The Pre-Trip Kickoff
Jorene arrived Saturday evening after braving a horrible rainstorm driving in from Huntsville. To kick off the trip, we hit Target for snacks and caught up over a margarita at Habaneros, laughing about our 32-year friendship and all the adventures we’ve shared—and the ones we were about to start!
We finally crawled into bed around midnight, setting the alarm for 5:00 AM. And by alarm, I mean my Chihuahua Lily demanding her breakfast right on time!
TSA and the Cinnabon Reward
Gary picked us up right at 7:45 AM to head to McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS). Knowing the airport has been busier lately, we wanted plenty of time. Good thing we did, because the TSA agent announced I was the “lucky winner” randomly selected for additional screening! Luckily, a quick phone swab later, I passed with flying colors.
We celebrated making it through security with a mandatory Cinnabon cinnamon roll before trekking through the “massive” terminal to Gate 5 for our quick 30-minute hop to Atlanta.
Atlanta Layover and Touching our Stuff
Once in Atlanta, we had a solid four hours to kill. We made our way to the international terminal for some lunch and espresso martinis at TGI Fridays. After eating, we headed to Gate E30 only to realize our flight had been moved all the way to E8! Oh well, at least we got our steps in before the long haul.
All through the airport, we had been jokingly going overboard by constantly checking to be sure we had our passports with us every few minutes. Jorene said a friend of hers always had to touch her stuff when she traveled to be sure she still had everything, so we had fun touching our passports and laughing about it the entire time. When it came time to board, Delta’s touchless facial recognition boarding made getting onto the plane an absolute breeze.
Life Advice at 40,000 Feet
The highlight of the flight was our purser, Tony, who kept the cabin laughing with his comedic announcements. When he noticed a lady sitting alone in a three-seat row, he joked that he was going to find the absolute worst person to sit next to her. When she replied that he should just sit there, he laughed and said his wife of 22 years had his wedding ring rigged so it wouldn’t come off. The lady mentioned she had a boyfriend, prompting Tony to deliver the absolute quote of the day:
“Don’t let your boyfriend stand in the way of meeting your soulmate!”
Despite a minor ground delay for weather and a bumpy start that delayed dinner, the flight was great. Neither of us slept much, but I managed to watch the movie Michael, take a few catnaps, and chat the hours away.
Mid-flight, I had a brief panic attack remembering a random WhatsApp message from someone claiming to be our driver—I was convinced we were being scammed! Thankfully, a little mid-air research and confirmation from Viator put my mind at ease.
Touchdown in Paris!
We landed safely, met our actual driver Steve, and were whisked away to the CitizenM hotel to let the Paris adventures officially begin! 🥖✈️🇫🇷
