up we each ordered a glass of wine. It was nice catching up. At 6 pm I headed out to meet Steve and Jennifer to go to dinner.  Debbie went to dinner with Lynn. We went to High Noon.  

I had a veggie burrito.  It was very good.

Once we both got back to the room we went down to get a glass of wine and then watched When Harry Met Sally.  That was fun.  I pointed out Katz's Deli to Debbie when we came to that scene.  

Albuquerque

Debbie and I decided that it would be nice to go visit Steve & Jennifer.

 Debbie drove down to an airport hotel near Seatac Thursday afternoon so that she cold get the early flight to Portland.  Even still she had to get up at 3 am to get to her flight.  Friday morning at 6:30 am George drove me to the airport.  I wanted to get there in time to meet Debbie's flight.  I had a little issue.  I got there early enough that I decided to go to the Made in Oregon shop.  I thought it was on the D concourse.  I thought that I could take the connector hall over to D.  I was on B.  But no, I found out that the Made in Oregon was on C.  But I found that out after I had left B.  So I had to go through security again.  This time they did not like my coffee maker.  The food court was also over on C so I texted Debbie to tell her to meet me there.  That worked out well.  We had a nice breakfast at Henry's Tavern.  We each had the classic breakfast, eggs, bacon, biscuit/toast.  It was tasty.  It was too early in the morning so I wasn't thinking about pictures.

Portland Airport

See the fighter jet in the background.  We saw about 4 of them take off as we were boarding plane.    THEY WERE LOUD!!!

Debbie got photo bombed.

Me and Debbie

The flight was uneventful.

Albuquerque

Snow on the Sandia Mountains

Steve met our flight.  

We went to his place, Jennifer was there.  It was nice to catch up a little.

Steve had a picture of mom's family.

Grandma, David, Mom, Grandpa, and Florence.  

Grandma (Barbara) was step-mom to David and mom. After Florence there were two more siblings, Paul & Eleanor.

We then headed to the Embassy Suites to check in.  

Debbie with our rental car, Mazda.  Debbie did the driving.

Embassy Suites

At 5 pm we headed off to have dinner at Perry's, our niece.     It was nicely decorated.

Willa (3 years old)

Debbie, Steve, Jennifer, Perry

Wyatt (5 years old)

Delicious lasagna and salad dinner.

Jennifer brought a Chantilly cake which was gorgeous and delicious.  I thought I had taken a picture of it, but I guess it didn't turn out. 

Perry's husband Dan, wasn't there because he had to work.  He is a doctor.  When they first moved to Albuquerque, his job was in Santa Fe.  But now his job is at a hospital about 12 minutes drive away.  That is much nicer.

We did not hang around long because it was bath and bedtime for the kids.  We stopped at the Embassy Suites bar to each get a glass of wine to take up to our room.