Saturday, February 27, 2010

Burnt out in France - Back in the good old USA

Yes, we have them, our passports! In a record breaking one hour, 54 minutes we were in and out of the American embassy, passports in hand.


Considered a hardship case, we had no problem getting them. But it seems they keep changing the rules. Just last year emergency passports were valid for a year. No more. Just three months but that is long enough for our week long trip.

This trip had been planned since December. My daughter Samantha and I went for 10 days in august but because Alexandra was studying for the Science Po examination she didn’t come. This time Samantha is in school while her sister has a week-long vacation. The timing is perfect and will use the opportunity to replace our clothes.

We usually visit my parents once or twice a year. With my mom 90 this year and my father 94, it is important we go. But this is the first time in 39 years that I am arriving with a bag of dirty clothes. The last time was when I was Alexandra’s age, 19. Oh, well, 39 years later I am back to the same, bringing dirty clothes home. There is a lot less this time. Three pairs of undies and four pairs of socks. And they aren’t even mine! However, I am the one that dirtied them.

I was explaining to Alexandra that I am such a Cro-Magnon I remember traveling before needing all those security measures. I remember arriving at the last moment running up the stairs of the plane.

At that time people wanted to travel not to kill.

Have you noticed that you pay more to go to the states now and yet there are no longer non-stop flights? I don’t know when it happened, I only noticed when I went in August.

 So today we went Paris-Zurich, Zurich-Los Angeles. I passed thru like a breeze in Paris, not even my newly installed hip didn’t sing out. In Zurich it wasn’t the same song. First my hip passing thru….sung out. And, the Swiss don’t want to hear about a changed hip, they want security so I ducked into the “frisking room” for a major “frisk”. I wasn’t so frisky when I left, but my hip was pronounced secure.

Arriving in Santa Barbara after traveling 30 hours, We discover there is a "warning" about possible strong waves due to the earthquake in Chili!  But I am a California girl and undaunted.  We have already gone to Target and I now have clean socks and underwear!

Kristi Anderson is the orignal owner of Tea & Tattered Pages and until February 6, 2010 ran a bed and breakfast near Orléans.
kristi anderson
le saint jacques le coin perdu
15, place de l'église
45240 Ligny le Ribault
TheAmericanFrog@aol.com

1 comment:

  1. Glad the tsunami did not reach Santa Babara. The twins survived the quake in Chile.

    They are safe and unhurt. The family they were staying with are all safe & well. They have been sleeping outside for 3 nights.

    No power, no water, no radio, no TV, no Internet, no phone, no cell phones. They just today managed to get a generator & for the first time some cell phone coverage.

    There were 10 people asleep when the 1st quake struck. Thankfully all scrambled out safely, however the house is severely damaged / destroyed.

    The neighbourhood is also severely damaged, with major infrastructure failures.

    They are going up to Santiago, in next few days and then leave perhaps next week to go up to northern part of Chile which is unaffected.

    Unfortunately they will not be near email for some days yet.

    xxx Anjie

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