Adieux

day 75  //  paris  //  florence

Commence our last day in Paris. So we thought. We woke up, finished packing up, and headed down to our hotel's continental breakfast. Then our taxi picked us up and took us to the airport. We didn't know what terminal we were at, so he didn't know where to take us. It didn't help that we were on two separate flights (them going home and me going back to Florence). We finally found our terminal but had no idea where to go from there. (The Paris airport is just set up really different from what we're used to.) After asking a few people, we found out that I had to check-in in the area we were in while they had to check-in in a whole separate building. Since my flight left an hour after theirs, we planned to part ways, check-in, and then I would meet them at their building to hang out until we had to say our final goodbyes. I waited in line for awhile only to find out I was in completely the wrong area and I had to go to the building my mom and Shelly were at and take a 10 minute shuttle from there to a completely different building. I did all that, got to my building, only to find out that today, for whatever reason, the Florence flight was going out of the building I was just at (the same as my mom and Shelly). So I took the 10-minute shuttle back there where I finally got checked in. I looked over and my mom and Shelly were in the check-in line right next to me. They had been standing at the desk trying to check-in for over an hour. Turns out their flight was cancelled and they have to stay the night in an airport hotel tonight. I hung with them as they tried to figure out the whole hotel/new flight thing but I eventually had to leave to go through security so I wouldn't be late for my own flight. We said our goodbyes and parted ways. I was sad to leave them but I know I will be back home very soon. It was just weird knowing they were going home and I was going back to Florence. I got a bite to eat at my gate and got a couple Ladureé macarons solely because I could. My mom and Shelly were still trying to figure out their situation as my flight took off. (This sounds like a Paris airport complaint review or something.) I landed in Florence, got my bag, and hopped in a taxi to my apartment. My knee thing is flaring up again so when I got back I was pretty much in bed for the rest of the night. My mom and Shelly got to their hotel at the same time I got to my apartment. (It took them THAT long.) Turns out - their flight wasn't canceled, just overbooked and the airline tried to put the blame on them and said that they were late for their flight so they were refusing to get them a hotel and a new flight. Luckily Shelly remembered a piece of paper they'd been given that had the time they tried to check-in on it (which was the suggested 3 hours before their departure time). So they finally believed them and got them set up. Not so great experience with the Paris airport today, that's for sure. But oh well, it's over now I suppose. Hopefully tomorrow they are able to get home without any obstacles. I'm so sad I bad to leave my mom and aunt Shelly today, but so thankful they were able to come out and visit me. We had the most amazing time, I couldn't have asked for anything more! Can't wait to see them again in a little over a month. How crazy is that?? Time sure does fly when you're having fun.

I am in the process of uploading and editing all of my photos from the trip so those should be up tomorrow for you to see!