Travel with Luck

Last Friday, just before Christie & I got to Sancerre, we ate lunch at a little restaurant near the train station. It was a fun challenge as the wait staff spoke only French, and the menus didn't have any helpful English translations*. Our placemats had horoscopes in French, and on a whim, I snapped a picture of the one that appeared to be Gemini.

My new niece Lola is also a Gemini!

It wasn't until a few days later that I remembered to look up the translation. And although I know this is all made up and just for fun, I was delighted to see the advice this magic placemat had for me:

Do not go alone on vacation. Go duet with luck.

I mean...perfect, right?!

I had such an amazing time on this trip, and while I was alone for much of it, I never felt lonely. And I know luck was with me on several occasions. I was lucky when I discovered the free concert at the Musee d'Orsay. I was lucky when my phone screen shattered into a hundred pieces but the phone itself didn't break at all. I was lucky with the weather. Every. Single. Day.

I was also lucky at 5:15 this morning, when the ticket I'd pre-purchased for the bus was the wrong kind, and I needed 6 euros for the ticket, and I only had 5 euros and 90 cents left in my wallet, and thought I was going to have to beg for change on the bus or, I don't know, walk to the airport?, and then I found one more 50 cent piece stuck behind my health insurance card**.

So I made it to the airport just fine, and had no problems with my 7:10am Nice-to-Paris flight. Luckily (there it is again!) I had several hours between that flight landing and my Paris-to-Minneapolis flight departing, since I had to re-check my baggage and go through security again in Paris, and I am not exaggerating when I report that I stood in line for 2 hours to do so.

The flight back home was great; I'd somehow been assigned the bulkhead seat so I had a little extra legroom. The meals were good and though my seat mate was a little weird, I was able to put in my earbuds and tune her out. I even napped a little!

And so all that was left was to clear customs in Minneapolis, and my epic France adventure would be complete.

Selfie assessment: it was even worse close up

*My salad was a little heavy on the dressing but was otherwise fine; Christie ended up with some mystery meat that was a mystery a little too gross to solve.

**Also, lucky not to have to use the health insurance card.